Benjamin Graham
Dr. Ed Roberts
These three names might not mean much to you, until they are paired with the entrepreneur whom they famously mentored: Warren Buffet, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs respectively. This trio benefitted from the experiences of others.
Dr. Fogarty was also fortunate to have had wise mentors guiding him throughout his career, which resulted in his ability to save the lives and limbs of over 20 million patients. As he has famously stated, “I certainly wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for the concept of mentorship, which I believe is critically important for innovation.”
Here at FII, we understand that mentors are crucial to the success of any innovator. That’s why we not only have a mentorship program for our companies-in-residence, but also for young students who show a passion for medical innovation. We are in our third year of our summer internship program and we are thrilled to welcome our 2015 students from throughout the United States, China and Italy. They will spend six weeks with us, learning via our companies-in-residence and our partner company, Samsung Strategy & Innovation Center, where they will work on Samsung’s Simband health tracker. The Samsung Digital Health Initiative is a perfect example of the spirit of innovation we espouse: it brings together developers, academics and healthcare innovators to explore a health open design platform tailored to take advantage of the latest sensors, behavioral algorithms, battery technologies and displays as we work to create a healthier world.
The 2015 Lefteroff Fund interns greatly benefited from strong mentorship during their six-weeks stay at the Fogarty Institute.
The Institute knows that education is the lifeblood of our future. That’s why we established the Lefteroff Fund in honor of Tracy Leteroff, an avid supporter and former board member who brought a legacy of commitment and dedication to entrepreneurship, investment and innovation in the life sciences.
The goal of the Lefteroff Fund is to spur innovative ideas and develop and educate promising medical innovators who have already demonstrated potential. Thanks to the Fund’s generous donors, we are able to mentor these interns and help nurture the next generation of innovators who will support the goal of creating new technologies, therapies, diagnostics and products for patients with unmet medical needs.
We believe it’s an unmatched opportunity for our next generation to learn from some of the best innovators, right here in the heart of Silicon Valley.
Most of us are where we are today because someone has come alongside us and helped show us the way. And, while not all of us are equipped to provide tangible medical knowledge, we are all capable of helping support these innovators by donating to the Leteroff Fund and investing in the future of medicine — today. We will keep you posted on the progress of our interns and the other exciting work taking place at FII.