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in
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Healthcare
Innovation

Henry Ford Innovation
Institute in Detroit

Davidson Foundation grant helps Henry Ford
collaborate with Israeli innovators.

SHARI S. COHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

S

Ethan Davidson and Karen Davidson of the
Davidson Foundation flank Dr. Scott Dulchavsky,
head of the Henry Ford Innovation Institute.

Dr. Dulchavsky brainstorming in Israel
with collaborators

26

March 9 • 2017

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since the Institute’s inception.
cott Dulchavsky, M.D.,
Dulchavsky described the
Ph.D. and CEO of the Henry
Institute’s core programs as a
Ford Innovation Institute,
“back-office factory” to
wants to improve health
ABOVE:
help inventors design, test
care patients’ experience
Henry Ford
and market useful prod-
in big and small ways.
Innovation
ucts. People with inter-
Established in 2011, the
Institute.
esting ideas may come
Innovation Institute
from Henry Ford Hospital
investigates and develops
staff, but also from auto
new ideas that improve
companies and the College for
health care — from a better
Creative Studies. “The sweet
hospital gown to complex data
spot is co-development. We’re a
analysis that can predict who
good lab,” he says.
will become sick.
The Innovations Institute is
A grant of $1.3 million
housed in a beautifully restored
from the William Davidson
early 20th-century building on
Foundation will advance the
Henry Ford Hospital’s Detroit
Institute’s core programs, which
campus. Dozens of framed pat-
include developing new health-
ents line the walls. “We have
care technology through corpo-
more than 100 patents, but
rate collaborations, education
and training for healthcare inno- it’s not a metric that we track.
vators, and global licensing of its We want patents with value,”
Dulchavsky says.
“know-how” for overseas hospi-
Also, he explains that today’s
tals. The Davidson Foundation
healthcare technology is fre-
has supported these efforts
quently software-based and that
to bring promising healthcare
patents are not as critical as first
improvement ideas to fruition

usage in the public marketplace.
In addition to core program
funding, the Foundation has
awarded the Institute up to
$675,000 to work with Israeli
startup companies to bring
their products to the U.S. and
other markets. This is part of
the Innovation Institute’s Global
Technology Development
Program.
“We need to cultivate ideas
and entrepreneurial talent here
while tapping into innovations
from around the world to con-
tinue Southeastern Michigan’s
revitalization,” explains Darin
McKeever, chief program and
strategy officer for the William
Davidson Foundation. “Our
relationship with their team is
a long and rewarding one, as is
our interest in strengthening
Israel.
“We’re especially delighted
to support a pilot program that
facilitates collaboration between
Henry Ford Innovations and

