Health system intelligence profile

Distinction in Medical Innovation

Emory Healthcare / Emory University School of Medicine (Department of Medicine)

Editorially verified · Last reviewed August 30, 2026

Intelligence summary

Program at a Glance

Program mandate: Distinction in Medical Innovation is a formal designation track inside Emory's Internal Medicine residency for residents who want to build and implement medical innovations during training. Participants pursue structured coursework in medical innovation and entrepreneurship, mentor biodesign project teams, and volunteer with institutional or commercial innovation organizations, then graduate with the Distinction noted on their record.
Organizational model: Academic · Nonprofit
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Program types: Physician innovation Entrepreneurship
Focus areas: ClinicalMedical deviceTherapeuticsDiagnostics
Public scale or maturity signals: Documented successes: Maintains a published record of Resident Projects in the Medical Innovation Distinction; program states many participants go on to become independent physician entrepreneurs; residents mentor biodesign project teams and draw on joint Emory and Georgia Tech innovation resources
Official engagement route: Program website ↗Health system website ↗
Last reviewed: August 30, 2026

Mandate and remit

What This Program Does

Distinction in Medical Innovation is a formal designation track inside Emory's Internal Medicine residency for residents who want to build and implement medical innovations during training. Participants pursue structured coursework in medical innovation and entrepreneurship, mentor biodesign project teams, and volunteer with institutional or commercial innovation organizations, then graduate with the Distinction noted on their record. The track focuses on diagnostics, therapeutics, devices, mobile health and health IT, and holds quarterly meetings with invited speakers plus networking across Emory and Georgia Tech resources. It is explicitly aimed at producing independent physician entrepreneurs rather than only quality-improvement leaders.

Areas of Focus

ClinicalMedical deviceTherapeuticsDiagnostics

Publicly Reported Outcomes

Documented successes
Maintains a published record of Resident Projects in the Medical Innovation Distinction; program states many participants go on to become independent physician entrepreneurs; residents mentor biodesign project teams and draw on joint Emory and Georgia Tech innovation resources

Leadership and Structure

Organizational home: Distinction in Medical Innovation, Emory Healthcare / Emory University School of Medicine (Department of Medicine)

Lorenzo Di Francesco, MD, FACP, FHM — Director, Distinction in Medical Innovation Program

Contact the Program

Use the program's published contact route for partnership, licensing, innovation, or program inquiries.

Official contact page: Open contact page ↗

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Sources and Updates

Reviewed August 30, 2026. External source links open in a new tab.

Distinction in Medical Innovation official source ↗ — med.emory.edu. Accessed August 30, 2026.
Distinction in Medical Innovation source 2 ↗ — med.emory.edu. Accessed August 30, 2026.

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