Ten Years of Innovation Celebrated at the Frankel Cardiovascular Center

May 18, 2026

The Frankel Cardiovascular Center (CVC) and Fast Forward Medical Innovation (FFMI) recently celebrated a full decade of funding cardiovascular care innovation through its annual pitch competition on Thursday, May 7, in the Danto Auditorium. Part of the Frankel CVC Innovation Program, the Frankel CVC Innovation Celebration is a day of events highlighting groundbreaking ideas in cardiovascular care.

The day kicked off with the 8th annual Aikens Innovation Academy Pitch Showcase, featuring presentations by current academy participants seeking development funding and additional support from the Frankel CVC Innovation Team. The Aikens Innovation Academy is an education and mentorship program customized for Frankel CVC faculty, staff, and trainees. After their pitch, the participants received feedback on their projects from the day’s panel of expert judges, Zachi Attia, PhD, MBA, Mayo Clinic; Ellie Huff, MSN, RN, FACC, Baylor Scott & White Health; Allen Keel, MBA, MSBME, Edwards Lifesciences; Simin Lee, MD, MBA, Mass General Brigham and Systole Health. This year’s Aikens cohort included:

Brittany Baur, PhD, Assistant Research Scientist, Max Harry Weil Institute for Critical Care Research and Innovation, Michigan Medicine
Jeanne duFay de Lavallaz, MD, PhD, Fellow, Electrophysiology
Daniel Ehrmann, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Cardiology, University of Michigan Medical School
Ashley Hesson, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Cardiovascular Medicine; Director of Research, University of Michigan Cardio-Obstetrics Program
Matthew Hodgman, PhD Student in Bioinformatics
Andrew Huang, MD, House Officer, Integrated Vascular Surgery
Daniel Meier, MSc, Robotics Lab Manager
Ricardo Vinuesa, PhD, Associate Professor of Aerospace Engineering

Following the Aikens Innovation Academy Pitch Showcase, the event featured Grand Rounds with Dr. Zachi Attia, who presented the Mayo Clinic’s study of AI-enabled detection of cardiovascular disease.

The 10th annual Frankel CVC Innovation Challenge took place in the afternoon. This exciting pitch competition allowed multidisciplinary teams to win funding for their cardiovascular care innovations. Awards were given to the following teams:

Commercial Product/Service Winner: EndoPatch: A Novel Endovascular Closure System for ECMO Decannulation

Sikandar Raza, MD, Resident, Cardiothoracic Surgery and Fellow, Surgical Innovation
Louis Beardell III, BS Student, Engineering
Alvaro Rojas-Peña, MD, Associate Research Scientist, Surgery
Kristopher Deatrick, MD, Assistant Professor, Cardiac Surgery
Andrew Zhang, PhD, Extracorporeal Life Support (ECLS) Lab Engineer

Artificial Intelligence Winner: Coronary Arterial Blood Flow Quantification Using 4D Color Flow Ultrasound

Oliver D. Kripfgans, PhD, Associate Professor, Radiology
Jonathan M. Rubin, MD, PhD, Professor Emeritus, Radiology
Atefeh Abdolmanafi, PhD, Research Fellow, Radiology
Neal Murari Duggal, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor, Anesthesiology
Mehran M. Ebadi Tehrani, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor, Anesthesiology
Eric Cantey, MD, Assistant Professor, Cardiovascular Medicine
Davy Hamilton, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor, Cardiology
Matt Konerman, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor

In addition, “Just Do It” awards were selected for low-cost, low-complexity ideas. The winners were:

Improving Heart Failure Transitions of Care Through a Standardized Discharge Documentation Tool—submitted by Noor Suleiman, MD, House Officer, Internal Medicine
Cardioshock AI—submitted by Scott Ketcham, MD, Fellow, Cardiology Critical Care, Internal Medicine
Helping Hearts and Minds Rest: White Noise to Reduce Delirium in the CVICU—submitted by Caitlin Brown, BSN, RN, CCRN, CSC, Cardiovascular Care Unit / CVC4 Staff Nurse
Herbs and Greens Gardens—submitted by Amber Spencley, MS, RDN, Registered Dietitian Nutrition, and Beverly Kuznicki, MS, RDN, Registered Dietitian Nutrition

The Frankel CVC Innovation Program is a unique resource for promoting, developing, and advancing new cardiovascular care ideas and projects to the next level. “It was refreshing to see real innovation culture as opposed to innovation theater, commented Simin Lee, event judge. “The Frankel CVC is building the program thoughtfully, and it was truly energizing to see firsthand.”

Ellie Huff, another judge at the event, stated that “the Frankel CVC]continues to foster a culture that not only embraces innovation but actively challenges the boundaries of what is possible in cardiovascular medicine.”

The Frankel CVC Innovation Program is thankful for the continued support of the Frankel CVC and FFMI in advancing the transformational ideas from the Frankel CVC community.

The Frankel CVC and FFMI would like to acknowledge and thank the Aikens, Stolzenfeld, and the Danto families for their continuing support and patronage. Their generosity enables the Frankel CVC Innovation Program to continue growing and introducing the future of cardiovascular innovation to the University of Michigan community and beyond.

Questions about the Frankel CVC Innovation Program? Visit the website to learn more.

Featured News & Stories

Research News

CPOD Faculty Publication Spotlight - Singh Lab

In the March 2026 issue of Blood Advances, the Singh Lab published "Lipid metabolism transcriptomic signature of defective erythropoiesis in Diamond Blackfan anemia syndrome."

Health Lab

Lung transplant recipient stays active climbing stadium steps and more post-transplant

Doug Wright stayed active until his lung transplant. Now, he is continuing to participate in rigorous physical activity with his donor lungs.

Health Lab Podcast

Medicare's New GLP-1 Bridge Program

An obesity expert welcomes new Medicare option for access to effective weight loss medication, and shares the new program’s limitations.

Aerial view of University of Michigan Health hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

News Release

University of Michigan Professional Nurse Council reaches tentative agreement with University of Michigan Health

Nurses represented by the University of Michigan Professional Nurse Council (MNA-UMPNC) have reached a tentative, three-year agreement with the University of Michigan Health.

Department News

Finding Joy in Leadership: Brian Zink, MD, on Coaching, Purpose and the Next Phase of Academic Medicine

Leadership in academic medicine can come with challenges that are rarely talked about— isolation, burnout, and making tough decisions. “Leadership positions can feel lonely, particularly for new leaders,” said Brian Zink, MD, Senior Advisor and Adjunct Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Michigan. “There is often a sense of vulnerability and even imposter syndrome when you assume these roles.” Dr. Zink has been in many leadership positions in academic medicine for over 30 years, including nearly 12 years as chair of emergency medicine at Brown University and Senior Associate Dean for Faculty and Faculty Development at UMMS. He has entered what he calls “a next phase of life,” instead of retirement. He is now helping others navigate the pressures of leadership through coaching, mentorship, and faculty development. “The big thing that I'm trying to help people with is how to have a satisfying, enjoyable life, and how to find joy in their leadership role,” Dr. Zink said. “Leadership can be very time-consuming, very intense. I want to help leaders find clarity, confidence, and balance in their careers.” He began his career at Michigan Emergency Medicine in 1992 as one of the department’s first faculty members. Early on, his early career focused on alcohol effects and trauma research. Afterward, he transitioned into leadership roles in the medical school before becoming chair at Brown, where he helped lead and grow their emergency medicine department for nearly 12 years.

Health Lab

A new clue for aging eyes

Struggling to read more than six lines on an eye chart with fading letters may serve as a visual “yellow light” for older adults—raising red flags that routine exams sometimes fail to detect.