News & Events: Hanmin Lee, M.D.

UCSF Surgical Innovations and San Francisco-based medical device developer TheraNova have formed a partnership that will allow for co-development of medical device technologies between them. UCSF innovators will now have a streamlined mechanism to collaborate with TheraNova engineers, which will help speed commercialization of products. The agreement formalizes a longstanding collaborative relationship between Surgical Innovations and TheraNova, providing access to the respective expertise and capabilities of each group, notably: The partnership agreement establishes mechanisms for [...]

Academic hospitals have all the makings for rich medical device development. They have physicians to identify surgical needs, researchers to test theories, bioengineers to design and create devices and patients to participate in clinical trials. However, the disconnect between engineering and surgical departments makes innovation a challenge. So does surgeons' all-consuming job Number One—treating patients. Providing the Infrastructure for Surgeons to Innovate Surgical Innovations, part of the University of California, San Francisco's Department of Surgery and Bioengineering & [...]

On May 17, the Second Annual UCSF Engineering for Children's Health Symposium was held at Mission Bay Conference Center. Over one hundred clinicians, engineers, scientists, administrators, industry professionals, and government partners gathered to discuss groundbreaking research and developing technologies in pediatric medicine. The event commenced with opening remarks by Hanmin Lee, MD, Surgeon-in-Chief of the UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals and Professor and Chief of the UCSF Division of Pediatric Surgery, along with Bertram Lubin, MD, Associate Dean of Children's Health at UCSF, [...]

From developing sensors to detect pressure ulcers to conducting pre-clinical studies for novel magnetic therapies, Isabelle Chumfong, MEng, MD, and Claire Graves, MD took the unconventional route during their research years, electing to pursue cutting-edge research through the Innovation Pathway, one of five such pathways open to surgery and visiting residents during their research years.  The purpose of the resident research program is to encourage trainees to hone their skills as physician-scientists by asking critical questions and gaining the expertise needed to pursue answers to them. [...]

The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) has awarded the UCSF Department of Surgery a five-year interdisciplinary R25 research education grant for its Biodevice Innovation Training Program. The grant will fund up to two surgical residents each year with an interest in pursuing translational medicine, medical device development, and entrepreneurship during their dedicated research years. The Biodevice Innovation Training Program is led by Professors Hanmin Lee, MD, and Shuvo Roy, PhD, who are also co-directors of the Surgical Innovations Program. Research mentors [...]

On January 12, clinicians, engineers, scientists, and administrators from UCSF, UC Berkeley. UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals, and Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI) convened at the Mission Bay campus for the inaugural Engineering for Children's Health Symposium. The event, reported in UCSF News, marked the launch of a collaborative effort dedicated to developing innovative technological solutions to improve patient safety, eliminate health disparities, cure disease, and end disability for children. UCSF Chancellor Sam Hawgood and UC Berkeley Chancellor Nicholas Dirks [...]

Two (2) Department of Surgery research teams were awarded seed funding totaling $40,000 to accelerate their medical device innovations. The Roboimplant device, an expandable rod for orthopaedic surgery applications, took top honors, with the Sentinel Bandage, a non-invasive technology for wound monitoring, taking second place. The awards were given at the UCSF Surgical Innovations Program's inaugural Shark Tank competition on September 24th at UCSF Mission Bay.  Four teams of finalists pitched their innovations to a panel of experts in regulatory affairs, product development, and venture [...]