Educating innovators of medical technologies

Being a medical device innovator is highly rewarding because you can impact human health, while being fully intellectually engaged and stimulated. Successful innovators need training and knowledge in a range of associated topics including the general innovation process, identification and definition of clinical needs, device prototyping and testing, preclinical and clinical research, regulatory and reimbursement issues, intellectual property, and business development fundamentals. One must be a lifelong student of medical device innovation, particularly because these and other topics evolve over time. For example, 3D printing, digital simulation, and immersive visualization are changing how devices are prototyped. In addition, combination device and drug therapies are changing how medical technologies are regulated, and the field of health informatics is using the explosion of medical data to drive clinical and reimbursement decisions. This chapter discusses some educational opportunities for new and experienced medical device innovators including courses, training programs, conferences, workshops, and books.