CHEPS alumnus publishes ureteroscopy irrigation research

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Bassel Salka

CHEPS alumus and fourth-year medical school student Bassel Salka recently published a research article on irrigation practices during ureteroscopy (the process of looking into the ureters and kidneys using a camera) in Thereapeutic Advances in Urology. The article, titled “Under pressure: irrigation practice patterns during flexible ureteroscopy,” investigates the challenges of irrigation during these procedures and consults surgeons across the globe on their methods in hopes of bettering patient outcomes. Our CHEPS alumni continue to impress and astound in the world of medicine!

— Written by Cole Weber, CHEPS Student

Shun Akiyama, Computer Science Undergraduate

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Shun Akiyama, a Computer Science and Engineering student at U-M, reflects on his summer at CHEPS.

How’d you get involved in the Center for Healthcare Engineering & Patient Safety (CHEPS)?
 
While I was looking for what I was going to do during the summer, I found CHEPS on an email from the College of Engineering. I have studied Computer Science and Engineering, but I didn’t have many opportunities to apply what I had learned to real world problems. Since I was interested in healthcare, I thought it would be a great chance to learn healthcare as well as gain real-world experience.
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A Personal Connection Between Engineering Mindsets and the Work Done at CHEPS

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Hannah Eller, a Biomedical Engineering student at U-M, shares her experiences working to improve healthcare quality as a CHEPS researcher.

When I was a junior in high school, my grandmother was hospitalized for a transient ischemic attack, more commonly known as a mini-stroke. As someone without a big family history of strokes, her care team was concerned over the rhythms in her heart. Because of this, she had a surgically implanted device called a loop recorder that would measure her heart rhythms and report them to a small device that would sit next to her bed. I had never seen or heard of anything like this little device. Continue Reading »

CHEPS: Where Engineering and Healthcare Overlap

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Josh Tran, a pre-med student at U-M, shares his experiences as a transfer student, healthcare worker, and CHEPS researcher.

Blue-tinted photo of Josh Tran smiling at a laptop beside another CHEPS student.

When I transferred to the University of Michigan less than a year ago, it felt as if I had jumped headfirst into the middle of a new book. I arrived at U-M halfway through my sophomore year, and my peers had already found their friend groups through the dorms and their student organizations. Meanwhile, I felt like a freshman again stumbling through the unfamiliar campus. While I was trying to adapt socially, I also had to adapt academically: being a pre-med student, I had to balance finding new friends while also taking some of the hardest classes (so far!) Continue Reading »

More Than Patient Care: Engineering’s Role in Medicine

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Arman Getzen, a pre-med student at U-M, shares his experience learning about the complex processes required in order to optimize healthcare operations.

A man in the black shirt smiling

Growing up, I always knew I wanted to pursue a career in medicine. When I was little, my dad would bring me to the hospital where he practiced, and I remember wandering around the unit floor and being fascinated by all the specialized equipment and nurses walking around in their scrubs. I was interested in the providers’ many responsibilities and how the medical devices they used to treat patients worked. I decided early on that my goal was to become a physician, so I started college on a pre-medical track with a major in Biomedical Engineering.  Continue Reading »

Setting the Stage: A Different Approach to Healthcare

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Chidimma Udegbunam, a pre-med student at U-M, shares her experience working both as a Certified Nurse Assistant and a healthcare researcher.

Chidimma wearing a blue scrub top, gray zip sweatshirt, and backwards "Nurse Aide" badge.
Chidimma seated with another CHEPS student at an open laptop.

When I was notified that I’d been invited to work at the University of Michigan’s Center for Healthcare Engineering & Patient Safety (CHEPS), I was incredibly excited…but also slightly horrified.

As a student on the pre-medical track, I wasn’t quite sure what Industrial and Operations Engineering (IOE) actually entailed, and I definitely wasn’t an engineer. But at the very least, I knew I could help with the “healthcare” and “patient safety” parts. Pre-med students are expected to gain experience in direct patient care roles, which can take multiple forms: phlebotomist, medical assistant (MA), emergency medical technician (EMT), etc. Continue Reading »

Small World After All

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“I’ve known Hooman was Persian ever since I first heard [his] name at CHEPS, but I’ve only ever spoken to him briefly on my way in and out of the building. But this semester, we’ve been talking more than usual because we’re working on a data set. While we were reviewing the information and creating the document on the first day of the summer semester, he asked a few questions about Iran.”

Sogand Soghrati and Hooman Niktafar smiling at the camera while standing in front of a whiteboard with writing on it.

“Since he was already aware of my university during undergrad and master’s, he inquired as to my location within the city. His enthusiasm when asking ‘Which street did you live on?’ Continue Reading »

A Culture of Support: Interviewing CHEPSter TJ Bryan

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TJ Bryan, a University of Michigan senior majoring in Industrial Operations Engineering, has a lot to look forward to—his April graduation, his May wedding, and soon, his big move to Orange County, California. Having been with CHEPS since May 2022, he recently reflected on the most meaningful part of his experience as an undergraduate researcher: the people.

TJ Bryan and Amy Cohn smiling at the camera while standing in front of a dark blue wall.
TJ Bryan and Amy Cohn

Supportive Staff

“I started at CHEPS because of Amy,” TJ said, referring to Dr. Amy Cohn, the Faculty Director of CHEPS and Chief Transformation Officer of Michigan Medicine. “Amy was definitely one of, if not my favorite, professors that I’ve had…she was very enthusiastic about what she did.” Continue Reading »

New Buddy? No Problem!

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When Fumiya Abe-Nornes joined CHEPS as a student researcher in May 2019, he quickly realized the brilliance of his peers.

“Being a newbie in a research group of a couple dozen, it was definitely intimidating—especially feeling like I wasn’t smart enough or that I wouldn’t be able to contribute in a meaningful way,” he shared. “But having my buddy, Justin, helped a lot.”

Justin and Fumi were paired through the CHEPS Buddy System, which aimed to connect students from various projects and strengthen bonds throughout the group.

“[Justin] took me out to lunch and we chatted about CHEPS, interests, life, you name it. Continue Reading »