UCLA Biodesign innovation fellowship opportunity drives transformative innovation

As one of the nation’s leading academic centers for education, research and clinical care, UCLA has a long history of developing innovative technologies that benefit people around the world. The UCLA Office of Research Administration and the UCLA Technology Development Group support these innovation and commercialization efforts.

To leverage the strengths of UCLA's robust campus entrepreneurial ecosystem, UCLA Health and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA are joining with the UCLA Anderson School of Management and the UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute to launch UCLA Biodesign. UCLA Biodesign will offer interdisciplinary fellowships for early-stage professionals working at the intersection of medicine, engineering, design and business. Faculty from UCLA’s schools of dentistry, nursing, law and public health are also lending their support and expertise to this exciting new pilot program. 

Led by Jennifer McCaney, PhD, adjunct assistant professor of medicine at David Geffen School of Medicine and lecturer at UCLA Anderson, and Desert Horse-Grant, senior director of UCLA Health Research and Innovation, UCLA Biodesign Fellows will receive support from UCLA Health leadership and work alongside our clinicians to identify, invent and drive transformative innovations.

UCLA Biodesign is recruiting its first cadre of four fellows from different professional schools. Under the program leadership, this initial group of fellows will design, develop and implement a framework for medical technology innovation and entrepreneurship. Fellows will have the unique opportunity to be mentored by researchers, health care entrepreneurs and industry leaders, such as Westlake Village BioPartners, a Los Angeles venture capital firm that will participate in yearly mentorship of each UCLA Biodesign team to help catalyze novel digital health and medical technologies for the commercial market. Applications are due Friday March 8, 2019. For more details and to apply, click here.

As UCLA embarks on this new program, UCLA Biodesign welcomes recommendations of MBA students, medical residents who are eligible for a research year, and engineers and design professionals who may be interested in participating in this fellowship opportunity. To learn more, please go to uclahealth.org/innovation.

In addition, members of the UCLA and Greater Los Angeles communities are invited to join UCLA Biodesign in their mission to accelerate medical innovation and training alongside their campus partners. There are many opportunities for engagement. Please send your ideas to uclahealthinnovation@mednet.ucla.edu. 

Image source: UCLA

Image caption: The UCLA Biodesign Innovation Fellowship is accepting applications through March 8, 2019.