The Society of Physician Entrepreneurs is a 501(c)6 not-for-profit association incorporated in Washington, D. C. The SoPE Foundation is a 501(c)3 educational foundation. Our mission is to help healthcare professionals get their ideas, discoveries and inventions to market by providing them with education and connections to people and capital.

The Central Kentucky SoPE Chapter launched in Q1, 2021 and would like to invite you to our second event, “Physicians Forum on Entrepreneurship”. This event will be hosted by our Chapter Leader, Dr. Jason Harris and a panel of four highly respected medical practitioners who have achieved success not only within their fields as clinicians, but also as highly successful entrepreneurs in business.

SoPE is creating a network of chapters around the world. The Kentucky Chapter of the Society of Physician Entrepreneurs (SoPE) www.sopenet.org , will be hosting educational and networking events various times throughout the year designed to familiarize participants with issues concerning bio-entrepreneurship, life science ideas; drugs, devices, diagnostics, healthcare IT products or scalable service platforms. Invitees include entrepreneurs, investors, physicians, professionals, inventors, service providers and industry representatives.

Chapter Mission: To bring aspiring and established healthcare entrepreneurs and investors together to advance their mutual business interests by providing a nationwide and global network of like-minded individuals.
We encourage your participation in becoming a Central Kentucky SoPE Chapter member.

Kentucky Chapter Co-Leader & Host: Jason P. Harris, MD CEO CMO

Dr. Jason Harris, MD is a general surgeon in Lexington, KY practicing for 14 years. A University of Kentucky graduate, Dr Harris has pioneered multiple firsts with respect to laparoscopic and robotic surgery in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. He has authored scientific papers on multiple general surgery topics and has been a guest lecturer at Cornell University. Dr. Harris is also a former executive board member of the Lexington Medical Society and invited general surgery board advisor at Baxter pharmaceuticals.

Kentucky Chapter Panelist: Goya Raikar, MD FACS, FCCP

In January, 2018 Dr. Goya Raikar joined the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health network in the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, and brings a wealth of experience in robotic mitral valve repair. Dr. Raikar performed the first robotic assisted mitral valve repair operation in the St. Paul- Minneapolis area. Robotic surgery offers patients the benefits of smaller incisions, less pain, shorter hospital stays and better outcomes. Dr. Raikar completed a general surgery residency at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, followed by a cardiothoracic surgery fellowship at University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison. He received his doctor of medicine from University of Nebraska-Medical Center in 1991, and his bachelor of science from University of Nebraska in 1987.

Kentucky Chapter Panelist: David Kirn, MD

David Kirn is a plastic surgeon and entrepreneur based in Lexington KY. As a surgeon in private practice since 1998, he has focused exclusively on cosmetic surgery. His entrepreneurial activities have primarily been devoted to medical device development. He holds more than 20 US and international patents/patents pending. He founded and operates two medical equipment companies. Additional ventures include a software company and commercial real estate. Global sales of the medical products have been achieved through a licensing model. He is engaged in helping young entrepreneurs as a member of the Bluegrass Angels. In 2020, he was awarded Innovator of the Year by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Kentucky Chapter Panelist:

TBD