As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, we are excited to spotlight innovators across the ecosystem. Read below as NAI Senior Member Dr. Jonathan Silva, Professor at NAI Member Institution Washington University in St. Louis, shares with us why he’s passionate about being an innovator, the importance of having diverse perspectives, and more! An inventor in the field of biomedical engineering, Dr. Silva created novel algorithms predicting whether patients will respond to class I anti-arrhythmic molecules. His group also developed software that provides a holographic display to physicians who perform catheter ablations for arrhythmia, which has shown to help improve physician accuracy.
Q: Why are you passionate about being an innovator?
A: Bringing new ideas from conception to commercialization is the best way I know of to make a positive impact. It doesn’t do much good to have an idea or prototype sitting in the lab. The real test is whether many people can eventually use it.
Q: In your spare time, in addition to working in your field, what do you love to do?
A: In my spare time, I like to play chess at the St. Louis Chess Club. The whole family usually goes to these tournaments to play. I also play on the WashU chess team. This last season we won first place in the St. Louis Corporate Chess League!
Q: What advice do you have for innovators looking to take their innovations from bench to market?
A: I would suggest that innovators talk to key stakeholders. For our company, we are making a device targeted to improving physician performance. Getting physician feedback at every step has been critical to our success.
Q: What do you feel is the importance of having diverse perspectives in creating innovations that benefit society?
A: Where we focus our time and energy is a function of our perspective and experience. If diverse experiences are not represented among innovators, then I think we miss out inventions that address the needs of different communities.
Q: What advice would you give to institutions looking to bolster their innovation and entrepreneurship programs for the next generation of innovators?
A: For faculty, I think it is very important for the highest levels of the institution to communicate their commitment to innovation, especially with how innovation impacts tenure and promotions. Without a clear buy-in from the upper administration and their commitment to including innovation as an explicit component of career advancement, it is very difficult for faculty to allocate an appropriate amount of effort to these endeavors.
Dr. Silva was inducted as an NAI Senior Member in 2024. To read more about Dr. Silva and his work, visit: https://engineering.washu.edu/faculty/Jonathan-Silva.html