MaineHealth INNOVATION is…
MaineHealth INNOVATION is…
Programs
BREWING IDEAS COFFEE CORNER
The MaineHealth Brewing Ideas Coffee Corner offers MaineHealth care team members an informal virtual hour of fun and engaging conversation where ideas across functional and clinical areas are explored, questions about innovation are raised, and updates on new and emerging projects are shared. No preparation is necessary and no registration is required. All inquiring minds are welcome!
The Coffee Corner is held twice a month on the first and third Tuesdays from 8:30 to 9:30am via Zoom.
“I came to the MaineHealth Innovation Brewing Ideas Coffee Corner to brainstorm an idea to self-schedule patient visits for the walk-in clinic. The feedback I got from that conversation helped guide me to exactly the right people to help me move my idea forward.”
— Nir Harish, MD, MBA
Emergency Medicine, Pen Bay Medical Center
THE INNOVATION ELECTIVE
In 2020, MaineHealth Innovation launched a fourth year medical student innovation science elective* with Tufts University School of Medicine. The 4-week course curriculum is designed to encourage students to think differently, a mindset that they can later apply on the front lines of care delivery and administration. Elective students identify a course-long healthcare problem to solve and, through this lens, engage in user discovery, search for existing or novel models, develop a pathway, process or prototype, define stakeholders, run short experiments, and map a process for future deployment of their innovative solution.
*This course is currently only available to medical students.
“It has helped me think about the innovation process in a systematic way … that I can bring into my future practice.”
— James Kwan, Fall 2021 Innovation Elective student
from Tufts University School of Medicine
Sketches from an Innovation Elective student’s course project
THE INNOVATION COHORT
The MaineHealth Innovation Cohort empowers MaineHealth care team members to advance the “back of the envelope” ideas that address the unmet care needs they see every day. This eight-week program convenes a small group of interdisciplinary healthcare professionals as they embed themselves and their identified project in innovation science, user discovery, prototyping, and intellectual property considerations.
- 3 COHORT CYCLES
- 15 PROJECTS
- 5 PATENTS FILED
“My proposed project to bring an employee-run food truck to MaineHealth is now under consideration with our leadership team. I could not have made it this far without the opportunity to explore and vet this idea through the Innovation Cohort.”
ALEX GINGRICH
Director, Nutrition Services
Maine Behavioral Healthcare
Spring Harbor Hospital / Sanford Behavioral Health
THE INNOVATION BLENDER
The Innovation Blender is a program designed in partnership with The Roux Institute to bring together practitioners, researchers, entrepreneurs and innovators from a variety of backgrounds to ideate on healthcare challenges. Each monthly event consists of presenters sharing their latest novel ideas and attendees brainstorming solutions to their project needs. Collaborations between MaineHealth pioneers, The Roux Institute community and local entrepreneurial talent are formed to pave a healthier future forward — one healthcare opportunity at a time.
“I had no idea what to expect and I loved every minute.”
— Jasmine Bishop
TeleHealth Director, MaineHealth“I liked that there were lots of diverse backgrounds represented and seeing the collaborative nature of putting ideas together.”
— Innovation Blender Attendee
THE INNOVATION FUND
MaineHealth Innovation has established the MaineHealth Innovation Fund as an internal funding mechanism to foster and accelerate innovation within MaineHealth. Two funding levels are available: The Ignite Fund provides seed capital to help advance innovations. This investment of up to $20,000 can help innovators understand user pain points, build a prototype or test an assumption. The Bonfire Fund provides an investment of up to $100,000 to a MaineHealth care team member company and its advanced novel solution that aims to improve the lives of our care team and community members to a point where additional external or institutional funding opportunities can be explored.
- 17 Projects
- $309k Invested
IGNITE FUND
up to $20,000
BONFIRE FUND
up to $100,000