Return to LAunchPad

Monday, July 13, 2020

Biotechnology

What if you could use engineering to help someone regain the ability to walk or talk? During this event, students will learn about how Biotechnology is solving some of medicine's toughest problems with Cal State LA faculty and industry professionals.

Watch Session Recording ›

9:00 AM - 10:20 PM

FACULTY SPEAKERS

	Deborah Won, Ph.D. Dr. Won is a Professor at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Cal State LA. Her research area is in biomechanical engineering. Broadly speaking, her main research interests are in acquiring, interpreting, and modulating electrical signals in the body. For example, some of the research has dealt with a medical technology called deep brain stimulation, by which electrical current pulses are delivered to a deep structure in the brain called the subthalamic nucleus. This therapy is used in patients with movement disorders, such as Parkinson's disease.
	Curtis Wang, Ph.D. Dr. Wang is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Cal State LA. His research area is in biomechanical engineering.
	Mathias Brieu, Ph.D. Dr. Brieu is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Cal State LA. He specialized in mechanics of materials and computational mechanics. Prior to joining Cal State LA, he was Professor in France and is still having interaction with his former institution. His research are developed in a synergy between France and USA and aims at developing activities in the field of Bio Medical Engineering.

10:30 AM - 12:00 PM

INDUSTRY SPEAKERS

	Dr. Courtney Lane Dr. Courtney Lane has over 15 years experience in neuromodulation device development and clinical trials. She earned her B.S.E.E. from Rice University, cum laude, and obtained her Ph.D. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the Division of Health Sciences and Technology, where her thesis work focused on the neurophysiology of the auditory system. She then worked to develop hearing aid algorithms as a researcher at Rice University with Prof. Don H. Johnson. Upon leaving academia, she was instrumental in the development of the Deep Brain Stimulation program at Boston Scientific, where she worked on all aspects of device development, from R&D and test designs to clinical trial designs and regulatory submissions. She then served as the Director of Clinical Science and Strategy, overseeing a team of clinical scientists developing Boston Scientific Neuromodulation’s clinical trial portfolio. She also served as Vice-President of Clinical Affairs for Axonics Modulation Technologies, where she was responsible for the design and execution of the clinical program of a sacral neuromodulation device. Dr. Lane has since founded Anacapa Clinical Research, a company that works with cutting edge medical device companies in the development of their devices and clinical and regulatory programs.
	Robin Grandl, Ph.D. Robin Grandl, PhD provides collaborative leadership in early-stage MedTech that is distinguished by a passion for addressing real-world clinical challenges with thoughtful user-centric solutions. An engineering graduate of MIT and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, she builds purposeful coalitions of healthcare providers, product teams, and commercial professionals with a focus on optimizing user experience and achieving sustainable commercial and clinical success. Robin is currently Director of Marketing at Activ Surgical, a Boston-based startup focused on the development of next-generation surgical sensing capabilities. She has previous early-stage surgical robotics experience with TransEnterix and Neocis. She is valued in her field as a trusted advisor and mentor who practices authentic front-line leadership.
	Ana Alyeska Santos Ana Alyeska Santos works as an Engineer in Biosense Webster, Inc. (BWI), a medical device company under Johnson & Johnson. Yeska received her bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering from Cal Poly Pomona in May 2019.