Foundation Serves as Model for UVA Case Study

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A recently published case study for the University of Virginia’s Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy examines the Foundation as a model for innovation and social entrepreneurship.

The case, co-authored by Assistant Professor of Public Policy, Bala Mulloth, PhD, and the Foundation’s Chief Scientific Officer, Jessica Foley, PhD, provides background about the Foundation’s organization and its efforts to accelerate the development and adoption of a new medical technology. It also discusses future challenges in convincing the current healthcare paradigm to embrace a disruptive technology like focused ultrasound.

Professor Mulloth will teach the case in his Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation and Social Impact classes. On April 13, Foundation Chairman, Neal Kassell, MD, spoke to his class about how the organization is improving the lives of millions of people and paving the way for social entrepreneurship in healthcare services.

“I first became interested in studying the Foundation when I heard Dr. Kassell speak at the Tom Tom Founder’s Festival in 2016,” recalls Mulloth. “What stood out to me was his statement that the ultimate measure of the Foundation’s success would be its ability to put itself out of business. When focused ultrasound becomes a standard of care and has improved the quality of life for patients, the Foundation will be obsolete. This was a unique and powerful idea.”

Read the first page of the case >