1 00:00:00,125 --> 00:00:03,645 - Elevate your healthcare 2 00:00:03,645 --> 00:00:05,445 experience in 2024. 3 00:00:06,165 --> 00:00:08,405 Discover the driving forces, shaping the healthcare 4 00:00:08,405 --> 00:00:11,445 landscape with the NRC health experience perspective. 5 00:00:12,105 --> 00:00:13,805 Be the first to access the insights 6 00:00:13,805 --> 00:00:15,805 and trends in forming the future of healthcare. 7 00:00:16,805 --> 00:00:19,125 Register now to join the live national webcast 8 00:00:19,385 --> 00:00:21,285 and get first access to the report. 9 00:00:21,825 --> 00:00:24,645 Secure your spot@nrchealth.com. 10 00:00:25,555 --> 00:00:27,965 - This is Laura Dedo with the Becker's Healthcare Podcast. 11 00:00:28,625 --> 00:00:30,965 I'm thrilled today to be joined by Koala Eson, 12 00:00:31,515 --> 00:00:33,445 vice President and Chief Innovation Officer 13 00:00:33,445 --> 00:00:34,605 at Children's National Hospital. 14 00:00:35,245 --> 00:00:37,325 K is a pleasure to have you on the podcast today. 15 00:00:39,285 --> 00:00:41,575 It's great to be with you. Thank you so much, Laura. 16 00:00:43,195 --> 00:00:45,175 Now I'm really looking forward to catching up 17 00:00:45,175 --> 00:00:46,815 with you on some of the interesting 18 00:00:46,815 --> 00:00:48,935 and exciting things you're doing at Children's National. 19 00:00:49,095 --> 00:00:52,175 I know it's such a fascinating time right now in healthcare 20 00:00:52,315 --> 00:00:55,055 and specifically when looking at children's healthcare, 21 00:00:55,195 --> 00:00:56,495 you know, lots of opportunities 22 00:00:56,675 --> 00:00:59,575 to really make a big difference for that patient population. 23 00:00:59,715 --> 00:01:01,775 But before we dive into that discussion, 24 00:01:01,795 --> 00:01:02,815 can you tell me a little bit more 25 00:01:02,815 --> 00:01:04,095 about yourself and your background? 26 00:01:05,885 --> 00:01:07,105 Uh, yes, absolutely. 27 00:01:07,245 --> 00:01:11,785 Um, so, um, as you mentioned, I'm, uh, Ian. 28 00:01:11,805 --> 00:01:14,265 I'm the Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer at 29 00:01:14,385 --> 00:01:18,705 Children's National Hospital in Washington, DC And, um, 30 00:01:18,945 --> 00:01:20,345 a little bit about the hospital. 31 00:01:20,645 --> 00:01:23,665 Uh, I would, I would like to mention that it's, uh, 32 00:01:23,805 --> 00:01:25,745 ranked number five in the nation 33 00:01:26,005 --> 00:01:27,865 by US News and World Report. 34 00:01:28,605 --> 00:01:30,785 And, uh, most importantly in the context 35 00:01:30,845 --> 00:01:33,225 of our conversation, uh, research 36 00:01:33,285 --> 00:01:36,065 and innovation is one of the three pillars 37 00:01:36,125 --> 00:01:38,105 of our strategic priorities. 38 00:01:38,765 --> 00:01:41,745 Uh, the other two being, uh, clinical excellence 39 00:01:41,745 --> 00:01:42,745 and community health. 40 00:01:43,405 --> 00:01:47,225 And, uh, we receive more than 70% of our research 41 00:01:47,245 --> 00:01:50,025 and innovation funding from federal agencies. 42 00:01:50,525 --> 00:01:53,985 And the other 30% come from industry foundations 43 00:01:54,565 --> 00:01:56,585 and, uh, internal resources. 44 00:01:57,165 --> 00:02:00,505 And in my capacity as Chief Innovation Officer, 45 00:02:00,985 --> 00:02:03,945 I manage Children's Nationals Innovation Ventures, 46 00:02:03,945 --> 00:02:05,665 which is the, um, innovation 47 00:02:05,965 --> 00:02:08,665 and commercialization arm of Children's National. 