HJBR Nov/Dec 2020

34 NOV / DEC 2020  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE   Healthcare Briefs regional healthcare technology innovation pro- gram (Health-Tech Catalyst) supported by nearly $600,000 in EDA grant funding and equal match- ing support provided by grant partners Penning- ton Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC), and the Baton Rouge Health District. “Our first federal grant is a major milestone for our organization and a testament to the qual- ity and national competitiveness of our work,” said Steven Ceulemans, executive director of the Baton Rouge Health District. “The award provides important new resources to promote and imple- ment our regional healthcare excellence agenda and it enhances the strong working relationship with our grant partners Pennington Biomedi- cal Research Center and the Baton Rouge Area Chamber.” The Build to Scale Program will support the efforts of 52 organizations in 36 states, which will receive grants totaling $35 million to sup- port entrepreneurship, acceleration of company growth, and increased access to risk capital across regional economies. “Grantees were selected from a competitive pool of more than 600 applications and repre- sent exemplary innovation and entrepreneurship from rural and urban areas across America,” said Dana Gartzke, who is performing the delegated duties of the assistant secretary of commerce for economic development. The newly funded three-year Baton Rouge Health-Tech Catalyst initiative will establish three program tracks with unique resources and opportunities for healthcare organizations and innovators - all to the benefit of patients across the region: • A launchpad to advance innovator-driven ideas to strengthen innovation networks and collaborations across the Health Dis- trict, and promote the development of demo technologies that can bring new health solutions closer to real-life applica- tions and patient benefits. • Innovation challenges in response to artic- ulated innovation capacity building oppor- tunities identified and shared across the Health District. A few examples of possi- ble challenges that may be tackled include health information sharing between healthcare institutions to reduce duplica- tion of care, increasing regional access to clinical trials and experimental therapies, and innovative patient mobility solutions to improve access to care. Challenge awards will fund collaborative initiatives and tech- nology development efforts, resulting in shared resources that can benefit health- care stakeholders and institutions across the region. • Collaborative and coordinated economic development initiatives to market regional healthcare excellence and capacity and increase industry investment, attract talent and promote future growth and vitality of the Baton Rouge Healthcare sector. “This award represents an incredible oppor- tunity to foster and further the innovations that will help us tackle the health challenges, such as the obesity epidemic, now ravaging our commu- nity, Louisiana, the United States, and the world. We’re excited about partnering with the Baton Rouge Area Chamber and the Baton Rouge Health District on this effort,” said Dr. John Kir- wan, executive director of Pennington Biomedi- cal Research Center. As a next implementation step for the pro- gram, the Baton Rouge Health-Tech Catalyst will establish its steering and advisory committees, and start recruitment for two new dedicated staff members to support the program. The steering committee will include the Baton Rouge Health District, Baton Rouge Area Cham- ber, and Pennington Biomedical Research Center. The advisory committee will be represented by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, Baton Rouge General Medical Center, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, Ochsner Health System, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, and Woman’s Hospital. The first year of the program will include the start of inter- institutional innovation forum events and a first call for launchpad and innovation challenge pro- posals, as well as the expansion of a number of economic development marketing and recruit- ment initiatives. “The Baton Rouge area has an incredible wealth of healthcare assets and the potential to grow into a hub of healthcare innovation,” said Adam Knapp, president and CEO of BRAC. “This funding award will rapidly advance efforts to leverage existing strengths and build a united, health-focused regional economic development engine. Our team is excited to partner on this initiative and support its goals through business development and recruitment, research, and media relations.” Radiology Associates Hires Nicholas B. Harris, MD Radiology Associates announces the hiring of Nicholas B. Harris, MD. He is a fellowship-trained radiologist, who completed a neuroradiology fellowship at Yale New Haven Hospital in New Haven, Conn. “We are excited to add Dr. Nick Harris to our rapidly growing sub-specialty radiology practice,” said Scott B. Schuber, MD, Radiology Associates’ managing partner. “Nick has completed his fel- lowship training in neuroradiology and will be an excellent addition to our existing team of diag- nostic and interventional neuroradiologists.” Harris graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. He earned a Doctor of Medicine from Lou- isiana State University School of Medicine in Shreveport, La. Harris completed an internal medicine intern- ship and a diagnostic radiology residency at Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha, Neb. Harris also completed a fellowship in neu- roradiology at Yale New Haven Hospital in New Haven, Conn. He is a member of American Col- lege of Radiology, American Society of Neuro- radiology, and Radiological Society of North Nicholas B. Harris, MD