CirculaTech is developing a novel cardiothroacic drainage tube that proactively prevents retained blood complications and addresses inefficacies related to the care of chest drainage tubes. CirculaTech is supported by the National Science Foundation through a Phase I SBIR award.

I worked with an agile team of seasoned engineers to develop medical devices in the cardiothoracic and neurovascular space. My role as a development engineer was broad including roles in both R&D and marketing such as: performing hospital observations/clinician feedback, designing & testing of our devices, presentation creation and composition of marketing materials, and data analysis, acquisition, and organization.

I worked closely with R&D project managment to expand the clinical application of a new MedShape orthopedic device. I completed technical design changes using SolidWorks modeling, drawings, and FEA simulations. I also performed clinical literature reviews and prototyping with the device on sawbones to make educated estimations on the new surgical approach for this device.

Through the Master of Biomedical Innovation and Development (MBID) program at Georgia Tech, I am equipped with essential knowledge and experience for understanding the bench-to-bedside progression of medical devices. While at Georgia Tech, there were two distinct experiences which shaped my education: –––– MBID Capstone Project (Aug 2017 - Aug 2018) ––––Collaborated in a 7-member, multidisciplinary team of engineers and scientists to develop a biomedical device from concept to functional prototype. FALL: Addressed a high impact/economically feasible clinical need in postoperative cardiothoracic surgery through market research, networking with local clinicians, and distribution of professional surveysSPRING: Bolstered validation of clinical need and honed in on 3 concepts for experimental testingSUMMER: Took role as project manager, performed experimental testing, iterative prototyping to our final design, and presented an investor pitch to industry professionals–––– Medical Robotics Project (Jan 2018 - May 2018) ––––As the project manager of a team of 3 multidisciplinary engineers, I performed the technical and logistical execution of medical robotics device design. We identified a clinical need to increase the efficacy and efficiency of skin closure after knee arthroplasties and through rapid prototyping we successfully developed a robotically controlled suturing device with 3 degrees of freedom.

After working in the Sharma Lab for a year, performing nanoparticle formulation and experimentation, I was entrusted by Dr. Blanka Sharma and my student mentor to develop a device to improve upon the osteoarthritic animal models used in the lab. Utilizing the scientific method and lab procedures I learned, I successfully developed a functioning non-invasive device which was tested for efficacy on 45 cadaveric rat knees. Upon completion of this project, I also completed my honors thesis titled:Development of a Device to Improve Clinical Relevance of Osteoarthritis Rat Models Through Non-invasive Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rupture.

This experience immersed me in an ophthalmology department for 5 days a week to observe patient interaction and surgery. It was during this program my engineering aptitude clicked with my new-found passion for medicine and set me on the path to become a biomedical engineer.At the end of the program, I was awarded the Cleveland Clinic Summer Scholars Award for presenting a case-study to clinicians on a relatively new technique called canaloplasty.