Alumnus Kunal Parikh named to Forbes' "30 Under 30"
30 Under 30 in Healthcare 2020:
Fixing Healthcare At Every Scale
Alumnus and entrepreneur Kunal Parikh ('12 BS) was named to Forbes magazine's "2020 30 Under 30 - Healthcare" list. Honorees, who were personally vetted by a panel of experts in their fields, join the company of over 3,000 other brilliant innovators and entrepreneurs who are working to make our world a better place. "These young innovators are getting personal to fix healthcare's most pressing problems," Forbes wrote in releasing the news.
Parikh leads a team at Johns Hopkins aimed at finding and commercializing biomedical solutions for unmet medical needs. A serial entrepreneur as well as a researcher, Parikh founded his first company, Core Quantum Technologies, while working as an undergraduate in the lab of Professor Jessica Winter at The Ohio State University's William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.
He has also recently created another company, Eyedea Medical, which aims to improve access for corneal transplants.
The son of Indian immigrants, he says that he grew up with a "scarcity mentality," and learned to make the most of what was available to him.
Prior to graduating from Ohio State, he considered becoming a Jain monk, spending time in monasteries in India speaking with monks about his future. "They were very clear that my purpose should be to serve others above all else," he said.
This led Parikh to explore different fields where he could make a difference, including biomedical engineering, biotechnology, public policy, and both nonprofit and for-profit organizations. He saw the potential for aligning the priorities of these fields in order to streamline research and patient care.
The son of Indian immigrants, he says that he grew up with a "scarcity mentality," and learned to make the most of what was available to him.
Prior to graduating from Ohio State, he considered becoming a Jain monk, spending time in monasteries in India speaking with monks about his future. "They were very clear that my purpose should be to serve others above all else," he said.
This led Parikh to explore different fields where he could make a difference, including biomedical engineering, biotechnology, public policy, and both nonprofit and for-profit organizations. He saw the potential for aligning the priorities of these fields in order to streamline research and patient care.
"I'm convinced that technology + entrepreneurship + compassion is the formula for transformative, long-term impact." Kunal Parikh
Parikh feels it is a moral imperative to bring an entrepreneurial eye to the medical field to ensure that the developments proceed through the manufacturing and regulatory processes to ultimately make things better for the patient.
"I hope that my approach of needs identification, platform technology development, and translation [to the marketplace] can serve as a template for others who are interested in developing impactful biomedical technologies," he said.
Parikh's journey has been punctuated by encouragement and recognition. In 2015 he was presented with a Roche /ARCS Scholar Award at the National Academy of Sciences for the second year in a row. In addition, he was one of 36 scholars chosen to attend the Roche Pharma Research and Early Development Symposium.
"It's truly empowering to know that I have an entire group of people rooting for me and depending on me to push these discoveries towards clinical impact," he said upon receiving the honor. "Many thanks to Ohio State, Ohio State Engineering, and Ohio State Chemical Engineering. You were such a critical part of my journey and growth," Parikh said.
