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In This Issue:
Frederick Schoen and Kirby Vosburgh, of the BWH Biomedical Research Institute Technology Innovation Program, recently reflected on the culture of innovation at BWH.
Although innovation can spring from spontaneity and out-of-the-box thinking, the approach for its growth and development at BWH is one of methodical organization and support.
Frederick Schoen, MD, PhD, is the director of the BWH Biomedical Research Institute (BRI) Technology Innovation Program, which fosters the development of cost-effective technologies to solve problems in patient care. BWH Bulletin sat down with Schoen and Kirby Vosburgh, PhD, associate director of AMIGO and a member of the BRI Technology Innovation Program, to get their views on breeding a culture of innovation at BWH.
What are the benefits of practicing innovation in a hospital setting? Schoen: Innovation enhances patient care. Active innovation attracts and retains more talented faculty and staff by making the hospital a much more intellectual, vibrant and stimulating place for people to work. Innovation means doing more at less cost, which, given the current economic climate, is mandatory.
What makes an innovator? Vosburgh: Anyone can do innovation at any level. Innovators are not always the ones with the titles on the door. Sometimes they are the people just looking at how things are currently done and seeing how to improve them. Innovation is a challenging activity; we should use all our personal and professional skills to make it happen.
What motivates the BRI Technology and Innovation Program to support innovators at BWH? Vosburgh: We have been very motivated to support innovators because, to some extent, innovating is a countercultural activity. Medical care, traditionally, is conservative-consistent, systematic, standardized. With innovation, all of a sudden a lot of these factors don't apply. You don't have evidence-based medicine supporting your approach because what you are doing has never been done before, which is why your idea may be better.
Schoen: One of the things we are trying to do is mentor and support individuals toward an effective and rewarding career path that is centered on traditional goals, but also incorporating innovation. We are building a community of people who are intellectually stimulated by doing innovation that can benefit health care. We're bringing together people from completely different disciplines-engineering, medicine and even business and law-to solve important problems. And we're finding, connecting and nurturing people with ideas so they can generate funds for their studies.
What have been some of the program's successes to date? Schoen: We've launched a monthly Innovation Grand Rounds, stimulating collaboration of BWH's biomedical engineering group with the clinical community, and brought the physical sciences onto the radars of a much broader group of physicians.
What are your goals for the future? Vosburgh: We are also trying to be as successful at innovation as we have been in the past. BWH has a wonderful history of clear-sightedness and reaching the highest goals. We should support each other to extend this legacy of greatness as individuals and as a community.