48 00:02:09,205 --> 00:02:11,425 And I'm also the principal investigator 49 00:02:11,725 --> 00:02:16,065 of an FDA funded initiative that Children's National has led 50 00:02:16,165 --> 00:02:17,385 for the past 10 years. 51 00:02:18,245 --> 00:02:22,225 And we were just renewed in September, 2023 52 00:02:22,445 --> 00:02:26,625 to a $7.5 million grant, uh, to 53 00:02:27,145 --> 00:02:29,785 continue lead this initiative for another five years. 54 00:02:30,805 --> 00:02:34,305 And, um, under a new branding and all new partnerships. 55 00:02:34,565 --> 00:02:37,945 Uh, so this initiative is now called the Alliance 56 00:02:38,005 --> 00:02:39,745 for Pediatric Device Innovation. 57 00:02:40,605 --> 00:02:44,305 And my background is in mechanical engineering with, uh, 58 00:02:44,305 --> 00:02:47,185 follow on, uh, PhD and MBA degrees. 59 00:02:47,965 --> 00:02:51,105 Uh, my experience all phases 60 00:02:51,125 --> 00:02:55,145 of the total product lifecycle development, uh, 61 00:02:55,145 --> 00:02:58,305 having worked at Intelsat and Accenture 62 00:02:58,485 --> 00:02:59,925 before joining academia 63 00:03:00,985 --> 00:03:02,925 and my own innovations, uh, 64 00:03:03,025 --> 00:03:06,525 as an inventor are still in the market, having been licensed 65 00:03:06,545 --> 00:03:08,645 to companies that are commercializing them. 66 00:03:09,425 --> 00:03:12,045 Uh, my focus in the past 10 years, uh, 67 00:03:12,105 --> 00:03:15,405 has been on building innovation programs, uh, dedicated 68 00:03:15,425 --> 00:03:19,165 to FDA regulated pediatric medical products. 69 00:03:20,655 --> 00:03:22,225 Well, that's a fascinating background 70 00:03:22,325 --> 00:03:24,705 and certainly, you know, such an inspiring field 71 00:03:25,625 --> 00:03:28,265 considering all the good that, you know, that type 72 00:03:28,265 --> 00:03:31,025 of medical innovation can do for a pediatric population. 73 00:03:31,645 --> 00:03:32,825 And from your perspective 74 00:03:32,845 --> 00:03:35,505 and vantage point leading innovation at Children's National, 75 00:03:35,575 --> 00:03:37,465 what are some of your top priorities right now? 76 00:03:37,495 --> 00:03:39,825 What is really encompassing most of your time? 77 00:03:41,935 --> 00:03:43,505 Yeah, thank you for that question. 78 00:03:43,685 --> 00:03:47,105 And I'd like to answer this question in the context of, uh, 79 00:03:47,335 --> 00:03:51,585 what, uh, innovation means in an academic pediatric health 80 00:03:51,585 --> 00:03:55,465 system and what it takes to work in an underserved 81 00:03:55,765 --> 00:03:59,305 and under invested, uh, small pediatric markets. 82 00:04:00,005 --> 00:04:04,145 So with this in mind, our mission is to bring, uh, novelties 83 00:04:04,165 --> 00:04:05,825 and discoveries to the patients 84 00:04:05,925 --> 00:04:08,745 and families that we serve in our own hospital 85 00:04:08,805 --> 00:04:10,905 system, uh, and everywhere. 86 00:04:11,565 --> 00:04:14,705 And so at Children's National Innovation Ventures, 87 00:04:14,925 --> 00:04:18,705 we are laser focused on FDA regulated pediatric 88 00:04:18,705 --> 00:04:19,745 medical products. 89 00:04:20,205 --> 00:04:24,225 So these are in the three categories of, uh, drug biologics, 90 00:04:24,405 --> 00:04:27,825 uh, under the purview of FDA Center for 91 00:04:28,655 --> 00:04:30,105 Drug Evaluation and Research 92 00:04:30,165 --> 00:04:33,785 and Center for Biologics evaluation and Research. 