BME Going Pro

The failure to train graduate students for non-academic careers has been the subject of much discussion in professional and popular publications. Going Pro is UVA's answer.

Many BME graduate students pursue careers in industry. Yet PhD programs typically fail to offer the kind of industry-relevant training that helps students evaluate their options and gain hands-on experience. In response, UVA BME surveyed biotechnology and biomedical industry leaders to determine how we could best help doctoral candidates determine if they wish to pursue a career in industry and, if so, help them narrow their choices and improve their competitiveness. The program we developed, Going Pro, has three components:

  • Industry Internship.  Participants in Going Pro receive stipend support during their two-month industry internship (internship must be approved by the BME graduate program committee).
  • Mentoring.  Students will be paired up with a BME Professional with whom they meet throughout their training.
  • Professional Development Course.  Going Pro (and many other BME graduate students) participants take a 1-credit course course focused on professional development and BME industry.

25% of BME PhD students do an industry internship

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Application Process

UVA BME Graduate Students who have completed their 2nd year of the PhD program and successfully passed their comprehensive exam are invited to apply.  See here for an application form.  Please contact Dr. Shayn Peirce-Cottler with any questions.

Going Pro Students

2021 | Jack Whitewolf, Taylor Marohl, Julia Tumbic, Taylor Eggertsen

Tom Moutinho, Corey Williams, Vi Tran, Leandro Moretti, Blaise Pfaff, Derek Bivona, John Lawson, Nick Cornell, Junyu Wang, Bonnie Dougherty, Hemoshear (Charlottesville), Katie Gorick, Spinal Research Foundation (Reston, VA), Laura Woo (Hemoshear (Charlottesville), Alyssa Becker, Soundpipe (Charlottesville), Bruce Corliss, Hemoshear (Charlottesville), Sophia Cui, AstraZeneca (Sweden), Andrew Polemi, Oncovision (Spain), Clifton Ray, Zen-Bio (NC Research Triangle), Chris Smolko, Diffusion Pharmaceuticals (Charlottesville), Jessica Yuan, OneSkin (San Francisco), Colleen Curley, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (NY), Xiaoying Cai, Siemens Healthcare (Germany), Elizabeth Pereira, Proscia (MD)