News
Professional MS Alumni Feature: Jinal Mistry
By: Nicole Bohatch, CMI Fellow I recently spoke with Jinal Mistry about her experience in the MS-MPE program and how it has impacted her career. From a young age, Jinal has always been captivated by human anatomy, biology, mathematics, and computer science. She initially thought that she would...
Professional MS Alumni Feature: Bill Duncan
Professional MS Alumni Feature: Bill Duncan By: Nicole Bohatch, CMI Fellow I recently spoke with Bill Duncan to learn about his experience in the MS-MPE program and how it has impacted his career trajectory. Bill’s first introduction to the subject of Biomedical Engineering began...
CMI Awards $20,000 to Team in Round-1 2023 Early Stage R&D Seed Grant Competition
The Center for Medical Innovation is pleased to announce an award of $20,000 for the Round-1 Early Stage R&D Seed Grant. The award went to the team of Trent Emerick, MD, MBA, Gaurav Chauhan, MD, and Youngjae Chun, PhD for “A Novel Low-Profile Fully Retrievable Foldable Epidural Lead Array (FELLA)...
Professional MS Student Feature: Benjamin Ratchford
By: Nicole Bohatch, CMI Fellow I recently had the opportunity to speak with Ben Ratchford who is currently enrolled in the MS-MPE to learn about his experience. At the beginning of Ben’s academic career in 2015, he dreamed of attending medical school. While he was interested in Biomedical...
Professional MS Alumni Feature: Jordan Barzensky
By: Nicole Bohatch, CMI Fellow I recently had the opportunity to talk with Jordan Barzensky to learn about her experience in the MS-MPE program and how it helped prepare her for her career. Jordan’s higher education journey started at Seton Hill University located in Greensburg, PA. In May 2021,...
Finding the True Need: How Respair Inc. is Combating Ventilator Associated Infections
By: Nicole Bohatch, CMI Fellow I recently had the opportunity to speak with Ross Beresford (Chief Executive Officer) and Lauren Grice (head of engineering) to learn more about Respair’s story and how funding from the Center for Medical Innovation (CMI) has impacted their work as a medical device...
New CMI Fellow: Nicole Bohatch
The Center for Medical Innovation would like to welcome our new fellow, Nicole Bohatch! Hello, my name is Nicole Bohatch and I am the new CMI Fellow at the University of Pittsburgh Center for Medical Innovation! I have recently received my Bachelor’s of Science in Biomedical Engineering from...
Round 1 2023 Early Stage Seed Grant
Preproposals due April 5, 2023 PDF Version of RFP Previous Winners More About the CMI
CMI-Funded Research Creates Reusable PPE That Can Repel Coronaviruses
CMI-Funded Research Creates Reusable PPE That Can Repel Coronaviruses University of Pittsburgh researchers and recipients of CMI funding, Dr. Paul Leu, Dr. Robert Shanks, and Eric Romanowski, have developed a nanomaterial coating for fabric PPE (personal protective equipment) that can both repel...
News From LeanMed
News From LeanMedCMI leader and LeanMed founder, Mark Adkins, recently shared some fantastic news with us. LeanMed’s O2 Cube, a solar-powered medical oxygen generator for rural communities, recently began its path towards FDA approval using the FDA’s Fast Track pathway. This will allow LeanMed to...
Virtual Open Houses 2021
Bioengineering Professional Masters Programs Open House MS-MPE: Medical Product Engineering MS-NE: Neural Engineering Click HERE to RSVP! Join us on January 15th or February 12th for a discussion about our University of Pittsburgh Bioengineering Professional Masters Graduate Programs including: MS...
StabilEyes: An Innovative Solution for Nystagmus
StabilEyes: An Innovative Solution to Nystagmus From a $25,000 CMI seed funding grant in 2019, Julia Foust and Dr. George Stetten present a novel method to determine frequency and phase of repetitive eye motion, using the widely available platforms of smartphones and tablets, requiring only the...
A Shave and a Haircut on Two Wheels
A Shave and a Haircut on Two Wheels PITTSBURGH (Dec. 2, 2020) … When the COVID-19 quarantines began, one luxury people grew to miss was being pampered in a salon or barbershop. For many wheelchair users, however, salon hair care is often a challenge. The process can require an individual to be...
