Stanford Biodesign is proud to have helped educate and empower:
Stanford Biodesigners forge a variety of different paths after completing our programs. As one measure of impact, our fellows alone have helped more than 13 million people with technologies they invented during their time with us at Stanford Biodesign. These individuals have continued to create and deliver new technologies in their professional careers through start-ups or established health technology companies, so the number of patients they’ve reached is actually much larger. Other alumni have gone on to launch new biodesign training programs at universities beyond Stanford or within their companies, expanding the pool of motivated health technology innovators much further. Still others continue to practice medicine while applying aspects of the biodesign innovation process to improve patient care. The net impact—and multiplier effect—of these outstanding trainees is clear.
For more information about the impact of our training programs and the career paths of some of our alumni, check out a journal article that discusses outcomes of the Stanford Biodesign Innovation Fellowship. To learn more about who's involved in the Stanford Biodesign community, visit our directory.
Spotlight on the Stanford Biodesign Innovation Fellows
We actively track the career trajectories of our Innovation Fellows. Post-fellowship, many alumni transition into new roles or take on additional roles* with a marked shift into innovation-oriented positions.
Percentage of time dedicated to role (all alumni):
Check out a few examples of the different career paths our fellows take, and see how their impact spreads
Elisabet Rosàs Canyelles, PhDFellow 2021-22
- Venture Fellow, Santé Ventures
- Assistant Director of Impact1 at Stanford Biodesign (UCSF-Stanford Pediatric Device Consortium)
- Former Pediatric Innovation Fellow at Impact1
- Named on 8 issued and 1 pending patent, 2 of which have been licensed for human testing or commercial development
“One of the best years of my career. The Innovation Fellowship taught me an excellent framework for innovation beyond health technology. It is directly responsible for the wonderful opportunities that I am currently pursuing in the investment world and in tech innovation.” – Elisabet Rosàs Canyelles
Janene Fuerch, MDFellow 2016-17
- Clinical Associate Professor and Medical Director of Neonatal ECMO at Stanford Children’s Health
- Co-Director, Impact1 at Stanford Biodesign (UCSF-Stanford Pediatric Device Consortium)
- Assistant Director, Biodesign Innovation Fellowship, Stanford Biodesign
- Co-founded women's health start-up Emme out of the fellowship in 2017 (acquired in 2022 by Simple Health)
- Medical advisor and consultant to multiple start-ups
“I've been able to focus my academic career on health tech innovation from a research and teaching perspective, as well as working with neonatal medtech companies in a variety of contexts.” – Janene Fuerch
Rush Bartlett, MBA, PhDFellow 2012-13
- Co-founder and CEO of Sluice AI
- Launched four other start-ups, including two (Awair and Vynca) that stemmed from projects during the fellowship
- Former Vice President of Innovation at Lansinoh Laboratories
- As Associate Director, Corporate Innovation and Education for Stanford Biodesign, has trained 7,000+ individuals at companies such as Abbott, BD, Dexcom, Edwards Lifesciences, J&J, and WL Gore
- Named on 30 issued and 179 pending medtech patents, 100 of which have been licensed for human testing or commercial development
- Recognized on the Silicon Valley Business Journal’s “40 under 40” list in 2017
“It's impossible to overstate how impactful the Stanford Biodesign Innovation Fellowship was to launching my career.” – Rush Bartlett
Michael Ackermann, PhDFellow 2010-11
- Launched and became CEO of Oculeve out of the fellowship, which was acquired by Allergan
- Co-founded Oyster Point Pharmaceuticals, Inc., which went public (OYST) in 2019 and was acquired by Viatris Inc. in 2023
- Co-founded Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc., which went public (TARS) in 2020
- Co-founder and board member at Presidio Medical, Inc.
