Progressive Clinical Team-Based Design and Skill-Building Across All Undergraduate Levels Assisted by Clinical Digital Twins

About This Grant

Current training models for bioengineering design often do not adequately prepare students for 21st-century challenges in the medical device industry, as they lack appropriate training in team-oriented science, critical thinking skills to identify medical problems, and immersion in clinical medicine, which is essential for addressing these problems. Responding to PAR-22-000, we at UC San Diego propose to re-envision our Bioengineering senior design curriculum through the implementation of the Clinical Undergraduate Research Experience and Skill-building (CURES) initiative. This program adopts a vertical integration model to: (1) expand clinical immersion and team-based medical device design modules within bioengineering coursework by incorporating a structured sequence of clinical modules and digital twin technology starting at the undergraduate level, (2) align clinical project conceptualization in BENG193: Clinical Bioengineering with senior design courses such as BENG187 and BENG188, ensuring clinical projects progress seamlessly into senior design teams co-mentored by clinical and bioengineering faculty, and (3) disseminate program materials and clinical digital twin systems through interdisciplinary campus events and broader regional and national networks to enable access across engineering departments. This vertically integrated, three-pronged approach will empower clinicians to mentor student teams in the didactic courses, whose enrollment we will double to accommodate half of all undergraduate students. Beyond coursework, the initiative will extend to include the majority of UC San Diego Bioengineering students in clinically focused senior design projects that incorporate real-world clinical problem-solving. The integration of innovative tools such as clinical digital twin technology, combined with models like progressive team-based training, will provide scalable and accessible approaches for delivering this education. We believe this initiative addresses critical gaps in bioengineering education by preparing students for the 21st-century workforce with hands-on clinical immersion, interdisciplinary collaboration, and structured mentoring. Moreover, this program will also address gaps for medical students who currently lack access to courses in medical device design, despite UC San Diego’s proximity to a leading biotechnology sector. Program success will be assessed by comparing cohorts with and without additional clinical immersion and team-based design coursework, as well as previous cohorts under the prior curriculum. With data on student interest, pilot successes, and measurable outcomes, we aim to achieve the following ambitious goals over five years: developing and integrating clinical immersion and digital twin technology into bioengineering courses, increasing clinical mentor involvement in senior design, and disseminating educational materials and program outcomes to create a scalable, sustainable impact.