Innovating After Spinal Injury with Derek Herrera
This episode’s Community Champion Sponsor is Adaptrack. To learn how Adaptrack is helping healthcare avoid malpractice, burnout & administrative risks: CLICK HERE
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While leading his military team on patrol in Afghanistan in 2012, our next guest was shot in the spine and instantly paralyzed during an intense gun battle.
At that moment, Derek Herrera’s life as a Marine Special Operations Officer took a dramatic yet innovative turn that is helping others live more healthy and whole lives through his work as an industry-leading medical device entrepreneur.
While together, Derek shares his journey of becoming a passionate and dedicated medical technology founder and executive after his injury and why he is uniquely positioned to create devices suited for the needs of others like him.
Additionally, Derek and I discuss how he is giving back to our communities across the nation by uplifting other veterans to explore and secure professional career opportunities in the life science, medical device, and health technology sectors.
I am honored to welcome one of our nation’s heroes onto this podcast, and I can’t wait for you to get to know this inspiring servant leader that has dedicated his life’s work to healthcare innovation. Let’s go!
Episode Highlights:
- Derek’s experience and devastating injury while serving in the military
- How Derek’s experience propelled him to build his companies
- Why he launched UroDev Medical
- What Derek is now working on with Habit Camera
- Derek’s passion to help other veterans enter the Medtech industry
- How our community can help Derek better understand medical reimbursement for his technologies
About our Guest:
Derek is the Founder and CTO of UroDev Medical (formerly Spinal Singularity), an early-stage medical device company that designs devices to improve the quality of life for people living with Spinal Injury. He created UroDev Medical after he was injured while serving as a Marine Raider in Afghanistan. After medically retiring from the Marine Corps, Derek graduated from the Executive MBA program at the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
Derek serves as President & Chairman of MedTechVets (formerly MVPvets), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that assists and prepares to transition service members and military veterans for meaningful employment in medical device and life science companies. MedTechVets’ network has grown to nearly 100 life science and medical device companies, hundreds of mentors, and thousands of veterans. The organization’s programming is offered at no cost to its participants. He is also the Founder of Habit Camera™, the first low-cost, wireless camera purpose-built for skin inspection and telehealth.
Derek currently serves as the Board President of the Marine Raider Foundation and Board Member of the American Technion Society – Western Region. He resides in San Clemente, CA with his wife Maura and their sons Hudson and Hunter.
Links Supporting This Episode:
- UroDev Medical website: CLICK HERE
- MedTechVets website: CLICK HERE
- Derek Herrera LinkedIn page: CLICK HERE
- Derek Herrera Twitter page: CLICK HERE
- Clubhouse handle: @mikebiselli
- Mike Biselli LinkedIn page: CLICK HERE
- Mike Biselli Twitter page: CLICK HERE
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