Dear DesignWise Medical supporter, I founded DesignWise Medical over seven years ago to make a difference in the... http://t.co/UDsWlCHyIv (tw)

Dear DesignWise Medical supporter, I founded DesignWise Medical over seven years ago to make a difference in the development of much needed pediatric medical devices. Since 2008 we have been actively developing over a dozen pediatric devices by engaging the support and passion of over 350 volunteers, 10 colleges and universities through over 40 sponsored school projects, hundreds of financial donors and many other supporters of our mission. As you know, the pediatric medical device industry is faced with many challenges, not the least of which is the development of small market devices where the return on investment can be quite low or non-existent. Our non-profit approach is unique and over the last seven years we have learned a lot about developing pediatric devices, both what works and what doesn’t work. The good news is that we have successfully increased awareness of pediatric device needs and advanced the development of solutions for those needs but unfortunately DesignWise Medical has not developed the financial sustainability that is needed for long-term success. So what’s next for DesignWise Medical? Our board of directors has approved the formation of a strategic development task force comprised of industry experts to help us determine and execute the future path forward for DesignWise Medical. During the period of transition, we will be taking a hiatus on our current operations to allow us the focus we need. We will continue to work with our existing projects but will not be taking on any new projects or volunteers at this time. In the meantime, we have partnered with the Pediatric Device Innovation Consortium (www.pdicmn.org) at the University of Minnesota to manage new project opportunities and provide opportunities for interested volunteers to donate their time towards pediatric devices. On a personal note, I am very excited and humbled to have been selected to take part in the highly competitive Medical Device Innovation Fellowship program at the University of Minnesota beginning this August. I will remain as the Interim Executive Director for DesignWise Medical during its transition phase but at a reduced level. I want to thank you all again for your humbling level of support over all these years as well as your understanding during this period of transition for DesignWise Medical. With incredible appreciation, Brad Slaker DesignWise Medical Founder and Interim Executive Director (fb)