Ed Carrese is the Senior Director of Engineering and R&D Site Leader for BD Diagnostic Solutions located in Sparks, Maryland. Carrese has over 25 years of product development experience across various industries, including Automotive (General Motors), Ink Jet (Xerox), and Medical Technology (Becton-Dickinson). Early in his career, Ed developed and commercialized fluidic, mechatronic, and full diagnostic system platforms in both the consumer and healthcare spaces. Ed has served in various R&D programs and functional leadership roles over his nearly 20 years with BD, overseeing large multi-disciplinary teams developing integrated diagnostic solutions that address critical patient and clinician needs from the point-of-care setting to large-scale regional hospitals and reference laboratories. Throughout his leadership tenure at BD, he has built a passion for technology sensing, innovation, and talent development. Ed holds a B.S. in mechanical/aerospace engineering from R.I.T. and an MBA in Strategy from the University of Rochester.
Advisory Board
The distinguished members of our Advisory Board serve the department in an advisory capacity to help us identify needs, plan for the future, and develop fundraising strategies to enhance our endowment. The volunteers meet twice a year with the department chair and select members of the faculty and staff.
Members of the BIOE Advisory Board, Spring 2019
Marc P. Dandin received the B.S. and M.S. degrees in electrical engineering and a Ph.D. in bioengineering all from the University of Maryland. He is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, where he also holds a courtesy appointment in the Biomedical Engineering Department. His current research focuses on integrated circuit design and microsystem development for biomedical applications. He was an adjunct professor of electrical engineering at George Washington University, where he developed and taught graduate courses in analog and radio-frequency integrated circuit design. Dr. Dandin was the Founder and CEO of Kiskeya Microsystems LLC, Rockville, Md., a company developing point-of-care diagnostics technologies for resource-limited settings. In addition to being a technology entrepreneur, he is an intellectual property professional with over ten years of experience in patent preparation and prosecution. He has worked at various high-profile intellectual property law firms in the Washington, D.C. area where he drafted and prosecuted patent applications in several jurisdictions, including the United States, on behalf of several Fortune 500 companies. Dr. Dandin is a Senior Member of the IEEE and the recipient of the Early Career Distinguished Alumni Award from Maryland Engineering. He also received the Fischell Fellowship in Biomedical Engineering and the Jimmy H.C. Lin Award for Entrepreneurship during his graduate career at UMD.
Matthew Dowling, Ph.D., is Chief Scientific Officer and Director of Medcura. Matt completed his graduate work at the Fischell Department of Bioengineering, after completing his undergrad in chemical engineering from the University of Notre Dame. At UMD, he was awarded the Fischell Fellowship in Biomedical Engineering for his innovative ideas in drug delivery systems. Matt then co-created gel-e, a novel biomaterial platform, raising several initial grants to develop the technology and to launch Medcura as a corporate entity. Matt was the recipient of the Dean’s Doctoral Research Award from the UMD Clark School of Engineering for his work on chitosan-based self-assembled soft materials for use in wound treatment. He has been the Principal Investigator on $6 million in non-dilutive grant awards to Medcura; these have been used to achieve five FDA clearances, eight issued patents, 10+ peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals and a commercial partnership with one of the world’s largest pharmacy retailers. Matt’s work has been featured on several U.S. and international media outlets including the BBC TV program, Brave New World with Stephen Hawking.
Dr. Patricia Gonzales Hurtado is a Scientific Review Officer at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). In 2003, she received a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD). She received her Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) in 2009. She conducted her doctoral research at the Laboratory of Kidney and Electrolyte Metabolism, part of the National Heart Lung Blood Institute (NHLBI) at the NIH. In 2009, she received the Ph.D. of the Year Award from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering for her doctoral research, “Proteomic Analysis of Human Urinary Exosomes.” She conducted her postdoctoral fellowship at the Epithelial Systems Biology Laboratory at NHLBI. 
