BIODESIGN FELLOWSHIP
VIRGINIA TECH X CARILION CLINIC
An interdisciplinary fellowship fusing medicine, biomedical engineering, and public health to push forward medical innovation based on local needs.
The Inaugural Cohort (2023-2025)
Jenna Altaii
Biomedical Engineer
Dr. Andrew Schroeder
Carilion Clinic General Surgery Resident
Leah Thomas
Biomedical Engineer
About the Program
YEAR 1
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Clinical immersions in operating rooms, ICUs, dialysis, and more
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Coursework on the Biodesign process and public health concepts
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Documented all identified healthcare needs in structured database
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Master's in Biomedical Engineering at Virginia Tech
During the Fellowship, we completed our master's degree coursework for Biomedical Engineering and a specialized curriculum covering all aspects of the Biodesign process, including needs assessment in healthcare, invention development, and commercialization.
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Public Health Focus
The program trained us to approach innovation with a health equity lens by always analyzing the social determinants of health and the unique challenges experienced in the Southwest Virginia region.
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Clinical Immersions
Throughout the program, we completed several immersions in a variety of healthcare settings. This process helped us identify common challenges faced by patients and practitioners, observe medical procedures, and familiarize ourselves with the realities of the healthcare system.
YEAR 2
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Filtered and selected a need to focus on for capstone project
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Completed more clinical immersions relevant to the selected need
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Prototyped and tested solution
The fellowship trained us to follow the Stanford Biodesign Process.
Our Methodology
We used a variety of active and passive contextual inquiry methods and user-centered design methods during our clinical immersions to gain a better understanding of our users within their environment.
1.
Fly on the Wall Observation
Close observation of the activities, environments, interactions, objects, and users (AEIOU)
4.
Open Inquiry
Using prompts to get users to narrate their real-life experiences in their own environment.
2.
Think Aloud Method
Prompting the user to verbalize their thought process as they complete a task.
5.
Surveys
Gathering numerical data from many users through structured questions, such as ratings or frequency of use.
3.
Directed Storytelling
Using prompts, such as "Tell me about a time when...," to gather first hand accounts.
6.
User Interviews
In-depth conversations with users to understand their needs, motivations, and pain points.
Our Projects.
Cohort Mission Statement
1
Empowering Patients
Equipping patients to have an active role in their care through education, participation, and shared decision making with providers.
2
Human-Centered Design
Transforming healthcare with a patient-driven, human-centered approach, promoting healing, empowerment, and hope.
3
Specialized Care
Advancing personalized medicine that will champion the underserved and undervalued.