Bridging the Gap between Engineering and Medicine

Joanna Ma, Biomedical Engineer

I call myself a user-centric biomedical engineer.  A biomedical engineer works on designing systems and products for healthcare purposes (i.e. implants, diagnostic machines, medical imaging), and is the “translator” who closes the gap between engineering and medicine.  Holding a Bachelors and Masters degree in Biomedical Engineering, my academic career has been rather interdisciplinary.  A typical curriculum consists of learning the basics of each discipline (i.e. mechanical, electrical, chemical engineering as well as material and computer science), and then specializing in a field of study: biomechanics, tissue engineering, biomaterials, neuroscience, medical imaging.  Traditionally, biomedical engineers work at biotech, pharma, and medical device companies either in R&D quality or project management.

Wanting a position in both user experience and product design, I took a very long-winded route to get to where I am today.  Despite my background, companies traditionally hire mechanical and electrical engineers for the positions I was looking for.  I ultimately want to work on projects where I can change things in healthcare from a user’s perspective.  I currently work as a hardware engineer at a biotech startup in San Francisco that makes bioprinters.  These bioprinters help researchers replicate human responses in a culture plate.  In my day-to day, I work on everything from hardware, documentation, user testing, project management and design work.  It’s been amazing to see how much user focus has changed in healthcare just over the last few years. 

If you want to become a biomedical engineer but want to work on hardware, I’d recommend picking one of the more traditional disciplines, such as mechanical and electrical engineering, and then specializing in a biomedical-related study later on.  Don’t be afraid to start networking early, to ask questions, and to never give up!  I’ve worked a lot of volunteer positions to get where I am today, but all of these experiences make up my career today and I am incredibly grateful for it.