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says Ohio's only 'rock star' recipient. "I am delighted to be involved." A Rising Star Like any true star, Dr. Douglas' path was unique. Originally from the small South American country of Guyana, the future scientist had to overcome some major disadvantages early in life, includ- ing poverty and the lack of a father at home. But he excelled in school and eventually earned a Fulbright scholarship to Lehigh University in Pennsylvania where he obtained his undergraduate degree in less than three years and went on to earn a PhD in physical chemistry and an MD from Cornell. After completing a residency in internal medicine at Johns Hopkins and a fellowship in neuroendocrinology at the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Douglas served as director of the hypertension clinic at the University of Chicago Pritzker School Of Medicine. It was there that he conducted a number of pivotal drug studies and began to draw national attention. "I started getting frequent calls from headhunters and eventually got a year's sabbatical at Ciba Geigy," recalls Dr. Douglas. Eventually, his groundbreaking phar- maceutical research led him to Aventis AG where he was executive vice presi- dent, chief scientific officer and a member of the board of management. Along the way, he was involved in the discovery, development and/or approval of more than 20 medications including Taxotere for cancer, Allegra for allergies, Actonel for osteoporosis and Lantus for diabetes. Twice he was honored as the Global Pharmaceutical R & D Director of the Year for his leadership and success in improving innovation and productivity in pharmaceutical companies. Long before GQ recognized the need to inspire young scientists, Dr. Douglas was already doing so as professor of the practice in the MIT Sloan School of Management. He also held appointments in the departments of Biology, Biological Engineering and the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Science and Technology and was founder and first executive director of the MIT Center for Biomedical Innovation. In 2007, Dr. Douglas won the Black History Makers Award. That same year he left MIT to work as a senior fellow at the Kauffman Foundation. Two years later, he was approached about leading the brand new Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron. The opportunity proved to be very intriguing to him. Leading the ABIA The ABIA is a collaboration of Akron Children's Hospital, Akron General Health System, Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED), Summa Health System, The University of Akron, and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. A unique alignment of institutional, state, federal and philanthropic organizations, the ABIA was conceived as a way to leverage Akron's rich legacy in industrial and materials science in the development of life-enhancing and life-saving prod- ucts, particularly in the areas of orthopedics and wound healing. Dr. Douglas says there were two major aspects about the prospect of leading the ABIA that attracted him: the unprece- dented cooperation of a diverse group of entities willing to work together in what he calls "the precompetitive space," and the opportunity to leave a legacy. "First, I was very impressed by their common vision, which is very unusual in a group that would normally be competi- tors. Second, the opportunity to improve the health and wellbeing of patients around the world with new products, while also having a major impact on the economic wellbeing of a region was very compelling," says Dr. Douglas, who agreed to take the ABIA helm in 2009. The ABIA consists of five interrelated centers designed to accelerate transla- t iona l resea rch to biomedica l commercialization as well as improve access and provide education, prevention, treatment and disease management. The centers include the Center for Biomaterials and Medicine, the Medical Device Development Center, the Center for Simulation and Integrated Healthcare Education, the Center for Community Health Improvement, and the Clinical Trials and Product Development Center. Within Dr. Douglas' first two years of leadership, the ABIA's unique structure and mission has already resulted in suc- cesses not only for the institute, but also for its founding members. Together with The University of Akron Research Foundation (UARF), the ABIA was recently recognized as one of only six winners of the National i6 Innovation Challenge, an effort by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration to identify and support the best ideas for technology commercialization and entrepreneurship. The init iat ive awarded $1 million to ABIA and UARF for their "Innovative Solutions for Invention Xceleration" project. By 2018, the ABIA aims to draw in $150 million in academic and clinical research funding yearly and $50 mil- lion in new company investment. The hope is that such investment will cre- ate more than 2,000 new jobs and 40 new companies. Inventing the Future The efforts at "invention acceleration" appear to be working. The ABIA has aided Summa Health System in produc- ing a medical simulator cal led "PacerMan" that is being considered for acquisition by two companies. A second product, an alarm system designed to warn if children are left or forgotten in dangerous situations such as a parked car, also is close to fruition. From the state of Ohio, the ABIA has received an $8.6 million Third Frontier grant to create and manufacture biosen- sors. The ABIA has also recently received a $500,000 planning grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide comprehen- sive holistic health to the community. In JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2012 MDNEWS.COM MD NEWS Cleveland-Akron-Canton | 7

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