NRT Students as Participants at the Mayo Clinic & ASU Health Care Accelerator
NRT graduate trainees joined the Mayo Clinic & ASU Health Care Accelerator as technical advisors, gaining hands-on experience with healthcare startups and industry experts.
At the heart of the NSF NRT program is a commitment to preparing graduate researchers not just as scientists, but as problem-solvers, communicators, and innovators. One of the most powerful ways our students develop these skills is through real-world engagement, and this semester, several of our NRT trainees had that opportunity through participation in the Mayo Clinic and ASU Health Care Accelerator.
What is the Health Care Accelerator?
The Mayo Clinic and ASU Alliance for Health Care Accelerator is a pioneering collaboration that brings together the clinical excellence of Mayo Clinic with the innovation ecosystem of Arizona State University. The program is designed to accelerate breakthroughs in medical devices, health care IT solutions, biotechnology, and life science innovations.
Participating startups receive access to world-renowned clinicians, regulatory experts, venture capital networks, and an intensive interdisciplinary curriculum focused on business development, product optimization, regulatory compliance, and commercialization strategy.
Our Students’ Role: Technical Advisors
Our NRT trainees participated as technical advisors and provided support for the startup companies that went through the accelerator cohort. This meant working directly alongside healthcare entrepreneurs, offering their engineering and research expertise to help these companies think through technical challenges, validate assumptions, and sharpen their solutions.
It was a unique opportunity that placed our students at the intersection of science, business, and healthcare innovation, exactly the interdisciplinary space the NRT program is designed to cultivate.
What They Gained
Beyond their advisory role, our students had access to the accelerator’s business curriculum, mentorship sessions with Mayo Clinic physicians and industry experts, and networking opportunities with investors and innovators from across the country. Exposure to companies working on cutting-edge medtech challenges gave our trainees a first-hand view of how research translates into real-world healthcare solutions.
We are proud of our students for bringing their expertise, curiosity, and dedication to this experience, and grateful to the Mayo Clinic and ASU Alliance for creating a program where future researchers can learn, contribute, and grow.
My experience in the Mayo Clinic/ASU Health Care Accelerator was an incredibly valuable opportunity to explore the intersection of biomedical research and clinical translation. I had the opportunity to work closely with startup companies, particularly TachMed and MarkerX, while also networking with so many others across the cohort. These experiences gave me insight into how scientific discoveries are developed into real-world healthcare solutions. The program strengthened my understanding of interdisciplinary collaboration, regulatory considerations, and the importance of aligning innovation with patient and clinical needs. It also played a key role in shaping my career goals by reinforcing my interest in translational science and industry-focused research. Overall, the experience broadened my perspective beyond the bench and highlighted the impact that well-integrated science, medicine, and entrepreneurship can have on patient outcomes.
Lucas BierscheidNRT Student Experience at the Mayo Clinic and ASU HealthCare Accelerator
