Clinical Frequently Asked Questions
- For a clinician at Hopkins, what are the benefits of working with CBID graduate students as a clinical advisor on a medical device project?
- What is the difference between the graduate and undergraduate projects in CBID?
- What is involved in hosting CBID graduate students in our clinical department at Hopkins during their summer rotations?
- What are the criteria for the most suitable device projects for the CBID graduate teams?
- I'm a busy clinician at Hopkins but would like to get involved. What is the typical time commitment?
- Who owns the Intellectual Property (IP) from a new medical device project?
For a clinician at Hopkins, what are the benefits of working with CBID graduate students as a clinical advisor on a medical device project?
Answer: You will work a team of extremely bright, talented, and creative engineering students who will spend many hundreds of hours developing the project - the design, business model, prototyping, testing, IP, regulatory strategy, financials, etc. During the process you will be exposed to a diverse network of stake-holders who have seasoned experience in medical device innovation. These may include engineers, device companies, FDA regulatory specialists, investors, venture capitalists, manufacturers, and IP attorneys. Other benefits include:- You will have to opportunity to develop IP, apply for a patent(s) and work with your team on a start-up or licensing deal.
- Your team may write articles that could be submitted for publication.
- Your work as a clinical advisor will strengthen your CV and should be noted in the teaching section.
- You are welcome to attend our weekly FDA lecture series taught each summer in June and July by FDA specialists. The series covers all aspects of the medical device regulatory process and is free and open to the Johns Hopkins community.
- CBID graduate teams participate in business plan competitions throughout the country in the spring semester and you can chose to join them. Our graduate teams have won competitions at Wharton, Harvard, and the University of Maryland, among others.
What is the difference between the graduate and undergraduate projects in CBID?
Answer: The MSE device projects include the business and financial planning and regulatory strategies that go into a start-up - in addition to the engineering. The undergraduate teams focus primarily on the engineering aspects of the device projects as these students also have a full load of courses to take. Both groups of students are smart, talented, and dedicated to designing the best possible devices.What is involved in hosting CBID graduate students in our clinical department at Hopkins during their summer rotations?
Answer: Students can observe OR procedures, go on morning rounds, attend talks, sit in on meetings, share research with the department, meet with clinicians, and in general learn about the specialty and try to identify the clinical needs.For clinicians, the benefit of hosting a team of MSE students is that it gives them the chance to share ideas for unmet clinical needs in the area of expertise and possibly "pitch" ideas to the students. The rotation period also gives others in the department - residents, fellows, nurses, post docs - the opportunity to interact with engineering students and hear some of their ideas as well. It's an excellent learning experience for both the students and the departments.
What are the criteria for the most suitable device projects for the CBID graduate teams?
Answer: A device that has a strong clinical and commercial value proposition, technical feasibility and strong IP landscape.I'm a busy clinician at Hopkins but would like to get involved. What is the typical time commitment?
Answer: That can vary greatly depending on the clinician's availability and interest. Hosting a summer rotation is a 1-3 week commitment while signing on as a clinical advisor to a project is a commitment for the entire academic year. Clinicians can also choose to give a one-time talk to students, attend an FDA lecture, or attend a presentation of a project of interest. We can work around the schedule of our clinicians to find the right fit.Who owns the Intellectual Property (IP) from a new medical device project?
Answer: If the Intellectual Property (IP) is created by the students, the students own the IP as long as they are not employed by Johns Hopkins University and/or use substantial resources as defined under the Johns Hopkins IP Policy. If the IP is created by the Johns Hopkins clinician, then Johns Hopkins owns the IP because the clinician is an employee and is subjected to the Johns Hopkins IP Policy. As a clinician inventor, you will share financial distribution upon IP commercialization in accordance with Johns Hopkins IP Distribution Policy.If you would like to know more about the IP policies, please contact Aditya Polsani, BME Industrial Liaison