Biodesign Faculty Fellowship

Overview

The Stanford Biodesign Faculty Fellowship provides motivated Stanford University faculty members from medicine, engineering, or other schools at Stanford with advanced training and mentoring in health technology innovation.

Over approximately 9 months, the program leads participants through our rigorous approach for identifying important innovation opportunities within or outside their departments, inventing cost-effective solutions, and—importantly—preparing to implement those inventions to improve patient care.

Through the experience, faculty members gain an understanding of technology translation challenges and opportunities, and also develop a robust network of health technology contacts within and outside the university.

Applications for the 2026-27 fellowship year are now open!

What:

Learn a proven process for health technology innovation and gain access to a valuable network of experienced health technology innovators.

Who:

Stanford faculty members from medicine, engineering, or other schools at Stanford with an entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for improving healthcare through health technology innovation are encouraged to apply (see detailed eligibility requirements on our FAQ page). Participants at all stages of their careers are welcome. Unfortunately, we are not able to accommodate faculty members from other universities at this time.

Where:

Selected Biodesign Faculty Fellows become part-time members of the Stanford Biodesign team. Workshops throughout the year follow a hybrid format and will be held at the James H. Clark Center and on Zoom.

When:

The Biodesign Faculty Fellowship runs part-time from October through June each year. During the training period, faculty fellows should expect to spend approximately 10-12 hours per week completing a combination of reading and video assignments, project work, and regular small group mentoring sessions.

How:

Biodesign Faculty Fellows are selected via a competitive application and interview process. Recruiting for the 2026-27 program is now open. For more information, visit our Application Instructions page.

What the Biodesign Faculty Fellows Are Saying…

“The Biodesign Faculty Fellowship program is a true gem and one of the best professional experiences I’ve had at Stanford! I found it both unique and rewarding at so many levels – from the initial needs finding approach to coming up with an effective solution by gaining knowledge from expert IP, regulatory and reimbursement experts in the field. The coaches are amazing and it’s wonderful to connect with them and other faculty fellows in the program! The program challenges you to advance beyond areas of narrow focus in your field and broadens your thinking and experience overall. Highly recommend!"

– Meera Sankar, Neonatology

“The Biodesign Faculty Fellowship program was one of my reasons for moving to Stanford. Back East, I had been teaching myself about med tech using the Biodesign textbook while launching my startup. I became aware of the huge impact that Biodesign had on medical innovation in general, from its lengthy track record of successful startups, to its influence at the policy level on regulatory processes and reimbursement. So when the opportunity to move to Stanford came up, the first thing I asked was “Can I apply for the Biodesign Faculty Fellowship this year?” The program was such a great experience. I learned so much and loved every minute. The best part has been the community— my fellow BFF’s became my BFFs, and I now have a huge network of BFFs, Fellows, and faculty that I can call on whenever I need help or advice. It was truly a privilege to be part of the program.”

– Patrick Purdon, Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine

“The Biodesign Faculty Fellowship was an opportunity to learn a more product and market oriented approach to needs finding outside of what I was accustomed to from clinical practice and research discovery. The complimentary skills have helped me find new opportunities for my clinical research lab.”

– Maame Yaa “Maya” A. B. Yiadom, Emergency Medicine

“After experiencing BFF, I can confidently say that it has been one of the best professional opportunities/investments in my life.... I became more energetic and happier during BFF because of all my questions about the health innovation process were being answered by such wonderful coaches. The world looks very different now.”

– HyeRan Choo, Clinical Assistant Professor, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

“It’s a terrific program! I looked forward to each week’s session and I would enroll again, if I could. We learned a hands-on, systematic, step-by-step process for medical innovation – from identifying and selecting needs to creating solutions, all with an eye to the various market, regulatory, IP, cost, and reimbursement concerns that will determine whether your ideas ever help a patient. It is certainly related but substantially different than innovating in the research setting. I now feel like I’m part of the larger biodesign community, an incredibly rich ecosystem to help me make medical innovations a reality.”

– Tom Robinson, Professor, Pediatrics

“The knowledgeable instructors and large number of subject experts who donate their time is what makes the BFF such a phenomenal learning experience. As this program lays the foundation for clinicians and researchers who foresee biomedical device development as a part of their career, it is an invaluable educational opportunity.”

– Tony Anderson, Clinical Associate Professor, Anesthesiology

“The Stanford Biodesign Faculty Fellowship is truly one of the most transformational programs that I have experienced at Stanford. It really changed my perspective on how to think about problems that I encounter in clinical care. Highly recommend to faculty who would like to view clinical problems and their solutions in an innovative and design centered way.”

– Sumit Bhargava, Clinical Associate Professor, Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine

“The Biodesign Faculty Fellowship program has been one of the best educational experiences to date for me personally. This is what I have been seeking my entire career. I started the fellowship not knowing where to go with my ideas and after undertaking the course I now have a clear path and a structured framework.”

– Aussama Nassar, Clinical Assistant Professor, Surgery

“The BFF program taught me a new way to approach clinical medicine. I view every test, treatment, and diagnosis from a new lens which improves both my clinical and research practice.”

– Michael Eisenberg, Associate Professor, Urology

“The Biodesign Faculty Fellowship program provides a golden key to unlock new solutions to decrease the friction in our everyday workflow. I feel incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn an efficient and proven methodology to innovate. Finally!”

– Oliver Aalami, Clinical Associate Professor, Vascular Surgery

“Biomedical innovation can be learned. The Biodesign Faculty Fellowship program demystifies the process and effectively formalizes the mindset to solve important unmet medical needs. But it's also the friendships formed and the colleagues who you meet throughout the program which puts you in the best position to be successful. Don't miss this incredible opportunity!”

– Robert Chang, Assistant Professor, Ophthalmology

“Participating in the Biodesign Faculty Fellowship program was a thrilling highlight of my year. I've wondered for years how I could get more involved in translation, and this program gives you everything you need to get started. You'll learn the fundamentals from the best in the business, and you'll get to apply them to your own project. It’s an amazing opportunity that you'll never find anywhere else. I couldn't recommend it more highly!”

– Markus Covert, Associate Professor, Bioengineering

“The program makes you think about everything—not only biodesign and innovation, but also research, clinical cases, and life outside medicine—in a new, more creative and more productive way.”

– Cindy Kin, Assistant Professor, Surgery

“The Biodesign Faculty Fellowship program provides an outstanding overview to the highly technical process of medical innovation. The emphasis on crystallizing the precise need, brainstorming, and selecting an appropriate solution has helped in all facets of my clinical practice. I would recommend it to any faculty members who have had that great idea but are unsure about how to develop it."

– Peter Li, Clinical Assistant Professor, Otolaryngology

“The program is a gem—it has been an amazing experience.”

– Jan Liphardt, Associate Professor, Bioengineering

“This is an exceptional program where like-minded individuals with an interest in innovation but widely different backgrounds are thrown together and forced to get something done! It is a winning combination. The mentorship is outstanding, the framework provided by the reading and coursework is foundational, and the network you can tap into opens a thousand doors.”

– Eric Sokol, Associate Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology

“I wish I had the experience years ago. I now have a framework for thinking about solving problems that is completely different from all prior training.”

– Shreyas Vasanawala, Associate Professor, Radiology