An Overview

Nicole is a Mechanical Engineer who is dedicated to navigating the intersection of mechatronics, medicine, and health disparities through both academic and industry research spaces. Her aspirations stem from her love of engineering and a deep desire to help though with mobility impairments. Nicole’s journey with medical engineering began with her undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering and Minor in Math, where she sought to develop a fundamental understanding of machines. She graduated with Cum Laude honors in December 2023 from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County as a Grand Challenge Scholar, Honors Scholar, and Meyerhoff Scholar from the M31 Cohort. Throughout her undergraduate degree, Nicole also completed academic research experiences in biomechanics at top instutions such as MIT and Johns Hopkins University.

Nicole’s academic journey ventured outside of STEM as she pursued her Masters in International Healthcare Management, Economics, and Policy (MIHMEP) from SDA Bocconi in Milan, Italy as a Fulbright Scholar. The MIHMEP program allowed Nicole to reframe her knowledge of medical devices through the lens of healthcare systems and health disparities on an international level. To complete her master degree, she completed an internship in Surgical Robotics at Johnsons & Johnson in Sillicon Valley and a Research & Development Engineer.

Nicole is going to continue her formal education at Northwestern, matriculating in Fall 2025, completing a PhD in Mechanical Engineering as an NSF GRFP fellow. Her research interests include health equity of medical technology, health disparities in the US healthcare system, prosthetics, exoskeletons, orthopedic surgery, brain and spine injury rehabilitation, and assistive robotics. She aims to be co-adviced by professors with appointments in the McCormick School of Engineering, Feinberg School of Medicine, and the Shirely Ryan Ability Center.

After completing her PhD, Nicole has accepted a Post Doc position at Seoul National University in South Korea to work in the Bionics and Soft Robotics Laboratory and aims to pursue Preliminary Medicine.

Thank you for following Nicole on her journey and stay turned for more to come!