93 00:04:34,645 --> 00:04:38,105 Uh, the second is, uh, the category of devices 94 00:04:38,285 --> 00:04:42,705 and diagnostics, uh, under the purview of FDA Center 95 00:04:42,845 --> 00:04:45,065 for Devices and Radiological Health. 96 00:04:45,605 --> 00:04:49,225 And then the third bucket is, um, digital therapeutics 97 00:04:49,405 --> 00:04:54,225 to the extent that these products are regulated, uh, such 98 00:04:54,225 --> 00:04:55,905 as software as a medical device 99 00:04:56,045 --> 00:04:59,705 or, um, various, um, predictive analytics. 100 00:05:00,765 --> 00:05:03,145 Um, and again, you know, under the oversight 101 00:05:03,145 --> 00:05:05,345 of the FDA Center for Devices 102 00:05:05,445 --> 00:05:09,705 and Radiological Health, uh, so this is our focus 103 00:05:10,015 --> 00:05:13,425 because our resources are scarce, we want to make sure that, 104 00:05:13,485 --> 00:05:18,105 you know, we tackle the products that are in dire need 105 00:05:18,125 --> 00:05:20,065 for the patient population that we serve. 106 00:05:20,205 --> 00:05:24,355 And so we are focused on regulated medical products. 107 00:05:25,055 --> 00:05:26,555 And the way that we source 108 00:05:26,655 --> 00:05:30,235 and scout innovation is through three buckets of 109 00:05:30,835 --> 00:05:32,035 hospital-based innovation. 110 00:05:32,265 --> 00:05:36,515 This is when we work with our clinicians, uh, to, um, 111 00:05:37,125 --> 00:05:40,235 understand the problem statements. 112 00:05:40,735 --> 00:05:43,675 But this is not necessarily, you know, asking the clinicians 113 00:05:43,675 --> 00:05:45,395 to come up with a solution. 114 00:05:45,495 --> 00:05:49,715 But together we, um, identify a problem statement 115 00:05:49,715 --> 00:05:52,195 that is looking for a technological solution. 116 00:05:52,975 --> 00:05:56,475 Uh, the second bucket is a research based innovation, uh, 117 00:05:56,795 --> 00:05:59,445 discoveries that come out of our research labs. 118 00:05:59,945 --> 00:06:03,325 And then the third is open and external innovation. 119 00:06:04,035 --> 00:06:07,205 This is when, uh, we source and scout 120 00:06:07,265 --> 00:06:10,605 and look for, uh, pediatric innovation, no matter 121 00:06:10,605 --> 00:06:12,925 where they are within this context. 122 00:06:13,065 --> 00:06:16,285 Our innovation program is largely, uh, sponsored 123 00:06:16,285 --> 00:06:17,485 through external sources. 124 00:06:18,265 --> 00:06:20,845 So, uh, to answer your question now directly about 125 00:06:20,935 --> 00:06:22,725 priorities, you know, we wanna make sure 126 00:06:22,725 --> 00:06:25,845 that our priorities are aligned with the priorities 127 00:06:26,025 --> 00:06:29,445 of our sponsored, uh, and funded initiatives. 128 00:06:30,145 --> 00:06:33,965 Um, and the FDA grant is a good example of that. 129 00:06:34,465 --> 00:06:38,565 Uh, so these programs are all designed around the most dire 130 00:06:38,585 --> 00:06:41,645 and challenging needs of the most vulnerable children 131 00:06:41,865 --> 00:06:46,365 of all backgrounds who need novel medical, uh, 132 00:06:46,525 --> 00:06:47,885 technologies, uh, 133 00:06:47,995 --> 00:06:51,365 that were specifically studied in the patient population, 134 00:06:52,105 --> 00:06:56,085 uh, as well as innovative medical products such as point 135 00:06:56,085 --> 00:06:59,925 of care or at home devices that help with preventive care 136 00:07:00,145 --> 00:07:03,205 to keep, to keep children away from the hospital. 