Innovation Medicine Program (IMED)

Born and raised in Taipei, Taiwan, Arthur moved to sunny southern California to attend Harvey Mudd College. Aside from premedical studies, he has developed a diverse technical skill set through elective courses, a tissue engineering research experience on corneal wound healing, and an industry-sponsored senior capstone project in medical device development. He then completed a master’s program in applied life sciences at the Keck Graduate Institute, where he helped lead a team-based project in medical diagnostics, and conducted clinical research on sepsis screening for his master’s thesis. These experiences have led him to believe that innovation can take many forms, and that non-technical solutions could be just as valuable as complex gadgets in improving patient care. Through the IMED program, he looks forward to learning from physicians actively involved in innovating healthcare, solidifying his particular area of interest, and working alongside motivated peers. Outside of school, Arthur loves bubble tea/boba, Asian food, casual hiking, racquet sports, playing piano/guitar, and growing in his faith. He also spends too much time watching YouTube videos and following Major League Baseball.

Melanie grew up in Vernon Hills, IL, a northwest suburb of Chicago. She attended Case Western Reserve University and graduated in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering. While at CWRU, Melanie conducted numerous clinical research projects in the Emergency Department of University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center. She also pursued tissue engineering research focused on using stem cells for bone tissue regeneration. Before joining the UICCOM Class of 2023, Melanie continued her undergraduate research focused on using RNA spatial patterning in high cell density constructs for therapeutic controlled gene expression. Additionally, she worked as an emergency department medical scribe and volunteered for a hospice and palliative care organization. As a member of the IMED program, Melanie is looking forward to using her engineering background to explore novel approaches to medicine. Outside of school, Melanie enjoys Zumba classes, spending time with family, and trying new restaurants in Chicago.

Eric Cooper graduated with a degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Minnesota. During his time in Minnesota, Eric performed research on deep brain stimulation technology within The Minnesota Neuromodulation Lab and interned with the Earl E. Bakken Medical Devices Center where he focused on design and fast prototyping of medical solutions including a novel microfracture device for improved cartilage repair. After graduation, Eric worked as a Research & Development engineer at Boston Scientific with a focus on peripheral vascular disease and interventional oncology. Here Eric was a part of an interdisciplinary group that performed clinical and market research to expand the company’s R&D portfolio and grow its product markets. Eric also spent time as an EMT within several EMS organizations. Now as a member of the IMED program, Eric looks to use his experiences in device innovation to bring together teams that can address unmet clinical needs and improve healthcare delivery. In his free time, Eric enjoys skiing, attending concerts, playing cello & guitar in his performing string duo, and exploring all the great local food spots.

After growing up in Massachusetts, Martine left the Bay State to get her electrical engineering degree from Virginia Tech. Curious to experience many different perspectives, she moved to four different states over the next five years and worked in several different industries, including sales, education, software development, and engineering. She enjoys working with diverse groups of individuals to solve hard problems and looks forward to bringing this cross-disciplinary approach to medicine. She is excited about the opportunity to put this into practice through the IMED program by gaining the tools required to identify potential areas for innovation and learning how to bring together teams to transform these ideas into solutions. When not studying, she can be found reading, baking, going to the gym, and managing her multifamily rental property in the Logan Square neighborhood.

Sunil Dommaraju was born and raised in Westmont, Illinois but moved to Chicago to attend the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he attained a B.S. in Bioengineering in May of 2019. There, under the guidance of the Department of Anesthesiology, Sunil developed a novel, quantitative method to analyze histology of lung injury due to 72-hour exposure to inhaled anesthetics. This research served as his Honors capstone project. For his senior design project in bioengineering, Sunil helped develop a medical device that facilitates prone head positioning following ophthalmic surgery, for which his team won first place in the category of Rehabilitation Engineering at UIC EXPO. He is nationally recognized by the American Forensics Association as a top 12 speaker in multiple categories of public speaking. Sunil hopes that the IMED program will further cultivate his interests in medical technology and health care design to better address health inequity. Apart from academia, Sunil enjoys watching coming-of-age films, cooking, and traveling.

