Medical student Al Marchese '19 (Photo: LCOM Creative Services)

Medical students see a lot of the health care system – the good, the bad and the ugly – during their training, and their fresh perspectives sometimes lead to the identification of a need and a potential solution. But without sufficient support, an idea for an innovative technology to improve health care falls flat. Medical student Al Marchese ’19 has established a system for bringing these ideas to fruition – he’s leading an initiative, called the Catamount Innovation Fund, which links innovation and entrepreneurship to the practice of medicine, among other industries.

During his first year of medical school, Marchese recognized a need to connect medical students with healthcare entrepreneurs and to foster a space for future medical professionals to think creatively about new, groundbreaking ideas that could significantly improve health care. This is where the idea for a student fund was born.

In fall 2017, the Catamount Innovation Fund will open its “doors” to UVM undergraduate and graduate students seeking to collaborate with and invest in current student entrepreneurs and inventors, as well as recent alumni. With approval from UVM President Tom Sullivan and Vice President for Research Richard Galbraith, and collaboration with numerous other students, including Andrew Dazzo ’17, an undergraduate in economics, Marchese is now preparing to raise capital for the fund and to form an innovation team for the 2017-18 academic year. No previous finance or business experience is required to become a part of the team, just a willingness to think creatively about the future of innovative health care technologies!

To learn more about the Catamount Innovation Fund, contact Al Marchese.