OssoVR
What if there were a better way to train surgeons than "see one, do one, teach one"?
Osso VR is a highly-mobile surgical training solution that enables healthcare professionals and medical device sales organizations to practice cutting edge techniques through realistic, hands-on simulations. Osso VR’s vision is to optimize patient outcomes and democratize access to advanced medical procedures around the world.
More about Osso VR
Video: Osso VR: Realizing Surgical Skill with Virtual Training
Interview with Osso VR: Discussing virtual reality & physician training
Q: What's the most inventive, innovative, or disruptive aspect of your initiative?
Q: What is the story behind the central idea that inspired the creation of your organization/company?
The journey towards founding Osso VR was unexpected and even a bit serendipitous. Early in life I fully intended to pursue a career in game development. Increasingly serious health issues in the family, however, started to get me thinking about how I could use technology to improve the lives of those living with illness – how could I use my “powers for good.” Ultimately, I ended up in medical school and subsequently orthopaedic surgery training at UCLA. During my training, I was constantly exposed to the challenges facing those seeking to become expert surgeons. I was shocked by some of the accepted dogma such as the expression “See one, do one, teach one.” This is a phrase that is taken quite literally in the hospital, and to me did not seem like an educationally sound way to perform technically challenging and high-stakes procedures. I could also see that as the procedures we needed to learn became more complex that the amount of time needed to reach proficiency was increasing.
It was during this period of observation that there was renewed interest in virtual reality with the recent success of the Oculus Rift Kickstarter. I was still involved in the world of gaming so I acquired an Oculus DK1. The second I put the headset on I realized two things:
1. This technology had the most potential of anything I had seen to solve the growing gaps in our surgical training.
2. With my uniquely combined background of medicine and gaming, I might be able to have a role in addressing these issues.
After building a rough prototype I showed it to a professional game developer, Matt Newport. With a mission to increase access to surgical training and improve patient safety we joined forces and founded Osso VR.
Q: What single word or phrase best describes the culture of your startup and why?
Authenticity.
This is a word that describes every aspect of our company, from the structure to the way we communicate. We want healthcare providers to know that when they experience our educational content that they are learning from established experts, and that nothing is lost in translation. To ensure that our users feel this confidence in their education we have built a company made up of leading clinicians, medical device industry veterans, top-tier medical illustrators, and VR development professionals all with eye-popping pedigrees and resumes.
A fair amount of our team is remote, which makes authentic communication the lifeblood of our organization. We all love puns, karaoke, and grabbing burgers together, but at the end of the day we know that our top priority is helping patients. When it comes down to building our product we communicate in a straight-forward fashion to get things done.