BioOhio's "Innovation Road Show" conference stops in Mason

For the first time BioOhio, the state's bioscience industry accelerator is taking its annual conference on the road.

"Every year we hold an annual conference in the fall, typically in central Ohio. This is the first time we've held "regional" annual conferences, so we dubbed it a "road show," said Matt Schutte, Director of Corporate Communications at BioOhio.

The "Innovation Road Show," the conference will stop at the Manor House in Mason on Nov. 18. Cincinnati native Dr. Thomas Fogarty, a vascular surgery pioneer and inventor will be the conference's keynote speaker. Dr. Fogarty owns more than 100 medical patents, most notably the  Fogarty Balloon Embolectomy Catheter and the Aneurx Stent Graft which are widely used in the medical industry.

As a teen, the doctor worked as a scrub technician at Good Samaritan Hospital.  In 2006, he founded the non-profit Fogarty Institute for Innovation in California. Members of the institute "mentors, trains and inspires the next generation of medical innovators." 

In September BioOhio took the Innovation Road Show to Cleveland and drew 180 attendees. After Cincinnati, the final stop will be in Dublin. The one-day conference will focus on innovation from R&D through commercialization to the market. The road show concept allows BioOhio to maximize the conference and draw in professionals who normally might not attend.

"Each of the events is intended to educate and inform biomedical-related professionals on trends and opportunities, while also providing valuable networking opportunities. We think that Dr. Fogarty may attract a few physicians and surgeons, a group we traditionally don't target much," said Matt Schutte, Director of Corporate Communications at BioOhio.

The conference will feature a variety of sessions including "Inside Innovation" by Battelle Medical Device Solutions and "The Biomedical Innovation Funding Spectrum: From Local to National," featuring Carol Frankenstein (BioStart), Alexis Fitzsimmons (Ohio Dept. of Development), and Liz Powell (G2G Consulting). There will also be representatives from Cincinnati Children's Hospital and the University of Cincinnati. Go here for a full agenda.

In the afternoon, time will be set aside for an innovation Open Mic, which will feature eight to 10 BioOhio member companies sharing 5-minutes on applied innovation in the workplace or market.

Registration is $55 for members, $90 for non-members, and $45 for students. Event sponsors are Neace Lukens, Stipkala LLC, Thomson Reuters, and the City of Columbus. You can register here.

Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: Matt Schutte, BioOhio Director of Corporate Communications

You can follow Feoshia on twitter @feoshiawrites