SoPE INDIANA Bios
Todd Saxton, PhD, Co-founder and Chapter Lead
Todd Saxton is an Associate Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business, and the Indiana Venture Faculty Fellow. Todd is an award-winning Professor in the Evening MBA, Kelley Direct MBA, and Business of Medicine programs at Kelley. His research focuses on factors affecting early stage venture success. Todd has served as President of the Board of the Venture Club of Indiana (2015), as well as on advisory boards for Diagnotes Inc., VisionTech Angel Partners, Fight for Life Foundation, the Indiana Center for Biomedical Innovation, and PERQ. Todd is the founding Director of the DIVE (Discovery, Innovation, and Ventures Enterprise) program for Kelley Evening MBA students with an interest in venturing. He is also a founding member of AngelBoM, an early-stage angel investing group affiliated with the Business of Medicine program (Kelley’s physician-only MBA program). He has consulted with a number of emergent and high growth ventures on their launch and growth strategy including several Inc. 500 companies. He is an active angel investor and has been a member of the founding team of several ventures as well. In 2017, Todd and colleagues formed LSV (Life Science Venture) Launchpad to accelerate launch of new ventures in healthcare broadly defined. Todd has two daughters and enjoys outdoor endurance activities of all types with his wife, colleague and partner Kim.
Paul Szotek, MD, FACS, Co-founder and Chapter Lead
Dr. Szotek is a Board Certified General Surgeon specializing in complex hernia repair. As Medical Director of the Indiana Hernia Center, Dr. Szotek is developing an innovative new web/telehealth based multidisciplinary “virtual hernia center” practice model with disruptive potential (www.indianahernia.com). In addition to his clinical practice, Dr. Szotek performed the first surgery in Indiana utilizing Google Glass technology to guide removal of an anterior abdominal wall tumor and is currently working to develop telementoring, augmented reality, and virtual reality applications in surgery. On April 12, 2016 he performed the world’s first transcontinental live stream virtual reality hernia repair surgery from Putnam County Hospital in Greencastle, IN to Brisbane, Australia. In March 2017 Dr. Szotek performed the world’s first “in field” telestration surgery using ODG Smart Glasses and AMA Xperteye software. Dr. Shirin Towfigh telestrated directly onto the hernia surgery field from Cancun, Mexico providing live real time transcontinental mentoring and assistance Dr. Szotek graduated with a B.S. degree from IU Bloomington, a degree in Medicine and his residency training from IU School of Medicine, a stem cell research fellowship in Boston at Massachusetts General Hospital, and is currently working on his MBA at the IU Kelley School of Business. He resides in Carmel, IN with his wife (Sarah) and 2 boys (Carson 10 & Cooper 8) and enjoys cycling.
Additional Executive Committee Members
Ragan Brackett, MD, MBA
Dr. Brackett received her MD as well as her MBA from Indiana University and the IU Kelley School. She completed her residency in family medicine in 2017 at Community Hospital. Ragan is part of the LSV Launchpad, a group actively seeking to launch life science ventures.
Jim Donahue, MD, MBA
Dr. Donahue has extensive experience in biomedical research and reproductive medicine. He has a Master’s in Pharmacology and Toxicology from Indiana University, where he worked on drug metabolism at the Lilly Laboratory for Clinical Research. He trained at the University of Miami for Medical School, Indiana University for Residency in OB/GYN, the Medical College of Georgia for his Reproductive Endocrinology Fellowship. He also has an MSc in Clinical Human Embryology from the University of Leeds, UK and most recently an MBA from the Business of Medicine Program at the Kelley School of Business. Over his 25 years in Medicine, he has brought innovative technologies to central Indiana and is pursuing new innovative technologies to advance patient care.
Eric Han, MD, MBA
Dr. Han is a graduate of West Virginia School of Medicine and has completed his residency training in Internal Medicine at Northwell Health (NSLIJ). He currently practices full time as a hospitalist and is an assistant professor of clinical medicine at Indiana University Health. In addition, he is a graduate of Kelley School of Business. He has a particular interest in finding innovative solutions to the current challenges facing healthcare through the use and integration of technology. Some of his experiences include design, prototyping and development of applications as well as data analytics.
Frank Lloyd, MD, MBA
Dr. Lloyd graduated from the IU School of Medicine, and received his MBA from the IU Kelley School of Business. He has also studied and practiced at Howard University and the Roswell Park Memorial Institute, and has appointments at IU School of Medicine, Marion University, and Purdue University. He is also President of Trauma Level I Surgical Clinic Methodist Hospital in Indiana for the Center for Surgical Science and Trauma (CSST). He also served as County Coroner for Marion County. Frank has numerous publications primarily in oncology research. He is a founding member of the Indiana University/Eli Lilly Biorepository, for which he established IRB protocols across multi-disciplinary groups for the collection, storage and integration of clinical data for a large multi-institutional biorepository. Among other entrepreneurial activities, Frank has managed large clinical databases, introduced the first gene array platform to Indiana University Health, and is VP of Pre-Clinical Research for Semaphore Pharmaceuticals. He is also President and Founding Member of Cascade Metrix, a medical device company developing point of care devices for the ICU.
Luke Pittman, MD, MBA
Dr. Luke Pittman is a Board-Certified Family Physician practicing urgent care medicine in Indianapolis, Indiana. He completed his joint MD/MBA degree at Indiana University School of Medicine and Kelley School of Business, a nontraditional route inspired by his father and grandfather—both entrepreneurial surgeons. In addition to his role as a clinician, he is also pursuing a variety of entrepreneurial endeavors focused on technology-enhanced service solutions around primary, preventive and urgent care. With experience in family medicine, entrepreneurship, and venture capital, Dr. Pittman aspires to develop a culture of innovation, proactive team-based care, shared risk, and empowered consumers across America’s healthcare landscape. Luke is a founding member of LSV Launchpad, a platform for launching life science ventures.