Medical Innovations Scholarly Concentration
Mission:
The Medical Innovations Scholarly Concentration (MISC) aims to foster a culture of innovation at UTHealth McGovern Medical School (MMS) by providing medical students with structured, hands-on experience in healthcare technology, medical entrepreneurship, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Through a guided framework, students will gain exposure to design thinking, regulatory pathways, commercialization strategies, and applied medical research, driving both personal growth and UTHealth Houston’s reputation as a leader in healthcare innovation.
Program Co-Directors:
Sunil Krishnan MD Professor of Radiation Oncology
John Seymour PhD Associate Professor of Neurosurgery
Faculty Mentors + Innovation Focus Areas
Below is a table of potential mentors and their areas of expertise:
| Potential UTH Mentor | Professional Title | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Nitin Tandon MD | Professor of Neurosurgery | Devices: Neuroregeneration |
| John Seymour PhD | Associate Professor of Electrical + Computer Engineering | Devices: Neuromodulation + Diagnostics |
| Michael Jacobs PhD | Professor of Diagnostics + Interventional Imaging | Devices: Imaging |
| Alireza Akhbardeh PhD | Assistant Professor of Diagnostics + Interventional Imaging | Devices: Imaging |
| Ali Azhdarinia PhD | Assistant Professor of Diagnostics + Interventional Imaging | Drugs: Radiopharmaceutical Imaging/Therapy |
| Federica Pisaneschi PhD | Assistant Professor of Diagnostics + Interventional Imaging | Drugs: Radiopharmaceutical Imaging/Therapy |
| Jagat Narula MD, PhD | Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) | Drugs: Radiopharmaceutical Imaging/Therapy |
| Eva Sevick PhD | Professor of Molecular Medicine | Drugs: Optical Imaging |
| John Rasmussen PhD | Assistant Professor of Molecular Medicine | Drugs: Optical Imaging |
| Daniel Harrington PhD | Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering | Drug Delivery: Hydrogels |
| Sunil Krishnan MD | Professor of Radiation Oncology | Drug Delivery: Nanoparticles |
| Zhiqiang An PhD | Professor of Molecular Medicine | Drugs: Humanized Monoclonal Antibodies |
| Kyoji Tsuchikama PhD | Associate Professor of Pharmacology + Toxicology | Drugs: Antibody Drug Conjugates |
| Xin Ge PhD | Assistant Professor of Pharmacology + Toxicology | Drugs: Antibody Drug Conjugates |
| Mikhail Kolonin PhD | Professor of Regenerative Medicine | Drugs: Metabolic Disorders |
| Alex Gorfe PhD | Professor of Integrative Biology + Pharmacology | Drugs: In Silico Modeling |
| Erik Wilson MD | Professor of Surgery | Minimally Invasive Surgery |
| Uwe Fischer MD | Associate Professor of Surgery | Minimally Invasive Surgery |
| Charles S. Cox Jr. MD | Professor of Pediatric Surgery | Pediatric Trauma + Surgery |
| Nirav Thosani MD | Associate Professor of Surgery | Gastrointestinal Endoscopy |
| Nils Johnson MD | Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) | Cardiology + Coronary Physiology |
| David Cisek MD | Professor of Pediatric Surgery | Pediatric Urology |
| John J. Au MD | Assistant Professor of Pediatric Surgery | Pediatric Urology |
| Olasunkanmi W. Adeyinka MD | Associate Professor of Family Medicine | Digital Health + Primary Care |
| Julie S. Bortolotti MD | Clinical Assistant Professor of Family Medicine | Telemedicine + Family Medicine |
| Sarah Cavenaugh MD | Assistant Professor of Pediatrics | Pediatric Digital Health |
| James Langabeer PhD | Professor of Emergency Medicine + Psychiatry | Healthcare Decision Science |
| Bentley J. Bobrow MD | Professor of Emergency Medicine | Emeregncy + Resuscitation Science |
| Bela Patel MD | Divison Director for Pulmonary + Sleep Medicine | Critical Care + Healthcare Quality |
| John H. Byrne PhD | Professor of Neuroscience | Neuroscience + Memory Research |
| Louse McCullough | Professor of Neurology | Stroke + Neurology |
| Vasanthi Jayaraman PhD | Professor of Biochemistry | Neuropharmacology |
| Theresa Koehler PhD | Professor of Microbiology | Bacterial Pathogenesis |
| Hazim J. Safi MD | Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery | Cardiothoracic Surgery |
Student Selection Criteria
- Eligibility: Open to all McGovern MS1s in strong academic standing.
- Application Deadline: February 28th (MS1 Spring Term)
- Application Components:
- Healthcare Innovation Project Proposal: Student statement of innovation interest, defined problem, proposed solution, core objectives, and expected outcomes (MS1 SRP and MS4-end)
- Resume/Curriculum Vitae
- Selection Process: Faculty Interview + Proposal Review.
- Number of Accepted Students: 5 students per year
Program Deliverables + Innovation Tracks
Students must complete a research or applied innovation project leading to one of the following outcomes:
- Present at an Innovation Pitch Competition
- Publish in a Peer-Reviewed Forum or Conference Presentation
- Develop an Early-Stage Startup
Innovation Tracks (Recommended Categories)
- Surgical & Biomedical Devices: Advanced surgical tools, robotics, point-of-care testing, remote patient monitoring.
- Digital Health & AI: AI-driven diagnostics, telemedicine, remote patient monitoring, hospital automation.
