Graduate Capstone Program Strengthens BioHealth Capital Region’s Innovation Pipeline

Companies gaining support at pivotal moments

Since 2023, the program has provided focused, short-term support for 17 projects across 11 companies in the BioHealth Capital Region-Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.-creating a regional pipeline that connects emerging talent with growing businesses seeking support for commercialization, regulatory affairs, clinical development, and market strategy. Business leaders praise the program's impact.

"The faculty and students brought fresh perspectives, energy, and professionalism," said Mina Izadjoo, PhD, president and chief science officer at contract research organization Integrated Pharma Services (IPS). "Their unbiased assessment of our technology gave us real value, while giving them a true glimpse into the biotech industry."

For 8 Count Cosmetics, student contributions supported a critical rebrand and product development milestone.

"The work the students did was integral in helping us work through our rebrand and get to the finish line," said CEO Savanah Shumaker. "There is no way we would have been able to complete the necessary tasks to get to a final sample run if we didn't have support from UMGC."

Co-CEO Jay Shah, PhD, of Neurava, which develops wearable technology for epilepsy management, underscored how the program helped sharpen the company's strategy at critical early moments.

"The capstone experience was a great way for students to learn more real-world applications for their coursework and for startup companies to find help in areas of need," said Shah. "This was a great experience for us and helped further develop our commercialization strategy."