Education

It starts with an idea. Maybe it becomes a company.

The Education Pillar exists to lower the barriers to entry by providing opportunities to explore innovation and entrepreneurship.

Through the Fundamentals of Innovation and Applications in Medicine elective, hands-on workshops, and seminar series, learners gain practical skills and exposure to topics that can serve as a launchpad for delivering novel innovations in medicine and science.

“The important thing is not to stop questioning.”

— Albert Einstein

Learn how innovation actually works.

The Education Pillar is designed to plant seeds and equip students with the practical skills needed to turn ideas into real-world solutions.


Whether through a structured 8-week elective, hands-on workshops, or informal seminars, learners gain low-stakes introductions to diverse avenues of healthcare innovation. Grounded in health equity and real clinical impact, the program empowers students to tackle meaningful problems in healthcare while building the foundation to lead, create, and innovate. Learn more below.

Elective FAQs

  • From breakthrough therapies to digital health solutions, every major healthcare innovation started with someone noticing a problem and daring to fix it. The goal for this elective is to inspire students to ask themselves, “why not me?” and guide them through a structured, concrete process to translate an idea into impact.

  • The course is open to first-year Einstein medical students interested in healthcare innovation, design, or entrepreneurship. Enrollment is capped at 20 students per block to allow for hands-on collaboration.

  • Each week combines a short lecture and an interactive discussion. In parallel, students will work on group project where they will identify a real healthcare challenge, research the market, design a solution, and pitch it to faculty judges.

  • Not at all. The course is designed for beginners and builds from first principles. Students from any background can succeed - all you need is curiosity and creativity.

  • It’s one of the first electives to teach innovation explicitly as a skill. Students learn design thinking, market analysis, and entrepreneurship in the context of real health problems like the Bronx asthma epidemic - connecting innovation directly to community health.

Seminars

  • Our seminars are designed to introduce novel concepts and plant seeds for trainees to explore topics rarely addressed in the classroom, lab, or clinic. They also serve as a gateway for bringing leaders in healthcare innovation to Einstein, helping trainees broaden their perspectives and expand their professional networks.

  • We run two seminar series each year and continually expand based on trainee interest. Our inaugural series, The Business of Healthcare, introduced learners to the “backend” forces (insurance, economics, drug development, venture capital) that shape clinical practice and the healthcare system.

  • Our seminars are open to everyone. To RSVP, please subscribe to our Substack newsletter, where we share logistical details and upcoming events. If you have ideas for new seminars or would like to help organize one, we would love to hear from you.

Workshops

  • Our workshops provide entry-level, hands-on opportunities for trainees to move beyond consuming information and begin applying it. Our inaugural workshop, Healthcare IP 101, introduces participants to the fundamentals of intellectual property in healthcare and the role IP plays in bringing innovations to market.

  • We plan to host two workshop series each year, with the goal of expanding as interest grows. We actively source ideas from our community to ensure these sessions meet trainee needs. If you have suggestions or would like to help shape this initiative, please reach out.