HANDS-ON PRACTICUM

Our program offers a practical, hands-on approach. We believe that the best learning happens when students are able to implement the theories they have learned in class in a real-world situation. Accordingly, we offer a hands-on practicum. The primary goal of the practicum is to practice and experience the identification of unmet needs and to develop feasible solutions in an innovative process.

We offer two tracks, out of which students choose Students are able to choose one of two tracks (see below), each with a wide variety of practicum opportunities. Both tracks work in parallel during the whole practicum period. Each track also has close access to the content and deliverables of the other track. This allows students to focus on their own track, while also being exposed to the activity of the other track.

Process Innovation  

In this track students join existing companies or organizations in the Israeli healthcare industry, such as hospitals and HMOs, accelerators, VCs, medical startups, pharma companies, and the Sheba Innovation Center. Students set up teams and select an organization of their choice. They define, along with the course instructors and chosen organization, a specific agreed-upon objective or theme. Each team designs and prepares accordingly a project. The teams are mentored closely the course instructors. Additionally, an interdisciplinary experts' team is available for consultation when needed.

The hands-on experience allows students to implement what they’ve learned in class in a real-world situation, and to think out-of-the-box about processes. Through their practicum, students are also exposed to different stakeholders within the Israeli healthcare ecosystem. 

Product Innovation

In this track students have a unique opportunity to experience the development of a venture from an idea to a product, using a multidisciplinary toolkit. Students learn how to identify and address unmet healthcare needs, develop innovative products, and work on bringing those products into the patient care market through a start-up, corporation, or other channels. 

The ventures are closely mentored by the course instructors and are exposed to experts as deemed relevant. Through their practicum, students are also exposed to different stakeholders within the Israeli healthcare innovation ecosystem. Those may include VCs, incubators, university technology transfer companies, investment arms of multinational healthcare companies, and Israeli and international governmental innovation funds.

The practicum enables students to bring their individual capacities into the realm, while collaborate with colleagues and external stakeholders. 

We encourage students to bring their ideas, or their organization ideas, as the practicum projects and work on their own initiatives.