New 2025 Biomedical Innovation Fireside Chat Series

Session 1: Women in Life Science and Healthcare Entrepreneurship

Thursday, January 16, 2:00–3:00pm PST

We are delighted to kick off our ITHS Fireside Chat series with a panel discussion featuring three dynamic women who are changemakers in their fields. Join us as we hear about the potential of their current innovative endeavors and take away some inspiration for ourselves!

• Ruchi Thanawala, MD, MS is a surgeon and informatics expert who co-founded Firefly Lab, a start-up that is helping to reshape surgical education in the US by building a system that is geared toward surgeon and surgical resident workflow.
• Cathy Robinson, PhD is a researcher at the University of Oregon who has co-founded Keybiome, LLC, a microbiome company that aims to treat diseases of chronic inflammation such as inflammatory bowel disease.
• Ashley Whitley oversees the Washington Center for Women in Business based in Thurston County, Washington. She invites all to the statewide INSPIRE Women’s Business Conference at the Great Wolf Lodge on May 22, 2025.
• Moderated by Melissa Mudd, MPH, Oregon Clinical and Translational Research Alliance Manager at Oregon Health & Science University.

Session 2: Product Market Fit – Tips and Tricks 

Thursday, January 30, 2:00–3:00pm PST

Everyone gets excited about new biomedical innovations, but how do we make sure they fit in healthcare workflows and patient health tech systems? How do we know if the payor’s interest is aligned with the innovation user? Come to this session to align your innovation compass with the roadmap to market success.

• Melinda Yormick, RN, MBA is founder and CEO of CLARA a “traffic control” system inside hospitals, orchestrating operations to get teams and equipment to patients when they need it most.
• Eric Larsen is an experienced entrepreneur and angel investor who also serves as Board Chair at Alliance of Angels. He has helped several startup companies raise financing rounds.
• Moderated by Teddy Johnson, MBA, Director of the Technology Development Center at the Institute of Translational Health Science at University of Washington.

Session 3: Community-Driven Innovation

Thursday, February 13, 2:00–3:00pm PST

Session info coming soon!

Session 4: Transitioning from Research to Commercialization

Thursday, February 27, 2:00–3:00pm PST

Session info coming soon!

Session 5: Strategies for Increasing Diversity in Clinical Trials

Thursday, March 13, 2:00–3:00pm PST

Session info coming soon!

Session 1: Biomedical Entrepreneurship and its Unique Challenges (01.25.24)

Speakers:  Sahil Diwan (SafKan Health), Kelly Drew, PhD (Be Cool Pharmaceutics), Alex Federation, PhD (Talus Bioscience)
Moderator: Terri Butler, PhD, University of Washington ITHS

Clinical Need | Workflow Integration | Patient vs Purchaser | Safety & Efficacy

Session 2: Biomedical Business Models and Funding Sources (02.08.24)

Speakers: Sandra Shotwell, PhD (Elex Biotech), Ben Nahir, PhD, MBA (Elevate Capital & TiE Oregon Angels), Meher Antia, PhD (Washington Research Foundation)
Moderator: Melissa Mudd, MPH, Oregon Clinical & Translational Research Institute

Sales Channels | Partners & Distributors | Payor vs. Purchaser | Grants, Investors

Session 3: Legal Issues and Intellectual Property (02.22.24)

Speakers: Phil Barish, PhD (OHSU Alliance), Michael Phillips, JD (Davis Wright Tremaine), Tanya Harding, PhD, JD (Lee & Hayes), Anne Carlson, PhD (OHSU Technology Transfer)
Moderator: Jonathan Jubera, MBA, Oregon Clinical & Translational Research Institute

Patents & Trademarks | Company Formation | Legal Advisors | Board Members | Equity Distribution

Session 4: Pacific Northwest Regional Resources for Biomedical Entrepreneurs (03.07.24)

Speakers: Karen Brown, PharmD (SIHI Reach, U Montana), Teddy Johnson, MBA (ITHS Technology Development Center), Rene Miller, MS (OTRADI and Oregon Bioscience Incubator), Elizabeth Cross Nichol, MBA (Life Science Washington Institute)
Moderator: Michaele Armstrong, PhD, Washington State University, sp3nw Incubator

Academic Programs | Accelerators & Incubators | Advisors | Competitions

Session Resources

Click to download a PDF of the NW startup ecosystem map provided by session moderator Michaele Armstrong of the sp3nw Incubator.

Session 5: Regulatory Strategy

Speakers: Mike Willingham (Google Health), Jill Herendeen, RAC (Orca Bio), Jennifer Grodberg, PhD, RAC-US (Grodberg Consulting), Kristen Mittal, RAC, PMP (Mittal Consulting)
Moderator: Josh Kim, MS, University of Washington, School of Pharmacy

FDA Regulations | Devices, Therapeutics, Diagnostics, & Digital Health Tools | Safety & Efficacy

Session 6: Medical Device Product Development (04.18.24)

Speakers: Evan Anderson (Teladoc), James Mitchell, MD (Veris Health), Jessica Urban (Consultant)
Moderator: Teddy Johnson, PE, MBA, University of Washington ITHS

Medical Devices | Intended Use | FDA Classes | GMP Manufacturing and Quality Systems

Session 7: Therapeutic Product Development (05.02.24)

Speakers: Bonnie Ramsey, MD (Seattle Children’s), Katie Sprugel, PhD (Industry Expert), Mike Dey (Scientific Advisor)
Moderator: Lynn Rose, PhD, University of Washington, School of Pharmacy

Target Product Profile | Preclinical Requirements | Clinical Study Design | GMP Manufacturing