Claudio Knizek joined EY-Parthenon in September 2021 and is a Principal/Partner in EY’s McLean office. Over his 20-year career in management consulting, he has focused on a variety of operational and strategic issues within the Industrial and Consumer Goods sectors. The majority of Claudio’s work with clients has been focused on operational topics, particularly manufacturing and supply chain. Claudio currently serves as EY-Parthenon’s global lead for Advanced Manufacturing & Mobility. Prior to joining EY, Claudio worked at BCG for 15 years. Claudio has a B.S. and M.S. from Stanford University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
As the founder of ChromoLogic, Dr. Menon is passionate about developing novel biomedical solutions that result in new biological insights and lead to superior patient outcomes while being cost-effective and affordable. Dr. Menon received his Ph.D. in physics from Purdue University, with an emphasis in sensor fabrication, instrumentation, and novel data analytic methods that were applied at multiple national and international laboratories towards fundamental physics discoveries. His early career was spent at Corning Incorporated and Northrop Grumman Mission Systems, where he was groomed for leadership positions in multiple businesses. Founded in 2007, ChromoLogic is a boutique Innovation Center that partners with the Federal Government, academia and industry to develop breakthrough solutions that save lives and make the world secure. Our Biomedical Solutions product portfolio covers point-of-care solutions in wound care & infectious diseases, diagnostics/screening, drug delivery and telehealth. 
Grace O’Connell is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. She is Co-Director of the Berkeley Biomechanics Laboratory, and her research interests are in soft tissue mechanobiology and tissue engineering. O’Connell received her BS in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland and her Ph.D. in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania. O’Connell’s research group employs computational modeling and experimental approaches to study the effect of aging and disease on tendons, ligaments, cartilage and the intervertebral disc. She has received many awards, including the 2019 YC Fung Young Investigator Award and the NSF CAREER Award, and was inducted into the AIMBE College of Fellows in 2021.
Shayn Peirce-Cottler, Ph.D. is Harrison Distinguished Teaching Professor and Chair of Biomedical Engineering, with secondary appointments in the Department of Ophthalmology and Department of Plastic Surgery at the University of Virginia (UVA). Dr. Peirce-Cottler received B.S. degrees in Biomedical Engineering and Engineering Mechanics from Johns Hopkins University in 1997. She earned her Ph.D. in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Virginia in 2002. Dr. Peirce-Cottler develops computational models and combines them with wet lab experiments to study how tissues heal after injury and to develop therapies for inducing tissue regeneration. Her lab is particularly focused on studying and engineering the body’s smallest blood vessels that are necessary for delivering oxygen and nutrients to every cell in the body. She teaches courses in cell and molecular physiology and computational systems bioengineering to undergraduate and graduate students. Dr. Peirce-Cottler has published over 125 peer reviewed papers and book chapters, and she is an inventor on three U.S. Patents. She is a fellow in both the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering College of Fellows (AIMBE) and the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES). She is also Past-President of The Microcirculatory Society. Dr. Peirce-Cottler is a UVA School of Medicine Pinn Scholar, and in 2020 she was awarded the UVA School of Medicine’s Robert H. Kader Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching and Mentoring. Dr. Peirce-Cottler is passionate about mentoring students and faculty, promoting diversity in STEM, and participating in K-12 outreach to increase students’ interest and self-confidence in pursuing STEM careers.
Maggie Prendergast is a scientist at Janssen: Pharmaceuticals Company of Johnson & Johnson. Her work focuses on the development of nanoparticle drug products and process development within the large molecule drug product development group. She received her Ph.D. in bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania in July 2022, where she was an NSF-GRFP fellow in Dr. Jason Burdick’s Polymeric Biomaterials Lab. Prior to her Ph.D. studies, Maggie worked as the Director of Bioengineering at a 3D bioprinting startup Allevi, which was acquired by 3D Systems. During her time at Allevi, she was named a “Millenial to Watch in the Life Sciences” by Philadelphia Business Journal. She received a B.S. in bioengineering from the University of Maryland in 2015. During her time at UMD, she was awarded the Benjamin T. Rome Scholarship. 
Dr. Seeto is the President and CEO of Scipher Medicine, a precision immunology company. He has been recognized for setting and delivering on strategies driven by strong people leadership. His track record driving organic and inorganic growth has spanned emerging biotech and global pharma. Under his leadership, CareDx was recognized as one of the fastest-growing companies in North America by Deloitte Technology Fast 500. At Ardelyx, he built an ex-US partnership model to commercialize and enable focus on the US market. At AstraZeneca, he completed 100+ biologics deals and led portfolio prioritization of 150+ assets to build the corporate strategy to deliver on 1 BLA/year. Reg was entrusted with the largest brands at Boehringer Ingelheim and Organon and shaped by early learnings as a physician scientist with clinical and research experience and by strategy consulting at McKinsey.
Ronald Silverman, Ph.D. is Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Becton Dickinson. Previously, he served as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for 3M HealthCare for more than three years. Prior to his career in the medical device industry, Silverman was Chief of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Maryland Medical Center and continues his surgical practice there today part time. Silverman holds academic appointments as a Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine as well as an Adjunct Associate Professor of Plastic Surgery at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Silverman completed his surgical residency training in surgery/plastic surgery at the Harvard/Massachusetts General Hospital Plastic Surgery Program and is a proud graduate of the University of Maryland School of Medicine as well as the University of Maryland, College Park. Go Terps!
