BME Design Fellows

An intensive design program for BME students

The Biomedical Engineering Fellows is an intensive design program for BME students interested in pursuing careers in medical technology that will provide them with practical design experience.

Academics

The courses in this program will allow students to become comfortable with performing electronic and mchanical computer aided design (CAD), printed circuit board (PCB) layout and fabrication, and electronic signal processing in hardware and with microcontrollers. Each student will design, construct and demonstrate a functional medical instrument based on a clinical need identified by a Duke University Medical Center clinician, and their device will be tested and iterated on through low-medium-high fidelity prototyping. Students will also be exposed to the FDA medical device clearance process.

The program involves the following courses:

  • Freshman Design (EGR101) [required for all Pratt students]
  • Medtech Device Prototyping Skills (BME290L) [recommended sophomore or junior year, counts as general BME elective]
    • CAD
    • 3D printing
    • ECAD (schematic capture, PCB layout & fabrication)
    • Analog & digital circuit design; microcontrollers
    • Electronics specification testing
    • Agile Project Management / Kanban Boards
  • Medical Device Design I (BME 473L) [senior fall, can count as BME general elevtice or IM advanced elective]
  • Medical Device Design II (BME474L) [senior spring, counts as BME design requirement]
  • Advanced Design Elective
    • Medical Software Design (BME547, can count as BME general elective or IM advanced elective)
    • Quality Systems for BME (BME590) [prereq: BME474L]
    • Advanced Design & Manufacturing (BME590L) [prereq: BME474L]
    • Medical Product Reimbursement (BME590L)
    • Design Project Independent Study (requires pre-approval)

Faculty Advisors

Mark Palmeri

Mark Palmeri

Professor of the Practice (Director and Program Founder)

mark.palmeri@duke.edu

Bio »

Eric S Richardson

Eric S Richardson

Professor of the Practice (Director of Design Health)

eric.s.richardson@duke.edu

Bio »

Aaron Kyle

Aaron Kyle

Professor of the Practice

aaron.kyle@duke.edu

Bio »

Industry and Medical Center Opportunities

Students who participate in this program frequently engage in summer internships with biomedical engineering companies, both inside and outside Research Triangle Part (RTP), including:  

Students have had opportunities to design medical devices in various departments within Duke University Hospital, including: 

  • Duke University School of Nursing 
  • Duke Surgery
  • Duke Gastroenterology 
  • Duke Urology
  • Duke Neurology
  • Duke Pediatrics

How to Apply

Click here to apply for the Design Fellows program (applications open October 09, 2023 and close October 30, 2023).  Please note that this application process will be open to both sophomores and juniors starting the Spring 2023 semester.

Stay Connected

See a highlighted project on an mHealth Tympanometer that BME Design Fellows have worked on to help screen children for hearing loss in low-resource areas.