Course: Integrating Engineering, Technology, and Rehabilitation – BMED 8813-RET
Instructor: Lena Ting, PhD; Michael Borich, PT, PhD; Zachary Danziger, PhD; Colin Grove, PT, PhD
Next offering: Spring 2027 (offered alternate years)
Typical class times: Wednesday 4-7 pm on Zoom (synchronous)
This course incorporates an innovative education model bringing clinical, engineering ,and science students together across universities as a joint class. In 2025, it was co-hosted by Emory, Georgia Tech, and the University of Pittsburgh, with about 20 physical and occupational therapists and 20 engineering and science students. The course is composed of a small number of modules centered around a particular injury or disease and the use of technology, e.g. stroke, spinal cord injury, vestibular disorders. Students are informed by both guest lectures from world experts and interviews with people with lived experiences (PWLE). Technologies span implantable and noninvasive neuromodulation therapies, wearable sensing, robotic rehabilitation, and machine learning applications. Students work in interdisciplinary teams of engineering, science, and clinical graduate students to identify, understand, and propose technology solutions to clinical problems.
Example syllabus
Reflections: Why should engineers learn about clinical problems?
“In this class, I learned to approach rehabilitation technology development by first understanding the person’s story and lived experience, rather than just focusing on technical requirements. I now recognize that the most impactful medical devices emerge when we connect technical specifications to meaningful life activities, which is why I’ll incorporate patient vignettes in my design process to create solutions that honor the full humanity of the people who will use these technologies.” -Cameron
Click to read Cameron’s reflections for Integrating Engineering, Technology, and Rehabilitation
“The biggest takeaway for me was learning how to integrate clinical insight into the engineering design process. I left this course with a deeper appreciation for patient-centered design and a stronger ability to communicate across disciplines, skills that I will carry into my future work in engineering and rehabilitation technology.” -Alondra
“My key takeaway from this class is the importance of truly understanding the target population who will be using rehabilitation devices. Fully gauging the unique and often challenging situations people are facing requires in-depth conversations about experiences, motivations, and goals. Having these conversations will allow me to continuously grow as an engineer moving forward, through emotional connection and understanding how thoughtful design of medical devices could truly improve someone’s quality of life.” -Bailey