Welcome UW Bioengineering alumni!
UW Bioengineering alumni are part of a select group who populate many of the world’s premier universities and companies in a wide range of bioengineering-related businesses, from fledgling enterprises to international non-profits.
We are proud and grateful of the achievements of all our alumni. We would love to hear from you and how your UW Bioengineering degree has made a difference for you, or answer your questions on how to get involved and give back to the department community. Please do not hesitate to e-mail us to stay in touch.
Get Involved
Here are some ways UW Bioengineering alumni can get involved and support the department:
- Connect with fellow UW Bioengineering alumni and faculty on UW Bioengineering’s Facebook page and LinkedIn
- Mentor current students
- Present a technical talk
- Participate on an employer panel
- Attend UW Bioengineering lectures and events
- Join us at the BMES Annual Meeting
Stay in Touch
One of the best ways you can stay connected to UW Bioengineering is by keeping your contact information up-to-date. This will allow us to contact you from time to time with special opportunities for alumni to connect and engage with fellow alumni, current students and faculty, as well as send you the latest breaking news about exciting developments in UW Bioengineering. Update your contact information now.
Notable UW Bioengineering Alumni
UW Bioengineering is proud of our diverse alumni, who are inventing the future of medicine every day. Read on to learn about some of them.
Jay Rubinstein, M.D. (Ph.D. 1988) is a model example of a bioengineer who straddles the line between doctor and researcher. He is the director of the Virginia Merrill Bloedel Hearing Research Center and professor in the department of Bioengineering and Otolaryngology. His research focuses on current flow in the ear and he is also known as a superb surgeon. He co-developed a device for patients suffering from balance disorders due to Meniere’s disease. He is the first doctoral student to graduate from UW Bioengineering.
Christopher McInnes (Ph.D. 1992) was behind the research that provided the fundamental science underlying the technology associated with the Sonicare power toothbrush. His research included both clinical trials and laboratory studies. He worked for Optiva Corp., makers of Sonicare, for 12 years and during his tenure saw the company grow from six employees to 600.
David A. Basiji (Ph.D. 1997) honed his entrepreneurial skills as a UW student. He co-founded Amnis Corporation with technology developed in UW Bioengineering. He is co-inventor of the ImageStream system, a breakthrough technology for high speed imaging and analysis of cells in flow. While at UW, he developed an ultra-sensitive DNA and protein analysis platform for the Human Genome Project, a technology that was later commercially licensed to Oxford GlycoSciences. Basiji currently holds 32 U.S. Patents.
Joan Greve (B.S. 1997) has devised research strategy in her role as scientific program manager at the Allen Institute for Brain Science, where she sat at the center of a cross-functional team working on large-scale initiatives to uncover basic science about how the brain works. A preclinical imaging expert with significant experience in clinical translation, Greve previously led Genentech, Inc.’s MRI Group multi-modality imaging lab. She was a core team member for Genentech’s Alzheimer’s disease program, developing the strategy for Phase I and II of the Investigational New Drug filing with the FDA. A National Science Foundation fellow, she has written 21 peer-reviewed publications and two book chapters.
Arthur Chan (Ph.D. 2003) is the first person at UW Bioengineering to complete a doctorate on focused ultrasound ablation. His research resulted in two patents for an image-guided therapy device and received awards from AIUM and ASRM. Chan is currently a clinical affairs manager at Endo Pharmaceuticals. Prior to joining Endo, Chan led clinical marketing and education for InSightec, a medical device startup. He is the recipient of a Washington Research Foundation Gates Fellowship to pursue technology entrepreneurship.
In the News
Nishant Velagapudi – From Capstone to CTO
Alumnus Nishant Velagapudi shared his experience at an AI-based medtech company with 2025 capstone students
MAB alumnus raises $5 million to build autonomous surgical robotics
Georgia Witchel and the team at Louiza Labs has raised $5million to develop the technology underlying simulated FDA trials and autonomous surgical robots.
UW Bioengineering Alumnus Kamal Shah leads smartwatch study to detect cardiac arrest
Kamal Shah, Ph.D., a graduate of UW Bioengineering, is the lead author of a major new study that explores how smartwatches could help detect cardiac arrest.
The circuitous path: how BioE alumnus Philip Lee found his calling in medicine
UW Bioengineering alumnus Philip Lee: a circuitous journey of discovery and the path to medicine
PharBE alum Robb Poier on the value of lifelong learning
Whether it is serving in the United States Army or working on breakthrough cancer therapies, Robb Poier (PharBE ‘23) has always been passionate about helping people and doing good in the world. more...
Meet Stephanie Baptiste, PharBE alumna and manager at Amgen
“My favorite [PharBE] class was also my most challenging class – Clinical Development – because it forced me to put in practice what I was learning,” Stephanie says. more...