- Pharmaceutical & Drug Delivery: Nanomedicine, antibody-drug conjugates, regenerative medicine.
- Healthcare Systems Innovation: Hospital workflow optimization, clinical decision support, patient engagement solutions.
- Medical Education Technology: Simulation platforms, AR/VR training, digital curriculum design, competency-based assessment tools.
- Mental Health Innovation: Digital mental health platforms, neurotechnology interventions, scalable community-based solutions.
- Health Equity & Social Determinants: Technology-enabled access to care, community health worker platforms, housing/food insecurity interventions.
- Infectious Diseases & Public Health: Rapid diagnostics, outbreak prediction tools, vaccination delivery systems, population-level health surveillance.
- Global & Low-Cost Innovation: Affordable medical devices, frugal telemedicine platforms, scalable solutions for resource-limited settings.
- Genomics & Precision Medicine: Genomic diagnostics, pharmacogenomics, CRISPR-based therapeutics, personalized treatment algorithms.
- Preventive & Lifestyle Medicine Innovation: Digital nutrition tools, wearable-based fitness and sleep tracking, culinary medicine interventions, behavioral health optimization.
Innovation Competencies
Upon completion, students will:
1. Strengthen Innovation & Problem-Solving Skills: Identify unmet healthcare needs, apply design thinking, and develop prototype-driven solutions.
2. Build Solution Design & Translation Skills: Refine concepts through testing, stakeholder feedback, and patient-centered design.
3. Gain Regulatory & Entrepreneurship Knowledge: Understand FDA approval pathways, reimbursement, intellectual property, and business strategies for implementation.
4. Sharpen Interdisciplinary Innovation Skills: Collaborate effectively across medicine, engineering, and business while developing leadership to drive healthcare change.
Medical Innovations Scholarly Concentration: Timeline & Requirements
MS1: Exploration + Orientation
Required:
- Submit MISC Application (deadline: February 28th)
- Submit Healthcare Innovation Project Proposal (problem, proposed solution, objectives, expected outcomes)
- Attend Scholarly Concentration Orientation + TMC Innovation Factory Tour.
- Attend 1 Innovation or Biodesign Workshops/Lecture (e.g., MISC Innovation Education Series, TMCi Biodesign Workshops, Rice BME, EnMed, UTHealth Center for Digital Health Innovation)
- Innovation Project: Mentor Check-In(s)
MS1-MS2 (Summer): Foundation + Innovation Design
Required:
- Present Project at McGovern Summer Research Program
- Attend 1 Innovation or Biodesign Workshops/Lecture (e.g., MISC
- Innovation Education Series, TMCi Biodesign Workshops, Rice BME,
- EnMed, UTHealth Center for Digital Health Innovation)
- Initiate Prototyping Development + Early Testing (if applicable)
- Innovation Project: Mentor Check-In(s)
MS2: Prototype Development + Early Execution
Required:
- Continue Product Development + Data Collection (refine prototype, collect data + feedback from initial test runs)
- Attend 1 Innovation or Biodesign Workshops/Lectures (e.g., MISC Innovation Education Series, TMCi Biodesign Workshops, Rice BME, EnMed, UTHealth Center for Digital Health Innovation)
- Innovation Project: Mentor Check-In(s)
- Midpoint Review: Present project update to UTH Faculty Mentor(s) (MS2-end)
MS3: Prototype Refinement + Validation (Clerkship Flex-Year)
Required:
- No Formal Project Requirements (during core-clerkships)
- Attend 1 Innovation or Biodesign Workshops/Lecture (e.g., MISC Innovation Education Series, TMCi Biodesign Workshops, Rice BME, EnMed, UTHealth Center for Digital Health Innovation)
- Innovation Project: Mentor Check-In(s)
MS4: Innovation Pitch + Project Dissemination
Required:
- Finalize Product Refinement + Clinical Validation (if applicable)
- Submit Project Abstract to McGovern Medical Student Research Office
- Participate in UTHealth Houston ‘Shark Tank’ Innovation Pitch Competition (Panel of UTHealth experts, potential investors, stakeholders).
- Submit Innovation to One External Pipline (where applicable)
- Submit Publication (submission is the requirement, not acceptance)
- Present at Innovation Conferences/Symposiums (e.g., TMC AI Summit, UTHealth Center for Digital Health Innovation Summit, McGovern Spring Senior Research Symposium, TMCi Presentation)
- Create Innovation-Focused Start-Up with Faculty Mentor
- Apply for Texas Nucleate Startup Incubator
- Enroll in TMCi’s Accelerator Program
- Attend 2 Innovation or Biodesign Workshops/Lectures (e.g., MISC Innovation Education Series, TMCi Biodesign Workshops, Rice BME, EnMed, UTHealth Center for Digital Health Innovation)
Post-Graduation: Explore Project Continuity Opportunities
- No Formal Requirement
- Student Options:
- Continue innovation project as resident/fellow
- Handoff project to a new student.
Medical Innovations Scholarly Concentration: Completion Requirements
To graduate with the MISC distinction, students must:
- Attend 6 Innovation Workshops + Webinars (minimum)
- Complete McGovern SRP Requirements
- Submit MS4 Innovation Abstract to Medical Student Research Office
- Present “Shark Tank” Innovation Pitch to UTHealth Innovation Faculty
- Disseminate Innovation to 1 External Source (conference, publication,
- incubator, start-up application)