Biodesign Training Program
The Montefiore Einstein Innovation Biodesign Training Program is a unique one-year experience that seeks to train the next generation of clinician innovators. Given the high burden of chronic diseases in the Bronx, and the corresponding challenges faced by patients and providers, this program’s objectives include:
- Developing and implementing innovative health technologies that improve outcomes (clinical, process, economic) for patients, providers, and the Montefiore Einstein health system
- Contributing to presentations, publications, grant funding, and institutional intellectual property
- Contributing to an Innovation-based ecosystem at Montefiore Einstein comprised of didactics, mentoring, and sustainable product development/implementation
The program's curriculum includes:
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Health technology-oriented didactic coursework
- Learning Competencies
- Innovations in digital health technologies, devices, and therapeutics
- Market assessment, value chains, and value propositions
- Intellectual property and regulatory considerations
- Solution/product validation and key performance indicators
- Funding, payment models, product sustainability, and measuring return on investment
- Financial operations
- Strategic partnerships
- A ‘clinical immersion’ experience to help program participants learn more about clinical challenges and areas for improvement
- An innovation project including an end-of-program pitch presentation to Montefiore Einstein leadership
- Mentoring from Montefiore Einstein faculty and external experts
Through a multidisciplinary approach, Innovation Biodesign Training Program participants will benefit from our institution’s vast clinical, research, and health information technology infrastructure.
This program is open to faculty and fellows.
Program Participants & Projects
Antoinette Danvers
Antoinette Danvers, MD was born in Jamaica and raised in the Bronx, NY. She attended Cornell University and obtained a BA in African Studies and Research in 2003. After a yearof working with a local education program, she went on to attend medical school at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. She completed her OB/GYN residency at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and fellowship in Complex Family Planning at the University of North Carolina where she also received a Master’s degree in Clinical Research. She also has an MBA from Cornell’s Johnson School of Business where she developed an interest in healthcare innovation. Dr. Danvers is interested in using technology to improve patient education and experience.
Mousa K Hamad, MD
Mousa K Hamad, MD was born and raised in Northern New Jersey. He attended the New Jersey Institute of Technology and received a BA in Biological Sciences in 2012. He helped co-found the Palestinian Neuroscience Initiative with his mentor, Mohammad Herzallah, MD PhD at Al-Quds University in Abu-Dis, Palestine while he was an undergraduate student. He went on to graduate from Rutgers -New Jersey Medical School in 2017 after induction into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. He is currently in his enfolded research year (PGY-6) at Montefiore/Einstein. His research and academic interests are in complex spine surgery and neurosurgical device development and innovations.
David E. Schecter
David E. Schecter was born and raised in New York. He received his medical degree from the Frank H. Netter, MD School of Medicine. He went on to complete his Internal Medicine residency and is currently a Pulmonary and Critical Care fellow at Montefiore Medical Center. David is committed to social justice and health equity with a deep sense of responsibility and respect for the importance of strong, accurate data to better serve his patients. He has a strong interest in cancer epidemiology, specifically early detection, and lung cancer screening as well as lung cancer diagnostics.
Carlo Lutz
Carlo Lutz, MD, MS is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Montefiore Medical Center / Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Lutz has a longstanding interest in quality improvement and high-value care, with previous work investigating the overuse of telemetry. Prior to his current appointment, Dr. Lutz was Chief Resident at Jacobi Medical Center/Montefiore Medical Center Emergency Medicine Residency Program. Currently his focus is on medical informatics, and the role of mHealth interventions to improve transitions of care from the emergency department.
Amit Punj
Amit Punj, DMD is a Board-Certified Prosthodontist and currently the Chief and Program Director of the Prosthodontic Residency at Montefiore Medical Center in the Department of Dentistry. He graduated from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and completed his Prosthodontic Residency at Montefiore Medical Center. He also holds a Master of Clinical Research degree from Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine. His interests are in digital dentistry, dental technology and innovate tools to enhance Interprofessional education.
Andrew Williams
Andrew Williams, MD, MBA is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Montefiore Einstein and an Attending Emergency Medicine physician at Jack D. Weiler Hospital. He studied medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and completed residency in the Jacobi/Montefiore emergency medicine program. He is currently co-chair of the Quality Improvement committee in emergency medicine at Weiler. He is fascinated with the way biotechnology and innovative pharmaceuticals are changing the medical field. It was this broader interest that spurred him to complete an MBA, which has armed him with more skills to tackle performance improvement projects in the emergency department.
Angela Liu
Angela Liu, MD was born and raised in Taiwan, later on moving to Los Angeles, California with her family. She attended University of California, Los Angeles and obtained a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience and Biomedical Research in 2010. She went on to attend medical school at the University of California, San Diego. She completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She is currently a third-year fellow in the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. Dr. Liu is interested in studying ways to counter the spread of medical disinformation on social media.
Ari Friedman
Ari Friedman is a 2nd year Cardiology Fellow at Montefiore. Originally from Toronto, Canada, he attended medical school at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and residency at Jacobi Medical Center. He has authored a children's book on cardiology (QRS T ECG For Me) and has an interest in using digital tools to improve the efficiency of the healthcare experience for patients and medical providers.
Deborah White
Deborah White MD, MBA is an Associate Professor and Vice Chair in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She completed an Institute of Healthcare Improvement Fellowship Program at the Montefiore Institute of Performance Improvement, as well as acquiring a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt. Dr. White is interested in advanced intelligence that safely diversifies the delivery of high quality healthcare that reduces the burden of disease, human error and mortality in clinical practice and processes.
Joseph Chervenak
Joseph Chervenak MD, MBA is a Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility fellow at the Montefiore Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Health. He received a B.A. in Neuroscience from Columbia University followed by a joint medical and business degree from Cornell University. Coming from a family of OB/GYN’s, he pursued residency training in the field at New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell. He is interested in applying new Artificial Intelligence Large Language Models to improve the patient experience and increase access to care.
Kyle Shibuya
Kyle Shibuya, MD, FACEP is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Montefiore Medical Center / Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He was born and raised in Honolulu, HI. He received his medical degree from the John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawaii. He completed his Emergency Medicine Residency training at Jacobi Medical Center/Montefiore Medical Center. He currently serves as the Associate Medical Director of the Emergency Department at Montefiore Medical Center, Jack D. Weiler Division. His interests include the use of information technology to improve patient experience and safety in the emergency department setting.
Margaret Sala
Margaret Sala, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor at the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology at Yeshiva University and a licensed clinical psychologist. Her research focuses on developing mindfulness-based interventions for eating disorders and improving the accessibility of evidenced-based treatments of eating disorders. She is currently working on developing a self-guided app-based treatment for binge eating disorder that integrates cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness meditation, as part of a K23 grant funded by NCCIH.
Ruby Greywoode
Ruby Greywoode, MD, MS is Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology at Einstein-Montefiore Medical Center. Her clinical focus is inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and her research interests are in exploring how race, ethnicity, and psychological and social factors influence IBD patterns and outcomes. Her current research focuses on development of digital behavioral interventions for patients with IBD aimed at improving mental wellbeing and disease management.
Simon Rego
Dr. Simon Rego, PsyD, ABPP, A-CBT is Chief of Psychology and Director of Psychology Training at Montefiore Medical Center and Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York. Dr. Rego specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). His other interests include working with traditional media and use of social media to educate the general public about mental health and the use of emerging technologies to improve treatment outcomes.
