Inspiring Student Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

Background While student entrepreneurial interest is significantly correlated with the intention to pursue innovative healthcare ventures, many medical schools lack formal programs to nurture entrepreneurial skills. To investigate student interest in entrepreneurship and their experiences with medical innovation, the Biomedical Entrepreneurship Network at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School engaged students nationally in a Healthcare Innovation Summit featuring a keynote address, pitch competition, and interactive workshops with accomplished innovators. Methods A Rutgers electronic Institutional Review Board (eIRB)-approved survey was disseminated to student attendees at the summit, with questions categorized into four themes: interest/motivation, barriers to ideation and execution, support for innovation, and confidence in entrepreneurial pursuits.