137 00:07:04,105 --> 00:07:07,645 Um, and you know, I, I will repeat this again, that, 138 00:07:07,645 --> 00:07:11,045 you know, our laser focus is on medical products 139 00:07:11,045 --> 00:07:13,045 that have been specifically studied 140 00:07:13,225 --> 00:07:15,725 for use in the pediatric population. 141 00:07:16,585 --> 00:07:20,405 Uh, you hear the phrase children are not small adults. 142 00:07:20,665 --> 00:07:22,005 Uh, so we need solutions 143 00:07:22,005 --> 00:07:24,845 that are specifically designed for children. 144 00:07:25,985 --> 00:07:28,965 Uh, i, I can bring, you know, give you an example of, 145 00:07:29,145 --> 00:07:31,765 you know, how we actually do that. 146 00:07:32,545 --> 00:07:36,365 And that is, you know, through identifying a need 147 00:07:36,585 --> 00:07:38,765 and doing needs assessment studies. 148 00:07:39,345 --> 00:07:43,525 So on April 26th, we are hosting a symposium on the topic 149 00:07:43,745 --> 00:07:45,725 of, uh, pediatric medical devices 150 00:07:46,105 --> 00:07:49,005 for optimizing the heart brain continuum. 151 00:07:49,985 --> 00:07:53,805 So, um, if you talk to any pediatric cardiac surgeon 152 00:07:53,945 --> 00:07:56,205 or neurosurgeon, they will tell you 153 00:07:56,205 --> 00:08:00,125 that non-invasive continuous monitoring systems is 154 00:08:00,125 --> 00:08:03,405 what they need, and yet there is no solution in the market. 155 00:08:04,105 --> 00:08:06,405 Uh, so on the 26th of April, 156 00:08:06,545 --> 00:08:10,245 we are bringing together the WHO is who in this, uh, domain, 157 00:08:10,985 --> 00:08:13,325 uh, from the government industry 158 00:08:13,325 --> 00:08:16,045 and academia to get the discussion started. 159 00:08:16,945 --> 00:08:20,125 Uh, we'll then use the proceedings from the symposium 160 00:08:20,185 --> 00:08:24,605 to craft an RSP to solicit proposals for pediatric, uh, 161 00:08:24,875 --> 00:08:28,805 medical devices for the perioperative care of patients 162 00:08:29,355 --> 00:08:31,085 with congenital heart disease 163 00:08:31,145 --> 00:08:33,245 and neurodevelopmental disorders. 164 00:08:33,915 --> 00:08:37,455 The RFP will go out about two weeks after the symposium, 165 00:08:38,235 --> 00:08:41,015 and, uh, we select finalists 166 00:08:41,475 --> 00:08:45,975 to present live at our, uh, your medical device pitch, 167 00:08:46,555 --> 00:08:51,375 uh, competition, make your medical device, uh, pitch 168 00:08:51,435 --> 00:08:56,205 for kids competition on October 14th, uh, in Toronto. 169 00:08:56,665 --> 00:08:57,765 And that will be part 170 00:08:57,765 --> 00:09:01,125 of our 12th annual symposium on pediatric device innovation, 171 00:09:01,135 --> 00:09:03,325 which is co-located with the, um, 172 00:09:03,455 --> 00:09:06,165 large med tech conference powered by Ed. 173 00:09:07,795 --> 00:09:09,045 Well, that's fascinating to hear, 174 00:09:09,065 --> 00:09:11,525 and certainly a huge accomplishment in terms of thinking 175 00:09:11,525 --> 00:09:13,485 through, you know, all those connected points 176 00:09:13,625 --> 00:09:16,765 and how you can really innovate in the children's MedTech 177 00:09:16,765 --> 00:09:18,925 space, um, to really make a big difference 178 00:09:18,925 --> 00:09:20,205 for those patients that you're serving 179 00:09:20,265 --> 00:09:21,325 on a consistent basis. 