Fralin Commercialization Fellows Program

By the end of the Fralin Health Sciences and Technology Commercialization Fellowship Program, Fellows demonstrate their knowledge by identifying a commercial idea, researching it with the support of a mentor, and pitch preliminary findings about the idea’s value proposition and market potential to a panel of entrepreneurs.  The selection committee prefers applicants whose PI has a research-related commercial idea.  The PI of an accepted Fellow will receive $5,000 for early-stage research related to a commercialization idea.

The Fellowship program is closely linked to the Roanoke-based Regional Acceleration and Mentoring Program (RAMP) in-residence program for high-potential startups. Fellows will participate in the same boot camp program as individuals from RAMP accelerator companies. 

• To learn more about the Fellows Program, register to attend a virtual information session with former participants from noon to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, February  11, 2026.
• Before applying, talk to your supervisor to ensure that they agree to your participation in the fellowship program, and please note their approval on your application.
• Complete your application online before 5 p.m. on Wednesday, February 25, 2026.

• Jess Gannon, Ph.D. Candidate, Virginia Tech   Jess works in the lab of Eli Vlaisavljevich, Ph.D., an Associate Professor, Department of Biomechanical Engineering and Mechanics in the College of Engineering. Working with her lab and PI, she aims to  transform pancreatic cancer (PC) treatment with a minimally invasive focused ultrasound system that targets tumors through the stomach wall. Her mentor was Stephanie Lemmo Ham, Ph.D., Principal Scientist, Product Development, Continuity Biosciences.
• Harsimran Kaur, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Research Associate, Virginia Tech    Dr. Kaur was mentored by Erin Carey, M.D.,  Co-Executive Director, FAST TraCS, UNC-Chapel Hill and Division Chief of Minimally Invasive Gynecological Surgery and Paula Leon, Design Engineer, FAST TraCS, UNC-Chapel Hill. She works in the lab of Bryan Hsu, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences in the College of Sciences. Working with her lab and PI, her commercial goal is to enter the menstrual care market with a new class of high-performance products developed from naturally derived biomaterial-based formulations.
• EunHye Kim, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Research Associate, Virginia Tech    Dr. Kim works in the lab of DaeYong Lee, Ph.D., an Assistant Professor with the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC. Working with her lab and PI, she  is developing a new immunotherapy platform using engineered therapeutic polymers.  She was mentored by Jonathan Kay, Founder and Managing Partner, Health Market Experts, LLC.
• Hrishikesh Kulkarni, Ph.D. Candidate, Virginia Tech    Hrishikesh works in the lab of Shima Shahab, Ph.D., Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering. Working with his lab and PI, he is developing a novel brain therapy featuring a portable, affordable, and highly precise ultrasound neuromodulation system.  Ken Walz, Chief Financial and Strategy Officer of Medical Metrics, Inc., mentored Hrishikesh.
• Lauren Ruger, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Research Associate, Virginia Tech     Dr. Ruger was mentored by Preston Linn, Industry Academic Liaison, Lampe Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, UNC and North Carolina State.  She works  in the lab of Eli Vlaisavljevich, Ph.D., an Associate Professor, Department of Biomechanical Engineering and Mechanics in the College of Engineering. Her goal, and the goal of her PI, is to increase accessibility to high quality cancer care for companion animals (e.g., dogs, cats) using a first-of-its-kind handheld focused ultrasound (histotripsy) system to non-invasively ablate superficial tumors with high precision.