So you want to be an innovator? Premium surgeons pave the way
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
As I am returning home from a recent premier eye surgical meeting in Belgium, I am reflecting on one of the lectures that hit close to home.
David Smadja, MD, medical director of the Ein Tal Hadassah Laser Institute, presented his five-step plan on becoming an innovator in the field of ophthalmology. I want to give David credit for such an amazing process and innovative ideas for us premium surgeons. I will try to fill in the gaps with my own personal experiences and examples.
1. The good idea
Remember how many times you have had a good idea? The negative people surrounding you will be naysayers, but at the same time, they should give you the motivation to strive to make your idea become a reality, not stay a dream.
My personal example is how I started my private practice and even my professional DJ career. In both, I am self-made and was told by many in both arenas I could never survive in a startup solo practice right out of training nor ever play on the major stages in big nightclubs. Well, both happened, as I started my 30th year in private practice in June 2022 and deejayed three times in the past 6 months at Chicago’s No. 1 nightclub, Tao.
I have also worked in the scleral space for 18 years of my career, and as global medical director for Ace Vision Group, we are finally approaching FDA studies within the year for the treatment of presbyopia via Er:YAG laser technology to the scleral critical zones overlying the ciliary body. We were told such an idea was impossible until ultrasound biomicroscopy data from Mary Ann Croft and computerized animated models created by Dan Goldberg showed otherwise. This treatment may be one of the best options to treat presbyopia before the development of cataracts.
2. Find the magician
While some may say “Mission Impossible,” the innovator will find his or her best team to make an idea and dream come true. At Ace Vision Group, we have a great team of engineers, clinicians, scientific advisers, administrative personnel, regulatory team members and medical advisers, along with leader CEO AnnMarie Hipsley. Investors have led us along the way to the next steps in the process toward commercialization in the future.
3. Crack the code
Now it is time to unlock the code and obtain funding similar to that of the real estate funding method of obtaining small grants that get reinvested and keep growing. Next step methods can include academic institutional grants, pre-seed venture capital monies, friend and family funding, and angel investors. Regardless, funding will be a continuous process of negotiation until that final stage of purchase and/or FDA/CE mark approval for commercialization is obtained.
4. The poker face
My favorite step is that you, the innovator, should always have the best hand at the table, even if you do not know how to play it. The innovator needs to be connected through medical advisory boards, have stable and backable IP, consider getting an MBA in health care innovation or attend the physician CEO program through Northwestern specific to ophthalmology through the Refractive Surgery Alliance that Guy Kezirian, MD, established for us premium surgeons. Regardless, there are new rules and a new language to learn for the premium innovator as residency and/or fellowship does not prepare the innovator for the financial preparation needed for the idea to come to full fruition.
5. The real start
The premium innovator has finally reached “Armageddon,” but he or she cannot get confused as the first tour is just the beginning of the journey. Mistakes will be made but will be constructive in the end just to get to a better place on how to implement the idea. Be patient and let the good idea prove its worth at this stage, and make those original naysayers become believers once and for all.
In summary, the premium surgeon innovator must never give up on a good idea and keep clinical activity the best playground for inspiration. Learn the new rules, such as getting an MBA, and in the end, the good idea will be worth it and affect patient care for years to come. I look forward to seeing the scleral space become a true option for treating presbyopia in the near future after 18 years of hard work. Stay healthy and safe, and keep bringing good ideas to the premium world of ophthalmology.
- For more information:
- Mitchell A. Jackson, MD, can be reached at Jacksoneye, 300 N. Milwaukee Ave., Suite L, Lake Villa, IL 60046; email: mjlaserdoc@msn.com.
Collapse
Read more about
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts