The MedTech Talent Accelerator prepares Master鈥檚 and Ph.D. students at 麻豆AV and Ryerson for careers in the medical technology industry.
The program includes an industry-focused,聽self-paced online course聽before placing students in industry internships at the end of their studies: 4-month internships for Master鈥檚 students, and 8-month internships for Ph.D.鈥檚. The program also features industry seminars, professional development workshops, a job shadow, and an industry-themed hackathon.
The online course was developed specifically for this program, in collaboration with industry and academic experts, to prepare students for internships and careers in the MedTech industry. Modules include: 1) Clinical Trials, 2) Research Ethics, 3) Quality Management & Regulatory Affairs, 4) Intellectual Property, 5) Reimbursement, and 6) Finance.
The challenge for this year's HackMedTech hackathon is 'Omitting the need for carbohydrate counting for people with Type 1 diabetes'.聽Students participating in the program will have a chance to solve a challenge posed by the MedTech industry, and learn from speakers and mentors including industry professionals, researchers, regulators, clinicians, and patients.聽聽
All graduate students nearing the end of their studies are !
Any 麻豆AV students or Montreal-based MedTech companies interested in the program should contact translation.bme [at] mcgill.ca (subject: MedTech%20Talent%20Accelerator)
The program鈥檚 first cohort included 16 students from across disciplines at 麻豆AV and Ryerson, and 15 MedTech companies to host internships. Read more for features on two 麻豆AV students and their internship hosts:
Kaushar Jahan, PhD,聽Dental Science/ Tissue Engineering, Faculty of Dentistry
Supervisor: Maryam Tabrizian, Biomedical Engineering
Internship Host: STEMCELL Technologies
Kaushar completed an 8-month internship at STEMCELL Technologies, a MedTech company that develops cell culture media, cell separation systems, instruments, and other reagents for use in life sciences research. Her internship was both on-site and remote. Before the pandemic, Kaushar was able to participate in some company events and activities in Vancouver. She enjoyed attending team-bonding activities and events at STEMCELL, which provided ample networking opportunities.
As Kaushar explains, "during my internship experience with STEMCELL Technologies, I worked directly with the Mesenchymal Stromal Cell (MSC) Team in testing several bioinks with the company's MSC media product line. I was able to work with a state-of-the-art bioprinter to assess cellular functions inside 3D-printed bioconstructs. This was a great learning experience that brought me to the conclusion that the industry was the career path I would like to follow.鈥�
Kaushar's internship duties required a fair amount of reading and learning. She聽quickly learned she would need to excel at managing her time, seeing this as a similarity between academia and industry.
Kaushar described an easy transition into the culture and work environment at STEMCELL, and credited being assigned a great scientist as a mentor and supervisor. Whenever a learning curve became apparent, Kaushar remembers her mentor always helping聽to form new connections聽so she could learn and overcome.
At STEMCELL, Kaushar witnessed聽how a product moves from R&D, to quality control,聽to marketing. She noted the fine balancing act between planning and executing at a high level of detail while optimizing efficiency.
When she joined the MedTech Talent Accelerator program, Kaushar was unsure of her future career plans. Her internship helped her decide she wants to further her career in the MedTech industry. She advises, 鈥渇or anyone not sure what they want to do or having doubts, this program is a great tool to help explore, and to let you decide with valuable experience.鈥�
Miguel聽Romero Sepulveda, M.Sc., Physiology
Supervisors: Alvin Shrier and聽Gil Bub,聽Physiology
Internship Host: Elekta
Miguel completed a 4-month internship at Elekta, a MedTech company focusing on clinical radiotherapy treatment for cancer & brain disorders. While based in Sweden, the company operates across the world, including an office based in Montreal.
At Elekta, Miguel participated in a variety of projects surrounding regulatory affairs聽for medical software. As he explains, "during my internship, I assisted the Quality Assurance team with maintenance and creation of technical and regulatory documentation for medical users in order to fulfill international regulations. The documentation included operation manuals, instructions for use, and training material for in hospital medical staff."
Regarding the entire experience, Miguel acknowledges, 鈥渢he MedTech Talent Accelerator worked as a great middle-person in a busy and stressful time to connect me to an opportunity that ended up being perfect for me. My experience with both聽the Talent Accelerator program and Elekta was fantastic.聽I would recommend the program to anyone interested in developing a career in the MedTech industry."