UCLA Biodesign is currently inviting professionals in engineering, medicine, design, computer science, and business to apply for an exciting year-long fellowship, starting in the summer of 2021, associated with the world-class resources at UCLA Health. Now in its 2nd year, UCLA Biodesign fellows will join a team of like-minded healthcare innovators and leaders on a three-stage development process, from the identification of meaningful clinical opportunities, to invention and solution development, and to the initiation of a new venture.

Launched in 2019, UCLA Biodesign’s first class of 10 fellows included two UCLA Health faculty members and eight postgraduate professionals from engineering, business and medicine. The program expanded in 2020 to include two tracks – the Discovery Track and the Accelerator Track. The Discovery Track includes 8 fellows who will start with three months of clinical immersion followed by nine months of product development. The newly formed Accelerator Track is geared toward the in-residence clinical entrepreneur or technical innovator with a mature idea or concept, and includes 10 fellows. All fellows will receive mentorship from industry experts in areas such as product development, business development, corporate venture and intellectual property. Mentorship in intellectual property will include guidance from IP experts and Knobbe partners Rabi Narula and Sabing Lee.

UCLA Biodesign is led by Co-Executive Directors Desert Horse-Grant and Dr. Jennifer McCaney. Desert is on the executive leadership team at UCLA Health and is Senior Director, UCLA Health Research & Innovation. Jennifer is an Assistant Director of the UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute and Adjunct Assistant Professor at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine and UCLA Anderson School of Management and a leading expert in disruptive technology and entrepreneurship in healthcare. Together, they are looking to train the future leaders who will develop the groundbreaking innovations to solve the most complex medical needs.

Further information on UCLA Biodesign can be found at biodesign.ucla.edu. A great interview with Desert and Jennifer, conducted by Lisa Carmel at industry partner Ximedica, can be found here.

Written by: Sabing Lee