ENGenuity Issue 3: Spring 2023
Professor Tai's research focuses on bio/medical devices, and his leadership has been a driving force behind the success of the Andrew and Peggy Cherng Department of Medical Engineering (MedE). In addition to serving as the first Leadership Chair and Executive Officer of MedE, he was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering in 2021.
EAS Caltech Community,
Since its founding ten years ago, the Andrew and Peggy Cherng Department of Medical Engineering (MedE) at Caltech has been at the cutting-edge of healthcare research. Driven by a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, MedE faculty, postdoctoral scholars, students, and alumni have collaborated across fields to develop new medical devices, therapies, and technologies to improve modern medicine—and you can read about some of these breakthroughs below.
As we mark Cherng MedE's 10th anniversary, we look forward to furthering the legacy of innovation and entrepreneurship, and continuing to support the next generation of leaders exploring new frontiers in healthcare.
Harry Atwater
Otis Booth Leadership Chair, Division of Engineering and Applied Science
From brain sensors to gene therapy, the spirit of innovation thrives in the Andrew and Peggy Cherng Department of Medical Engineering (MedE). As MedE marks its tenth anniversary in 2023, its alumni are already making an entrepreneurial impact in health care. ENGenuity spoke with four MedE alumni, Shane Shahrestani (MS '19, PhD '21), Alessandro Maggi (MS '16, PhD ‘17), Tatyana Dobreva (PhD '22), and Colin Cook (PhD '18) to learn about their companies, innovations, and what brought them to Medical Engineering at Caltech. Launch the story.
Gypsy Achong has leveraged her early passion for mathematics into a consulting career focused on environmental science and technical advocacy, with stops along the way.
Read more.
Curiosity, confidence, rigor, and humility were all potent elements of a Caltech education for Kevin Noertker, and they underpin his current pursuit of bringing electrification to the skies. Read more.
Landry Djodom has taken an unexpected path from aeronautics to the financial sector. But his interest in financial research and modeling isn't a major change in direction, it's an enthralling challenge that leverages the unique benefits of a Caltech education. Read more.
Lei Li is a newly minted professor at Rice University and a pioneer in the field of photoacoustic imaging, where his research has the potential to diagnose cancer earlier and better understand the brain. Read more.