I would like the role of CQA – clinical quality assurance. CQA inspects the documents and processes clinical trial data and ensures that testing follows proper guidelines as stated by good clinical practice (GCP). CQA can give exposure to all aspects of the clinical trials process, as they are involved in ensuring compliance in all areas. Serious…[Read more]

EI, or emotional intelligence, is the ability to recognize and modulate one’s own emotions, and to recognize the emotions of those around them. This is an important quality for a businessman or anyone in a company who interacts with anyone to have. It creates a pleasant work culture and boost productivity when people are happy with their…[Read more]

A company that comes to mind when I think of good marketing is Starbucks. What type of grand strategy do they use? They have achieved global market status, there are Starbucks everywhere and in almost every country. The stores themselves serve as advertising because they are on every street corner and more ubiquitous than your average ad. Another…[Read more]

Color plays an important role in branding and advertising as it is immediately noticeable and affects a persons mood or perception. One color that no one mentioned so far is white. I think it is extremely important how a company uses white and blank space in their ad. Apple is one company that often uses white. It gives off a clean, modern image.…[Read more]

What would make a company choose LLC vs Inc? LLC is a way to combine the benefit of limited liability and pass-through taxation. However an LLC can’t have investors. On the other hand, C corporation is owned by the shareholders. C corporations are good for start-ups that plan to eventually go public. A C corp is also best for businesses that want…[Read more]

This is an interesting question. I think it depends. Corporations have their advantages while start-ups have their own advantages. It depends on what you are looking to learn and gain from a job. Also, as a soon-to-be-grad I am looking for an entry level position so my goal is not to stay at the company for 20 years, but rather to learn and gain…[Read more]

I looked up Microsoft to see how they compare financially, these were my findings:

ROI (return on investment)= 10.69.%. This value is calculated by dividing net sales by investments. Its not great, should be above 20%.
ROA (return on Assets) = 6.63. This seems low.
ROE (return on Equity)= 21.37% . This is probably the most important metric to…[Read more]

I also think our economic market has unintentionally discouraged quality. There are constantly new phone upgrades and newer editions of products. It is somehow expected that the first edition will not be the best, but its okay as long as its “good enough”. While improvement is important and newer editions of a product are not necessarily bad, when…[Read more]

@Zbw2 made an interesting point about market competition as a motivating factor for quality. A company wants to make sure their product is better than all the competitors, so they will be concerned with quality. While I think this is a valid point, what happens when there is no competition? What comes to mind is the case with epipen, they charged…[Read more]

I think this has especially become a problem in American culture where people are constantly looking for a lawsuit. Hoping to win the big bucks, they will take a company down at any cost. Companies are filled with anxiety over getting sued. It is no longer about true quality and making sure the product is the best that it can be, but rather absurd…[Read more]

The main reason the stem cells therapy is not FDA approved is for political reasons surrounding stem cells and pro-life movement. Also, even if the stem cells are drawn from the patients own body the FDA considers it a drug and requires advanced testing.

This is a good point. It is good that the FDA is so careful and protects us, but sometimes it may be overdone. For example, stem cell treatments. They are non FDA approved, but are legal in other countries such as Panama. Stem cells can be inserted into the spine of patient with MS or Cerebral palsy, and regrow where the dead nerve cells are. The…[Read more]

Recalls occur when there is a defect in the medical device. This is usually not a theoretical risk, as that would be more obvious and caught in the development stages. It is usually an unexpected health risks or danger that was reported by users. This includes unexpected side effects, such as early drugs that were shown to cause birth defects.…[Read more]

I believe that animal testing for medical purposes is ethical. This is partially based on the utilitarian argument in ethics. Utilitarianism states that the most ethical choice is one that will produce the greatest good for the greatest number. Yet this is limited because you may test a drug on an animal and the outcome is that your drug doesn’t…[Read more]

As stated, this is regulated by ISO 10993 and the toxicity table. This depends on the application and intended use of the new biomaterial and its placement on the body. Whether it is a surface device, external communicating device, or an internal device. Furthermore, it depends on the contact duration. Not all testing is required, this is a…[Read more]

This depends on how critical that milestone is. Some milestone will have a larger impact on the overall project and some not as much. In general missing a milestone is definitely a failure, but in life it is important to learn from failures and see what your team can improve on to prevent this from happening again.

Work breakdown structure (WBS) is critical for planning and accomplishing a project successfully. It is basically a family tree listing all the “parent” tasks and then breaking them down into smaller tasks. This helps the team understand what needs to be done and the proper sequence of priorities. Thus the WBS is critical for all stages of the…[Read more]

This is a good point. Before one invests time and money into a project, they need to make sure there is a need for their idea/project and it will bring in money. As much as bme is about helping people and improving healthcare, it is ultimately a business. The initiation phase is very much about seeing the project through the lens of a business.

I think the above posts mentioned many good tips, and personally my best advice would be to find a mentor and job internship. These will really help you get far and teach you more skills than you could have possibly gained simply by lectures. Additionally, great advice I once got was to market your skills over your experience when applying for a…[Read more]