2015 Medical Devices Commercialisation Training Program Graduation

The NSW Medical Devices Commercialisation Training Program bridges the gap between a good idea and a commercial success. The Program takes participants through an intensive three month training program to develop their entrepreneurial skills, and prepare them for the realities of business.

Through this Program we are developing a pool of talented researchers, technologists and clinicians who are able to translate complicated science and engineering into clear value propositions that solve real world health problems.

Over the two years Program has been running, the program has graduated 32 researchers and clinicians from various specialities. Dr Sheridan Gho and Dr Michael Weaver, from the 2014 cohort, were selected to attend the NSW-QB3 Rosenman Institute Scholar Program in San Francisco. At the Rosenman Institute, Drs Gho and Weaver are working on a device to address lymphedema, a condition of localised fluid retention and painful tissue swelling, and are benefiting from having access to clinician innovators and medical device commercialisation experts.

Medical Device Commercialisation Training Program 2015 Graduates[/caption]The 2015 round was successfully completed by 12 participants, with four members of the graduating class awarded scholarships to further develop their research:

• Professor Stephanie Watson, Kleer-i – $50,000 in seed funding for the Kleer-i patch, a sutureless wound sealing device for cataract surgery
• Dr David Yeo, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital – $25,000 in seed funding for Pivot Sphincterotome, a procedure for the management of bile duct pathology
• Dr Dharmica Mistry, BCAL Diagnostics Pty Ltd – $10,000 international engagement scholarship for higher accuracy breast imaging and screening tests
• Dr Robert Gorkin, University of Wollongong – $10,000 international engagement scholarship for new condoms utilising an advanced hydrogel material with anti-STI agents.

All graduates have gained valuable skills that will help turn their ideas into health improvements. The skills that the graduates have gained during the program will have a lasting influence on their own research and practice, which will in turn help to grow the medical device sector.