Meet The Nepal Team! Pt. 5: Aakash

Aakash Saraiya

Hello! I'm Aakash and I'm a senior in high school. I am from Dallas, Texas and am interning with Jhpiego this summer. My project involves observing minimally invasive surgery with Ian and Patience. My focuses include medical devices and infection prevention. I have worked on a project called CryoPop, a low-cost cryotherapy device that freezes and kills cancer cells in the cervix. I enjoy traveling, reading, hiking, and playing basketball. I am very excited to have the opportunity to work with Jhpiego and know this will be a fantastic trip!

Meet the Nepal Team! Pt. 4: Ian

                                                                               Ian Graham
Hi, I'm Ian! I'm from Connecticut, and I did my undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins. In the past, I worked at Covidien in the new product development division of surgical stapling, at the JHU Applied Physics Laboratory studying injury biomechanics, and at Jhpiego aiding in the progress of a cervical cancer prevention device. I am interested in global health, biomechanics and orthopaedics, and device design and usability, especially after my experience adapting cryotherapy technology for LMICs. My other past projects include a hip fracture prevention device, a lower limb prosthesis for the developing world, and development of a novel soft tissue scaffold for regeneration of adipose tissuel. In my free time, I enjoy reading, playing and watching lacrosse, and building/carpentry. I'm looking forward to working on exploring the world of minimally invasive surgery in Nepal with my ground partner, Patience, and I'm excited for the trip to start!

Meet the Nepal Team! Pt. 3: Allie

Allie Sibole

Namaste! I'm Allie, and I'm incredibly excited for this trip! I'm originally from Oregon, and I studied bioengineering and mechanical engineering at Santa Clara University in California. I'll be collaborating with Aaron and our teammates in India and Indonesia to find ways to reduce the complications associated with preterm births in low-resource communities. I'm particularly interested in frugal innovation, and my most recent project involved designing a low-cost, point-of-use device to detect arsenic in groundwater. When I'm not trying to save lives and change the world through engineering, I enjoy running, baking, reading, and playing piano.

Meet the Nepal Team! Pt. 2: Patience

 Patience A. Osei

Hi, I'm Patience Osei! I'm from Gaborone, Botswana and completed my undergraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering with a pre-med track at Bucknell University. I am interested in the development of high-quality, low-fidelity medical devices for the developing world and general global health. My past work includes an independent study on astigmatism diagnosis, the development of a fall risk assessment device, an open surgical simulator, an atherosclerotic artery model, and consultation for a software start-up.  In my free time, I enjoy traveling, cooking cultural cuisines and singing.

Meet the Nepal Team! Pt. 1: Aaron

Aaron Chang

Hi, I'm Aaron! I'm from Texas and did my undergraduate work in biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins. I have interests in global health and general medical device development, and I also work with a local anti-human trafficking organization, Safe House of Hope. My past projects include a laparoscopic tissue retractor, cardioversion device, and indicators for controlled temperature chain vaccine transport.  In my free time, I like to read, run, and write.  Looking forward to a great time in Nepal while making an impact in the pre-term space with my on the ground partner Allie, and our pre-term project teammates spread out across Indonesia and India.

NEPAL.AUGUST.2014
Aaron Chang, Allie Sibole, Patience Osei, Ian Graham

We are 4 masters students in the Johns Hopkins Center for Bioengineering Innovation and Design who will be travelling to Norway and Nepal from 8/2-8/24 to explore global health challenges in preterm delivery and minimially invasive surgery.  Join us on our adventure here!