About Us

{slider=What is SoPE?}

The Society of Physician Entrepreneurs (SoPE) is a global biomedical and healthcare innovation network with membership open to all healthcare professionals, entrepreneurs and industry stakeholders. SoPE was founded in 2011 by three physicians who shared a common vision – to empower physicians and other professionals to innovate healthcare through entrepreneurship. SoPE continues to gain momentum across the United States, Turkey, China and the United Arab Emirates, as well as with industry partners who directly support our members’ efforts. Members include doctors, nurses, dentists, healthcare entrepreneurs, investors, engineers, academics, IT professionals and industry representatives.

What brings them together? Our community members share a common focus – working at the crossroads of innovation and commercialization to make a difference in healthcare. SoPE provides a platform for members to accelerate and catalyze innovation, as well as a separate supporting 501(c)(3) tax-exempt Foundation for scholarship and philanthropic endeavors to advance healthcare.

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{slider=What is SoPE’s Purpose?}

To provide a global community-based platform for biomedical and healthcare entrepreneurs to connect and collaborate. Our vision, mission and activities are ultimately about championing healthcare innovation from the inside out – better treatments, improved access, at lower costs.

Not just for physicians, SoPE supports healthcare professionals and individuals from all backgrounds to achieve their entrepreneurial goals. Making a better world through improved healthcare starts with a good idea – it’s our goal to facilitate the transformation of good ideas into great innovations and our community is growing.

SoPE’s peer-to-peer network empowers entrepreneurs by providing the education, connections, experience and funding opportunities necessary to commercialize ideas, inventions and discoveries. SoPE accelerates healthcare innovation by encouraging investment and support for new therapies and approaches, including drugs, devices, diagnostic tools, vaccines, digital health products, or business process innovations. SoPE was created to assist you in your journey from the science of innovation to the business of transforming healthcare.

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{slider=What is the Real Problem that SoPE is trying to solve?}

The long pipeline from idea to innovation is fraught with obstacles to commercialization. SoPE was established to fill the gap between medical professionals with great ideas and industrial partners with the resources and knowledge to make things happen.

SoPE recognizes that private practice, academic and community-based medical professionals are an extremely valuable source of healthcare-related innovations. Yet, healthcare professions often require a commitment that makes focusing on other projects or the notion of a “portfolio career” seem difficult or even impossible.

Healthcare professionals may also have limited hands-on knowledge or bandwidth to start and run a profitable business focused on developing a new healthcare product or idea. SoPE is the best place to gain knowledge from experienced and professional healthcare entrepreneurs while establishing influential contacts for support at all stages of commercialization.

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{slider=How is SoPE Different?}

Founded by skilled physicians who recognize that the best ideas often come from thinking outside the box, SoPE is unique in its make-up, leadership and mission. SoPE is the only organization founded and led by physicians with the specific purpose of providing support to entrepreneurial healthcare professionals as well as all stakeholders in the life science and healthcare communities.

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{slider=What is the SoPE Solution?}

SoPE operates in the very early stages of innovation commercialization to encourage, educate, and connect individuals through access to a global network of healthcare professionals, entrepreneurs and industry partners.

Have an idea but aren’t sure how to go about making a prototype, protecting intellectual property or getting it into the hands of healthcare providers? SoPE gives new ideas a chance by empowering entrepreneurs with the tools and knowledge to take the first steps to commercialization.

Our resources allow members to explore strategies for all phases of commercialization including development, production and marketing. SoPE’s community of experts can provide guidance, information and even connections to secure funding for your innovative healthcare idea.

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{slider=Why Join?}

Because improving healthcare is your passion and your business. Because a community is defined by the shared values of its members. Because your innovation has the potential to impact the way healthcare is delivered.

Come join the conversation and see all that SoPE has to offer:

Supportive Community of Experienced Healthcare Entrepreneurs

SoPE connects you to like-minded entrepreneurs, support specialists and industry leaders who catalyze the innovation commercialization process. SoPE is your premier resource for information, support, advice and network connections.

Access to Global Industry Partners

Every inspiration needs proper guidance and resources to reach its full potential. Our industry partners possess expertise across a diverse range of healthcare and life science sectors and are always in search of new and innovative collaborations.

Member Resources

SoPE’s ever expanding knowledge-base includes educational materials, news articles on cutting-edge technologies, information on available funding sources, guidance for investors and many other resources to help you on your path to innovation. SoPE members also receive significant discounts to major healthcare and life science conferences and training events throughout the year.

Networking Events

Gain access to online, local and national gatherings happening year-round. Our events bring together entrepreneurs, investors and industry leaders to facilitate interaction and foster new partnerships.

