The inaugural class of 3D Scholars, a program developed by Dartmouth Health and the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth that prepares physicians to become leaders in medical device innovation, visited Fogarty Innovation this month. Their mission: a three-day deep dive into the practical realities of the medtech startup world.
The five-scholar cohort, whose specialties include electrophysiology, neurosurgery, radiation oncology, cardiac imaging and interventional cardiology, was accompanied by program co-directors Aaron Kaplan, MD and Emily Zeitler, MD, as well as renowned cardiothoracic surgeon and 3D Scholars executive committee member, Michael Mack, MD and program manager Joanie Moritz-Smith. The Fogarty visit was the second of three “retreats” in which the scholars travel for an in-person immersion with experts in key aspects of medical device innovation.
During their time in Silicon Valley, the scholars engaged with Fogarty staff experts across the startup lifecycle, from product development and early-stage fundraising to market access and commercialization. They honed critical leadership skills with sessions on storytelling and team culture and got a firsthand look at emerging technologies through a demonstration of virtual reality–based physical therapy from Fogarty company-in-development Immergo Labs.
The scholars also participated in a broad-ranging discussion with C-suite leaders of early-stage companies across a range of clinical areas, and visited EBR Systems, Inc., a commercial-stage startup, and Stanford Biodesign. One of the most eye-opening experiences involved taking their Capstone projects through Fogarty’s signature “Fogarty Physical” evaluation. The process not only yielded a multi-disciplinary assessment of their projects but reinforced how much early decisions in each area of device development affect the overall company trajectory.
The “Emily Doctrine”
One guiding principle shaped the experience: the “Emily Doctrine.” Named for Zeitler, the doctrine rejects passive learning in favor of face-to-face engagement: “We refuse to make people get on an airplane just to sit in a conference room all day with a didactic curriculum, especially if the presenter is on Zoom,” she said.
Accordingly, Matt Hillebrenner, Fogarty Director of Government Affairs and the primary liaison with the 3D planning team, choreographed an agenda that emphasized interaction and access. The experience extended beyond formal sessions to include dinners at the home of Fogarty CEO Andrew Cleeland. There, scholars engaged with ecosystem leaders like venture capitalist Mike Carusi, who presented on the VC perspective and then spent hours answering the scholars’ questions. “The entire group was incredibly engaged in the conversation,” reported Hillebrenner. “I think they were shocked to learn the volume of deals that comes across a VC’s desk before they make a decision to pursue a single investment.”
With “educating the medtech ecosystem,” as an essential part of its nonprofit charter, Fogarty Innovation regularly develops bespoke educational programs on medtech innovation for groups ranging from students to government leaders. “For the 3D scholars, we leveraged that experience—and our network—to choose critical topics and deliver high-caliber, interactive sessions tailored to their needs,” said Hillebrenner.
A transformative experience
“I enrolled in 3D Scholars to learn the skills to be an effective physician-entrepreneur in the medical device space,” said scholar Onyinye Balogun, MD, a radiation oncologist. “As a one-time founder, I felt I still had gaps in my knowledge and skill set that this program could fill. I knew our retreat to Fogarty Innovation would be highly instructive, but this exceeded my expectations!”
Balogun was most surprised to learn how many elements need to be considered so early in the innovation process. “For instance, I hadn’t thought about commercialization strategies or developing manufacturing equipment as items to address early,” she said. “Also, learning that 70% of company acquisitions occur at the commercial stage was surprising since I thought regulatory approval would be the critical timepoint.”
Fellow scholars Richard Perrin, MD, a neurosurgeon, and Hayan Jouni, MD, an interventional echocardiographer, emphasized similar learnings, including the importance of addressing reimbursement early, building strong teams, and coming to terms with the long odds of startup success. For both scholars, it also hit home that even the most compelling clinical ideas can fail as businesses.
Mack, a renowned leader in cardiothoracic surgery and ardent 3D supporter, offered perhaps the ultimate endorsement – sharing with Hillebrenner that he wished he had been able to participate in a program like this early in his own career. Mack is recognized internationally for pioneering minimally invasive cardiac surgery and heart valve therapies, especially TAVR, and has authored or co-authored more than 400 peer-reviewed papers.
Origins of the 3D Program
The idea for the 3D program came from Kaplan, a practicing physician, serial entrepreneur, and the founding director of the Dartmouth Device Development (3D) Symposium. Now entering its 24th year, the 3D Symposium is a highly-regarded, annual “think tank” that brings leaders from across the ecosystem together to exchange ideas, discuss challenges, and accelerate innovation.
“Aaron wanted to find a way to impart knowledge about device development that took him decades to acquire,” said Zeitler.
Zeitler, who has a background in health policy and previously spent a year as an FDA medical officer in addition to being a clinician and cardiovascular outcomes researcher, helped Kaplan shape the program’s vision. “We agreed that there had to be a way to infuse the medical device ecosystem with physicians who are uniquely situated to identify important gaps in care, but who can also speak the language of innovation,” she said.
“The 3D Scholars Program is, in many ways, a practical extension of the 3D Symposium,” added Hillebrenner. “Dr. Kaplan, like our founder Dr. Fogarty, is a great believer that solving hard problems requires perspectives from all stakeholders.”
Hillebrenner and Cleeland have both been involved with 3D for many years and there is a long history of Dr. Fogarty participating in the Symposium as well. “I look forward to the 3D Symposium every year – it is a great opportunity to shine a light on the latest challenges in our field as well as brainstorm potential solutions, not to mention reconnect with valued colleagues. We are thrilled to deepen our involvement with all of the Dartmouth endeavors and the entire 3D team,” Hillebrenner said.
Fogarty Innovation is a key partner in the 3D Scholars Program, acting as an extramural advisor and host of the Silicon Valley retreat. The first retreat, in Washington DC, was focused on regulatory and reimbursement policy. Later this year, the group will travel to St. Paul, Minnesota to explore manufacturing and the perspective of medtech strategics. The scholars also have in-person retreats at Dartmouth, as well as virtual seminars on other topics.
Applications for the 2026-27 program are open now.