By:  Casey Ma MBA/MPH’26, Yale Ventures CBIT Associate

On Tuesday, September 24, 2024, Yale’s Center for Biomedical Innovation and Technology (CBIT) held its “Clinical Pitch Night” event at 101 College Street in New Haven, attracting over 130 attendees. Students, clinicians, faculty, and local entrepreneurs gathered with the goal of joining an interdisciplinary innovation team emerging from the Yale community. The evening was hosted by Margaret Cartiera PhD, Innovation Director at CBIT, and showcased five clinical innovators who presented their novel approaches in 5-minute pitches. Multiple ideas from the enthusiastic audience were also shared during an open mic session. Formal presenters included:

Mathieu Bakhoum, MD PhD discussed retinal ischemic perivascular lesions (RIPLs) and discussed a novel retinal imaging approach that could greatly improve early diagnosis and management of cardiovascular disease, offering a new frontier in preventive care. Dr. Bakhoum presented a second innovation for testing corneal ulcers. The approach is a non-invasive diagnostic tool that would reduce diagnostic wait times and improve accuracy as compared to traditional corneal scraping.

Isibor Arhuidese, MD MPH introduced an innovative app designed to assist surgeons in navigating complex medical coding procedures, improving accuracy and reducing revenue loss in healthcare systems.

Antonio Giraldez, PhD detailed groundbreaking advancements in mRNA therapy technology and progress at Resa Therapeutics. By increasing the tissue specificity and stability of mRNA therapies, the team is revolutionizing treatments in areas like cancer and infectious diseases.

Ritujith Jayakrishnan, MD shared an algorithmic solution aimed at streamlining the complex process for scheduling medical residents. The tool is intended to and create a streamlined approach and alleviate the burden of manual scheduling.

Jem Atillasoy, MD showcased a new line of force-reduction technologies designed to prevent life-threatening injuries in athletes. The initial product at GuardX Technologies targets the prevention of commotio cordis, a potentially fatal condition affecting athletes in contact sports. 
 

During the open mic session, medical residents and students from Yale College, Yale School of Medicine, Yale School of Public Health, and Yale School of Management bravely took the stage, describing clinical pain points and progress in building novel approaches. The venue offered innovators an invaluable platform to share their work and engage with the larger healthcare community.

The event transitioned into a networking hour after the dynamic pitch session. Attendees had the chance to engage directly with presenters, gather feedback from fellow entrepreneurs, and explore ways to contribute to projects. Many of the connections centered around a specific need such as prototype design, market research, and business strategy and analysis. Discussions also fostered potential future collaborations, synergistic partnerships, and career pathways.

CBIT’s leadership and staff were essential in the success of the event. As a central hub for healthcare innovation at Yale, the team is committed to supporting innovators and cultivating partnerships among students, clinicians, entrepreneurs, and researchers to bring transformative healthcare solutions to the market and creating impact. The success of this year’s Clinical Pitch Night furthers CBIT’s mission of collaborative progress and accelerating development of cutting-edge biomedical technologies that will drive the future of healthcare.
 

​About CBIT
At the Yale Center for Biomedical Innovation and Technology (CBIT), we focus on understanding these challenges and partnering with academic innovators, students, corporate entities, and health systems to overcome them. It catalyzes innovators across Yale to make novel healthcare solutions in data science, diagnostics, and devices a reality.

For more information about CBIT and upcoming events, visit [CBIT website] or follow CBIT on [LinkedIn] and [Instagram].