Rey Ravi
Class of 2021
Artificial Heart Program
CMI Fellow 2020
Rey Ravi is a continuing Pitt student in the MS-MPE program, who did his undergrad in bioengineering with a minor in mechanical engineering and concentration in biomechanics. Working at the Artificial Heart Program and Center of Medical Innovation, he aims to have a career in translating clinical needs to engineering solutions and acting as a bridge between the worlds of medicine and engineering.
The Heart of Bioengineering is Driven by the Pulse of its Patients
My name is Rey Ravi, and I am a graduate student in the University of Pittsburgh in the Masters in Medical Product Engineering program. Previously, I did my bachelor’s in bioengineering with a minor in mechanical engineering and a concentration in biomechanics from Pitt as well. In my undergraduate years, I did research primarily in orthopedics/sports medicine and cardiothoracic medicine. In my current Master’s program, I am working under Dr. Harvey S. Borovetz, Dr. Rick Schaub, and Dr. Chris Sciortino on creating simulation and perfusion devices for mechanical circulatory systems. Currently, I am working at the Artificial Heart Program and as a fellow in the Center of Medical Innovation.
​
In 2008, my dad was at working after his typical five-mile walk when he collapsed and was taken to the hospital. Too young to understand the severity of his condition, I could only wait at home helplessly wondering if he was okay. Now more knowledgeable about the cardiovascular system, I know the severity of what he had. His left anterior descending artery, a coronary blood vessel commonly known as “the widow-maker” due to its fatality in patients, was nearly one-hundred percent obstructed, and as a diabetic, the risk of clearing it was further complicated by a myriad of other pre-existing conditions he had. However, at the time, a new type of stent known as a drug-eluting stent was used to open the vessel and maintain its vasculature. The stent promised not only worked well smaller vessels that diabetic patients typically had, but also helped prevent further obstructions in that region. Today, my dad still walks his five miles, unhindered by his past surgery, and it is due in a large part to advancement in medical device development in that field.
​
​
​
As an undergraduate student, I knew I wanted to pursue a path that would lead me to working in a clinical environment where I could work hands-on with devices that could help people like my dad. Throughout my undergraduate career, I participated in a variety of projects that involved communicating with clinicals experts, presenting data, and outlining strategies to reach goals set by the team. Working in various labs, I eventually discovered that I enjoyed research projects that were directly connected to clinical application. Working with Dr. Spandan Maiti of the Bioengineering Department and Dr. Thomas Gleason at UPMC’s Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, I helped further develop code and research into the biomechanical forces that were involved in the progression of aneurysm development. Used in the operating room to look for dissection location, I found it fulfilling knowing that my work could directly benefit so many people, from the surgeons who were to perform the procedure, to the patients who were being monitored for possible dissection. Furthermore, from my years in this lab, I enjoyed being a liaison between doctors and engineers, especially learning how to communicate between the two groups. The importance of cross-communication cannot be understated, as it is a driving force behind great clinical projects.
Relevant Links
Resume
Social Media
"I enjoyed being a liaison between doctors and engineers, especially learning how to communicate between the two groups. The importance of cross-communication cannot be understated, as it is a driving force behind great clinical projects"
I was able to further my clinical knowledge after joining the Artificial Heart Program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. As a member of the Artificial Heart team, I was immersed in clinical environment with numerous opportunities to observe how medical devices were used to better people’s quality of life. People who were in dire need for a transplant or were suffering with ailing heart conditions could be given the opportunity to have a transplant or a restored quality of life with the revolutionary technologies in mechanical circulatory support. As an avid runner and biker, I was amazed to see how these devices could even allow people to return to sports, something that seemed improbable in their initial hospitalized state.
"It is true that transplant surgeons saved patients, but the patients rescued us in turn and gave meaning to what we did, or what we tried"
​
​
-Thomas Starzl, Father of Organ Transplant
In parallel to working with patients, I was able to also work with clinicians to create and develop designs for devices in their research. I enjoyed working on these projects and seeing the collaboration between engineers, nurses, and clinicians in finding solutions to problems. Sparked from my interest from classes and beyond, I decided to return to Pitt and pursue a masters in a field specializing in what I was most interested in. Beyond a curriculum focused on medical device development, I am able to continue to work on clinical projects with my department and have my classes tailored towards those projects I am interested in working on. I can also expand my knowledge on the design process, from the early stages of preto- and proto-typing to the later stages of regulatory pathways and business strategy. There are many skills for me to sharpen and learn while in this program that I know will help me in my career, and I intend to take every advantage of the numerous opportunities this program provides in networking and career-building.
​
As a student of the MS-MPE program, I hope to use my experiences as a springboard into a career in clinical engineering, working alongside medical professionals and engineers to create surgical products and devices that will ensure and improve patient safety and quality of life. In my lifetime, there has never been a more critical time for medical advancement than now. With the increasing costs of healthcare, a paucity of organs for transplantation, and a pandemic causing the world to reel back, we must not be stagnant or content with what we already have. I want to be on the front lines of medical innovation, pushing the frontier of what we are capable of doing and what we can do for people. I want to be part of the greater equation of creating products that the many can use rather than the few. Embracing the chance of working together with medical professionals and engineers, I want to ensure that medical devices can give everyone a chance at a better quality of life, just like my dad.
