Meet the Fellows Working at the Intersection of Healthcare and Entrepreneurship

This past fall, Penn Health-Tech and Venture Lab officially launched the Emerging Leaders in Health Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn ELITE Fellowship). Consisting of three Penn alumni, the first cohort of ELITE Fellows hit the ground running back in August, gaining valuable firsthand exposure to the challenges — and rewards — of a dynamic career in health technology.

“You go into science because you want to make patients’ lives better, but you have to go into business to make that a reality,” says Diego Dávila, GR’25, who recently earned his PhD in neuroscience from the Perelman School of Medicine (PSOM). “When the ELITE Fellowship was announced, I thought, this is exactly what I need. It’s the training I was craving to learn how to translate clinical science into something that’s going to impact the world within a measurable timeline.”

The Penn ELITE Fellowship has been made possible thanks to a $10 million gift from Robin S. Wolpow, PAR’14, and Marc B. Wolpow, W’80, PAR’14, facilitated through the Arbour Way Foundation. The intensive, hands-on one-year program offers Fellows the chance to engage with faculty and resources across Wharton, PSOM, and the School of Engineering and Applied Science (Penn Engineering), both through educational programming and by serving as the entrepreneurial lead for a vetted, funded project. Through a Venture Capital Program Partnership, Fellows also gain real-world experience working as venture fund analysts at partner firms, including, in the program’s pilot year, Kicker Ventures and Ben Franklin Technology Partners.

“Healthcare is a very difficult space to compete in,” notes Daniel Shackleton, WG’25, a Wharton alumnus who served as a pilot in the Marine Corps. “Without the support system of Penn Health-Tech and Venture Lab and the greater Penn ecosystem, all enabled by the Wolpows’ contribution, I wouldn’t be doing something this early-stage, or this developmental, in healthcare tech.”

Shackleton adds that the camaraderie between the Fellows — and their varied academic expertise — has made his first few months even more meaningful. “Going through the Fellowship with people from different backgrounds, which I’ve learned a ton from, has added significant value,” he says. “Further down the line in my career, I’d love to work with brilliant people on a small team to build something that can make an impact. I think, as Fellows, we’ve all found that kind of role here, where we can empower scientists and clinicians to unlock their potential.”

Adeola Fagunloye, GR’24, who earned his PhD in biochemistry and molecular biophysics at PSOM, shares that his experience as an ELITE Fellow has been “both intense and energizing. ELITE has pushed me to validate assumptions directly with clinicians, patients, and industry partners rather than innovating in isolation. I feel as though I’ve gained a mini-MBA in med-tech translation while continuing to grow as a scientist.”

The Wolpows’ landmark gift created the Robin S. Wolpow, PAR’14 and Marc B. Wolpow, W’80, PAR’14 Fund for Healthcare Entrepreneurship at Venture Lab, the center for student entrepreneurship at Penn. In addition to helping establish and fund the ELITE Fellowship, the Wolpows’ gift is aimed at supporting a variety of student opportunities in healthcare entrepreneurship, including events, resources, and workshops for those who hope to someday make an impact in the space.

“We’re sincerely grateful for the creativity and collaboration we see across Wharton and Penn, and proud — through the Arbour Way Foundation — to support the Penn ELITE Fellowship,” note the Wolpows. “Venture Lab and Penn Health-Tech are creating an exceptional environment for innovators, and it’s inspiring to see Fellows build the skills to move breakthroughs toward the real world.”