Abe Janis

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT ABE JANIS

I operate at the intersection of engineering, clinical research, and medical device development, translating medical devices, regenerative medicine and biomaterials science into scalable clinical impact while building teams, programs, and innovation ecosystems.I am a Senior Principal Scientist in Breakthrough Innovation at Hollister Incorporated, where I advance early-stage medical device R&D across ostomy, continence, and critical care. I also founded and led a crowdsourced strategic foresight and technology futurism program to inform long-term innovation pipelines.I bring 20+ years in regenerative medicine, medical device, and advanced wound care R&D. My career began in laser thrombolysis and biomaterials at the Oregon Medical Laser Center, followed by ECM-derived biomaterials at Cook Biotech. I later led R&D on percutaneous implants at Alfred Mann–founded startups and subsequently led the research team at ACell. In 2013, I co-founded a DoD-funded regenerative medicine research program at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.I am a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, teaching responsible technology management, human-centered design, and translational engineering. I previously taught biomedical innovation at Rush University.In 2019, I founded the I.D.E.A. Incubator, supporting 300+ students across 100+ multidisciplinary projects spanning engineering, biology, data analytics, and business programs in the U.S. and Europe. This Chicago Innovation Awards-nominated program has generated numerous translational research initiatives, publications, and patent filings. I am a frequent invited speaker and ecosystem contributor.I serve as a mentor and advisor with MATTER Health Chicago, mHUB, SmartHealth Activator, the Texas Healthcare Challenge, and the MIT COVID-19 Challenge series. I was a 2019 TEDMED Research Scholar and served as a subject matter expert for MIT’s Center for Collective Intelligence. I also contribute to industry standards through ASTM technical committees.My work has been supported by the Department of Defense, the National Space Biomedical Research Institute, Enterprise Ireland, and Research Ireland. I am an inventor on >100 issued and pending patents, an author of numerous publications, serve on the Editorial Board of ASAIO Journal, and am an Associate Fellow of the Wound Healing Society.Open to partnering on early-stage medtech ventures, translational spinouts, and scalable academic–industry innovation platforms.