First-in-Human OUS: Practical Considerations That Matter.

The most transformative breakthroughs in healthcare don’t come from staying in one lane—they emerge at the intersections. In this MasterClass, Dr. Lance Black explores the power of convergence: where medicine, engineering, and business collide to create scalable, real-world impact. Drawing from decades of experience bringing medical devices and digital health technologies from concept to commercialization, Dr. Black unpacks why dual (and triple) fluency is no longer optional for innovators working in complex healthcare environments. You’ll be introduced to the “Platypus Problem”—a cautionary framework that warns against shallow, checkbox-style integration—and learn why true innovation requires the ability to code-switch across disciplines, cultures, and incentives. Through real-world case studies such as CardioMEMS and EnMed, this session demonstrates how convergence done right leads to breakthrough solutions, while convergence done poorly leads to stalled products and missed opportunities. This MasterClass is ideal for physicians, engineers, founders, operators, investors, and healthcare leaders who want to move beyond silos and learn how to operate—and lead—at the edges where the future of healthcare is being built. About the Speaker Dr. Lance Black is a physician, engineer, and entrepreneur who has supported dozens of medical device and digital health innovations from early concept through commercialization. As Senior Associate Dean at Texas A&M’s School of Engineering Medicine, he is shaping a new generation of “physicianeers” trained to lead at the convergence of medicine, engineering, and business—where the most valuable problems (and solutions) live.