There is a global shift in the teaching methodology of science and engineering toward multidisciplinary, team-based processes. To meet the demands of an evolving technical industry and lead the way in engineering education, innovative curricula are essential. This paper describes the development of multidisciplinary, team-based learning environments in undergraduate and graduate engineering curricula focused on medical device design. In these programs, students actively collaborate with clinicians, professional engineers, business professionals, and their peers to develop innovative solutions to real-world problems. In the undergraduate senior capstone courses, teams of biomedical engineering (BME) and business students have produced and delivered numerous functional prototypes to satisfied clients. Pursuit of commercialization of devices has led to intellectual property (IP) disclosures and patents. Assessments have indicated high levels of success in attainment of student learning outcomes and student satisfaction with their undergraduate design experience. To advance these projects toward commercialization and further promote innovative team-based learning, a Master of Engineering (MEng) in Design and Commercialization was recently launched. The MEng facilitates teams of graduate students in engineering, life sciences, and business who engage in innovation-commercialization (IC) projects and coursework that take innovative ideas through research and development (R&D) to create marketable devices. The activities are structured with students working together as a “virtual company,” with targeted outcomes of commercialization (license agreements and new start-ups), competitive job placement, and/or career advancement.
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July 2016
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Team-Based Development of Medical Devices: An Engineering–Business Collaborative
Alan W. Eberhardt,
Alan W. Eberhardt
Professor
Fellow ASME
Department of Biomedical Engineering,
University of Alabama at Birmingham,
Hoehn 361, 1075 13th Street South,
Birmingham, AL 35294-4440
e-mail: aeberhar@uab.edu
Fellow ASME
Department of Biomedical Engineering,
University of Alabama at Birmingham,
Hoehn 361, 1075 13th Street South,
Birmingham, AL 35294-4440
e-mail: aeberhar@uab.edu
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Ophelia L. Johnson,
Ophelia L. Johnson
School of Engineering,
University of Alabama at Birmingham,
1075 13th Street South,
Birmingham, AL 35294-4440
e-mail: opheliaj@uab.edu
University of Alabama at Birmingham,
1075 13th Street South,
Birmingham, AL 35294-4440
e-mail: opheliaj@uab.edu
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William B. Kirkland,
William B. Kirkland
Engineering Innovation Technology Development,
University of Alabama at Birmingham,
1720 Second Avenue South,
Birmingham, AL 35294
e-mail: rocwbk@uab.edu
University of Alabama at Birmingham,
1720 Second Avenue South,
Birmingham, AL 35294
e-mail: rocwbk@uab.edu
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Joel H. Dobbs,
Joel H. Dobbs
Collat School of Business,
University of Alabama at Birmingham,
BEC 319B, 1150 10th Avenue South,
Birmingham, AL 35294-4460
e-mail: jhdobbs@uab.edu
University of Alabama at Birmingham,
BEC 319B, 1150 10th Avenue South,
Birmingham, AL 35294-4460
e-mail: jhdobbs@uab.edu
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Lee G. Moradi
Lee G. Moradi
Engineering Innovation Technology Development,
University of Alabama at Birmingham,
1720 Second Avenue South,
Birmingham, AL 35294
e-mail: moradi@uab.edu
University of Alabama at Birmingham,
1720 Second Avenue South,
Birmingham, AL 35294
e-mail: moradi@uab.edu
Search for other works by this author on:
Alan W. Eberhardt
Professor
Fellow ASME
Department of Biomedical Engineering,
University of Alabama at Birmingham,
Hoehn 361, 1075 13th Street South,
Birmingham, AL 35294-4440
e-mail: aeberhar@uab.edu
Fellow ASME
Department of Biomedical Engineering,
University of Alabama at Birmingham,
Hoehn 361, 1075 13th Street South,
Birmingham, AL 35294-4440
e-mail: aeberhar@uab.edu
Ophelia L. Johnson
School of Engineering,
University of Alabama at Birmingham,
1075 13th Street South,
Birmingham, AL 35294-4440
e-mail: opheliaj@uab.edu
University of Alabama at Birmingham,
1075 13th Street South,
Birmingham, AL 35294-4440
e-mail: opheliaj@uab.edu
William B. Kirkland
Engineering Innovation Technology Development,
University of Alabama at Birmingham,
1720 Second Avenue South,
Birmingham, AL 35294
e-mail: rocwbk@uab.edu
University of Alabama at Birmingham,
1720 Second Avenue South,
Birmingham, AL 35294
e-mail: rocwbk@uab.edu
Joel H. Dobbs
Collat School of Business,
University of Alabama at Birmingham,
BEC 319B, 1150 10th Avenue South,
Birmingham, AL 35294-4460
e-mail: jhdobbs@uab.edu
University of Alabama at Birmingham,
BEC 319B, 1150 10th Avenue South,
Birmingham, AL 35294-4460
e-mail: jhdobbs@uab.edu
Lee G. Moradi
Engineering Innovation Technology Development,
University of Alabama at Birmingham,
1720 Second Avenue South,
Birmingham, AL 35294
e-mail: moradi@uab.edu
University of Alabama at Birmingham,
1720 Second Avenue South,
Birmingham, AL 35294
e-mail: moradi@uab.edu
Manuscript received December 1, 2015; final manuscript received February 12, 2016; published online June 7, 2016. Assoc. Editor: Kristen Billiar.
J Biomech Eng. Jul 2016, 138(7): 070803 (5 pages)
Published Online: June 7, 2016
Article history
Received:
December 1, 2015
Revised:
February 12, 2016
Citation
Eberhardt, A. W., Johnson, O. L., Kirkland, W. B., Dobbs, J. H., and Moradi, L. G. (June 7, 2016). "Team-Based Development of Medical Devices: An Engineering–Business Collaborative." ASME. J Biomech Eng. July 2016; 138(7): 070803. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4032805
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