I am a second year graduate student in the Cosgriff-Hernandez Lab at UT Austin, pursuing my PhD in Biomedical Engineering. My dissertation is focused on developing a self-fitting vaginal stent for patients recovering from reconstructive surgery. Alongside female experts in the fields of gynecology, polymer chemistry, and polymer engineering, we aim to design a patient-forward device to prevent vaginal stenosis after injury, which occurs in up to 73% of patients (most commonly adolescents). My undergraduate research with Dr. Melissa Grunlan involved curation of shape memory polymer tissue scaffolds for use in craniomaxillofacial defect repair. Additionally, I am well-versed in medical device manufacturing and business development, allowing me a unique and wholistic perspective on the medical device industry. I completed a 1 year co-op with Johnson & Johnson in 2019 (Ethicon, San Angelo) where I was directly involved with managing waste along manufacturing processes and working with quality assurance to ensure safe and effective improvements could be made. After completing my PhD, I am considering a career in regulatory or in a governmental lab. Please feel free to contact me with any inquiries!