Educating researchers and developers in medtech entrepreneurship

The Human Innovation: Healthcare Technologies for the Next Century event provided a forum for discussion on how to foster creative healthcare interfaces between students, universities, hospitals, government and industry in order to support medtech innovation.

A leader in this interdisciplinary field, Professor Dan Galai from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, gave the keynote address inspiring industry colleagues, clinicians and students across disciplines including engineering, IT and health.

“A successful start-up needs a good idea that serves a need,” he said.

“At many universities, up until recently, a patent was not considered a publication. This signals the growing recognition and importance of how research and academia can shape healthcare innovations for the future.

“The biomedical field is endless but solutions must be cost effective.”

Professor Galai provided invaluable steps to develop a successful technology-based startup idea leveraging decades of experience in commercialising university research.

Following Professor Galai’s address, an industry panel chaired by Warren Centre Director, Dr Ashley Brinson, addressed questions from the audience, with membership featuring:

• Dr Nick Cerneaz: General Manager of MyHealthTest Pty Ltd (a division of ITL Health Group)
• Ms Christine Chen: COO and Chief Engineer at Nano-X
• Dr Ron Weinberger: President Technology Development / Commercialisation of Nansonics Australia

The event was an initiative of the Master of Health Technology Innovation at the University of Sydney in conjunction with The Warren Centre, MTPConnect and SWAAB Attorneys.

It also emphasised how the tertiary sector can prepare graduates to thrive in this increasingly complex and risk-averse sector.

As healthcare and information technologies continue to merge, highly-trained and skilled individuals are needed to bridge the gap and solve large-scale problems.

The Master of Health Technology Innovation prepares students for this changing landscape and offers a fruitful and rewarding career path in the robust local medical technology sector and healthcare innovation area linked with medical research departments, institutes, hospitals and centres.

The MHTI program provides candidates with the exciting opportunity to work alongside clinicians, engineers, IT specialists and a variety of health professionals on interdisciplinary projects in the University's flagship Charles Perkins Centre, which is dedicated to easing the burden of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and related conditions.