Swanson School Stent Technologies Clinch Wells Competition Awards
Wells Healthcare Competition Two Swanson School of Engineering projects received awards at the University of Pittsburgh Innovation Institute’s Wells Healthcare Competition, which provides funding for students who are developing innovations related to the health care field. Moataz Elsisy, a PhD...
CMI Round 2 - 2020 Early Stage Medical Technology R&D Program Requests for Proposals
CENTER FOR MEDICAL INNOVATION (CMI) Round-2 2020 Early-Stage Medical Technology R&D PROGRAM REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS. SUBMISSIONS DUE BY 11:59 PM, December 31, 2020. The University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Medical Innovation (CMI) (Center for Medical Innovation), in collaboration with the Clinical...
CMI Appoints Mark Adkins to CMI Leadership Team
CMI Appoints Mark Adkins to CMI Leadership Team The University of Pittsburgh Center for Medical Innovation (CMI) is supported by a leadership team representing multiple disciplines across the University. Mark Adkins, who accepted an invitation to serve on this team, will provide strategic and...
New CMI Fellow Highlight: Rey Ravi
This fall, Rey Ravi joins the CMI Team as a fellow to the Center of Medical Innovation. A former undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh and a current student at the Masters of Medical Product Engineering program, he will be responsible for updating the website and assisting in recruitment...
Virtual Open House events
The MS-MPE program at the University of Pittsburgh is designed to provide students didactic and experiential learning opportunities aimed at accelerating translation of innovative ideas into impactful medical products. Pittsburgh is a hub for healthcare and biomedical innovation. Students in our...
Pitt’s Center for Medical Innovation awards three novel biomedical projects with $60,000 in Round 1 2020 Pilot Funding
Round-1 Pilot Funding Program PITTSBURGH (July 1, 2020) … The University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Medical Innovation (CMI) awarded grants totaling $60,000 to three research groups through its 2020 Round-1 Pilot Funding Program for Early Stage Medical Technology Research and Development. The...
The University of Pittsburgh Center for Medical Innovation awards a novel biomedical project with $15,000 in Round 1 2020 Pilot Funding
The University of Pittsburgh Center for Medical Innovation awards a novel biomedical project with $15,000 in Round 1 2020 Pilot Funding PITTSBURGH (April 28, 2020) … The University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Medical Innovation (CMI) has awarded a $15,000 grant through an “expedited” 2020 Round-1...
Pitt’s Center for Medical Innovation awards three novel biomedical projects with $47,500 in Round 2 2019 Pilot Funding
Pitt’s Center for Medical Innovation awards three novel biomedical projects with $47,500 in Round 2 2019 Pilot Funding PITTSBURGH (January 31, 2020) … The University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Medical Innovation (CMI) awarded grants totaling $47,500 to three research groups through its 2019 Round-2...
New CMI Fellow: Eva Caruso
New CMI Fellow: Eva Caruso Hi, my name is Eva Caruso and I’m the new Center for Medical Innovation Fellow! I am currently pursuing my Master’s in Medical Product Engineering which is a part of the Bioengineering department at University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering. My passion for the...
CMI Team Success Story: OcuDERM
CMI Team Success Story: OcuDERM By William Hsin, CMI Fellow According to the US Eye Injury Registry (University of Alabama at Birmingham), over 2.4 million eye injuries occur each year in the US, an estimated one million of which result in permanent, significant visual impairment. Eye injuries are...
Welcome our new CMI Fellow Jinal Mistry!
Welcome our new CMI Fellow Jinal Mistry! Our current CMI Fellow, Mr. Akhil Aniff, will be finishing his term as the CMI Fellow as of June 30, 2018. Akhil is graduating from the University of Pittsburgh with a BS in Bioengineering. He is a Fellow in the Venture for America program and will be...
CMI Team Success Story: Aruga Technologies
CMI Team Success Story: Aruga Technologies By Akhil Aniff, CMI Fellow Aruga Technologies is a new Pitt spin-off company that is hoping to revolutionize the field of vascular grafts. Their unique graft technology, named TopoGraft, aims to reduce the occurrence of clot formation in blood vessels...
CMI Team Success Story: 2018 Randall Family Big Idea Competition
CMI Team Success Story: 2018 Randall Family Big Idea Competition By Akhil Aniff, CMI Fellow On March 29th 2018, several teams that have received funding from the Center for Medical Innovation (CMI) participated in the Randall Family Big Idea Competition at the University of Pittsburgh. The Big...
