Introducing our new CMI Fellow: Jana Citrenbaum

Jana C

My name is Jana Citrenbaum, and I am the new CMI Fellow at the University of Pittsburgh Center for Medical Innovation! In May, I graduated from Florida State University’s (FSU) Honors College with a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering, concentrating in Biomaterials and Polymers and minoring in both mathematics and chemistry. I decided to major in BME because I have always loved solving puzzles and helping others, and this field was the perfect way to combine those passions.

During my undergraduate studies, I gained diverse experiences that strengthened my passion for medical device innovation. As an R&D intern at Victor Technologies, I collaborated with the CEO to manufacture custom orthotics and to 3D print a robotic hand. At FSU, I served as a Charter Member of Generational Relief in Prosthetics (GRiP). In this role, I led a cross-functional team of engineering students to design a prosthetic for an eight-year-old girl who wanted to play softball despite being born without thumbs. For my senior design project, I collaborated with three peers to create WhisperGuard, a vibration-dampening device designed to reduce the sound of dental drills and ease patient anxiety.

This fall, I am beginning my Master of Science in Medical Product Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Bioengineering within the Swanson School of Engineering. I look forward to contributing to CMI’s mission of advancing biomedical technologies from early concepts to commercial reality while preparing for a career in medical device innovation.