Maria Geraghty
Class of 2021
MS-MPE Program
μBiointerface Lab Bioelectrochemistry Experiment
I am from Las Vegas, Nevada. I graduated with a BS in Biomedical Engineering from Columbia University in 2020. I am pursuing my MS in Bioengineering and conducting research in the microBiointerface Lab at the University of Pittsburgh. My areas of interest include medical devices, bioelectrochemistry, and physical medicine.
Electrifying Engineering Inspired By
Her Home Roots
The city of Pittsburgh has always held a special place in my heart. It is where my dad grew up. It is where my parents met while they were both students at the University. And, it is where my family lived for the early years of my life. I attended Pitt Football games and travelled to campus so often as a kid that I assumed I would one day be a part of this student body. My assumption was correct; however, my journey to becoming a Pitt student did not go quite as I had planned.
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After high school, I attended Columbia University where I worked towards a BS in Biomedical Engineering. As my senior year approached, I prepared to look for jobs because I had no plans to pursue a graduate degree. I knew that I wanted to work in industry, so prolonging my education seemed unnecessary and counterintuitive to my career goals. Then I learned about the MS-MPE program at Pitt which changed my plans entirely.
I began to see the gaps in my engineering knowledge. I had not learned everything there was to learn despite four years of packed course schedules. Additionally, my senior spring semester was unexpectedly cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. The MS-MPE program started to look like the perfect solution to all of my problems. It would provide me with the opportunity to continue studying and preparing for a successful career in the medical product industry and the chance to finally become a Pitt student.
"The emphasis placed on Medical Product Engineering especially appealed to me because I have witnessed the way in which a life can be improved by an innovative and thoughtfully designed medical device"
The emphasis placed on Medical Product Engineering especially appealed to me because I have witnessed the way in which a life can be improved by an innovative and thoughtfully designed medical device. My very own sister uses and benefits from a product such as this every day. She was diagnosed with epilepsy at a young age. Following her diagnosis, she constantly struggled to find the right treatment plan. One particularly bad seizure brought the search to a head.
Shortly thereafter, her outlook was changed by a medical product that works by stimulating a nerve and causing a reduction in the frequency and severity of seizures. I was amazed. Someone had put time and effort into improving her quality of life with an engineered solution. This was a firsthand look at how engineering and medicine could be integrated to help people. I wanted to do something like that, and I know that everything I learn while at the University of Pittsburgh will help me achieve this long-term goal.
By participating in the MS-MPE program, I hope to obtain the skills necessary to identify key healthcare challenges and generate the requisite solutions. I not only want to learn how to design and develop medical devices but also how to create useful products that succeed in industry. This includes understanding the principles of entrepreneurship and the professional environment that will constitute a great portion of my future.
"I hope to have a job that allows me to become the inspiring female engineer that my younger self imagined when she dreamed about her future in Pittsburgh all those years ago"
Ultimately, I want the MS-MPE program to round out my bioengineering education that began four years ago. My undergraduate studies provided a strong foundation, but I graduated with general knowledge on a multitude of topics rather than a mastery of a single topic. I hope that the clinical experiences in conjunction with the curriculum instill in me the confidence to begin my career in industry as a knowledgeable and innovative bioengineer.
Upon graduation, I would like to be working for a company in the biotechnology or healthcare industries that provides an opportunity for continuing exposure to the research and development of biomedical solutions. I want to use everything I have learned and have yet to learn to create and implement products like the one that impacted my sister so greatly, and I want to have a similar impact on the lives of others.
I have no preference of whether I end up at a small company, big company, startup, or corporation. I only aspire to solve problems that benefit as many people as possible. I hope to have a job that allows me to become the inspiring female engineer that my younger self imagined when she dreamed about her future in Pittsburgh all those years ago.
