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Starting Up: MTM grad launches Gauss Surgical

Satish (right) and mentor Prof. Michael Hsieh demo their platform at the 2011 USAID/Gates Grand Challenge finals. Photo courtesy of USAID.

While most of his peers are working at entry-level jobs or in graduate school, Siddarth Satish is CTO of a medical device startup company, has raised about $1 million in venture funding, hired several full-time staff, recruited a veteran entrepreneur as CEO, and is submitting designs to the FDA.

How do you get from ChemE undergrad to CTO of your own company in just under 2 years? Hard work, brains, ambition, and the Master of Translational Medicine program.

The Master of Translational Medicine program is a one-year master’s degree offered jointly by UC Berkeley and UCSF, aimed at accelerating the translation of cutting-edge research into advances in patient care. The curriculum combines bioengineering principles, clinical exposure, and business fundamentals – three critical components for modern medical innovation.

Finishing up his 2010 Berkeley B.S. in Chemical Engineering, Satish learned of the brand-new program and decided it was the perfect fit. He became one of only 16 students in the first entering class.

“I ended up saying that I don’t need a PHD right now,” said Satish of his decision, “this is what I was meant to do. I didn’t know MTM would push me toward this – that I would end up doing a startup right after school – but this is exactly where I wanted to end up.”     Read more >

Alumni profile: Mia Shanholtzer

We caught up with Mia Shanholtzer, B.S. 2009, to learn about life as an R&D Engineer at Medtronic Cardiovascular Division.

What do you like best about the work you do?

The most rewarding part of my job is the satisfaction of knowing that my efforts directly contribute to the creation of a product that will preserve thousands of lives. Every four seconds, a Medtronic device or therapy is used to treat a patient somewhere in the world. I feel so privileged to be a part of that!

What did you have to learn the hard way?

I have struggled with learning to be more patient with myself. As a young engineer in the workplace, I am surrounded by colleagues who have many more years of experience than I do. I have found this frustrating at times, because it bothers me when I don’t immediately understand something. But I have learned that I can’t reasonably expect myself to be an expert after only one year on the job! I try to approach each day as an opportunity to learn and grow as a young professional. Read more >

Recent News

Two BioE’s in 30 under 30!

Congratulations to Bioengineering Ph.D. student Mozziyar Etemadi and B.S. alumnus Albert Mach, both named in this year’s Forbes Magazine 30 Under 30 list.

Mozzi was recognized for his work developing a mobile device to detect pre-term labor in high-risk pregnancies and alert the physician via the cloud, performed in UCSF Professor Shuvo Roy’s laboratory. Albert, currently a Ph.D. student at UCLA, has been recognized for his centrifuge on a chip, which could provide a rapid way to detect cancer via a blood test.

Read More >

Berkeley BioE ranked in Top Ten!

UC Berkeley Bioengineering was ranked in the TOP TEN undergraduate AND graduate bioengineering programs in the United States, according to US News and World Report Best Colleges rankings. As part of a fairly young department, the Berkeley BioE undergraduate program has consistently been ranked in the top 15 for the past several years, now jumping up to tie for the #10 spot with the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. The UC Berkeley – UCSF Graduate Program in Bioengineering was also ranked in the top ten once again this year.

Go BioE Bears! Read More>

Our faculty and students are still collecting awards, including AIMBE Fellowships for Adam Arkin, Luke Lee and Lisa Pruitt; a Gates grant for Luke Lee; the Widmer poster award for student Akwasi Apori; and the Ellen Weaver award for Amy Herr. Congratulations to all!

There’s more news online!

Do you have big news? Let us know at bioeng@berkeley.edu