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Brown is Different: How Brown’s Biomedical Engineering Graduate Programs Set Themselves Apart

October 24, 2024
Ciara Meyer

Brown University’s biomedical engineers have been making waves for decades. Some of the first BME researchers were Brown faculty members, working in the 1960s and 70s to develop artificial organs. 

With the establishment of the Center for Biomedical Engineering in 2002, the seeds were planted for the BME world Brown students know today: a world now housed within the Institute of Biology, Engineering, and Medicine (I-BEAM). 

Dr. Marissa Gray, BME Master’s Program Director, and Dr. Vikas Srivastava and Dr. Michelle Dawson, BME Co-Directors of Graduate Studies, are working tirelessly to ensure Brown BME continues to set itself apart. Srivastava says their role, in the broadest sense, is to “make sure that the health of the program is maintained and…keeps on improving.”

From Brown BME’s early days, the program’s trajectory has only been upward — and its impact on patients has been profound. While the program’s strength can be attributed to countless factors, its core is defined by customization, clinical connections, and a close-knit community. 

“Customize your curriculum:” Tailoring the BME Experience to Your Needs

Brown’s undergraduate experience is defined by the Open Curriculum, which allows students to customize their course load without spending time on general education requirements. “That carries over a bit into the master’s program,” said Dr. Gray. As a student, you can “customize your curriculum.”

“Other biomedical engineering programs are very structured and rigid — and that can work for a lot of students,” said Dr. Gray. At Brown, though, “students really have the chance to choose their courses. If they want to concentrate their courses in a particular sub-area of BME, they can do that. If they want more of a broad education, they can do that.”

Starting in Fall 2025, Brown will have two BME master's programs — one for a master’s of science and the other for a master’s of engineering. The master’s of science program will be split into the two tracks currently available in Brown BME — the research track and the design track. If students are interested in going to a Ph.D. program, the master’s of science track would be a good fit. For those students, there will also be an academic sub-track focused on Ph.D. application support.

For industry-oriented students, the master's of engineering program will offer a coursework-only curriculum and will not require the completion of a thesis. All students can participate in co-ops, gaining real-world experience while completing their degrees. 

The two programs will allow Brown BME to be “a little bit more creative in our program offerings,” said Dr. Gray. 

At the Ph.D. level, Dr. Srivastava said customization is also a key aspect of Brown’s program. “We have a very diverse faculty,” he said. “And that also reflects in our students because they are being trained in different areas of biomedical engineering.”

“A real strength:” Connecting with Clinicians 

Under the umbrella of I-BEAM—and due to Brown’s close relationship with hospitals in Rhode Island—Brown BME students can work closely with clinicians. “It’s a real strength that we have in our BME program — to be able to have access to clinicians, physicians, and medical researchers along with engineers” Dr. Srivastava said, recalling when a very well-known neurosurgeon Dr. Albert Telfeian at Brown’s Warren Alpert Medical School approached him directly, asking for help. 

The surgeon had conducted countless complex surgeries placing the effective paddle-type design of spinal cord stimulation devices in the epidural space crucial for helping patients manage pain. But these surgeries are invasive, complicated, and very expensive for patients. Patients often need to travel far to access a surgeon with sufficient expertise to execute the procedure. 

“It has been a big challenge,” said Dr. Srivastava. The surgeon knew Dr. Srivastava’s research work and publications on smart materials and shape memory materials — materials that can change shape following an actuation. The neurosurgeon asked if Dr. Srivastava’s lab could help conceptualize and develop a device that could be inserted with a minimally invasive, outpatient procedure — a device that would use smart materials to change its shape once inserted into a patient's spinal area. 

“It would allow a lot more people to have access to this really effective spinal cord stimulation device since an outpatient procedure can be accessed even in pain clinics” said Dr. Srivastava. Then, patients would potentially be less likely to rely on opioids to manage their pain.

Now, the device that neurosurgeon and Dr. Srivastava dreamed up is getting closer to being commercialized working with Brown Technology and Innovation Office and a leading minimally invasive endoscopic surgery company. Work conducted in Dr. Srivastava’s lab with the help of his students is on its way to potentially having a concrete impact on patients struggling to manage their pain. 

Through partnerships with clinicians, Brown BME graduate students can work with actual patients to improve their research. And physicians are eager to work with Brown’s students.

Since I-BEAM was founded, Dr. Gray said clinical faculty have started “reaching out to me” and asking “my colleague has a master’s student, can I have one too?” Clinicians “want master’s students to work in their lab to help with their research,” she said. 

“One of our strengths has always been clinical research,” Dr. Gray said. New programs being launched by I-BEAM this year will expose more students to those opportunities, she said.

“The Brown community is really accepting:” Finding community and collaboration

Brown’s BME graduate programs are competitive to get into for students and faculty alike, said Dr. Gray, and yet “when you get here, everyone is very helpful.” The collaborative spirit at Brown is enhanced by the diversity of student interests.

“I’ve advised hundreds of students at this point,” said Dr. Gray. “There’s no two people that have done the exact same thing.” People aren’t trying to compete with each other, said Dr. Gray, because they all recognize the unique strengths and interests they bring to the BME community. 

In and outside of the lab, there’s “a freedom to be creative and put your own unique style on things, and no one judges you for that,” said Dr. Gray. “The Brown community is really accepting.” 

Due to Brown’s smaller size, “it is much more close and integrated,” said Dr. Srivastava. “Faculty and student interaction is much closer here.” That means students have more opportunities to develop mentoring relationships with faculty. It also means they can work with collaborators from different subspecialties and research backgrounds.

“Biomedical engineering problems are very interdisciplinary,” said Dr. Srivastava. Having people from diverse backgrounds “brings a lot of intellectual capital,” he added.

Collaboration in the lab also leads to a strong sense of community outside of the lab. “When we come together as a community, it’s really fun,” said Dr. Gray. Dr. Srivastava also emphasized that he and his Co-DGS Dr. Michelle Dawson’s belief in supporting students extends beyond academics: “it is not about just doing the scientific research,” he said. “They’re emphasizing doing the work in a fun way and reminding everyone to find time to maintain good mental and physical health.”