This year the MCA is participating in El Paso Giving Day and highlighting recently launched or continued programs and efforts that look to further develop the hub of healthcare and innovation in the Paso del Norte region. MCA programs look to help a wide range of people such as healthcare professionals, manufacturers, innovators, and even job seekers looking for a career in clinical research. These programs would not be possible without the grants awarded to the MCA and the generous donations gifted to the MCA by generous donors and supporters. We’d like to share with you some highlights of these amazing programs, the people behind them, and the people being served to show you what exactly grants and donations are used to help fund and support the MCA operations.
The Nurse Innovator (NI) Accelerator is a binational program that empowers nurses and other healthcare professionals to take their innovative ideas from idea to market. The MCA Innovation Center is helping nurses in El Paso and Cd. Juarez develop solutions for problems they experience day-to-day in the clinical setting by providing them with education, training, one-on-one support, and access to resources for rapid prototyping and fabrication. The NI Accelerator moves healthcare professionals into the entrepreneurial landscape where healthcare professionals become one step closer to improving the healthcare workplace by moving ideas from the bench to the bedside. Arnold Chavira is a registered nurse participating in the program and explains:
“Having the opportunity to be part of Nurse Innovator has opened the door for me to put my ideas to work. It’s incredible how the program pushes you to change your mind frame and come up with a better idea. I am excited to see the results of all my classmates. We all have one goal and that’s to help patients have a better experience.”
To learn more about the Nurse Innovator Accelerator, CLICK HERE
The Devise Product Realization Hub is helping innovators, suppliers, and manufacturers develop new products and enhance their capabilities. Devise assists in the design and development of medtech and ISO 13485 certified products and successfully integrate them within the quality manufacturing ecosystem in the El Paso region. Devise is designed to support anyone within the product development lifecycle, including innovators and startups as well as established manufacturers and suppliers, free of charge. Nancy Lowery, Senior Director of Innovation, helps lead Devise and states:
“Development of new products not only provides value to potential consumers it also drives economic growth and delivers direct benefits to the region through increased revenue streams, new high wage jobs, and the opening up of new markets.”
To learn more about Devise and what it has to offer, CLICK HERE
The Clinical Trial Academy is a program that empowers outpatient clinics, physicians, healthcare professionals, students, career, and job seekers to become part of the clinical research profession. Through education, training, partner introductions, and startup support, the Clinical Trial Academy supports students, job/seekers, healthcare providers, and outpatient healthcare clinics interested in clinical research to enter the profession. The Clinical Trial Academy aims to grow our region’s clinical research workforce and the number of investigator sites conducting clinical research in El Paso, Texas and Las Cruces, New Mexico. Michaele Linden Johnson, Director Clinical Trials and Business Development, oversees the Clinical Trail Academy and states:
“This program is truly a game-changer for our region. Increasing access to clinical trials and growing our talent pipeline will not only help us address global healthcare disparities, but it will also help our region pivot from being a passive recipient of health products to an active influencer of healthcare.”
Learn more about what services the CTA provides and how to apply by CLICKING HERE
Supported by the EDA Seed Fund Grant, the Ecotone Seed Fund is a $3.5 million early-stage venture capital fund based in El Paso, Texas that provides value and relationships between founders and assets in the El Paso region while investing in companies that have high potential. The fund looks to back the best startups and help them optimize their operations and grow to the highest valuations. Emma W. Schwartz, President of the Medical Center of the Americas Foundation, states:
“Small and mid-sized communities really struggle to have venture capital funds available for startup companies. By starting this fund, the more we grow these small companies in our community, the more we build the ecosystem, the workforce, and the infrastructure needed to be able attract attention to our region and larger technology companies in the future.”
Learn more about what services the CTA provides and how to apply by CLICKING HERE
The MCA hosts a series of STEM Innovation Lab Camps throughout the year in an effort to support the life sciences industry and workforce in the El Paso/Juarez region. Our STEM Innovation Lab Camp focuses on the introduction of different life sciences objectives and careers to middle school students. The STEM lab includes topics like, but is not limited to, chemistry, biology, and physics as well as career exploration, which is primarily based off of the Workforce Solutions Borderplex regional statistics about our healthcare and biomedical industry. STEM Camps are currently being scheduled. To learn more or to schedule a STEM Innovation Lab Camp, CLICK HERE
This year’s El Paso Giving Day will be held on October 21st, 2021. We hope after learning about our on-going programs and upcoming efforts, you will help us reach our fundraising goal by donating at the link provided below. Watch our YouTube playlist to learn more about our programs and don’t forget to donate!
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2024 Medical Center of the Americas Foundation – Cardwell
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