Jill Helms
When it comes to bringing innovations to market, funding is just one piece of the puzzle, according to scientist, educator, innovator, and the AO's Technology Transfer Board member Jill Helms, DDS, PhD. Under a single umbrella, the AO's Technology Transfer brings together innovative ideas, funding, next-level mentoring from its network of surgeon entrepreneurs, researchers, investment professionals, and operations experts with real-life know-how.
Helms knows the innovation landscape like the back of her hand: In addition to her role as a professor of surgery in the Stanford University School of Medicine’s Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, she is leading scientist in the field of stem cell biology and longevity. She is the chief scientific officer of biopharmaceutical company Ankasa Regenerative Medicine, which has developed of novel, protein-based stem cell activation therapy—based on Helms’ own research—to improve tissue repair and regeneration.
‘A tremendous boon’
“The diversity of the AO's Technology Transfer Board members’ experience and expertise is an enormous strength. I know how hard it is to be on the ‘other side’ as an innovator, and it would have been great to have had such a group of experts guiding me through that early-stage process,” said Helms. “I was fortunate to have had other mentors but having access to a resource like the AO's Technology Transfer group would have been a tremendous boon.”
Its ability to bring together researchers, surgeons, and industry experts to work for innovators ideas—along with its willingness to cross traditional boundaries and support disruptive ideas—sets it apart, she said.
“The most common strategy for people who have what they perceive as an innovative solution is to try to determine if, in fact, their idea is unique. They may try to do that through patent searchers or talking to colleagues, but that approach really is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to finding out whether the idea is really new,” Helms said. “That’s the first place that the AO's Technology Transfer Board really makes a difference.”
“Just do it: Apply for Technology Transfer support. Submit your idea. At the very least, you will get some valuable feedback that will invariably help move your project forward”
Jill Helms
When it comes to bringing innovations to market, funding is just one piece of the puzzle, according to scientist, educator, innovator, and the AO's Technology Transfer Board member Jill Helms, DDS, PhD. Under a single umbrella, the AO's Technology Transfer brings together innovative ideas, funding, next-level mentoring from its network of surgeon entrepreneurs, researchers, investment professionals, and operations experts with real-life know-how.
Helms knows the innovation landscape like the back of her hand: In addition to her role as a professor of surgery in the Stanford University School of Medicine’s Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, she is leading scientist in the field of stem cell biology and longevity. She is the chief scientific officer of biopharmaceutical company Ankasa Regenerative Medicine, which has developed of novel, protein-based stem cell activation therapy—based on Helms’ own research—to improve tissue repair and regeneration.
‘A tremendous boon’
“The diversity of the AO's Technology Transfer Board members’ experience and expertise is an enormous strength. I know how hard it is to be on the ‘other side’ as an innovator, and it would have been great to have had such a group of experts guiding me through that early-stage process,” said Helms. “I was fortunate to have had other mentors but having access to a resource like the AO's Technology Transfer group would have been a tremendous boon.”
Its ability to bring together researchers, surgeons, and industry experts to work for innovators ideas—along with its willingness to cross traditional boundaries and support disruptive ideas—sets it apart, she said.
“The most common strategy for people who have what they perceive as an innovative solution is to try to determine if, in fact, their idea is unique. They may try to do that through patent searchers or talking to colleagues, but that approach really is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to finding out whether the idea is really new,” Helms said. “That’s the first place that the AO's Technology Transfer Board really makes a difference.”