p e o p l e
a n d
p l a c e s
Teaching innovation to improve lives
Competing as InnoHealth Diagnostics,
the team developed an innovative DNA- Medicine’s entrepreneur-in-residence, taught a
based diagnostic tool to help safeguard class in biomedical engineering at the FAMU-
people from tropical diseases, specifically FSU College of Engineering where the students
the tropical parasitic disease schistosomiasis. developed the idea as part of a class project.
Also known as “snail fever,” it’s blamed for
Rodriguez
Pritchard
Encouraging future scientists and innovators
is part of the job for College of Medicine
Rodriguez, an M.D. who is the College of
“This technology began with human-
causing more than 200,000 deaths a year. An centered design in engineering,” Pritchard
estimated 260 million people have been infected said. “Through mentorship at the College
worldwide. of Medicine and the Jim Moran School of
In Nigeria alone, 100 million people are at
Entrepreneurship, it has been refined and
research faculty members Cesar Rodriguez risk of infection, and 30 million are suffering focused to reach those affected by this parasitic
and Emily Pritchard. Their efforts are being from the disease. It is typically spread by disease.”
rewarded. contact with contaminated river water, and
A team of students they advise in the
Team members Nkechi Emetuche,
without treatment snail fever can cause stomach Clarens Jarbath, Jack Robbins and Angela
Biomedical Entrepreneurship Mentorship ulcers, bladder cancer and other serious health Udongwo hope their technology will lower the
program at the College of Medicine won a problems. rate of schistosomiasis to less than 1 percent in
$10,000 grand prize in the FSU InNOLEvation® “InnoHealth demonstrates the effectiveness
Challenge competition in April before advancing of interdisciplinary teamwork to achieve broad
to the final round of the Atlantic Coast health impacts,” said Pritchard, who holds a
Conference InVenture Prize competition. doctorate in biomedical engineering. She and
Kano State, Nigeria. They plan to eventually
market their product in other countries.
‘Leadership comes from within’
Leadership in Medicine is not like most
being in the program but from creating it.
for others, collaboration, creative problem- “To see them rise to the occasion and grow
Actually, it’s not technically an organization or solving, fostering independence in others, has been very impressive,” he said. “What that
club at all, but an academic curriculum developed managing change and more through workshops says to me is leadership comes from within.
by students and completed alongside coursework. and roundtable discussions. Certainly we can fine-tune it, but these students
Its student founders were Keith Kincaid,
Members are also paired with mentors
Stephanie Tran, Devan Patel and Farnoosh working in areas like health policy, academic
Shariati, who received a grant from the Alpha medicine, community medicine and executive
Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society to create medicine. Mentors have included Temple
and develop the formalized leadership training Robinson, CEO of Bond Community Health
program in 2017. New classes of students Center, and the Florida surgeon general.
continue to fine-tune it.
“It’s not just student-run, it’s student-created,
studying leadership principles like advocating
student organizations at the College of Medicine.
“LIM has been a huge commitment from
Day One, which has been a blessing and a
student-developed and student-led. It’s really challenge,” said third-year student Nikki Clark.
quite amazing,” said Christopher Mulrooney, “It requires more of your attention than you
assistant dean and LIM’s faculty advisor. want to give it sometimes, but I’ve learned that’s
Eight third-year students were the first what helps you grow as a leader. Nothing in life
to formally apply to become members of happens at the opportune moment, and LIM
Leadership in Medicine and complete its has helped me practice for that.”
existing curriculum, but they too continue to
The students hope LIM will become a formally
build and expand the program to include a recognized certification program or distinction
roadmap for all four years of medical school. upon graduation. But while it’s still in its infancy,
LIM’s curriculum is largely focused on
10
really have an innate desire to be leaders.”
Mulrooney said, students benefit not just from
Clark