Medventions has launched a pilot program in Newfoundland and Labrador to immerse budding entrepreneurs in the inner workings of a hospital.
Founded in 2016 by Sunnybrook Research Institute in Toronto, Medventions gives post-secondary students and recent graduates hands-on experience in a hospital for four months to identify healthcare needs and invent the technologies to address them. The latest program is launching this month in Carbonear, NL, about 100 km away from St. John’s, and follows previous iterations in Toronto and Halifax.
Newfoundland program specifically looks to uncover innovation and research opportunities in anesthesiology.
“To translate these breakthroughs from bench to bedside, Canada must invest not only in technology but in the people who will commercialize it,” Medventions co-founder and co-director Dr. Ahmed Nasef said in a statement. “That’s why the expansion of Medventions to a third site in Canada marks a pivotal step in building a pan-Canadian innovation workforce.”
The Newfoundland pilot program is the result of a partnership between Sunnybrook, through its federally funded INOVAIT network, NL Health Services, and the Nova Scotia Health Innovation Hub. The fellowship’s selected candidates will work together as a group under the supervision of clinical and research mentors. The Newfoundland program is specifically looking to uncover innovation and research opportunities in anesthesiology.
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The four-month fellowship is divided into three main phases, giving fellows time to identify and verify clinical problems, ideate on the solution, and then make an early proof of concept or a prototype for a new medical device. By the end of the fellowship term in April, participants will submit a business case to the program coordinator and present their findings and proposed solutions at a final showcase.
Ron Johnson, NL Health Services’ VP of digital health, innovation and research, said the initiative will provide valuable experience and opportunities to strengthen Newfoundland’s medtech sector.
“As a health authority, we have been nurturing healthcare innovators, and through this fellowship pilot program, we can offer direct, hands-on experience with mentors to guide advancements that will enhance the health and wellbeing of people throughout the province,” Johnson said.
Feature image courtesy engin akyurt via Unsplash.