Pitt innovators exploring entrepreneurship have many resources to assist them on their journey to impact through commercialization. None may be as valuable as the corps of volunteer mentors who give their time freely to help them navigate the often unfamiliar terrain. The 2023 Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship James "Chip" Hanlon Volunteer Mentor of the Year, Jan Berkow, is emblematic of the characteristics of an innovation mentor. Jan is the program manager for commercialization at the University of Pittsburgh Center for Military Medicine Research, where he is responsible for bringing to market U.S. Department of Defense-funded advanced medical technologies.
Continuing our recognition of Pitt Innovators feted at the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship's Celebration of Innovation on April 25, 2023, at the Petersen Events Center Campus View Club, we feature the 2023 Marlin Mickle Outstanding Innovator Award recipient, William Wagner. The Marlin Mickle Outstanding Innovator Award is presented to a Pitt faculty member who has achieved a sustained commitment to innovation throughout a distinguished career. Dr. Wagner is Director of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine as well as Distinguished Professor of Surgery, Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh.
The Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship hosted its Celebration of Innovation on April 25, 2023, at the Petersen Events Center Campus View Club. The event recognizes the accomplishments of Pitt innovators and regional businesses assisted by the university's Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence who are making an impact through the commercial translation of their ideas and innovations. We will be featuring some of this year's special award winners over the next few weeks, beginning with the 2023 Emerging Innovator Award recipient, Leah Byrne. The Emerging Innovator Award is presented to an early-to-mid-career Pitt faculty who has demonstrated an extraordinary dedication to innovation commercialization. Dr. Byrne is an assistant professor of ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
Brain aneurysms can appear without any prior symptoms. Diagnosis is invasive and expensive. Monitoring progression can be a guessing game. And if they rupture, which happens to about 30,000 people in the U.S. each year, there is only a 50/50 chance of making it to a hospital alive. Roughly a third of those who do make it to the hospital alive never leave, and those that do often face lifelong disabilities. A Pitt Department of Neurosurgery resident and a third-year School of Medicine student, want to bring a new blood test for brain aneurysms to market that can accurately and less invasively detect brain aneurysms and measure the risk of rupture, giving clinicians much more direction in determining when to provide treatment.
The Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship provides an array of services and resources for Pitt innovators curious about the innovation commercialization process From determining whether you have an invention that should be disclosed to the Innovation Institute, to intellectual property protection and through to licensing and startup creation, there are programs and resources to help you at every step in the journey.