Gift names, expands scope of Stanford Mussallem Center for Biodesign

The Stanford Byers Center for Biodesign is now the Stanford Mussallem Center for Biodesign, thanks to a generous naming gift from philanthropists Linda and Mike Mussallem that will support the center into the future. Mike Mussallem, a pioneer in the medical technology industry who served as the chairman and CEO of Edwards Lifesciences Corporation for more than 20 years, and his wife, Linda, are providing resources to help permanently sustain the program and enable expansions into the critical areas of policy, life sciences innovation and promoting greater health equity.

“Through world-class training, better innovation policies and a distinct drive toward more equitable and accessible health solutions, the next chapter of Stanford Biodesign will have a profound impact on patients, health care providers and communities here at home and around the globe,” said Stanford University President Jonathan Levin, PhD. “We are most grateful to the Mussallems for this gift, which will enable the center to do what we do best at Stanford — innovate solutions — for the health and benefit of more people than ever before.”

An integral part of the university’s entrepreneurial ecosystem for over two decades, Stanford Biodesign is highly regarded globally for offering the premier training programs for aspiring health technology innovators. It is a vital part of Stanford’s efforts to translate new knowledge into impactful solutions that benefit people worldwide.

“Stanford Medicine’s rich array of relevant multidisciplinary resources and premier clinical and research infrastructure provides the platform on which to build this next exciting phase of Stanford Biodesign,” said Lloyd Minor, MD, the Carl and Elizabeth Naumann Dean of the School of Medicine and vice president for medical affairs at Stanford University. “The center has made enormous strides over the past two decades in advancing health technology innovation.” Acknowledging Silicon Valley venture capitalist Brook Byers, MBA ’70, he added, “I want to extend my gratitude to Brook for his longtime support and to Linda and Mike for providing the resources to ensure the program’s growth and longevity.”

“Stanford is unique in its ability to bring together a diverse set of disciplines — engineering, medicine, business, humanities and beyond — into a cohesive ecosystem that drives innovation; there’s no other place like it,” said Jennifer Widom, PhD, the Frederick Emmons Terman Dean of the School of Engineering. “Biodesign is a great example of how Stanford’s innovation ecosystem, combined with industry collaborations, can rapidly bring critical innovations to market: New ideas quickly translate into real-world solutions where they are needed most.”

Changing lives through innovation

The gift in support of the new Stanford Mussallem Center for Biodesign is the couple’s first to the university and reflects their belief in the center’s ability to empower communities around the world to innovate for the benefit of their citizens. During his tenure as chairman and CEO of Edwards Lifesciences, Mike Mussallem made philanthropy a cornerstone of the company’s culture by establishing a corporate foundation that has given millions of dollars to nonprofit organizations.

Together, the couple also established their own charitable family foundation, The Linda and Mike Mussallem Foundation, to support four key focus areas: next-generation health care innovation, treatment of pediatric heart defects, integrative/whole person health and enhanced quality of life for those born with Down syndrome, as both Mussallems had older brothers with the genetic condition. The Mussallems also support numerous community and educational organizations.

“Working in the medtech industry, I developed a passion for helping patients. It became my compass and my priority. As impressive as Stanford Biodesign’s history has been, we believe it can have even greater impact,” Mike Mussallem said. “We believe in the center’s mission, leadership, students and fellows. With more resources enabling an even broader scope and vision, we know they will multiply their impact. There is so much more that can be done for patients worldwide.”

Building on a proven process

Stanford Biodesign’s innovation process is what makes it so distinct. Rather than start with a solution in search of a need, the Biodesign approach prioritizes identifying and understanding an unmet need first, then rigorously applies a pragmatic and disciplined process to devise a solution and an execution plan. The three simple steps — identify, invent, implement — can be used over and over again, in any setting and in any area of patient care. This proven process, together with strong ties developed across Silicon Valley and in health technology, have made the center an example of what can be accomplished when academia and industry work together in partnership. More than 50 institutions around the world have created programs modeled on Stanford Biodesign.

As the new Stanford Mussallem Center for Biodesign embarks on this exciting next phase, new initiatives in policy, life sciences innovation and efforts to improve health equity will broaden the scope of the program’s impact.

Policy: The new policy program will advance timely, evidence-based, nonpartisan research to address today’s most pressing health innovation-related policy issues. With physical and virtual footprints in Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C., the program will be a hub for convening and educating policymakers, researchers, funders and other experts on how technology can be leveraged to achieve better patient outcomes, expanded access and reduced costs — faster than ever imagined. Current areas of interest include artificial intelligence regulation; coding, coverage and payment for medical technologies; regulatory issues with cell and gene therapies; orphan disease legislation; and health data interoperability.

Life sciences innovation: With the increased program funding, the center will continue to expand the scope of training offerings to support innovation across life science disciplines more broadly. The program’s training curricula will be enhanced to be relevant and effective for medical devices, digital health, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, diagnostics, services and other domains. This will equip trainees to be even more innovative and impactful in addressing a wider range of health care challenges.

Health equity: The center will forge new partnerships in the United States and globally as part of its broader efforts to improve patient access and health outcomes for traditionally underserved populations. By building on initiatives such as East Africa Biodesign, pursuing new partnership opportunities with historically Black colleges and medical schools in the United States, and expanding maternal and fetal health-focused innovation efforts, Stanford Biodesign will bring the Biodesign methodology to even more aspiring innovators and help foster the innovation system necessary to bring important new health care solutions to patients and those who care for them.

Stanford Biodesign alumni have founded 57 health technology companies based on projects initiated during their training. Collectively, these companies have helped more than 13 million people globally.

The center is led by co-founder Josh Makower, MD, a professor of medicine and of bioengineering who is now the Byers Family Director. This newly endowed position honors Brook Byers, who has been a mentor and coach since the center’s inception and remains a strong supporter of the program. Byers welcomed the Mussallems to the Stanford Biodesign family saying, “Mike is a legendary CEO in the life sciences industry. This gift is enhanced by the expertise he will share in innovation, regulation, reimbursement, policy and improving medical care for patients.”

“Stanford Biodesign was founded with the ambitious vision to create a network of training and support for students, fellows and faculty with the talent and ambition to be health technology innovators both here at Stanford and around the world,” Makower said. “With this new gift, we will be able to grow the program while maintaining an unrelenting focus on our core values of innovation, collaboration, empathy, diversity, integrity and leadership.”

This story originally appeared on the Stanford Medicine website.