Biodesign: Needs Based Innovation in Theory and Practise with Josh Makower, MD

​Join the seminar by Josh Makower, MD, Yock Family Professor of Medicine and Bioengineering, Stanford University!

​Innovation in medicine and surgery over past centuries has historically happened episodically with chance discoveries in the lab or clinic, or during unique moments in time where opportunity, talent and technology phenomenologically combine to produce significant advances in patient care. More recently, the question has been asked whether we can purposefully direct innovation and intentionally drive it to occur in spaces where there is the most clinical need. Answering this question and addressing it with a process that can be taught, leamed and perfected has been one of the central foci for Dr. Josh Makower’s career. Dr. Makower will discuss the origins of what is now called “The Biodesign Process” and walk through its structure and evolution through the creation of the Stanford Biodesign Innovation Program, which he co-founded with Dr. Paul Yock, to stories of several innovations produced by students, fellows and faculty of the program and the ultimate commercialization of these innovations. He’ll also provide a glimpse of the future now that he has assumed the role of Director of the Center this year.

​Short Bio: Josh Makower is the Yock Family Professor of Medicine and Bioengineering at the Stanford University Schools of Medicine and Engineering, and is the Byers Family Director and Co-Founder of the Stanford Mussallem Center for Biodesign. Josh is the Founder and Executive Chairman of ExploraMed, a medical device incubator that has created 10 companies over the past 20 years. He is also a Senior Advisor to Patient Square Capital, and an Advisory Venture Partner with Sofinnova Partners. Josh currently serves on the boards of Elevage Medical, ExploraMed, ExploraMed MDS1, Moximed, Willow, X9, Coravin, SetPoint Medical and VentureWell.