The role of the bioengineering external advisory board
The bioengineering external advisory board makes meaningful contributions to the bioengineering department in its mission to sustain academic excellence by continually improving curriculum and training our students to become technically competent and prepared to address the ever-changing needs of society. The board plays a critical role in enhancing academia-industry collaborations and recruiting new industry partners to our programs.
In particular, the board advocates and promotes our academic programs to local industries and institutes in the Bay Area and beyond. The board also provides input to the department, supporting its teaching, research, and outreach activities. The input is also valuable in planning for new programs and setting directions for the department.
We greatly appreciate board members’ efforts in connecting our students to medical device and biotech companies for internships and employment opportunities. Some board members are also active in co-advising students engaged in senior design and other research projects and serving as judges for the annual senior design conference.
The current members of the board include respected leaders and entrepreneurs from local industries as well as medical practitioners from local hospitals and clinics.
Principal Scientific Manager II, Biochemical & Cellular Pharmacology, Genentech
Senior Consultant, Integrated Project Management Company, Inc.
Chief Operating Officer, Provisio Medical
Principal Consultant, WH Consulting Inc.
Chief Executive Officer, Smartlens, Inc.
Partner, AZCA Inc.
Head of Data & AI, Best Buy Health
President, CEO, Director, Venova Medical
CEO & Co-Founder, Somnology, Inc.
I’ve had the privilege of advising the Bioengineering Program at SCU for several years, mentoring undergraduates and coaching senior projects in instrumentation and biosignal processing. SCU students consistently match or exceed the caliber of their peers from other institutions, and the rising quality of senior projects reflects the program’s commitment to excellence. Beyond technical skills, SCU instills in its students a strong moral compass—critical in biomedical fields where integrity and societal impact matter deeply."
"As a lecturer, advisor, and longtime employer of SCU interns and graduates, I’ve gained valuable insight into the program. SCU Bioengineering students are well-prepared for internships, and graduates transition smoothly into the medical technology and device industries. Alongside engineering fundamentals, they develop skills in CAD, prototyping, biomaterials, testing, and regulatory systems. Alumni have joined top companies including Abbott, Boston Scientific, Intuitive Surgical, Medtronic, Penumbra, and Stryker."
"I have had the opportunity to advise two SCU Bioengineering teams on their capstone projects. In each of these projects I was impressed with the capabilities of all of the 3 team members. They demonstrated excellent engineering skills, the ability to effectively perform key research to clearly understand and define the clinical need they were solving and cohesive and productive teamwork in developing a solution to the need."