Helena Franco

Dr Helena Franco is an Australian-trained doctor who has worked as an Orthopaedic Surgery registrar (pre-SET) in Queensland, Australia. She is currently studying a Master of Medical Sciences in Global Health Delivery at Harvard Medical School.

She completed a Bachelor of Medical Studies/Doctor of Medicine (MD) from Bond University, during which she undertook surgical rotations at the University of Cambridge and Yale University. Her MD project involved creating a virtual reality head and neck anatomy teaching module for medical students. She received the 2018 Bond University Young Alumni of the Year award in recognition of her academic success. She subsequently completed a Master of Surgery (MSurg) from the University of Sydney in 2021, with her thesis on clavicle fixation in chest wall trauma patients.

Through her clinical career, she has developed an interest in the process of business development and research to expand access to healthcare infrastructure, particularly within the field of surgery. In 2019, she participated in the HMS-MIT Healthcare Innovation Bootcamp, where her team came runner-up after creating a platform to re-create the food experience for patients with dysphasia. She further participated in the process of early-stage healthcare venture creation and the cycle of entrepreneurship by working alongside the Harvard Healthtech Fellows of 2021-2022. She is enthusiastic to learn from the Flare Capital team’s work at the forefront of healthcare innovation.