2020
James McDevitt
BS/MS in Biomedical Engineering, Neuroengineering Concentration
School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems
Why did you choose Drexel?
I chose Drexel after pursuing an associate’s in pre-engineering because of the distinct co-op program they offered. This program allowed to gain tremendous amounts of experience in a diverse number of fields, all while allowing me to pay for my education in an efficient manner. The Biomedical Engineering tract that Drexel offers is extremely prestigious, and I am lucky to have joined the department.
What attracted you to apply to the Coulter Fellow Program?
The Coulter Program was attractive to me because it was the only facet of biomedical technology that I had not explored – bringing a novel product to the market. I had previously worked in the clinical field with patients, worked on developing products for a well known corporation, and had even conducted research in novel labs, but I never had the chance to see a novel product hit the market. This is why I was very interested in becoming a Coulter Fellow.
Project:
Get Safe At Home
What did you like about it / what have you learned?
As a Coulter Fellow, I experienced firsthand what it takes to get a product to the market and commercialize. Performing market analyses and identifying potential paths of commercialization has showed me the difficulties that can occur in reaching the market and what to look out for.
Working with interdisciplinary teams on a product was an engaging and rewarding experience. This allowed me to learn not only from the core engineers themselves, but also from the end users. I also gained a great deal of insight into the market perspective of the product. Every task I performed provided me with further knowledge and skills in the commercialization process.
I have already applied my knowledge obtained from Coulter into my current position as a RADx Assistant Project Facilitator, and the experience has helped me excel in my role.
Are there topics or areas that are of interest to you moving forward — either in the classroom or industry:
I would like to leverage my skills I obtained as a Coulter Fellow and use them to continue in the startup industry sector. I think this is a rather fascinating area due to the vast knowledge obtained on a day to day basis, I thoroughly enjoy learning about new technologies and ideas, and seeing them evolve into commercial products.
Current Employment:
Assistant Project Facilitator, RADx - NIH
Past Co-ops and Experience:
Assistant Lab Technician, Moss Rehab Hospital
New Product Development - Engineer I, Terumo Medical Corporation
Researcher – Biomagnetics Lab, Drexel University
Fun fact:
I enjoy creating functional tools to use at home with my own 3D-printer.
Reddy Pathakota
MD/MBA Student, Lebow School of Business & Drexel University College of Medicine
School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems
Why did you choose Drexel?
Drexel is a highly connected and accredited institution offering access to an immense library of resources and expertise. The culture of the school is highly entrepreneurial and encourages creativity. These factors make this institution a perfect place to pursue education.
What attracted you to apply to the Coulter Fellow Program?
I found out about the Coulter Fund as a second year medical student when I applied for funding on behalf of an organization. The insightful guidance and resources offered by Coulter then attracted me to apply for the fellowship program during my MBA year 2 years later.
Projects:
Use of non-thermal DBD plasma on primary and recurrent HSV-1/HSV-2 lesions
What did you like about it / what have you learned?
As a Coulter Fellow, I was able to take part in and understand the numerous decisions involved in private equity funding. I took part in several business development workshops where business leaders discussed intellectual property protection methods, valuation methods and building capitalization tables. I spoke to physicians from several specialties across the region and participated in discussions with leaders in the fields of immunology and dermatology to find out patient pain points and consider additional indications for the product. Through this fellowship I was especially able to enhance my understanding of market research. Under the guidance of the director and access to exclusive resources, such as GlobalData, I was then able to narrow the total addressable market to the serviceable obtainable market to assist in determining end valuation of the product.
Are there topics or areas that are of interest to you moving forward — either in the classroom or industry:
Moving forward, as I return to the field of medicine, I hope to carry the lessons and skills learned through Coulter and assess health care through an additional filter. I will attempt to find supplementary innovative applications for tools such as AI/ML to enhance information from data already collected and predict adverse outcomes.
Fun fact:
Recently started Yoga!
2019
Roze Alzabey
BS/MS Biomedical Engineering, Neuroengineering Concentration
School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems (BIOMED)
Why did you choose Drexel?
I chose Drexel for its highly accredited Biomedical Engineering program and its opportunistic Co-op program. It is both a pioneer in my direct field as well as a great institution that provides unprecedented opportunities and experiences.
What attracted you to apply to the Coulter Fellow Program?
I have always wanted to learn more about the market side of biomedical design and to see firsthand how a product transitions from the lab into the market. The Coulter program allows for students to be directly involved in communications between the researchers and licensing managers, as well as independently perform market analysis reports.
What have you learned as a Coulter Fellow?
I have learned a great deal about analyzing the market for potential products, and researching the different facets that a product could be applied in. As a third year fellow, I have now worked on multiple technologies from therapeutics to digital platforms.
What are you hoping to gain from this experience?
This fellowship has opened up new doors that I did not know existed by introducing me into the field of market research. I will come out of this role with a comprehensive understanding of gathering the tools to build a marketing portfolio and applying it within the process of product development.
Fun fact: I learned English through watching TV and listening to music.
Chelsea Dahline
Masters Program, Integrated Biomed Engineering & Business
School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems
Why did you choose Drexel?
I came to Drexel to study Biomedical Engineering combined with Business to focus specifically on the industry side of biomedical device development. I also wanted to gain valuable work experience in industry through Drexel’s co-op program and biomedical engineering network of experts.
What attracted you to apply to the Coulter Fellow Program?
I had interest in being a part of the process to get a product ready for commercialization, and to gain experience in the industry side of biomedical development and real world commercialization and production. I was attracted to the opportunity of learning from professionals, top research professors, clinicians, and corporation leaders and how they collaborate together to bring products to market and work to improve patient health care.
Projects:
I have worked on “MRI—compatible neural electrodes for precise detection and suppression of epileptic seizures” and “Method to Create Biomimetic 3-D Scaffold with 2-D Self-foldable, Droplet-on-demand Printed Hydrogel Micropatterns”.
What did you like about it / what have you learned?
I have learned a lot about what goes into commercialization of biomedical devices and how influential the market is towards a product that is being pushed toward further stages of development.
I feel that this role has given me a new perspective on medical device development and I hope to apply that in the future and be able to more easily target prominent unmet needs and develop more viable solutions to bring them to patients in need.
I liked being able to work with the teams and gain different perspectives from researchers, licensing managers, and clinicians on the devices and methods developed and getting to analyze the impact on the market. I have learned how to analyze a device or method in a way that I can understand the need and identify if the device will meet that need or if that need has already been met or the market is too full. I have been able to learn a lot more about the commercialization process and all that goes into the beginning stages of development and preparation for market. The best thing about being a Coulter fellow was being able to learn from top professionals and research professors and how they are able to fund research and work to commercialize biomedical devices and pharmaceuticals that have a first hand impact on health care.
Are there topics or areas that are of interest to you moving forward — either in the classroom or industry:
I am currently very interested in the federal regulations and clearance for medical devices and learning more about the individual stages medical devices go through to receive FDA approval. I am also intrigued by marketing and development for medical devices and how a company chooses to go with a specific device and the work it takes to make a deal to bring a device to the market.
Current Co-op:
Terumo Medical Corporation (TMC), working in NPD Engineering — Development & Technology.
Fun fact:
I have a passion for metalsmithing; designing jewelry in my free time.