Recently, representatives from Fogarty Innovation participated in Leadership Mountain View’s (LMV) Health and Human Services curriculum day, which was co-organized by longtime FI partner, El Camino Health.
Marga Ortigas-Wedekind, Fogarty Innovation chief commercial strategy officer, and Zach Edmonds, MD, strategic advisor and division chair of hospital medicine for the Palo Alto Medical Foundation Medical Group who has practiced at El Camino Health’s hospital in Mountain View for 14 years, discussed the partnership and the importance of innovation in healthcare to this group of motivated local citizens.
LMV helps local leaders enhance their understanding of the community
Founded 31 years ago, LMV, a member of the Association of Leadership Programs (ALP) and operated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit under the Mountain View Chamber of Commerce, is an educational program for adults who live or work in Mountain View and want to learn more about their community and build relationships. Its well-rounded curriculum touches on all facets of community life, providing a behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of city, county and state government, as well as programs that focus on public safety, education, business, health and human services, arts, media and diversity. The nine-month program runs from September to May and offers classroom lectures supplemented with field trips to various sites and organizations to bring the teachings to life. Students also work in teams to complete community service projects.
“The aim of the program is for participants to learn more about the City of Mountain View and connect them with community members and organizations, with the end goal of developing civic-minded residents who are active participants and informed leaders,” said Brian Kosinski, LMV program director. “I’ve been very impressed by the caliber of the class members, many of whom eventually move on to serving on city council or assuming other important roles in our community. As a first-year director of the program, I will be looking to enhance the curriculum and know that Fogarty’s participation was a valuable addition.”
Each class is comprised of approximately 30 students – typically mid-career professionals targeting the next step in their career – who represent all types of industries, from the corporate sector, nonprofits, healthcare and education, along with entrepreneurs and those who are self-employed. In addition, each class includes city government employees who participate via a competitive process, with the top candidates ultimately chosen by the city manager. This year the program welcomed the chief communications officer from the City of Mountain View, two police officers, a firefighter and a librarian.
El Camino Health’s relationship opens door
LMV has had a long-time standing partnership with El Camino Health, which each year has orchestrated a panel of speakers to discuss health and human services. Jon Cowan, senior director, government relations and community partnerships at El Camino Health, has played a key role in organizing these discussions and identifying relevant speakers.
“The program really helps participants understand the different sectors of the community and how they work together,” said Jon. “This is just one of the reasons I’m so passionate about this program as it provides an opportunity to interact with people whom you otherwise might not cross paths with while learning so much more about the community where we work and live.”
Historically, one important topic has been innovation in healthcare, which is why Fogarty joined this year.
“We thought it would be interesting and educational to highlight the innovative work that’s being done in medical devices,” said Jon. “Based on the positive feedback, our students were very interested to learn more about the organization and how it seamlessly works with El Camino Health.”
“One of our key goals at Fogarty is to work within the medtech ecosystem to build alliances that help innovation thrive,” Marga said. “We were delighted when El Camino Health asked us to participate as it allowed us to further contribute to the work of this important partner, while educating local community members on what we do every day to advance medical technology.”
Applications for the 2022-2023 class, which will begin in September 2022, are available now through July 22.