Jacobs Institute

When evaluating the future direction of U.S. medical device oversight, patient safety, and clinical trial innovation, all eyes look to the center driving national policy.

We are honored to welcome Michelle Tarver, MD, PhD, Director of the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH), as a featured presenter at the BEST Clinical & Regulatory Practices Conference.

As Director of CDRH, Dr. Tarver leads the agency center responsible for ensuring that patients and providers in the United States have timely access to safe, effective medical devices. A clinician-scientist with a doctorate in epidemiology from Johns Hopkins, her career across FDA leadership has focused on advancing patient-centered trial design, robust evidence generation, and modern regulatory science pathways.

At this year’s conference, Dr. Tarver will present a key address:
📋 “US Perspective on Medical Device Clinical Investigations”

Her extensive institutional leadership centers on critical themes facing today's medtech innovators:
🔹 National Regulatory Strategy: The broader landscape and FDA priorities shaping U.S. medical device clinical investigations
🔹 Patient-Centered Evidence: The role of patient science, real-world evidence, and health equity in modern clinical trial design
🔹 Trial Optimization: Strategic frameworks for advancing novel technologies safely and efficiently across the total product life cycle

For clinical investigators, regulatory leaders, and medtech executives, attending this session offers a rare opportunity to hear directly from the executive leadership shaping the U.S. medical device landscape.

📅 October 26–27, 2026 | The Jacobs Institute (Buffalo, NY & Virtual)
🎟️ Explore the preliminary program & register: https://zurl.co/uF6Qs

We’re proud to support the upcoming Catheter Design & Clinical Immersion Workshop in San Francisco!

Following our summer session hosted by Damien Carr in Buffalo, the Jacobs Institute is partnering with Eyedea Medtech Education and BayCath Medical to bring expert clinical insight to Innovation Week at Stanford University and UCSF. We’ll be there during the Thursday and Friday sessions (Oct 15–16).

Dr. Ken Snyder and the JI team will be on-site to help bridge the gap between engineering and real-world medicine, featuring:

🔹 Live broadcasts of neurovascular & electrophysiology cases
🔹 Interactive physician lectures & Q&A
🔹 Hands-on catheter design instruction focused on real-world clinical decision-making, failure modes, and hazard identification

This is a great opportunity to gain clinical awareness empathy and reframe how you design medical devices, giving you ways to think about potential failure modes and hazardous situations.

Meeting tight usability deadlines requires precise participant recruitment and rapid study setup.

When a client approached us to conduct a software usability validation study, our team focused on quick turnarounds, successfully securing 17 certified radiology technicians to meet an imminent FDA submission deadline.

Whether you need targeted participant recruitment or dedicated human factors study support, connect with us to help navigate complex testing requirements.

🌱 Thank you!

A very big update to share with everyone: Thanks to the incredible generosity of our community, the Jacobs Institute's 4th Annual Seeds of Innovation Campaign raised $14,500 to support high school and college internship programs, the largest fundraising total to date.

Your support is helping create opportunities, remove barriers, strengthen Western New York’s workforce, and invest in the next generation of innovations that will shape the future of healthcare.

Thank you for investing in our students, our mission, and the future we are building together.

Today’s seeds are tomorrow’s innovators.

This room is preparing to host the Nick Hopkins Complications Conference hosted by JI Meeting Services in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

The NHCC meeting continues the legacy of its founder Dr. Nick Hopkins, a pioneer who believed that progress in medicine requires intellectual honesty and the courage to confront complications openly.

Over the next few days, physicians will spend time presenting some of their worst complications, and dissecting what happened, why it happened, and what could have been done differently.

It’s through the understanding of how and why these serious complications occur that new ideas emerge to improve patient care and save lives.

🌱 Today is your last chance to make a gift at the link in our bio to support the JI’s education mission

Today is the last day to contribute to the JI’s Seeds of Innovation Campaign. Supporting students today helps grow our healthcare workforce pipeline, contributing to a healthier future in Western New York

No gift is too small to make an impact.
💡 $50 helps cover meals for one student for one week of internship programming.
💡 $100 helps reduce barriers by covering transportation and meal support for one student.
💡 $250 helps provide one student with mentorship, professional development experiences, and career exploration opportunities.

🌱 HELP US FINISH STRONG. MAKE YOUR FINAL GIFT TODAY.

Every innovation begins with a seed of possibility.

🌱 With only 48 hours left, make a difference today at the donation link here: https://bit.ly/4yp1Y1n

The JI’s Seeds of Innovation Campaign ends tomorrow, along with your chance to support our impactful summer education programs that offer students a window into what their future can be.

A summer internship can provide much more than professional experience.

It can build confidence, inspire new career goals, and help students discover paths they may never have considered before. For some students, participating in an internship would not be possible without additional support.

💡 $25 helps a student access transportation support.
💡 $50 helps cover meals for one student for one week of internship programming.
💡 $100 helps reduce barriers by covering transportation and meal support for one student.

🌱 THERE'S STILL TIME TO REMOVE BARRIERS AND CREATE OPPORTUNITY. GIVE TODAY.

Every innovation begins with a seed of possibility.

🚨 FOR 48 HOURS ONLY: Double Your Impact for Local Students! Donate here: https://bit.ly/4yp1Y1n

As part of the Seeds of Innovation Campaign, the Jacobs Institute's 4th Annual fundraiser supporting high school and college internship programs, Friends of the JI have generously pledged to match every donation, dollar-for-dollar, up to $2,500.

What does that mean? For every dollar you donate today, it will be counted two-fold—doubling the impact of your gift and helping more students access internships, mentorship, professional development, and career exploration opportunities.

Check out this link to make a matched gift today: https://bit.ly/4yp1Y1n
✅ A $50 gift becomes $100
✅ A $250 gift becomes $500
⏰ But there's a catch: these matching funds can only be unlocked if our community gives before midnight on Friday, August 7th.

The Friends of the JI have made an immense commitment—and we cannot them down! Make your gift before midnight, August 7th, and help us unlock every available dollar for students. Every dollar left unmatched is a missed opportunity to create life-changing opportunities for the next generation of healthcare innovators.

🎯 Give today. Double your impact. Unlock the match.

Going from intern to presenter takes preparation.

Ahead of today's final presentations, our college interns had the opportunity to run through a full dress rehearsal on stage; microphones, slide deck, camera, and all.

It’s one thing to complete a summer project; it’s another to step up as the expert on it. We’re proud to see how far they’ve come through this summer of mentorship at the Jacobs Institute.

Join us in supporting them in the livestream at 3:30 PM: https://zurl.co/F1rD6

🌱 Support student innovation today at this link! https://bit.ly/4yp1Y1n

Innovation starts with curiosity, mentorship, and opportunity. The JI’s Seeds of Innovation Campaign helps support our summer intern programs that offer students the chance to explore what's possible— and change their futures in remarkable ways.

💡 $100 helps fund one week of a student's internship experience.
💡 $250 helps provide one student with mentorship, professional development experiences, and career exploration activities

🌱 DONATE TODAY AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN STUDENTS LIVES

Every innovation begins with a seed of possibility.