Coming Back For Round 2

In my first year of undergraduate studies, I found myself especially excited by the unique intersection of medicine and engineering design afforded by bioengineering. My interests in engineering shifted toward medical product development, and I quickly became involved in addressing unmet clinical needs at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) through several medical design projects. Through these projects, including a lung prosthesis to help lobectomy patients with bronchial kinking, I applied my product development and design skills such as user discovery analysis, and 3D CAD modeling to create simple yet innovative solutions.

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Through an immersive course in Artificial Organs, my interests were further piqued when I was introduced to Ventricular Assist Devices (VADs). Shadowing clinical engineers at the Artificial Heart Program at UPMC, I learned more about problems associated with these devices. More importantly, I witnessed the profound impact, and the improved quality of life for patients with these devices. These intricate life support systems fascinate me because they allow patients to resume their normal lives at home despite their debilitating heart conditions. I combined my passions for artificial organs and medical device development as an intern at Abiomed, a medical device company specializing in percutaneous access pumps to promote heart recovery. At Abiomed, I was part of the access design team responsible for designing the devices for the entry and exit procedures of the pump. In this environment, I was exposed to biocompatibility, root cause analysis, test engineering, as well as other nuances of working in a regulated environment. However, the most impactful facet of my internship was hearing the stories of the patients that have been given new life and hope due to the support of mechanical heart pumps.

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