From the very first day, this year’s 22 Lefteroff interns jumped into their adventure with energy, curiosity and eagerness, said Zach Edmonds, MD, chief medical officer at Fogarty, speaking at their graduation ceremony. “It was immediately clear they came not only willing, but ready: ready to learn from every speaker, ready to work very hard for their companies, ready to forge connections with individuals who could help shape their careers, and ready to squeeze every drop of value out of these eight weeks.”
Addressing the interns directly, he continued, “I’m truly inspired because I think you will be agents of change—addressing issues, challenges and problems in healthcare with authenticity and a strong moral compass.”
Fueling the future of healthtech
Now in its 11th year, the Lefteroff Internship program continues to deeply engage students in the multi-faceted world of medical technology, providing them with immersive experiences, professional development and crucial industry insights. The program was created to honor former Fogarty Innovation board member and avid supporter, the late Tracy Lefteroff, an influential leader in venture capital-funded life sciences companies known for his commitment to mentoring and educating the next generation.
This year’s internship program set a record with the largest applicant pool ever—each candidate brimming with talent, passion and promise, shared Gretchen Berstler, Fogarty’s program manager, who has been deeply involved with the Lefteroff program since its inception. “We believe it is an inspiring testament to the growing interest in what we do here.” According to Berstler, the selection committee poured tremendous care and effort into evaluating applicants, knowing that they were shaping not just the summer internship group, but a community of future innovators.
This year’s students came from 18 universities and colleges across the United States and abroad, noted Marga Ortigas-Wedekind, Fogarty’s chief commercial strategy officer, who also serves on the intern selection committee and leads Fogarty’s educational program. “They brought not only academic excellence, but also the remarkable diversity of perspective that is essential to the internship,” she said. “We knew this richness would ensure that the ideas, collaborations and work performed this summer would be informed by a wide variety of viewpoints and lived experiences.”
The internship included extensive physician shadowing, which provided exposure to multiple surgical procedures, including the use of the Fogarty balloon catheter. They also shadowed nurses, gaining a perspective into how impactful and busy nurses’ lives are.
Field trips included visits to Intuitive Surgical and The Foundry for hands-on experiences, and to Abbott where the MitraClip, which was co-invented by Fogarty vice chair, entrepreneur and practicing cardiologist, Fred St Goar, MD, is produced. Back home at Fogarty Innovation, they learned about the healthtech startup journey—engaging in foundational courses including startup 101 and business communication to clinical evidence generation, IP, commercialization and reimbursement. They also heard from a variety of speakers in the local healthtech ecosystem, including CEOs, clinicians and other key opinion leaders.
Beyond these experiences, the interns agreed that the most impactful aspect of this “life-changing” program were the relationships they built with each other and their mentors, highlighting Fogarty senior staff’s open-door policy as well as the significant hours that Fogarty CEO Andrew Cleeland spent with them throughout the summer.
We had the chance to sit down with a few of the interns to hear more:
Analiese Bancroft
The Lefteroff internship helped set Analiese, a rising senior at Stanford University studying materials science and engineering with a biology minor, decide on a new course: pre-med. Shadowing physicians, listening to patients, and seeing how they responded to lifestyle changes underscored for her that the medical system has tremendous room for improvement. In addition, conversations with St Goar and Edmonds further solidified her decision to pursue medicine—while also fueling her vision of becoming a medical technology innovator. “I felt so connected to the mission after doing the clinical work and seeing how these physicians’ careers have been so interdisciplinary,” she said. “I will be pursuing pre-med and hope to be a physician innovator one day.”
For her hands-on project, Analiese worked with Materna Medical, which empowers women to protect and restore pelvic health at every stage of life. Specifically, she worked on Ellora™, an investigational device intended to reduce pelvic floor muscle injury during vaginal delivery, where she helped redesign a version for teaching and demonstration that is rechargeable rather than single use.
Connor Lo
A rising senior at Cal Poly studying mechanical engineering, Connor greatly valued the chance to immerse himself in a startup environment. As this was his first internship at a small company, he enjoyed the variety of roles he was able to take on and the opportunity to work directly with both the COO and CEO. The experience highlighted the importance of exposure to a range of positions and developing diverse skills while building a career. Over the next six years, he plans to gain experience across more disciplines including quality, manufacturing and R&D.
Connor worked with Novocuff, a maternal health company focused on improving outcomes for mothers impacted by preterm premature rupture of the membranes (PPROM), where he helped create training kits for the physicians. (Coincidentally the company was founded by two Cal Poly alums.) “It was very motivational to know how meaningful our project was,” he said. “And I learned that technical expertise alone isn’t enough for engineers—soft skills are just as important, especially in small team settings where collaboration makes all the difference.”
Fedra Androulidaki
A rising junior at Carnegie Mellon University studying materials science and engineering and biomedical engineering, Fedra worked with Elevanse—a startup founded by a team of Stanford Biodesign innovation fellows that is reimagining women’s health. Their first product is Vanta, which aims to provide support for pelvic organ health. Fedra’s project entailed researching pelvic floor anatomy and investigating medical balloon materials to help address prolapse, which is not only uncomfortable but can take an emotional toll on patients. “I learned a lot about the technical side as well as about IP and marketing, while also getting insight into the hospital environment,” she said.
However, what impressed her most about her time at Fogarty was how accessible everyone was. “The professionals we worked with really drilled in the importance of a company’s culture, and how important it is to work with people who have the same goals. This summer was transformative as I feel more established in my purpose to continue to pursue healthcare and medtech.”
Part of the Fogarty family
At the graduation ceremony, St Goar summed up the experience, reiterating that the Lefteroff internship is about much more than gaining skills. “The [interns] forged deep bonds supporting and challenging one another in equal measure, celebrating wins and learning from setbacks together,” he said. “It was very clear to us that this group was not just a cohort; it was a family—one that we believe will last long after their time here.” St Goar also emphasized that the mentors at Fogarty learned as much from the interns as vice versa, and that though they will be greatly missed, they will hopefully stay connected and remain lifelong members of the Fogarty community.
To find out more about the Lefteroff Internship program and its alums, click here.