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February Innovation
Mind Your Matter
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Innovation in an era of AI
Laurel Skurko sat down with Peter Kotsonis, PhD, associate vice chancellor of UCSF Innovation Ventures and director of Healthtech Commercialization, to discuss the five management techniques he sees as critical to the shape of healthcare commercialization right now.
“It comes from institutional support and our mission—advancing health worldwide.”
Peter Kotsonis, PhD
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Massively Better
On Monday, February 9th, UCSF Innovation Ventures hosted a distinguished group of digital health trailblazers for an in-person exploration of healthcare transformation. The event featured Halle Tecco, author of Massively Better Healthcare and co-founder of Rock Health, who shared insights into the field's evolution and offered a sneak preview of her new book. Industry leaders Sean Duffy of Omada Health and Jeff Tangney of Doximity provided first-hand accounts of how local innovations scaled into publicly traded companies, while Adam Gazzaley of Neuroscape recounted Akili’s journey to become the first FDA-approved digital therapeutic. This historic conversation was moderated by Aenor Sawyer, of Innovation Ventures, who co-founded key Digital Health programs and innovations at UCSF.
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Together, these pioneers offered actionable insights on navigating healthcare’s complexities and building sustainable solutions, inspiring a diverse audience of entrepreneurs and healthcare professionals to envision a future of "Healthcare for Each and for All."
Special Thanks to Rock Health, JHU Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Women in Bio for collaborating on this exciting event!
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Rare Disease Symposium
Hosted by the UCSF Catalyst Program and the Institute for Human Genetics in partnership with Foundation Ipsen, this symposium explored the interdisciplinary development of diagnostics, therapeutics, and social advances for the 350 million people worldwide affected by rare diseases.
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In conjunction with Invest in Cures San Francisco on February 12, the forum provided a comprehensive two-day examination of the scientific, clinical, and investment perspectives currently shaping the future of rare disease research and treatment. Participants gained an expanded understanding of the field alongside the inspiration to drive meaningful impact for patients and their families.
Congratulations to key organizers from Innovation Ventures Roopa Ramamoorthi, Sohela Shah, and Nate Prorok!
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Demystifying Strategic Partnerships
Join us in person on March 24 at Rock Hall Auditorium for an exclusive seminar, "Demystifying Strategic Partnerships," where we reveal the collaborative forces driving the future of healthcare. Kathy Wilson-Edell, PhD, will moderate a dynamic panel featuring J&J leaders Juan Cueva, PhD, MBA, Director, Early Innovation Partnering, J&J Innovative Medicine, Chris Haskell, PhD, Head of JLABS @ San Francisco Bay Area, and Lior Teitelbaum, MSc, MBA, Principal, J&J Venture Investments. Together, they will explore the mechanics of early-stage partnering, venture investment strategies, and the real-world journey of Merge Therapeutics, headed by Co-founder and CEO, Lauren Gehman, PhD, transforming a startup into a success through the JLABS ecosystem.
This is a must-attend event for researchers and entrepreneurs looking to navigate the complex pathway from lab discovery to global health impact.
Come ready to learn, connect, and grow your network!
Space will be limited.
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AI In Drug Discovery and the Life Sciences
Six-Part Series
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming drug discovery and the life sciences. By accelerating research and expanding synthetic and analytical capabilities, AI is transforming how scientific insights are translated into products and therapies.
The law firm of Morrison Foerster (MoFo) will be at UCSF Mission Bay Campus from March 4 through April 8, conducting a series of discussions about AI in Drug discovery from a legal perspective.
Understanding these issues is critical not only for legal professionals but also for scientists, founders, executives, investors, and institutional leaders working at the forefront of AI-enabled life sciences.
This series is co-sponsored by UCSF Small Molecule Discovery Center (SMDC), UCSF School of Pharmacy, UCSF Artificial Intelligence & Computational Drug Discovery & Development (AICD3), and UCSF Innovation Ventures.
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UCSF NSF I-Corps April 2026 Course
Do you have an early-stage healthcare product startup or startup idea? Apply now for the UCSF NSF I-Corps April Training Course!
The UCSF National Science Foundation (NSF) I-Corps program will host its training course focused on healthcare products, including therapeutics, diagnostics, medical devices, digital health, and platform technologies.
April 1, 8, and 15 from 5 pm to 8 pm via Zoom.
The course is an immersive two-week virtual customer discovery training. You'll learn how to conduct 20 customer interviews to identify your top customer segment and value propositions, validate your commercial market, and accelerate finding product market fit.
Apply by March 9.
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