A Team Approach to Innovation

Overview

At Cleveland Clinic Innovations, we’ve organized our team around these specific focus areas:

• Engagement: Dedicated Engagement Partners guide inventors through the process of invention disclosure and market analysis. This team draws on experience in marketing and communications, project management, business administration, clinical research and other key areas to advocate for current and future inventors throughout the technology transfer process.
• Proof of Concept: The Proof of Concept team is a partner, located in the Lerner Research Institute. The POC works with researchers and inventors to help them go from “Idea to Invention.” They help connect inventors with the resources to test and improve ideas before they advance to Innovations.
• Assessment: Our Assessment team evaluates the commercial viability of new technologies. With diverse backgrounds in business, engineering, life sciences and patent law, they employ a data-driven approach to assess patentability and marketability of the invention pipeline.
• Technology Development: Our Innovations Development team is comprised of experienced scientists and engineers dedicated to taking innovations from ideas and early concepts to viable medical products. These scientists and engineers have a unique depth and breadth of expertise in medical devices, digital health, and therapeutics and diagnostics.
• Business Development and Licensing: Our Business Development and Licensing team identifies the right strategic partners, builds those relationships and executes licensing agreements. They draw on extensive experience in marketing and business development.
• New Companies: Our New Companies team creates and invests in spinoff companies for technologies that have value as stand-alone ventures. They have in-depth expertise in venture capital, investing, company formation, management, governance, funding and strategic transactions. Their experience enables a venture-stage company to be effectively managed across its life cycle.

Meet Our Team

Transforming an idea into a final product takes a dedicated team of experts. We blend talent, experience and the resources of one of the world’s leading healthcare organizations to achieve exceptional results for inventors, investors, partners and, most importantly, our patients.

Business Development & Licensing Team

Joe Barone Director, Therapeutics & Diagnostics [email protected]	Bill Kolosi Director Medical Devices [email protected]	Partha Paul, PhD, MBA Director Medical Devices [email protected]	Giedre Ruzgaite, PhD, CLP Associate Director Digital Health & Therapeutics [email protected]
Saqib Sachani, PhD, MBA Director [email protected]	Jerry Wilmink, PhD, MBA Director Digital Health [email protected]	Sonja O’Malley, MBA, PMP Senior Director Digital Health [email protected]	Morgan Carter, PhD Licensing Associate [email protected]

Ventures Team

Zach Eisen Senior Principal [email protected]	JD Friedland, MBA Executive Director [email protected]	James Kirkpatrick Associate [email protected]
Linda Li, CFA Digital Health [email protected]	Chidinma Nwachukwu Associate [email protected]	Todd Schwarzinger Partner Digital Health & Medical Devices [email protected]
Hunter Rogers Principal [email protected]

Proof of Concept Team

Juliana Woda, PhD Senior Director & Domain Lead Therapeutics & Diagnostics [email protected]	Vara Prasad VN Josyula, PhD Senior Director Therapeutics & Diagnostics [email protected]	Erik Waldorff, PhD, MBA Senior Director Medical Devices [email protected]
Elizabeth Sump Senior Director Strategic Alliances [email protected]

Our Leadership

D. Geoffrey Vince, PhD Chief [email protected]	James Ellis, JD, MBA Managing Director Pre-Market Innovation [email protected]	Sarah Stamp, MBA General Manager Engagement [email protected]	Michael Austriaco, BSBA General Manager Assessment [email protected]
Mohamed Ramadan, PhD, MBA Innovations Development [email protected]	JD Friedland, MBA Executive Director [email protected]	Joseph Rich, JD Managing Partner State Funding and Compliance [email protected]
Robin Crotty, MBA Department Administrator [email protected]	Shawn Zimmer, CPA, MAcc Senior Director of Finance [email protected]	Heather Lambert-Shemo, MBA Director of Marketing & Communications [email protected]

Join Our Team

Every member of the Cleveland Clinic Innovations team shares a common goal — to advance the future of healthcare, one idea at a time. We’re always looking for talented people with the drive and experience to bring next-generation technology to today’s marketplace.

If you’re interested in joining our team, we invite you to explore our career opportunities.