New Clinician Entrepreneurship Program to Take healthtech Ideas from Bedside to Business

Kathy Kruger Gold Coast Health & Knowledge Precinct

(07)

5552 7288 | gchkp@griffith.edu.au | gchkp.com.au

Doctors and practitioners with ideas for new healthcare products or services will be helped along the path to commercialisation through a free training and support program offered in the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct.

Delivered by Griffith University’s renowned Griffith Business School, with Gold Coast Health as supporting partner, the initiative is open exclusively to qualified clinicians, who only need an innovative idea and the commitment to learn about the entrepreneurial process.

The program, which aims to drive healthcare innovation and create new healthtech jobs, is proudly supported by the Queensland Government through an Advance Queensland Regional Collaborative Futures Grant.

Participants will be coached on everything from foundational business literacy to the steps to take a product, device, digital/AI application or innovation all the way to market or into organisational clinical practice.

Providing opportunities for clinicians to engage with a diverse experts, be supported by Griffith University students, and get tips from case studies and experienced mentors, the Clinical Entrepreneur Change Agents Program (CECAP) seeks to spread a new innovation mindset.

Clinician entrepreneur and Orthopaedic Surgeon Professor Randy Bindra, whose novel artificial wrist ligament is nearing market readiness, says the most important ingredient for clinical innovation is a supportive team.

"As clinicians, we are uniquely placed to identify clinical problems and work out solutions to improve patient care, “Professor Bindra says.

“The key is collaboration and building a team with different skill sets around you to advance ideas, both from technology development and business perspectives.

"Through R&D with colleagues at Griffith University with diverse experience - biomedical engineering, anatomy, industrial design and robotics and with business and IP protection support, we have been able to advance towards bringing our unique artificial wrist ligament product ready for commercial agreements with global industry partners."

The technology addresses a pressing clinical problem Professor Bindra encounters: a disabling wrist injury to the Scapholunate Interosseous Ligament (SLIL) commonly caused by falls in sport.

“What we’ve done is create a 3D printed ligament scaffold that is customised to the patient and is seeded with cells, so it’s a live ligament that is ready to grow and heal,” says Professor Bindra, whose innovation has been backed by a $1million grant and proven in animal models.

And immersion in this collaborative R&D environment over the last five years has spawned more ideas.

Professor Bindra’s identification of a market need and technological solution led to his recent cofounding of startup Ontic Ortho Solutions, with collaborators experienced in biomedical engineering and commercial medical product design for additive manufacturing.

“In order to address the need for realistic bone models for training orthopaedic surgeons of tomorrow, I teamed up with Associate Professor David Saxby (Chief Scientist) and Monica Russell (CEO) to create a startup right here on the Gold Coast,” he says.

“The models will be designed and manufactured in Australia for use in surgical courses worldwide.

"When you have a team of clinical and commercial mindsets working together in a supportive environment, there is no limit to innovation. All you need is an idea. "

CECAP training is led by Professor Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation Naomi Birdthistle, an award-winning academic and researcher, author and long-time entrepreneur, who has advised and mentored 450+ entrepreneurs and taught enterprise skills to 8,000+ students. Dr Brent Richards, the Medical Director of Research Commercialisation, Adj. Professor of Critical Care Research, Gold Coast Health is the program’s clinical conduit.

Striving to continuously improve patient and system outcomes in healthcare, this former Director of Intensive Care and now Chair of the Queensland AI Hub Advisory Board, has a passion for the power of AI in medical innovation and will oversee a Datathon as part of the overall pilot program.

Self-paced online business literacy training will be available for successful applicants to the program from April 2023, with the full program launching in May and the first modules of face-to-face training workshops kicking off on the Gold Coast in late June.

Approximately 40 hours of training, plus additional mentoring and advice from an expert entrepreneur-in-residence is being offered through the main program, via expression of interest application process.

There will also be potential opportunities to bring Griffith University students into the innovation teams supporting clinicians.

Those ready to take the leap will be able to access customised commercialisation training in 2024. To find out more and apply for the program visitgchkp.com.au/clinical-entrepreneurship/

World-class radiation therapy on the Gold Coast

Led by a collegial network of experienced cancer specialists, our centre provides radiation oncology services and works closely with our nearby medical oncology and haematology centre to provide an integrated experience.

World-class radiation therapy technology

Lymphoedema screening and early intervention service

Cancer Care Coordinator

No wait list - immediate access to personalised consultation and treatment

Free on-site parking

Doctor priority hotline 0436 933 573

Clinical research and trials

Commitment to affordable care

Radiation oncology is largely funded by Medicare with up to 90% of the fee covered; no private health insurance required.

ICON CANCER CENTRE GOLD COAST PRIVATE

P 07 5634 2400 | F 07 5634 2401

E admin.goldcoastprivate@icon.team

Lower Ground 3, 14 Hill Street

Southport QLD 4215 iconcancercentre.com.au

DOCTORS

Specialist and GP referrals are accepted for all cancer types. Special interests are indicated below.

Radiation Oncologists

Based at Icon Gold Coast Private

Dr Pretti Bagga

Head and neck, gynaecological, breast, lower gastrointestinal and prostate cancers

A/Prof Jim Jackson

Brain, head and neck, gynaecological, genitourinary, lung, breast and skin cancers

Dr Eric Khoo

Head and neck, colorectal, prostate and skin cancers

Dr Andrew Oar

Central nervous system, gastrointestinal, lung, skin and genitourinary cancers

How To Refer

Referrals can be made via Medical Objects or IconDoctorApp.com

Scan here to access Icon Doctor App or visit IconDoctorApp.com