CMI Team Success Story: OcuDERM
CMI Team Success Story: OcuDERM By Akhil Aniff, CMI Fellow OcuDerm is a new team that is working on a therapeutic gel for EMTs and paramedics to apply to victims of severe eye trauma. The technology behind OcuDerm was pioneered by Dr. Morgan Fedorchak, PhD, Assistant Professor of Bioengineering...
Successful project completion- Controlled release, gel‐based ear drops for treatment of otitis media
Successful project completion- Controlled release, gel‐based ear drops for treatment of otitis media By Yash Mokashi, CMI Fellow Source: Mayo Clinic CMI would like to congratulate Dr. Morgan Fedorchak and Dr. Cuneyt Alper, the investigators of the project titled: “Controlled release, gel‐based...
Successful Project Completion- RegenMatrix: Collagen-mimetic Bioactive Hydrogels for Bone Regeneration
Successful Project Completion- RegenMatrix: Collagen-mimetic Bioactive Hydrogels for Bone Regeneration By Yash Mokashi, CMI Fellow CMI would like to congratulate the investigators of the project RegenMatrix for the successful completion of their project with the aid of CMI funding. The...
Pitt’s Bioengineering program moves up in 2018 U.S. News & World Report Graduate School Rankings
Pitt’s Bioengineering program moves up in 2018 U.S. News & World Report Graduate School RankingsBy Yash Mokashi, CMI FellowPitt’s Bioengineering program ranked 12th among all bioengineering programs in the US (a significant jump from the 18th position last year) and 6th among public AAU university...
Job Placements- December 2016 Graduate Students
Job Placements- December 2016 Graduate Students By Yash Mokashi, CMI Fellow Thomas Edwin Scheurich III Thomas starts working with MedStar Innovation Institute, Washington DC as a Usability Analyst, this February. MedStar is a healthcare system with ten hospitals in the DC-Baltimore region. They...
CMI welcomes new Directors to the CMI Leadership Team: Brian Vidic and Dr. Robert Kormos
CMI welcomes new Directors to the CMI Leadership Team: Brian Vidic and Dr. Robert Kormos. By Yash Mokashi, CMI Fellow Brian Vidic: Brian Vidic is the Executive Director of the Office of Research Operations and Business Engagement. Brian brings years of business development and commercial...
Pitt’s Center for Medical Innovation awards four novel biomedical devices with $77,500 total Round-2 2016 Pilot Funding
Pitt’s Center for Medical Innovation awards four novel biomedical devices with $77,500 total Round-2 2016 Pilot Funding By Yash Mokashi, CMI Fellow PITTSBURGH (January 6, 2017) … The University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Medical Innovation (CMI) awarded grants totaling $77,500 to four research...
Fall 2016 End of Semester Celebration:
Fall 2016 End of Semester Celebration: The Fall 2016 end-of-semester celebration for the MS-Medical Product Engineering and C-Medical Product Innovation students was held at Dave & Buster’s on December 18th. Students got the opportunity to interact and unwind after finals week, with food and...
New CMI Fellow: Yash Mokashi
The Center for Medical Innovation would like to welcome our new CMI- fellow, Mr. Yash Mokashi. Mr. Mokashi is currently a graduate student in the MS- Medical Product Engineering program at the University of Pittsburgh. He has completed his undergraduate education in Biomedical Engineering at VIT...
CMI AWARDS $140,000 TO SIX PROJECTS IN 2016 ROUND-1 SEED GRANT
Pitt’s Center for Medical Innovation awards six novel biomedical devices with $140,000 total Round-1 2016 Pilot Funding PITTSBURGH (July 12, 2016) … The University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Medical Innovation (CMI) awarded grants totaling $140,000 to six research groups through its 2016 Round-1...
CMI announces 2013 Round-2 Pilot Funding Awards
Center for Medical Innovation announces 2013 Round-2 Pilot Funding Awards for new biomedical technology PITTSBURGH (February 10, 2014) … The University of Pittsburgh's Center for Medical Innovation (CMI) awarded a total of $82,000 to six research groups through its 2013 Round-2 Pilot Funding...
