The Global Center for Medical Innovation (GCMI) and the Atlantic Pediatric Device Consortium (APDC) are partnering this year to bring together core members of the medical device community to accelerate the commercialization of innovative medical technology. The GCMI APDC Medtech Innovation Education Series is designed to provide creative clinicians and researchers with an overview of the commercialization process and a forum to discuss and share ideas with experienced medtech innovators and entrepreneurs.

Mark your calendar and look for more information on our websites.  We encourage you to attend all four sessions as we cover everything from concept development to funding. We will email updates and registration details throughout the year.

March 6, 2014   
Session 1:  Concept Development and Analysis
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Our first session will provide an overview of the medical device development process and highlight key issues to consider early in the commercialization process. Attendees will interact with and hear lessons learned from experienced entrepreneurs and industry executives.

The panelists for this session are:

• John Bookwalter, MD, FACS,  Surgeon (Retired), Inventor of "The Bookwalter Retractor" (DePuy/Codman)
• Jeremy Ackerman, MD, PhD, Emergency Physician, Biomedical Engineer at Emory University & Georgia Insititute of Technology
• Mr. Lou Malice, Principal, Luma Strategies (formerly COO of EndoChoice)
• Ms. Rachael Hagan, Coulter Program Director, Wallace H Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory School of Medicine

Moderator: Mr. David Stern, Executive Vice President, CardioMEMS

May 22, 2014   
Session 2:  Managing Early Stage Intellectual Property
This interactive session will provide a brief overview of best practices to manage early stage IP including trademarks, patents and trade secrets.  Attendees will hear case examples from both IP legal experts and the "real world" perspective of an in-house general counsel.

Sept 25, 2014   
Session 3:  Regulatory Issues and Quality in Development
Even during early product development, innovators must think about regulatory issues and design control for quality assurance.  Regulatory, engineering, manufacturing, and quality teams must work together, early and often.  This session will provide an opportunity to hear experts in these areas will explore best practices and expectations for incorporating these areas into your development and planning process.

Nov 20, 2014   
Session 4:  Funding and Exit Strategies
Our final session will address funding & exit strategies, including perspectives from venture capital, acquisitions, angel funding and federal grants.  

These Thursday evening sessions will begin with a networking session at 5:15pm followed by presentations by leading experts in these areas.

Registration will be posted as soon as available for each session.