Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering

Clinical Immersion

Support Experiential Learning

Clinical Immersion Program

The Clinical Immersion Program exposes biomedical engineering students to clinical experiences to help them understand the environment and constraints that must be considered for successful design of medical devices.

Through rotations with clinicians, students observe emergent events and take part in clinical simulations that rely on medical devices and biomedical technology. These experiences take place at the University of Colorado Health Medical Center of the Rockies and the University of Colorado Health Clinical Education and Innovation Center.

Your Impact Matters

Invest in the next generation.
Equip students with much-needed skills.
Help students gain real-life clinical experience.

Your Support Matters

One student - $3,000
10 students - $30,000
One student in perpetuity - $50,000
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Your Partnership Matters

Questions?
Ellen Brennan-Pierce
Director of Senior Design
Email Ellen
What happens often in our world is that an engineer shows up to the clinical side and says, ‘Look what I’ve done; look what I’ve designed; I feel your pain.’ But really, they don’t. They don’t see those restraints on the clinical side, and we don’t see the restraints on the engineering side.
Julie Dunn
Julie Dunn Medical Director of Trauma, UCHealth
One of my favorite rotations was in the operating room because it encompassed a plethora of medical devices and instruments. In speaking to the medical teams…I learned more about biomaterials and the significance of clinical heritage when considering implant design.
Annie Elefante
Annie Elefante BME+MECH Student Participant
This immersion program allows [students] to see how things are used, how they move in the body, the risks, and problems we encounter. They can observe what’s happening with the present designs, and it gives them a much better idea of reality as opposed to trying to create something without any access to a human body to see what it does. This makes their devices much more realistic.
Gary Luckasen
Gary LuckasenCardiologist, UCHealth
This [program] is crucial, and this will be another huge differentiator for the CSU BME program.
Dennis Schlaht
Dennis SchlahtSenior VP of R&D and Technology, ImpediMed, Inc.
A clear understanding of the clinical problem is half the solution. The Clinical Immersion Program provides students with real-life experience and understanding of the clinical environment, making them more valuable to an organization and healthcare overall.
Gary Johnson
Gary JohnsonGroup President, Applied Medical
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Practical, Hands-On Skills and Real-World Experience

Students who participate in the Clinical Immersion Program rotate through specific specialty areas that rely on medical devices and biomedical technology, such as anesthesia, trauma and acute care, surgery, orthopedic surgery, cardiology and cardiovascular surgery, interventional radiology, neurosurgery, intensive care unit, and bioengineering. With clinicians being one of the major users of devices developed by biomedical engineers, it is valuable for biomedical engineers to spend time interacting with clinicians and learning the language of the clinical environment.

At the culmination of the clinical immersion experience, students participate in a discussion with clinical providers to discuss perceived gaps, potential future directions of medical devices, and unmet needs. As a result of these interactions, students and clinicians co-develop ideas that can be incorporated into senior capstone design projects for the upcoming academic year.

Bringing unprecedented value to the workforce.