Meliora Weekend: Career Discussions for Biomedical Engineers

River Campus

A BS in Biomedical Engineering can lead to a number of successful careers in a variety of fields. Come join a panel of BME alumni to discuss the many directions that a degree in BME can take you and how to get there.

Julie Czupryna ’04

Julie Czupryna earned her biomedical engineering degree with a concentration in cell and tissue engineering, from the University of Rochester. Through her research experience in the laboratory of Dr. Jim McGrath, Czupryna was driven to continue her education at the University of Pennsylvania where she earned her doctorate in bioengineering. Upon completion of her graduate work, Julie took a position in the Penn Medicine Department of Radiology as the technical director of the Optical Imaging Core within the Small Animal Imaging Facility. Julie currently works for PerkinElmer, a multinational corporation focused on environmental and human health, as an advanced imaging training specialist.

Michelle Sandrian ’04

After graduating with her degree in biomedical engineering, Michelle Sandrain spent two years in an ophthalmic imaging research laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh. In 2006, she enrolled in graduate school at the University of Pittsburgh to pursue her doctorate in bioengineering and, after successfully defending her dissertation, won a Whitaker International Postdoctoral Scholarship and moved to Vienna, Austria for over two years of training in optical imaging system design. She recently earned a tenure-track faculty position with a joint appointment in the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and School of Engineering. Her laboratory is focused on the clinical translation of novel optical imaging techniques and contrast agents.

Michael Springer ’04, ’06 MS

Michael Springer currently serves as the director of operations and entrepreneurship for the Jacobs Institute Center for Innovation in Medicine. He started his career at Argos Therapeutics, Inc. as a process development engineer and went on to hold titles of program manager in network planning for Amazon.com and senior manager in manufacturing operations for BioMerieux. Springer attended the University of Rochester for both his undergraduate and graduate education, majoring in biomedical engineering.

Charles Welliver ’02

Charles Welliver graduated from the University of Rochester in 2002 with a degree in biomedical engineering. He spent two years teaching chemistry and physics at a high school in Massachusetts before entering SUNY Stony Brook School of Medicine. After completing his residency in urology at Albany Medical Center, he went on to a fellowship in male factor infertility, andrology, and prostate disease. He is currently an assistant professor in surgery at Albany Medical Center. His research interests focus on voiding dysfunction, testosterone replacement, and factors surrounding male infertility.