BIOENG 2173 - MEDICAL DESIGN FOR LOW RESOURCE ENVIRONMENTS

Minimum Credits: 3
Maximum Credits: 3
This course focuses on designing medical products, systems, and solutions for resource-poor settings using creative problem-solving tools in the face of extreme limits. Tools include Human-Centered Design, Frugal Innovation and Design for Extreme Affordability. The course is primarily project-based, where students’ projects will focus on a unique and specific challenge identified by a low resource hospital, partner, or the Engineering World Health (EWH) Design Competition. Student teams will work with their partner to implement the design thinking process to define the problem and iteratively ideate, prototype, and test their proposed solution. Student teams will also be partnered with a local domain expert to ensure they have access to the expertise needed to successfully complete the design within the constraints of the course. Throughout the semester, students will also receive hands-on experience and exposure to ongoing efforts to address the problems of medical device accessibility, usability, and feasibility in low resource environments and actively participate in regular classroom projects and discussions about low resource conditions, regulatory concerns, and engineering ethics amongst other topics. During this course, students will rigorously define and document a clinical need in a low resource environment, clearly define and communicate the clinical problem, prioritize feasible solution paths, and create a prototype for pre-clinical and clinical evaluation. After completing this course, students will have a deeper understanding of why empathy is so important to designing solutions that (actually) work for people and the benefits of applying the concepts of Frugal Innovation and Reverse Innovation to all their design and entrepreneurial efforts regardless of the problem or environment (globally or in their own backyard).
Academic Career: Graduate
Course Component: Lecture
Grade Component: Grad Letter Grade
Course Requirements: PLAN: Medical Product Engineering or Medical Product Innovation

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