Curriculum | Overview
Core Curriculum
The curriculum is dynamic with general themes at specific time points matching the evolution of identifying a need, devising a plan, developing solution and bringing the solution to market. Core concepts identified can be reordered depending on need an interest. Ultimately, the fellow will have general exposure to all topics with deep dives in specific areas of interest to the deemed innovation study. There are a specific set of topics that are tied to ongoing projects and or advisors.
Academic
The Surgical Innovation Fellow will be expected to continue with clinical care, clinical research, publication of case reports, review articles, primary research, etc, as well as publications associated with the innovation process. Goals will be set for both academic output as well as areas of interest.
Experiences
- Clinical: This two-year fellowship provides fellows the opportunity to work on clinical pediatric surgery research studies in addition innovation projects. The large volume of patients and the complex surgical conditions often treated at Boston Children’s Hospital, represent a great opportunity for fellows to engage in multiple clinical publications during their fellowship. Fellows are expected to submit their work to national and regional scientific meetings.
- Surgical Innovation fellows are part of the clinical staff of the Department of Surgery. They are expected to participate in all departmental academic activities (i.e. grand rounds, lectures, morbidity & mortality conferences, etc…), take call as part of the surgery resident call schedule, and be active on the transplant procurement roster throughout the fellowship.
- Business: The collaboration with the IDHA and SimPeds present a unique opportunity to learn about the business and industry aspect of innovation that physicians are seldom exposed to. The fellows are invited to attend the weekly accelerator team meeting from IDHA, in which the progress of projects going through this accelerator are discussed. This allows the fellow to learn about the phases of innovation and the pain points along the way from other innovators. Fellows are also invited to attend the design rounds at SimPeds, this are interactive sessions aim at prototype design improvement and optimization.
- Basic Science: Part of the innovation pathway may include testing device prototypes on animal models. Although many innovators outsource this to CROs, this programs allows for this intricate part of innovation research to be performed in-house, thus granting the fellow the opportunity of basic science publications as well. The SIF works in parallel with the basic sciences research fellowship program from the Department of Surgery. Fellows will attend and present in the weekly lab meeting, in which one research fellow presents his or her work to his peers and mentors