- CEO of Osanni Bio
- As Director of Biotechnology for Stanford Biodesign, is leading efforts to broaden the process to enable trainees to design biopharmaceutical solutions
- Named on 70 issued and 50 pending patents; 70 have been licensed for human testing or commercial development
“If it were not for Biodesign, there is absolutely no way I would be in the leadership position that I am in today.” – Michael Ackermann
Nandan Lad, MD, PhDFellow 2007-08
- Professor and Vice Chair of Innovation at Duke Neurosurgery
- Leads an active translational research program that has been supported by over $10M of NIH funding over the last decade
- Has formally trained 300 individuals and has informally coached another 100+ in Biodesign principles
- Founded three start-ups, one of which has been acquired
- $3.5 million in disclosed funding raised
- Named on 10 issued and three pending patents; 10 have been licensed for human testing or commercial development
“As a neurosurgeon-scientist-entrepreneur, I am profoundly grateful for the opportunities and innovative mindset that Stanford Biodesign instilled in me. This experience significantly influenced my career choices and trajectory, all thanks to the support of an outstanding team..” – Nandan Lad
Beverly Tang, PhDFellow 2007-08
- Co-Founder and CEO at Starlight Cardiovascular
- Former Advanced Technology & Innovation Manager at Stryker Neurovascular
- Played a pivotal role in the development of the Stryker FlowGate Balloon Guide Catheter, which has helped an estimated 200,000 people so far
- Has formally trained 200+ individuals and has informally coached another 50 in Biodesign principles/li>
- Named on two issued and five pending patents, one of which has been licensed for human testing or commercial development
“I can wholeheartedly affirm that I would not be where I am today if it weren't for the Stanford Biodesign program. Both the knowledge of the process and the Biodesign network have played a huge role in each of my career opportunities and roles that I've been able to fulfill.” – Beverley Tang
Stephen Eichmann, MBAFellow 2006-07
- Global Head, Design, Human Factors, and User Experience, J&J MedTech, Johnson & Johnson
- Focuses on discovering and designing innovative, intuitive-to-use medical device solutions for J&J that have helped more than 3 million patients to date
- Recognized with more than 60 international design industry awards with the J&J team
- Co-founded a start-up out of the fellowship
- Has formally trained more than 600 individuals and informally coached another 200+ in Biodesign principles
- Named on five issued and 10 pending patents, five of which have been licensed for human testing or commercial development
“The fellowship cemented my interest in medical technology innovation. It was a great opportunity to learn from a fantastic group of serial entrepreneurs, innovators, and medtech professionals.” – Stephen Eichmann
Uday Kumar, MDFellow 2005-06
- Founder, President, and CEO at Element ScienceLaunched iRhythm Technologies out of the fellowship, which went public (IRTC) in 2016
- Has founded two additional medtech start-ups
- Has formally trained more than 150 individuals and informally coached and mentored another 160 in Biodesign principles
- As Senior Advisor for Stanford Biodesign, participates in implementation training for the Innovation Fellows
- Named on 54 issued and 10 pending patents, three of which have been licensed for human testing or commercial development
“The fellowship helped me realize my ability to identify needs and invent good solutions, which was key in my transition from a clinical to an entrepreneurial role.” – Uday Kumar
Todd Brinton, MDFellow 2004-05
- Corporate Vice President, Advanced Technology, and Chief Scientific Officer, Edwards Lifesciences
- Former Director, Innovation Fellowship, Stanford Biodesign
- Adjunct Professor, Stanford Cardiovascular Medicine
- Has formally trained more than 2,000 individuals in Biodesign principles
- Co-founded three start-ups, including Shockwave Medical which went public (SWAV) in 2019
- Co-founded three start-ups, including Shockwave Medical, which went public (SWAV) in 2019 and was acquired by Johnson & Johnson in 2024
“It transformed my career completely. I was a young physician just finishing training. I would have never seen myself as a founder of companies, I would have never seen myself as a professor at Stanford, I would have never seen myself as an executive at Edwards Lifesciences. That was all a result of that fellowship.” – Todd Brinton
Asha Nayak, MD,PhDFellow 2001-02
- Global Head of Consumer Health Investments at Johnson & Johnson Innovation / Kenvue
- Former Global Medical Director, Health Strategy and Solutions, Intel Corporation
- Provided medical and business strategic guidance to Intel programs exploring opportunities in China, India, and Brazil
- Has formally trained more than 1,500 individuals in Biodesign principles
- Named on 21 issued and 100 pending patents, 20 of which have been licensed for human testing or commercial development
“Experiences during my year in The Innovation Fellowship helped me to establish trusted relationships with several people who were instrumental in opening doors, evaluating opportunities, and guiding career-critical decisions. This and the skills learned in Biodesign were incredibly timely and helpful as I navigated a path I could never have foreseen.” – Asha Nayak
More About Our Impact
Learn more about the Stanford Biodesigners, their exciting careers, and the impact they’re having in the healthcare field.
All statistics from the 2024 Stanford Biodesign Alumni Survey. Survey included alumni who are at least 18 months into their post-fellowship careers. Reponses received from 187 out of 194 eligible Innovation Fellowship alumni (96%).