Next-Gen Healthcare Innovators Symposium 2025 Inspires Creative Thinking for Addressing Healthcare Challenges
At a time when people are living longer, next-generation researchers are looking to meet urgent healthcare challenges by thinking creatively about solutions.
Reflecting this drive for innovation, Stevens students across disciplines recently presented their early-stage research at the Next-Gen Healthcare Innovators Symposium 2025, hosted by the Semcer Center for Healthcare Innovation (CHI) at Stevens on September 19.
“The Symposium helps students see the value in their research, and it sparks important conversations among our collaborators and students,” said Jennifer Kang-Mieler, Chair and George Meade Bond Professor of the Stevens Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME), and the newly appointed director of CHI.
More than 150 people, including Stevens students and faculty, alumni, and industry professionals attended the event held in the University Center’s TechFlex Auditorium.
“For the Stevens community, it’s a unique chance to engage directly with experts and to showcase how student-led innovation can have a real impact. Beyond Stevens, it signals how future leaders are already shaping the healthcare landscape,” said Frehiwot Wuhib, operations manager at both CHI at the Stevens Institute for Artificial Intelligence.
The Symposium, organized by a committee made up of master’s and Ph.D. students, affirmed the value of giving students ownership in shaping the future of healthcare research.
The student-led committee included:
Shanzi Dsilva '26, biomedical engineering, master’s student
Zachary Marvin '29, biomedical engineering, Ph.D. candidate
Matangi P R '27, biomedical engineering, Ph.D. candidate
Aniruddha Pandey '26, computer science, master’s student
Edna Rajabu '26, biomedical engineering, master’s student
Sam Talaei, chemical biology, Ph.D. candidate
Olajide Yusuf '26, computer engineering, master’s student
This interdisciplinary team created a supportive environment for their peers sharing how their research might help tackle the urgent healthcare challenges of the future with guidance from Stevens faculty advisors — Sang Won Bae, assistant professor, Department of Systems Engineering; William Querido, assistant professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering; and Kenny Wong, teaching associate professor and associate chair for graduate studies, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology.
A jampacked, thought-provoking agenda
Next-Gen Healthcare Innovators Symposium 2025 opened with welcome remarks by Kang-Mieler followed by a keynote from Dr. Michael J. Mitchell '09, a distinguished alumnus of Stevens and Associate Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania.
In his presentation, “Lipid Nanoparticles for Overcoming Biological Barriers to mRNA Delivery,” Mitchell discussed lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) — small, fat-based particles that safely deliver mRNA into cells, like in COVID-19 vaccines. He introduced new approaches to mRNA delivery that can enhance vaccine effectiveness and potentially extend to cancer immunotherapy. However, to make this aim a clinical reality, he noted the need for new delivery technologies.
A poster session with 27 presentations gave students the chance to showcase their work on a wide range of topics, including bone imaging and analysis, biomaterials, tissue engineering, motor learning, drug delivery, eye treatment, and more.
The winners included Stevens biomedical engineering Ph.D. candidates Amanda Peterman, Rana Ibrahim, Sophie DeWitt, and Ashley Muliawan.
Pre-recorded student presentations in the video competition highlighted innovative early-stage work. Biomedical engineering Ph.D. candidate Erin Kreis won for her study on the biomechanics of turning in older adults — findings that could inform fall-prevention strategies.
The event transitioned to sessions that bridged research and professional development.
Speakers during a panel discussion on “Shaping Tomorrow’s Innovators: Perspectives on AI in Healthcare” highlighted how AI is influencing everything from personalized medicine to systems integration. The panel featured Lyndon J. Mitnaul, Executive Director, Regeneron Genetics Center; Jia-Min Chu, AI Simulation Postdoctoral Research Fellow at SandboxAQ; and Stevens faculty Sang Won Bae and Yue Ning, associate professor, Department of Computer Science.
The agenda also included an interactive career development session led by Randall Ribaudo, Ph.D., President and CEO of Human Workflows, LLC, and co-founder of SciPhD.com. His talk, Landing Your First Job in an AI-Obsessed World: Humanizing Yourself to Stand Out, guided students on leveraging AI tools while keeping an authentic voice and translating technical and interpersonal skills into compelling professional narratives.
Career coaching sessions and a lively networking reception that brought together academia, industry, and healthcare professionals rounded out the program.
Facilitating collaboration in one space
With this year’s event, the student committee aimed to build on the success of last year’s inaugural event and broaden the symposium to be inclusive of both doctoral and master’s students.
“Working with our student organizers and seeing their passion for the Symposium was a rewarding process. Their vision helped shape an inclusive event that highlights the creativity and commitment of Stevens students,” said Randolph Rivo, events and outreach manager at the Stevens Schaefer School of Engineering and Science.
By bringing diverse voices into one space, the event fostered collaboration, sparked new ideas, and encouraged practical solutions that can help improve patient care and health outcomes.
“The event demonstrated how creative, interdisciplinary approaches can spark innovation — and prepare the next generation of scientists and engineers to meet the healthcare challenges ahead,” said Kang-Mieler.
Photo Gallery: 2025 Next-Gen Healthcare Innovators Symposium
