What We Do: Elevate
We are stronger together.
Our mission is to advance human health worldwide by forging stronger alliances among innovators, industry and government. We believe that partnering with those who share our passion for innovation benefits all participants in the medtech ecosystem and results in the best outcomes for patients and providers worldwide.
We seek to inform and influence decisions that encourage innovation, drive progress in developing solutions that address unmet clinical needs, and benefit early-stage medtech startups. We provide perspectives on global health policy issues of concern to innovators, providers, and patients and help shape such policy through informed representation.
We insist that the solutions we create are cost-effective and accessible to all patients in need. This is not always the easy way, but it is the right way. We are committed to applying a diversity of perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds to clinical challenges because these inevitably shape better results.
Alliances
We establish effective partnerships by aligning with organizations, institutions, clinical practices, funders, and agencies that broaden our reach and share our values. Our most active alliances include:
Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF)
Fogarty Innovation partners with CRF to organize the TCT MedTech Innovation Forum, a one-day conference before the main sessions of TCT (Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics) focused on the business of innovation. This intensive interactive summit brings together clinicians, entrepreneurs, investors, payors, and regulators to identify clinical challenges, uncover opportunities for innovation, and drive a practical understanding of the rewards and complex process required to bring novel medical technologies to market. The intent is to shape the future of patient care and medtech innovation through informed discussion, debate, and real-world insight. TCT is the premiere educational event for practitioners and researchers in interventional cardiovascular medicine.
Fogarty Innovation and CRF share the same vision, passion, and values, and plan to expand their collaboration to develop additional programs and joint endeavors in the future.
El Camino Health (ECH)
It is entirely fitting that Fogarty Innovation is housed on the Mountain View hospital campus of El Camino Health, occupying an entire floor of one of its newest buildings—The Sobrato Pavilion. El Camino Health has long history of integrating technology into practice, starting with its 1971 partnership with Lockheed to implement the world’s first electronic medical information system. Today, El Camino Health’s mission to drive meaningful change in medicine continues through the work of its Taft Center for Clinical Research, which offers patients the opportunity to participate in the latest research studies. Our residency at El Camino Health, which dates back to 2007, has made it possible for numerous Fogarty innovators to benefit from practical, hands-on experience and education in clinical and administrative settings, which helps ensure that their inventions meet the needs of providers as well as patients. In return, many physicians at El Camino Health are attracted to Fogarty Innovation’s invention accelerator program, and work with our staff to evaluate, and potentially bring forward ideas that benefit the practice of medicine. El Camino Health and Fogarty Innovation continue to seek ways to collaborate and introduce more joint programs in the future.
Singapore Biodesign
Fogarty Innovation works with Singapore Biodesign (SB) to introduce the Silicon Valley medtech ecosystem. Teams of Fellows from the SB Innovation and Faculty Fellowship programs are introduced to mentors at FI who help assess the projects they are pursuing and offer strategic guidance. Additionally, the Fellows are introduced to Company-in-Residence teams and outside experts who provide additional insights about the experience of being a startup company in one of the most competitive medtech environments.
The BOLT Initiative
The BOLT Initiative is a competitive, invitation-only curriculum, open to individuals/teams trained through the Singapore Biodesign process. The program provides mentoring and networking to the selected teams to assist them with advancing their innovation toward delivery to patients and their families. Each year, one of the selected teams may participate in an in-person mentoring experience in the Silicon Valley.
Stanford Byers Center for Biodesign
This long-standing affiliation reflects our shared dedication to accelerating the translation of concepts into viable medical technology businesses. In fact, Stanford Biodesign’s purpose,
Advancing health outcomes and equity through innovation education, translation, and policy
is similar to our own. Stanford Biodesign and Fogarty Innovation share the same philosophy that medical technology innovation must start with an unmet clinical need, rather than an idea for a new technology, and the two organizations have have long collaborated on many fronts. Fogarty staff help interview and select Biodesign Innovation Fellows who later often apply to join our Company-in-Residence or Summer Extension programs. Many Fogarty educational programs are also open to Biodesign fellows and staff. Stanford Biodesign, in turn, hosts the annual Thomas J. Fogarty, MD, Lecture and involves our staff in many activities, from lecturing in courses to participating on technology assessment panels.
The two management teams also collaborate on critical societal and policy issues that impact the early-stage medtech innovation ecosystem. Diversity by Doing Healthtech (DxD) is the latest example of a joint initiative that seeks to enhance diversity, inclusion, and equity in the health technology industry.
