

A Short Course on Pediatric Innovation
July 23rd Workshop Preparation (remote) &
July 27-28th Interactive Workshop (in-person)

Thank you for your interest in our Short Course on Pediatric Innovation!
Our current course is full. If you would like to be notified about future offerings please sign up for priority notifications below.
Join the MIT Hood Pediatric Innovation Hub and MIT Catalyst for an immersive, hands-on short course designed to spark new ideas—and develop the next generation of innovators—in pediatric health.
This immersive program brings together participants for focused mentorship, peer collaboration, and practical innovation activities to accelerate learning and impact.
Through a guided mix of individual and team-based activities, participants will learn and apply the proven need-driven innovation framework developed at MIT. Working alongside MIT faculty, clinicians, industry leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovation experts, participants will explore pressing challenges in child health, identify critical unmet needs, and begin shaping innovative solutions with real-world impact.
Whether you are a healthcare professional, engineer, scientist, entrepreneur, student, or innovator seeking to apply your talents to meaningful challenges, this course offers a unique opportunity to learn, collaborate, and join a growing community dedicated to improving the lives of children and families.
The Short Course
Whether you're already working to improve pediatric care or you're an innovator curious about applying your skills to this vital space, this course offers a unique entry point—and a chance to join a growing community committed to making a difference.
You’ll leave with:
- A practical introduction to need-driven biomedical innovation
- A sharper sense of where new opportunities lie in pediatric health
- Connections to peers, mentors, and the Hood Pediatric Innovation Hub
No prior experience in pediatrics or innovation required—just a passion for solving meaningful problems that affect children and families.
Course Structure
This short course combines in-person experiences with a remote workshop preparation call.
The first session (via Zoom on 07/23) provides an overview of the pediatric innovation landscape and sets the stage for collaborative exploration.
This is followed by an in-person 1.5-day workshop (in Cambridge, MA on 07/27-28) where participants will engage in team-based workshops to explore unmet needs and begin shaping early-stage project ideas.
**Participation in both the Workshop Preparation session and the Interactive Workshop is expected.**
Course Schedule and Location
July 23rd, 1:00p - 4:00p ET (via Zoom)
July 27th, 9:00a - 4:00p (MIT Student Center, Cambridge, MA)
July 28th, 9:00a - 1:00p (MIT Student Center, Cambridge, MA)
Course Faculty
Aditya Chandrasekhar, MD, MPH
MIT Catalyst Europe Faculty| Physician Clinical AI Strategy UpToDate| MIT Catalyst Fellow
Elazer R. Edelman, MD, PhD
Faculty Lead, MIT Hood Hub | Professor of Medical Engineering and Science, Institute of Medical Engineering & Science, MIT | Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School | Senior Attending Physician, Brigham and Women's Hospital
Jamie Fairclough, PhD
MIT Catalyst Faculty | Director and Faculty, Engineering & Medicine, Dartmouth | Machine Learning Instructor, Stanford | AI Research Engineer, VA Healthcare System
Joseph Frassica, MD, FAAP
MIT Catalyst Faculty | Executive Director, MIT Hood Hub | Professor of the Practice, Institute of Medical Engineering & Science, MIT | Staff, Massachusetts General Hospital
Martha Gray, PhD
MIT Catalyst Faculty| Whitaker Professor in Biomedical Engineering, MIT | Professor, Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, MIT | Professor, Institute for Medical Engineering & Science, MIT
Chester J. Koh, MD, MBA, FAAP
Professor of Urology, Pediatrics, and OB/GYN Baylor College of Medicine | Texas Children's Research Institute/Executive Director, SWPDC
Amy Molten, MD, FAAP
Clinical Assistant Professor, Tufts University School of Medicine | Chief Medical Officer, Ladder Health
Tim Padera, PhD
MIT Catalyst Faculty| Professor of Radiation Oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School} Rullo Family MGH Research Scholar 2021-2026
John O. Parker, Jr.
Vice President and Clerk, Charles H. Hood Foundation | Founder and Managing Director, Springhood Ventures
Anne Quaadgras
Director, MIT Sloan Health Systems Initiative| Senior Lecturer at MIT Sloan School of Management
Robert Sege, MD, PhD
MIT Catalyst Faculty | MIT Hood Hub | Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, Tufts University School of Medicine
Nancy Steele, MA
MIT Catalyst Faculty | Former VP Pfizer Corp Strategy
Joseph Ting
MIT Catalyst Faculty | Head of Product Development, Annecy Bio | Professor at Stevens Institute of Technology
Ben Vakoc, PhD
MIT Catalyst Faculty| Associate Professor, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School| Member of the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences & Technology Faculty
"I participated in the Hood Hub Short Course on Pediatric Innovation last July and found it tremendously valuable. ...I truly enjoyed it. Since that course, there has been a permanent folder in my laptop called Pediatric Innovation (with folders for 2025 and 2026 already!)”
-- Angie Serrano, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine
Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine | Department of Medicine, Vascular Biology | Center for Regenerative Medicine (CReM)
Thank you for your interest in our Short Course on Pediatric Innovation!
Our current course is full. If you would like to be notified about future offerings please sign up for priority notifications below.

Frequently Asked Questions
Unfortunately, no. While Session 1 is remote, it is preparation for the 1.5-day in-person workshop. There is no option for remote attendance of the in-person workshop.