Samer Habeel grew up in Ann Arbor and attended the University of Michigan where he graduated with a degree in Biomedical Engineering. During his time there, he worked on transforming a night vision scope into a fluorescence lifetime imaging microscope to one day be used as a medical diagnostic device. He also worked in a nanoparticle research lab, where he optimized the Electrohydrodynamic co-jetting method of creating nanoparticles that have proven effective in early treatment of glioblastoma on mice. He also worked on creating a non-invasive and cost-efficient blood pressure sensor, using signal processing and instrumentation techniques. He also worked on adding an ergonomics division to Formula SAE with the goal of simulating the human experience in a 3-D environment. Taking this skillset to industry, he started as a design engineer and program coordinator at Nissan while working on next generation vehicles. He hopes to use this engineering design creativity coupled with doctoring and clinical skills to innovate new technologies in medicine.

Rahul Kataria was born and raised in northern New Jersey and attended Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ. There, Rahul earned a bachelors in Cell Biology and Neuroscience and Physics in May 2018. His honors research project investigated presynaptic protein synthesis in mammalian central nervous system tissues. He used techniques in electrophysiology, immunohistochemistry, and advanced microscopy to look further into the inner workings of the brain. Furthermore, Rahul was an active member in multiple organizations including the Rutgers Ski and Snowboard Team, East Brunswick Rescue Squad, and the Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity. Following graduation, Rahul served as an AmeriCorps service member in Boston, MA. Here, he taught 6th grade mathematics at Match Charter Public School with the goal of increasing educational attainment in financially disadvantaged minority groups. Rahul is excited to be a part of IMED, where he hopes to one day apply what he learns to find innovative solutions for problems frequently encountered in medical practice. For recreation, Rahul enjoys snowboarding, hiking, and being outdoors.

Kyle Kelly grew up in western Pennsylvania, and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh, where he obtained his B.S. degree in Biology. After undergraduate, he continued his education at the University of Florida, where he achieved his PhD in Pharmacodynamics. His research focused on investigating the neurophysiological basis of memory, and how memory is disrupted in advanced age. Specifically, he utilized in vitro whole-cell electrophysiology to investigate age-related changes in neurotransmitter signaling in various regions of the rodent brain. Upon completing his PhD, Kyle accepted a position as a postdoctoral fellow in the Physiology department at Northwestern University, where further pursued research under a mechanisms of aging and dementia training grant. Kyle is excited to join IMED and address real-world clinical problems, from finding opportunities for innovation to implementation. Outside of work, Kyle enjoys baking bread and pizza, practicing guitar, and playing with his tiny dogs.

James Nie grew up in Springfield, Illinois. He attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he majored in Mechanical Engineering and minored in Bioengineering and Electrical Engineering. While at the university, he conducted research in tissue biomechanics. He also worked at Caterpillar, Inc as an additive engineering intern. James is excited to apply his engineering background through the IMED program to advance medical innovation. In his free time, James enjoys reading, skiing, and hockey.

Isidore Pires believes that collaboration leads to innovation. Isidoregraduated with a BS in Computer Science from Illinois Institute of Technology. At GM Electromotive Division, he led a research team that examined how sharing product information and other technical details online can have an immediate, positive impact on solving clients’ problems and lead to greater collaboration and innovation in future products.Later, atthe University of Chicago, Isidore obtained an MS in Computer Science and worked on an internetbased viewer that enabled surgeons to discuss procedures using 3D anatomical images inreal time. As a professional software engineer, Isidoreworked on a multi-yearproject to create a direct, connected marketplace for buyers and sellers of media spots for cable television.This project facilitated communicationbetween senior executives, programmers, sales and marketing personnel.Isidore’s other pursuits include improvisational comedy, interactiverobotic animatronics, swimming, and jogging by the lake.Through IMED, Isidore hopes tocollaborate with other innovators to develop noveltherapies that will help improve care to underserved populations.

Vanitha grew up in Naperville, IL, a northwest suburb of Chicago. She went on to study Biomedical Engineering with a minor in Polymer Engineering at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH. During her time at CWRU, she worked on device development for the rapid treatment of Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy in newborns, and conducted research in drug delivery and cancer immunotherapy. This exposure to immunotherapy led her to the National Institutes of Health, where she worked on a translational team that carried out clinical trials for T-cell-based immunotherapies to treat HPV-related cancers. Through IMED, she hopes to develop as a physician-innovator and find novel, interdisciplinary solutions to make healthcare more equitable. Vanitha enjoys reading and traveling in addition to listening to music, which she can be found doing when she isn’t talking to friends.