180 00:09:21,665 --> 00:09:24,645 And you know, I, I can see that you've got a lot 181 00:09:24,645 --> 00:09:27,085 of different, um, people that you're working with 182 00:09:27,085 --> 00:09:29,725 and partnerships in the industry and the community, um, 183 00:09:29,725 --> 00:09:31,045 and through the system at large. 184 00:09:31,595 --> 00:09:34,445 When you think about innovation from your perspective and, 185 00:09:34,445 --> 00:09:37,925 and just really, um, you know, how have you seen it grow 186 00:09:37,945 --> 00:09:39,845 and evolve over the last year or two, 187 00:09:39,865 --> 00:09:42,805 and then what are you expecting, um, over the next 12 188 00:09:42,805 --> 00:09:43,925 to 24 months or so? 189 00:09:43,985 --> 00:09:45,085 Uh, or what are you, I guess, 190 00:09:45,085 --> 00:09:47,485 most excited about when you think about this, these types 191 00:09:47,485 --> 00:09:49,125 of innovations and what's possible? 192 00:09:51,355 --> 00:09:53,205 Yeah, uh, as you mentioned, you know, 193 00:09:53,205 --> 00:09:55,085 partnership is really important to us. 194 00:09:55,425 --> 00:09:59,005 Um, you know, uh, uh, we have a small team 195 00:09:59,005 --> 00:10:00,725 of innovation at Children's National, 196 00:10:00,785 --> 00:10:02,565 and we could not have done 197 00:10:02,565 --> 00:10:04,685 what we have accomplished without, uh, 198 00:10:04,785 --> 00:10:06,485 the power of partnerships. 199 00:10:07,305 --> 00:10:10,245 Um, so in the next, um, you know, 12 months, 200 00:10:10,305 --> 00:10:14,335 we are really focused on, um, working 201 00:10:14,365 --> 00:10:15,455 with the small business 202 00:10:15,515 --> 00:10:20,135 and startup communities even more, uh, closely on, 203 00:10:20,315 --> 00:10:24,735 um, conducting a couple of, um, economic, um, 204 00:10:25,005 --> 00:10:29,695 comparative effectiveness studies, uh, to help demonstrate 205 00:10:30,315 --> 00:10:33,775 the value of innovation in a pediatric health system. 206 00:10:34,435 --> 00:10:36,415 And that is, you know, to demonstrate, you know, 207 00:10:36,415 --> 00:10:38,455 what innovation means, right? 208 00:10:38,955 --> 00:10:43,695 Uh, to, um, create value through reduce, for example, 209 00:10:44,095 --> 00:10:48,375 reducing the total cost of care for the hospitals, uh, 210 00:10:48,835 --> 00:10:53,055 and make technologies available where patients are. 211 00:10:53,555 --> 00:10:55,495 So that's why, you know, the point of care 212 00:10:55,715 --> 00:11:00,575 and at home, um, technologies are so important, uh, 213 00:11:00,835 --> 00:11:04,535 to keep children, um, being cared for 214 00:11:04,875 --> 00:11:09,255 by their caregivers and, uh, families at home, um, 215 00:11:09,595 --> 00:11:13,575 and reduce the necessity to come to it, um, 216 00:11:14,115 --> 00:11:17,415 to the hospital and rather, you know, go 217 00:11:17,415 --> 00:11:19,335 to their retail pharmacy, for example, 218 00:11:19,675 --> 00:11:24,255 or, um, uh, use some at home devices for certain, um, 219 00:11:24,835 --> 00:11:28,895 uh, monitoring and data collection, um, needs. 220 00:11:29,555 --> 00:11:32,015 So that's, you know, that that's something that, you know, 221 00:11:32,015 --> 00:11:33,535 we are actively working on. 222 00:11:33,795 --> 00:11:37,255 And, uh, uh, you'll see, you know, some, uh, 223 00:11:37,485 --> 00:11:39,735 success stories hopefully coming out in 224 00:11:39,735 --> 00:11:40,855 the next 12, 18 months. 225 00:11:43,135 --> 00:11:44,505 I'll definitely keep an eye out for that. 226 00:11:44,505 --> 00:11:47,505 Thank you so much, Malala, for mentioning it and, 227 00:11:47,505 --> 00:11:48,945 and really, you know, referencing 228 00:11:49,015 --> 00:11:51,345 what I can imagine will be a, a great initiative 229 00:11:51,525 --> 00:11:54,005 to see the results and then scale from there. 