New master's program at U to focus on med tech innovation

The University of Minnesota is recruiting for the Technological Leadership Institute’s newly launched MS program in medical device innovation. 

According to the U, the program “will prepare students to effectively manage the innovation challenges of the complex, highly regulated global medical device industry.”

 More than 250,000 people in the state of Minnesota work in the medical device industry, according to the trade association LifeScience Alley, and some of the world’s top medical technology companies are headquartered or have operations in Minnesota.

Medtronic, St. Jude Medical and Boston Scientific are all major players in the med tech field and there are hundreds of other, smaller companies in Minnesota. The U of M’s new program hopes to prepare students for success in this growing field. The master’s in medical device innovation program integrates multiple disciplines, including technology innovation, project and business management, intellectual property, regulatory affairs and public policy.

Daniel L. Mooradian is director of graduate studies for the new program. He is a former member of the faculty in biomedical engineering and in the Medical School at the U of M. He has held research and management positions at Boston Scientific and Synovis Life Technologies (Baxter International). He has also founded and advised a number of med tech start-ups, according to the U.

“The technical training that undergraduate students generally receive – while essential – is not sufficient for success in the medical device industry,” Mooradian said. “This program is designed to provide students with the industry knowledge needed to give them a competitive career advantage and to give their companies enhanced capacity for innovation.”

The program is scheduled to start its first class in June. The Technological Leadership Institue is part of the University of Minnesota’s College of Science and Engineering.