Other Innovation Ecosystem Alliances
Government Agency Collaboration
U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA)
Through our longstanding FDA Fellowship program, senior leaders from the Center for Devices & Radiological Health (CDRH) embed themselves within Fogarty Innovation for an intensive week of hands-on learning. The program, which repeats several times each year, fosters communication that elevates understanding on both sides – regulators learn to better appreciate the challenges of device development, and innovators acquire a more comprehensive understanding of regulatory requirements and processes.
We also host a series of quarterly webinars in which FI staff and industry experts provide insight on a variety of topics related to early-stage medtech development. Approximately 250-300 CDRH staff attend each webinar.
Thanks to these insights, the FDA has made significant enhancements to its process, thus accelerating the delivery of life-saving technologies to patients.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
We actively collaborate with the Medical Device Manufacturers Association (MDMA), a beacon in our industry, to help solve the top challenges facing medical technology companies. Among the most important of those efforts is creating a dialogue with CMS to ease the process of obtaining reimbursement for new medical devices.
Medtech Advocacy
Medtech Strategist
A prolific publisher and organizer of stimulating industry conferences that have helped medical device industry executives better understand ever-changing medtech dynamics, Medtech Strategist (MTS) is a powerful voice that has helped shaped the ecosystem for the last two decades. Fogarty Innovation is proud to be a co-organizer and active facilitator in MTS’ high-impact conferences, which bring together industry thought-leaders, investors and innovators from around the globe.
MDMA
Based in Washington D.C., MDMA is the leading voice representing the interests of smaller, innovative and entrepreneurial medical technology companies. By providing educational and advocacy assistance to member companies, MDMA shares a similar mission to Fogarty Innovation. We have partnered consistently with MDMA to help influence policy affecting early-stage medtech companies. MDMA’s President and CEO, Mark Leahy, is an active member of Fogarty Innovation’s board of directors. MDMA also co-sponsors the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging seminar series organized by DxD.
Diversity Drivers
Diversity by Doing (DxD)
Fogarty Innovation teamed with the Stanford Byers Center for Biodesign and industry leaders in 2019 to examine barriers to diversity within management ranks of small- to medium-size medtech corporations. This resarch led to the creation of Diversity by Doing HealthTech (DxD), an action-oriented program that empowers diversity change agents by providing education, expert voices, and practical resources.
Learn more about DxD’s programs for companies and individuals, including speed mentoring, the Summer Innovation Series for college-age interns from underrepresented groups, the DEIB seminar series for healthtech leaders, and more. DxD is led by executive director Ingrid Ellerbe.
MedtechWomen
Fogarty Innovation has collaborated with MedtechWomen for many years and plays a significant role in select programs like the Ferolyn Fellowship, which is highlighted at the yearly meeting for MedtechWomen, Medtech Vision. More recently, we introduced the organization to the research findings and resources of Diversity by Doing Healthtech (DxD). We are actively seeking to deepen this alliance going forward.
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula
Fogarty Innovation works witth neighbors on the San Francisco Peninsula to ensure that youth from all socio-economic brackets in our community are able to learn about and get involved in opportunities in medtech and healthcare. We are pleased to include candidates from the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula (BGCP) in our Lefteroff summer internship program for college students and are excited about additional opportunities to work together.
Other Global Innovation Programs
The UCSF Rosenman Institute
Fogarty staff and our Companies-in-Residence have interacted with The UCSF Rosenman Institute for a number of years, driven by our common networks and interest in advancing early-stage medtech innovation. More recently, the organizations have aligned to benefit entrepreneurs working on the northern and southern ends of the San Francisco Peninsula. Some important educational programming is now open to cross registration for CEOs at either organization.
University of California San Francisco (UCSF) / Stanford Pediatric Device Consortium (PDC)
With an aim to improve the health, safety and quality of life of pediatric patients by accelerating high-value, high-impact pediatric device solutions towards commercialization, the UCSF-Stanford Pediatric Device Consortium has combined the research and translational expertise of the two institutions. The organization incorporates the unique innovation methodology of Stanford Biodesign, whose model for device development is world renowned. Fogarty staff is active on the advisory board and participates yearly as judges in the PDC accelerator Shark Tank competition, which awards seed funding to companies developing meaningful pediatric solutions in this often-overlooked space.
The Investment Community
Over their years of experience within the industry, members of the Fogarty team have forged extensive relationships with venture capital and angel funds, among other types of investors. We are actively growing those relationships, reaching out to new investors, and exploring new investment vehicles alongside those who are interested in the work of value creation and innovation in healthcare.