Dr. Soltani is a native of greater Washington, D.C., and has been involved in the medical device and diagnostics space for nearly 20 years. Peter’s early career involved technology innovation involving semiconductor and optical materials for energy conversion and imaging. He joined Hologic, Inc., a women’s health focused medical device company, in 2000, where he led the company’s Women’s Health business segment. Notable accomplishments include helping develop Hologic’s digital mammography platform, and the development and commercialization of the first 3D digital mammography system for early cancer detection. Peter joined Siemens Medical Solutions between 2014-2016 to lead its North American Healthcare Services business, helping develop solutions to meet the changing and complex needs of the healthcare delivery market. Peter has been with Beckman Coulter Diagnostics, Inc. (a Danaher company) since early 2016, leading its Hematology, Urinalysis, and Digital Solutions businesses.
Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering at the University of Florida. She is also an Affiliate Member of the Diabetes Institute at the School of Medicine at the University of Florida and an Adjunct Professor at the Diabetes Research Institute and the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Miami. She is an American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) Fellow, a Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Fellow, and the recipient of the 2008 NIH NIDDK Type 1 Diabetes Pathfinder New Innovator (DP2) Award. She received her Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from The Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University under the guidance of Drs Athanassios Sambanis and Ioannis Constantinidis. She completed her postdoctoral research, supported by a JDRF postdoctoral fellowship, under the guidance of Dr. Elliot Chaikof.
Kevin Vigilante, Ph.D. is Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President at Booz Allen Hamilton. He advises senior government healthcare clients at the Dept. of Veterans Affairs, the Military Health System, and the Dept. of Health and Human Services. Kevin is a former member of the National Committee for Vital and Health Statistics and a former National Kellogg fellow. His work is published in academic journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine and top-tier media outlets including the New York Times on a broad range of topics. Prior to joining Booz Allen, Kevin spent about 20 years in academic medicine holding appointments on the medical faculty at Yale and Brown Universities and at their affiliated VA Medical Centers. He has a B.A. in philosophy from Johns Hopkins University, an M.D. from the Cornell University Medical College, and a M.P.H. from the Harvard School of Public Health. He did his residency in internal medicine at Yale New Haven Hospital. Kevin is also the founder and a board member of RISE, an organization that provides mentorship and educational opportunity to children of incarcerated parents.
Dr. Diana Yoon is a Senior Manager at Abbott Laboratories assisting with the management of regulatory activities and device strategy for Abbott’s medical device business units. She previously worked as a regulatory scientist in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for 10+ years. She started as a Commissioner’s Fellow working on a project evaluating standards for premarket review of bone regenerative medicine products. During her tenure at the FDA, she has conducted premarket regulatory review in the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research and the Center for Devices and Radiological Health. She also was a Senior Scientific Reviewer for product classification and jurisdiction in the Office of Combination Products. She received a B.S. in chemical engineering and biomedical engineering (double major) from Carnegie Mellon University. She attended the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) for her Ph.D. in chemical and biomolecular engineering and graduated in 2008. During her time at UMD, she was awarded the Fischell Fellowship in 2006 for translational research in cartilage tissue engineering. She attended Rice University as a postdoctoral fellow to conduct bone tissue engineering research and was awarded the Gulf Coast Consortia Nanobiology Fellowship.
Steven Lehrer brings over 30 years of experience starting, growing and running life science-based businesses focused on commercializing new technology and expanding businesses globally. SBLehrer LLC works with life science companies to develop and introduce drugs worldwide. Steve has extensive experience in pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical and biosimilar R&D, regulatory, operations and commercialization. In addition, his companies and businesses have developed and commercialized new drug delivery approaches for pharmaceuticals, multiple molecular genetic diagnostic tests and developed outcomes databases for bioinformatics and healthcare econometric modeling. Steve has built and run businesses in the U.S., EU, Brazil, China, India, Japan and SEA. Steve previously served as Head of Biologicals at Cipla Ltd., CEO at Cipla BioTec, President at Glycominds, EVP at Adamas Pharma, CEO at GeneOs Ltd, CEO at DNA Sciences and division President at Monsanto. Prior to Monsanto, Steve worked for McKinsey & Co. and P&G. Steve has a master’s degree from The Graduate School of Business at Harvard University and a B.S.E. in chemical engineering as well as a B.A. in economics from the University of Maryland.