Paul Yock receives the National Medal of Technology and Innovation
The MIDP was delighted to be informed of Paul Yock, MD's award of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. As the founding co-chair of the Standford Department of Bioengineering and the Founder of the Stanford program in Biodesign, the MIDP has modelled their program on the tenants of his work. A frequent speaker, kind collaborator and friend of one of the MIDP’s founders, Andre Churchwell, MD, we are excited to have the opportunity to announce this in our newsletter.
The National Medal of Technology and Innovation is an honor granted by the President of the United States to American Inventors and Innovators who have made significant contributions to the development of new and important technology. This award is often granted to groups and corporations. Dr. Yock receiving this award individually is indicative of what he has accomplished on his own.
These accomplishments include the rapid exchange antioplasty catheter, which simplified cardiac procedures and improved safety. He developed the mechanical intravascular ultrasound system, further advancing the topps avaliable for cardiovascular interventions. With over 45 U.S patents, Dr. Yock's work has had a lasting impact on the field, transforming the landscape of cardiology and enriching the quality of life for countless patients.
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The MIDP's Winter Forum series has been exceptional. We kicked off the season with Bob Webster. Dr. Webster is the force behind VISE, the Vanderbilt Institute for Surgery and Engineering. His interest in surgical robotics has led to successful IPs, patents, and companies. His faculty position at Vanderbilt and successful work outside the University, made him a great resource for our students who are following the same interests.
Aubrey Grant, MD is a rare sports cardiologist. His prestigious job puts him in the clinic and also in the air, flying to meet with elite athletes about performance issues. In his spare time, Dr. Grant has put his mind to unconscious bias. He has developed an implicit bias training called Equity Commons. This Virtual Reality training experiences encourages individuals in hospital settings dealing with reoccurring patients, fast paced decisions and crowded hospitals to use langugae and lines of questioning that may better get to the hear of the matter. Dr. Grant's talk was dynamic and encouraged meaningul discussion.
Jaclyn Mothupi, a former Americorp and Peace Corp volunteer is a faculty member at Vanderbilt's Wond'ry He work there in sustainablity and how small changes can make big impacts tied in beautifully with the MIDP's mission to change healthcare and the understanding that many of those innovations will be small, but huge in the world of change.
Our final Winter speaker was Dr. Wes Ely, his amazing book Every Deep Drawn Breath swepth through the country two years ago as we began to recognize the life-altering difficulties of long term care in the ICU. He stated that the theme of his career, was that he wanted to make health care changes that would impact people he would never meet, meaning that his practices and alternative solutions would become so widely accepted that he would never meet all the patients that used the implementations. This amazing life philosophy, the millions of impacted patients around the world and the fine balance of a nourished personal life was great for physicians who had not yet made the leap to their desired career.
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Dr. Omary's Next Chapter
Many of us are aware of he passion that founding MIDP director, Dr. Reed Omary, has for climate action. Like any good MIDP member, he's always been uncomfortable with the status quo. Thus, in 2023 he pivoted his career from being Vanderbillt's chair of Radiology to taking a sabbatical to focus exclusively on climate change and health.
What has he done with his time away? Quite a lot in the realm of teaching, research, and advocacy. He’s also stepped into some entirely new terrain.
For instance, he launched a sustainable healthcare blog, The Green Leap, which recently celebrated its first birthday. The website has expanded from blog posts to now also including videos and podcasts.
Then in November 2024, Dr. Omary founded a 501(c)(3) nonprofit called Greenwell Project, and serves as CEO. We in MIDP know the importance of customer discovery to uncover needs that are often hiding in plain sight, and to co-design solutions to meet those needs. While on sabbatical, Dr. Omary interviewed hundreds of folks from around the world. He learned that patients were being excluded from conversations about sustainability. It wasn’t intentional; no one had really thought about it. Thus, he and several partners launched Greenwell Project with the mission to design sustainable medicine together with patients. By co-creating and co-designing with patients, health systems and industry can save costs, improve quality, recruit top talent, and build trust.
Below: See Dr. Omary advocating for sustainability and health equity earlier this month at the Radiological Society of North America annual meeting in Chicago. This is the largest medical meeting in the world.
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Vanderbilt University to Host Inaugural Convoy Conference
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This March 4-6, Vanderbilt University will host its inaugural Convoy Conference, a transformative event designed to accelerate the university’s momentum in entrepreneurship and venture capital. Taking place on Vanderbilt’s campus, the Convoy Conference is set to gather an impressive array of alumni—entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, founders, investors, and C-suite leaders—to strengthen the university’s innovation ecosystem and build connections that will foster long-term success.
According to Baxter Webb, Director of the Owen Center for Entrepreneurship, the Convoy Conference represents a bold evolution from Vanderbilt’s entrepreneurial events. “This Conference builds on the foundation of previous gatherings like the Vanderbilt Entrepreneurship Conference, but significantly expands the purpose and scope to increase its impact,” he explained. Webb, an Owen alum and seasoned entrepreneur, joined Vanderbilt in April to lead the Center for Entrepreneurship and has been spearheading the creation of Convoy.
Please reach out to Betsy Sloan or Baxter Webb to find out more about the specific conference day focusing on healthcare and industry!
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Art by Dr. Andre Churchwell
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The MIDP considers itself lucky to host the photography of Dr. Trent Rosenbloom in our newsletter on a regular basis. After receiving its first snow of the season, Nashville was a winter wonderland. Thanks for sharing your work, Dr. Rosenbloom.
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