By Dr. Andrew Ying
It was an honor to welcome Dr. Hilary Gallin ’05, assistant professor of Anesthesiology at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, back to the Hilltop to speak with Independent Science Research Program students on Monday, Nov. 18. Dr. Gallin, co-founder of FastLine, a medical device company, and ARX, a women-owned company reimagining PPE to prioritize both fit and function for women, shared her entrepreneurial journey with our young researchers.
During her visit, Dr. Gallin discussed the founding of her two companies, walking students through her process from identifying problems to using a human-centered approach to develop prototypes and turn them into products. She then led students through an interactive workshop where they applied design thinking principles to tackle everyday problems like sleep deprivation and painful footwear, giving them hands-on experience with the innovation process.
Students found Dr. Gallin’s message about embracing failure particularly powerful. One student reflected: “One thing that Dr. Gallin said was that you should accept failure with a smile. Through her research, she explained how she had many setbacks — the plastic tubing melting away in the alcohol, or the handle not fitting something properly. However, she persevered, and was able to create her final product. Furthermore, she also explained how failure is a certainty, and that embracing it, as well as learning from it, is the best way to combat it.”
Another student noted the importance of Dr. Gallin’s user-centered approach: “The person-to-person interactions regarding potential ideas/products was definitely something she stressed, which I think is very important for any successful product. You should be intimately aware of your audience.”