230 00:11:54,465 --> 00:11:56,125 Before we wrap up our conversation, 231 00:11:56,655 --> 00:11:58,565 could you talk about one change that you 232 00:11:58,565 --> 00:12:01,285 and your team has made recently that yielded great results? 233 00:12:03,285 --> 00:12:06,265 Oh, I, I think that, you know, uh, something that, uh, 234 00:12:07,525 --> 00:12:11,985 we keep in mind continuously is, uh, to stay laser focused 235 00:12:12,125 --> 00:12:15,065 and not get distracted by shiny objects. 236 00:12:15,765 --> 00:12:20,625 And so that laser focus for us is really, um, uh, you know, 237 00:12:20,685 --> 00:12:23,025 use the power of, uh, science 238 00:12:23,205 --> 00:12:26,225 and technology, uh, to focus on 239 00:12:26,935 --> 00:12:28,705 regulated medical products. 240 00:12:28,885 --> 00:12:31,585 And so that is the focus of innovation, you know, 241 00:12:31,585 --> 00:12:32,665 within our team. 242 00:12:33,285 --> 00:12:36,065 Um, it's not a huge change, 243 00:12:36,205 --> 00:12:39,905 but it's a, a constant reminder of, uh, you know, 244 00:12:40,285 --> 00:12:42,185 if we don't stay focused, we are lost. 245 00:12:43,245 --> 00:12:46,145 So, you know, as an example, you know, I can, uh, tell you 246 00:12:46,145 --> 00:12:48,665 that, you know, by staying focused, 247 00:12:50,115 --> 00:12:52,645 unregulated medical products, uh, you know, 248 00:12:52,665 --> 00:12:54,685 in the past 10 plus years working 249 00:12:54,685 --> 00:12:57,765 with the FDA on the pediatric device consortia 250 00:12:58,335 --> 00:13:03,085 grant program, we assisted over 400 unique medical device 251 00:13:03,125 --> 00:13:06,245 projects, over 40 startup companies. 252 00:13:06,625 --> 00:13:11,205 And of them, uh, there are over 20, um, medical products 253 00:13:11,205 --> 00:13:15,085 that were cleared or approved, uh, by the FDA, um, 254 00:13:15,425 --> 00:13:17,645 or received C mark, uh, in Europe. 255 00:13:18,705 --> 00:13:21,485 And of the companies that we assisted, eight 256 00:13:21,485 --> 00:13:25,245 of them landed successful exits via acquisition. 257 00:13:25,865 --> 00:13:28,365 Uh, so the key is, again, to stay focused 258 00:13:28,425 --> 00:13:31,365 and be true to our mission, which is to serve children 259 00:13:31,545 --> 00:13:33,685 and families, and these are the results. 260 00:13:35,715 --> 00:13:37,355 I love it. Goa, thank you so much 261 00:13:37,355 --> 00:13:38,795 for joining us on the podcast today. 262 00:13:38,795 --> 00:13:41,075 This has been such a fun and interesting conversation, 263 00:13:41,095 --> 00:13:42,755 and I look forward to connecting with you again soon. 264 00:13:43,895 --> 00:13:44,895 Thank you, Laura. 265 00:13:46,915 --> 00:13:50,005 - Elevate your healthcare experience in 2024. 266 00:13:50,725 --> 00:13:52,965 Discover the driving forces, shaping the healthcare 267 00:13:52,965 --> 00:13:56,005 landscape with the NRC health experience perspective. 268 00:13:56,665 --> 00:13:58,405 Be the first to access the insights 269 00:13:58,405 --> 00:14:00,525 and trends in forming the future of healthcare. 270 00:14:01,405 --> 00:14:03,645 Register now to join the live national webcast 271 00:14:03,865 --> 00:14:05,885 and get first access to the report. 272 00:14:06,385 --> 00:14:09,205 Secure your spot@nrchealth.com.