Return on Investment

For our nominal annual membership fee, you will gain exclusive access to network contacts, member resources, expertise, events and training that will provide immeasurable value to you and your entrepreneurial endeavors.

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Leadership

Dr. Arlen Meyers

president & co-founder

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Dr. Jeffrey Hausfeld

chairman & co-founder

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Dr. Steven Levine

director & co-founder

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Dr. Rania Nasis

director

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Dr. Sudhen Desai

director

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Join the fastest growing global community of biomedical and healthcare entrepreneurs today!

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Dr. Arlen Meyers

president & co-founder

“Our mission is to help our members get their ideas to patients, and we do that by providing education, resources and networks…what we do is connect dots, so our members can create things.”

Dr. Meyers is a retired professor of otolaryngology, dentistry, and engineering at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical campus and President and CEO of SoPE. He has founded several medical device companies and is also the cofounder of a medical tourism company. His primary research centers around biomedical and health innovation and entrepreneurship and life science technology commercialization. He consults for and speaks to companies, governments, colleges and universities around the world who need expertise and contacts in the areas of bio entrepreneurship, bioscience, healthcare, healthcare IT, medical tourism — nationally and internationally, new product development, product design, and financing new ventures. Dr. Meyers is a Fulbright Scholar and a former Harvard-Macy Fellow. A devoted and prolific member of the SoPE community, Dr. Meyers also leads the Colorado Chapter of SoPE.

Dr. Jeffrey Hausfeld

chairman & co-founder

“The Society of Physician Entrepreneurs stands at the crossroads of innovation and commercialization in healthcare and the life sciences.”

With over two decades of active practice in otolaryngology and a list of successful healthcare and real estate ventures, Dr. Hausfeld is a consummate physician entrepreneur. His diverse expertise spans both medicine and business, allowing practical insights into bioentrepreneurship and innovation attainable only through years of experience. In addition to leading the National Capital Chapter of SoPE, he is tasked with being the SoPE Global Chapter Coordinator, establishing the guidelines and framework to set up new SoPE Chapters throughout the world. Dr. Hausfeld’s commitment to SoPE derives from his dedication to improving healthcare delivery and his belief in the platform’s ability to connect similar forward-thinking individuals.

Dr. Steven Levine

director & co-founder

“SoPE is really a misnomer – it’s a Society of Patient-Centered Entrepreneurs that includes physicians, dentists, nurses, chiropractors, researchers, engineers, lawyers, accountants, investors, etc.”

A practicing physician specializing in otolaryngology and allergy, Dr. Levine has a Connecticut private practice for more than twenty-five years and is Assistant Clinical Professor of Surgery at Yale University. In addition to pursuing business interests in the delivery of auditory healthcare diagnostic products, Dr. Levine has a special interest in the booming market of healthcare information technology and possesses expertise developing HIPAA-compliant tools and software. Dr. Levine also leads the Tristate New York Chapter of SoPE with focus on its integration into the New York bio-entrepreneurship community.

Rania Nasis, MD, MBA

chairman

Dr. Nasis is a dynamic management executive in the areas of healthcare, life sciences and technology. She advises early stage startups and has managed an array of companies including a healthcare investment firm, a stem cell therapeutics company, and a digital health startup targeting childhood obesity. In addition, she leads the New York Tristate Chapter of SoPE. She received her medical degree from New Jersey Medical School, Masters of Business Administration from the Paul Merage School of Business at University of California at Irvine and Bachelor of Science degree from Drexel University. She is committed to building communities that foster healthcare entrepreneurship.

Dr. Sudhen Desai

chairman

Dr. Desai earned his Doctorate of Medicine with Distinction in Research and Alpha Omega Alpha honors from Albany Medical College, after completing the six-year BS/MD program in conjunction with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. During his latter years of medical school, he was a scholar in the Clinical Research Training Program at the NCI/NIH, a clinical fellowship geared towards the development of translational researchers. He then went on to residency at Stanford University (General Surgery) and UCSF (view site), followed by fellowship in Vascular and Interventional Radiology at Northwestern University. He has practiced Interventional and Diagnostic Radiology for over eight years. He consults with multiple early-stage life sciences companies, venture capital firms and business schools. He has been appointed to multiple committees for the Society of Interventional Radiology and has lectured at the SIR annual meetings. As leader of the Houston chapter of the Society of Physician Entrepreneurs (SoPE), Dr. Desai works to engage physicians interested in innovation and idea development, as well as to provide mechanisms and insights to assist ideas seeing the light of day.