When a physician-developer pair at MD Anderson Cancer Center created an innovative technology that yielded positive outcomes in the near-term, the two were so passionate about the product's potential that they wanted to start a company to commercialize it.
So chief innovation officer Rebecca Kaul stepped in to help foster their innovative spirit.
"We helped connect them with other departments to further develop the product for a broader audience and deploy it at an institutional level, while working through a business plan for the opportunity," said Kaul.
The developer-doctor pair have since been recognized among executive audiences around the institution.
"We are in the process of presenting to investors while continuing to refine the product and business plan," said Kaul. It's early enough that she did not reveal more information about the technology itself.
Once an innovation is recognized, in fact, Kaul’s team joins the initiative, lends expertise, ties together various departments and publicly acknowledges the innovators to encourage others.
The first step is to assess both the internal value of a development project and the commercial market opportunities for it.
"We want to ensure that the idea is unique and that it will make an impact," she said. "There needs to be a strong champion within the institution inside the operation it impacts to ensure that the idea, as it is developed, will succeed."
From there, Kaul and her team work to establish early wins, accelerate ideas to a positive conclusion and, she said, make innovation attractive to both individuals and the larger institution.
"Creating connections and collaborative opportunities for innovators to participate in helps grow the culture and increases participation," she explained. "Generally, as people have positive experiences with the innovation methodologies, team and events, more people get engaged — and over time the culture begins to change."
Kaul will present the session "It Starts with an Idea: Making Innovation Happen," on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017 at 11:30-12:30 EST in Room 303A.
HIMSS17 runs from Feb. 19-23, 2017 at the Orange County Convention Center.
This article is part of our ongoing coverage of HIMSS17. Visit Destination HIMSS17 for previews, reporting live from the show floor and after the conference.
