UC student studies engineering technology for public health
Biomedical engineering student wants to help solve some of healthcare’s most challenging, multifaceted problems
Public health is an incredibly complex, dynamic issue, one that is influenced by so many more factors than an individual’s health. Medical technology has advanced in unimaginable ways throughout the last decade, but there are still many barriers to implementing interventions where they are most needed.
Luke Jett, a fourth-year biomedical engineering student at the University of Cincinnati, considers those barriers to be personal challenges in the making.
“I would love to find work that allows me to apply engineering problem-solving strategies to efforts that make healthcare and technologies more accessible to all individuals in all areas of the world,” Jett explains.
Jett has a strong interest in public health, particularly in emergency medicine.
“I am fascinated by all the other factors that influence care outside of an individual’s current condition and medical history," says Jett. "This includes the importance of government policies, economic stability, and cultural influences in the US and abroad.”
Jett’s co-op experiences have been instrumental in developing into a professional over the past two years.
“I am proud to have progressed from being afraid to talk in meetings [during my first semester] to feeling like I can contribute and generate value, within and outside the company,” Jett says.
I would love to apply engineering problem-solving strategies to efforts that make healthcare and technologies more accessible to all individuals in all areas of the world.
Luke Jett, UC biomedical engineering student
Jett has spent three co-op semesters at AtriCure, a medical device company located in Mason, Ohio, that specializes in surgical devices for the treatment of atrial fibrillation and other related conditions.
Jett, who currently works in an advanced manufacturing engineering co-op position at Atricure, feels supported by his employer on a personal level.
“The engineers and professionals I have had the opportunity to work with truly invest in my development,” Jett says. “The company as a whole wants to see co-ops succeed, takes the time to train and educate them, and play a vital role in my successful co-op experiences.”
Through three rotations in different departments at Atricure, Jett’s professional responsibilities have evolved drastically. Regardless of the position he holds, Jett feels that soft skills — communication, team work, positive attitude and personal accountability — have been crucial to his development.
Jett cited his colleagues at Atricure as the highlight of his co-op experience.
“They are the reason I have continued to go back to the same company, and hope to return again for all five of my rotations,” Jett says.
Through the UC Honors program, Jett traveled to South Africa and Botswana for a course on public health in Africa. He visited each country for a week, studying a range of community wellness issues, focusing especially on HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. Jett witnessed firsthand the individual and community-wide impact of public health programs and efforts in African countries. In particular, he is intrigued by the governments’ education and healthcare programs concerning HIV/AIDS.
Jett expects to graduate in spring of 2020 with his bachelor’s degree. He also is working towards a minor in chemistry. After graduation, he hopes to attend medical school; he just started studying for the MCAT.
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