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Yama Akbari, MD, PhD, Departments of Neurology, Neurological Surgery, and Anatomy & Neurobiology professor

Welcome Message: 
Yama Akbari, MD, PhD, FNCS

Director, Physician Innovator
 

The future of medicine lies in technological advancements. Our Physician Innovator Training Program (PITP) trains the next generation of physicians who can make that leap to think outside the box. Through diverse mentorship and training programs that include physician leaders, pioneering engineers and industry trailblazers, we train our medical students to revolutionize diagnoses and treatments. We believe that the previously untreatable should be treatable with such innovative advancements. PITP includes hands-on experiential teaching run by entrepreneurial and industry leaders, along with a longitudinal capstone project with advisors. Our program is the first such joint School of Medicine + School of Engineering program in the entire University of California system, allowing medical students to graduate with distinction as a Physician Innovator. We look forward to inspiring and training the next generation of Physician Innovators and welcome your interest and support!

 


 

Christine King, Biomedical Engineering Professor and Co-Director of the Physician Innovator Training Program

Welcome Message: 
Christine King, PhD

Co-Director, Physician Innovator
 

As a biomedical engineer, I have found it so important to work with physicians who understand how technology works and how it is used in their workplace to improve the lives of their patients. Through understanding how innovation and technology development are performed, we hope to develop the next generation of physician innovators who have an engineering mindset and the hands-on skills necessary to invent the next generation of healthcare solutions.

Our culture is built around real-world experiences, curiosity and transformative impact. In a multi-year, elective and mission-based capstone project, we will guide you through the core fundamentals of engineering and innovation: identifying unmet clinical needs across healthcare, ideating revolutionary tools, solutions, and technologies that meet the needs of your patients, innovating real-world solutions through engineering design principles, and implementing your solutions from intellectual property at the benchtop to the bedside through commercialization and regulatory strategies. We hope you will harness your innovative spirit and dedication to transforming healthcare and invite you to join our community of future physician innovators.