This proposal seeks NIH support for enhancements of Tulane University's existing capstone Biomedical Engineering Team Design course to enable its students to engage in medical technology design projects addressing clinical needs. Students will work in teams on open-ended biomedical design projects formulated by the students themselves-originating from their identification of clinical needs & market opportunities during a new summer clinical immersion, and guided by subsequent analyses of regulatory & reimbursement landscapes and other considerations. The enhanced course will emphasize advanced prototyping and sound intellectual property strategy to position the teams for successful commercialization of their projects. Design thinking (aka Human Centered Design) will be a running theme and unifying element across activities of the enhanced course. Special topics such as lean design and design for manufacture and assembly (DFMA) will be introduced at appropriate stages in the design process. The enhanced course will cross-link with other courses & programs to improve student communication skills and increase student awareness of & ability to engage in life-long learning. The academic-year-long course will culminate in the filing of provisional patents to protect student intellectual property, and a publc show constituting a design competition with commercial pitch to potential investors. These enhancements will prepare students for careers in medicine and health-related engineering practice- and will support the design and development of medical technology to benefit society.
The development and application of biomedical devices and technologies to address human health problems requires biomedical engineers who can successfully translate and commercialize their design ideas. This project delivers enhancements to Tulane's existing Team Design course that will enable its students to engage in medical technology design projects addressing clinical needs. Anticipated program outcomes include increases in patentable devices, commercial licenses, and start-up companies. Arguably the most important deliverables are the students themselves who, by their deep involvement in the identification of clinical problems and systematic application of design principles through this enhanced course, will emerge from Tulane well-prepared for careers in medicine and health-related engineering practice.
