2. Medical Innovations Scholarly Concentration

Medical Innovations Scholarly Concentration

Program Details

 

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

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

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 Emergency + Resuscitation Science
Bela Patel MD Division 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

Program Deliverables + Innovation Tracks

 

Students must complete a research or applied innovation project leading to one of the following outcomes:

  1. Present at an Innovation Pitch Competition
  2. Publish in a Peer-Reviewed Forum or Conference Presentation
  3. Develop an Early-Stage Startup

Innovation Tracks (Recommended Categories)

  1. Surgical & Biomedical Devices: Advanced surgical tools, robotics, point-of-care testing, remote patient monitoring.
  2. Digital Health & AI: AI-driven diagnostics, telemedicine, remote patient monitoring, hospital automation.
  3. Pharmaceutical & Drug Delivery: Nanomedicine, antibody-drug conjugates, regenerative medicine.
  4. Healthcare Systems Innovation: Hospital workflow optimization, clinical decision support, patient engagement solutions.
  5. Medical Education Technology: Simulation platforms, AR/VR training, digital curriculum design, competency-based assessment tools.
  6. Mental Health Innovation: Digital mental health platforms, neurotechnology interventions, scalable community-based solutions.
  7. Health Equity & Social Determinants: Technology-enabled access to care, community health worker platforms, housing/food insecurity interventions.
  8. Infectious Diseases & Public Health: Rapid diagnostics, outbreak prediction tools, vaccination delivery systems, population-level health surveillance.
  9. Global & Low-Cost Innovation: Affordable medical devices, frugal telemedicine platforms, scalable solutions for resource-limited settings.
  10. Genomics & Precision Medicine: Genomic diagnostics, pharmacogenomics, CRISPR-based therapeutics, personalized treatment algorithms.
  11. 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.

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 Pipeline (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.

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)