# Training the Future Biomedical Workforce to Recognize and Resolve Unmet Needs of our Wounded Warriors and their Healthcare Providers

> **NIH NIH R25** · VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INST AND ST UNIV · 2020 · $21,448

## Abstract

This semester-long, clinical immersion program has been framed to train biomedical engineering (BME) and
industrial design (ID) students in recognizing and resolving the unmet needs of our Wounded Warriors and
Veterans. While many active-duty service members and Veterans suffer from the same maladies as comparably-
aged civilian population (e.g., heart disease, cancer, diabetes), they also have unique healthcare needs because
of battlefield exposure. These needs extend to military healthcare providers, scientists, and engineers who are
actively treating and learning from our wounded warriors to improve their quality-of-life. Therefore, we plan to
provide BME and ID students a complementary education in biomedical needs identification (Aim 1) and place
them with key opinion leaders in several Department of Defense (DoD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) clinics and
laboratories (Aim 2). Specifically, our partner sites are the Salem VA Medical Center (SVAMC) and Walter Reed
National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC). A non-exhaustive list of events includes partaking in Grand
Rounds, viewing patient participation in ongoing clinical studies within the fields of rehabilitation, oncology,
podiatry, and kidney disease, and attending interactive Learning Forums on state-of-the art technologies related
to traumatic brain injury, biomechanics, and regenerative medicine.
 Building on the innovative, design-based curriculum at Virginia Tech, needs identification teams will be
comprised of both BME and ID students with junior standing. Jointly educating and combining the skillsets from
these two groups will aid in extracting unforeseen needs from existing user-product-environment scenarios. For
example, user-centered design analysis will be implemented to gain knowledge about a user's prior knowledge,
life experiences, abilities, and level of cognition with similar products, while considering environmental influences
and the types of hardware, software, and/or assistive technologies. The teams will plan and document their
design research at the clinical sites to create a database of >25 needs with supporting information related to
stakeholder impact, existing solutions, and market analysis. In addition to observing different clinical trials and
research projects, the students will take advantage of volunteer opportunities to develop a sense of empathy
and give back to the military community.
 At the conclusion of the program, students will prepare a grant proposal for a project idea that is well-
suited to improve Wounded Warrior or Veteran healthcare for faculty review, approval, and appropriate
resourcing. They will continue as collaborative teams and assume a leadership role in their ensuing Senior
Design projects. The target is to present a functional prototype to a Veteran client or healthcare provider by the
years' end. Continual feedback will be obtained from these customers/partners to ensure the product effectively
addresses their needs. Ultimately, the pro...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9920179
- **Project number:** 5R25HD101097-02
- **Recipient organization:** VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INST AND ST UNIV
- **Principal Investigator:** Christopher B Arena
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $21,448
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-05-01 → 2024-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9920179

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9920179, Training the Future Biomedical Workforce to Recognize and Resolve Unmet Needs of our Wounded Warriors and their Healthcare Providers (5R25HD101097-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9920179. Licensed CC0.

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