CMI welcomes new directors: Donald Taylor, PhD, MBA and Evan A. Facher, PhD
CMI welcomes new directors CMI welcomes new directors: Donald Taylor, PhD, MBA and Evan A. Facher, PhD
CMI welcomes new director: Tracy Cui, PhD
CMI welcomes new director CMI welcomes new director: Tracy Cui, PhD
CMI welcomes new Coulter TPII representative: Max Fedor, MBA
CMI welcomes new Coulter TPII representative CMI welcomes new Coulter TPII representative: Max Fedor, MBA
Dr. Kilichan Gurleyik named Education Director
CMI announces the addition of Dr. Kilichan Gurleyik as Education Director The Center for Medical Innovation and the Swanson School of Engineering welcome to the faculty Dr. Kilichan Gurleyik , Visiting Assistant Professor of Bioengineering and the new Associate Director of Educational Programs for...
Success Story, Noah Papas: CMI Opens New Doors to Entrepreneurship
Noah Papas: CMI Opens New Doors to Entrepreneurship Noah Papas didn't anticipate going back to school. After earning his master's degree in ligament biomechanics, he worked as an engineer at Johnson and Johnson for five years. He then joined a research project on the biomechanics of embryonic...
Success Story, Subi Natarajan: From Research to Management
Subi Natarajan : From Research to Management LinkedIn When applying to bioengineering MS programs, Subi Natarajan was focused on traditional research based programs. However, she was already frustrated about how so much of the promising research in the field never left the lab and couldn't...
CMI Round-1 2015 Pilot Funding
CMI awards four novel biomedical devices with $95,000 total Round-1 2015 Pilot Funding By Yash Mokashi, CMI Fellow PITTSBURGH (August 5, 2015) … The University of Pittsburgh's Center for Medical Innovation (CMI) awarded grants totaling $95,000 to four research groups through its 2015 Round-1 Pilot...
Development of a Fat Extraction Transfer Cannula
Development of a Fat Extraction/Transfer Cannula for Greater Fat Particle Size Control By Brian Lupish, CMI FellowThe University of Pittsburgh CMI program has funded a translational research project to develop the PrecisionGraftTM lipotransfer cannula. Lipotransfer is a reconstructive surgery...
Utilizing a Modified Oxygenator for Enhanced CO2 Scrubbing in Low-Volume Lung Protective Ventilation
Utilizing a Modified Oxygenator for Enhanced CO 2 Scrubbing in Low-Volume Lung Protective Ventilation By Brian Lupish, CMI Fellow An in vitro prototype for a new type of CO 2 scrubber for mechanical low-volume protective ventilation devices has been designed at the University of Pittsburgh through...
Dilatable Port for Deep Brain Access: A minimally invasive approach to remove brain tumor
Dilatable Port for Deep Brain Access: A minimally invasive approach to remove brain tumor By: Mirrah Almira - CMI Fellow Introduction: A team of a physician and an engineer at the University of Pittsburgh has created a dilatable port to access deep brain tumor. This invention has great promise...
Biodegradable thermo-responsive gel as a controlled release platform for intraocular drug delivery
Biodegradable thermo-responsive gel as a controlled release platform for intraocular drug delivery By: Mirrah Almira - CMI FellowPeople over age 50 risk blindness caused by age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Current treatment for "wet AMD" involves frequent intraocular injections which are...
Point-of-care molecular diagnostic system: A novel way to identify pathogens in the clinical setting
Point-of-care molecular diagnostic system: A novel way to identify pathogens in the clinical setting By: Mirrah Almira - CMI Fellow Introduction: Eager to solve one of the biggest problems in the clinical setting, engineers and physicians at the University of Pittsburgh have teamed up to create...
Treating Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: Automatic Chest Compression Device for Adaptive Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation
Treating Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA): Automatic Chest Compression Device for Adaptive Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) By: Mirrah Almira - CMI Fellow Introduction: The fact that patients vary in anatomy and underlying pathology makes a "one-size-fits-all" CPR technology insufficient...
Motion Tracking Device and Web-based Software for Rehabilitation of Knee Joint
InterACTION TM : Motion Tracking Device and Web-based Software for Rehabilitation of Knee Joint By: Mirrah Almira - CMI Fellow Introduction: Adequate rehabilitation is the key for a successful recovery after total knee replacement surgery. Realizing its importance, a team of...
Treating Chronic Skin Wounds with Curostem
Treating Chronic Skin Wounds with Curostem™ By: Mirrah Almira - CMI FellowIntroduction: By harnessing the power of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), a team of engineers and pathologists at the University of Pittsburgh has established Curostem(TM), a novel approach to treat chronic skin wounds....
Student Success Story: Randall Family Big Idea Competition, 1st Price
Student Success Story: Randall Family Big Idea Competition, 1st PriceBy Yash Mokashi, CMI FellowThe Center for Medical Innovation would like to congratulate Bioengineering Graduate Student (MBA/ MS- Medical Product Engineering), Nick Scangas, and his team on achieving 1st place (General/IT Category)...
Pitt’s Center for Medical Innovation awards three novel biomedical devices with $53,000 total Round-2 2014 Pilot Funding
Pitt's Center for Medical Innovation awards three novel biomedical devices with $53,000 total Round-2 2014 Pilot Funding PITTSBURGH (Dec 11, 2014) … The University of Pittsburgh's Center for Medical Innovation (CMI) awarded grants totaling $53,000 to three research groups through its 2014...
Center for Medical Innovation awards eight novel biomedical devices with $100,000 total 2014 Round-1 Pilot Funding
Pitt's Center for Medical Innovation awards eight novel biomedical devices with $100,000 total 2014 Round-1 Pilot Funding PITTSBURGH (June 30, 2014) … The University of Pittsburgh's Center for Medical Innovation (CMI) awarded grants totaling $100,000 to eight research groups through its 2014...
CMI announces first round of 2013 award grants
Center for Medical Innovation announces Round-1 2013 grant awards PITTSBURGH (July 15, 2013) … The Center for Medical Innovation at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering announced five awards in its 2013 Round-1 Pilot Funding Program for Early Stage Medical Technology R&D....
CMI awards six new seed grants in 2012 Round-2 Pilot Funding Program
CMI awards six new seed grants in 2012 Round-2 Pilot Funding Program PITTSBURGH (January 7, 2013) ... The University of Pittsburgh's Center for Medical Innovation (CMI) has awarded six (6) new seed grants in the 2012 Round-2 Pilot Funding Program, totaling $113,000. Funding of the program is...
CMI announces first seed grants
CMI announces first seed grant awards The University of Pittsburgh's Center for Medical Innovation (CMI) has awarded its first seed grants of $25,000 to three teams of investigators as part of its 2012 Round-1 Pilot Funding Program. Each team represents a partnership between faculty...
Professional Masters in Medical Product Engineering information seminar
Center for Medical Innovation hosts Professional Master of Science in Bioengineering - Medical Product Engineering information seminar You are invited to an informational seminar on Tuesday, August 21, 2012 from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm in Benedum Engineering Hall, room 157 to learn more about the...
August 15 deadline for CMI pilot funding request for proposals
August 15 deadline approaching for Center for Medical Innovation's pilot funding request for proposalsPITTSBURGH (August 8, 2012) … One week remains for pre-proposal submissions in the second round of early stage technology pilot funding from the Center for Medical Innovation (CMI). CMI is seeking...
Dr. John Maier joins CMI as CTSI representative
Dr. John Maier joins CMI as CTSI representative The Center for Medical Innovation (CMI) is proud to announce that John Maier, MD, PhD, has joined as the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) representative. Dr. Maier is an Assistant Professor and the Director of Research and...
Organ Perfusion Stent & BioCarpet Projects Win Wells Competition Award
Young Jae Chun, Bryan W. Tillman, John J. Pacella, Jonathan Vande Geest On behalf of the Center of Medical Innovation, congratulations to the team of Drs. Young Jae Chun (Industrial Engineering), Bryan W. Tillman (Division of Vascular Surgery, UPMC), John J. Pacella (Vascular Medicine Institute,...
InCube Innovation
Mir Imran, CEO and Founder of InCube Labs, was the keynote speaker for the Wells Student Healthcare Competition held on October 17, 2018. This video is inspirational for anyone who aspires to conceive, develop, and commercialize ground-breaking innovations for the medical product market. Mr. Imran...
CMI announces Round 1 2020 Pilot Funding
PITTSBURGH (July 1, 2020) … The University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Medical Innovation (CMI) awarded grants totaling $60,000 to three research groups through its 2020 Round-1 Pilot Funding Program for Early Stage Medical Technology Research and Development. The latest funding proposals include a...