PhD Candidates
Thomas Palazzolo
Biomedical Engineering
Thomas Palazzolo, MS, is currently working towards his PhD in Biomedical Engineering at Drexel University. He comes from two years of experience working as a project engineer in the medical device field. In addition, Thomas has worked as an adjunct engineering professor at his alma mater, Villanova University, where he received both a bachelor's and a master's degree in mechanical engineering. Thomas's research focuses on development of a pediatric ventricular assist device which utilizes multiple pumps and a novel switching mechanism to create a design which can successfully support patients across the pediatric age range, greatly improving patient outcomes. Thomas plans to utilize a combination of computational analysis and experimental testing to produce a robust and effective design. Outside of the laboratory, Thomas has a passion for music and spends time working on classic cars and motorcycles.
Waleed Iqbal
Biomedical Engineering
Waleed Iqbal is a PhD student in Biomedical Engineering. He has a strong educational background in Cell and Molecular Biology (Minor: History) and received his MS degree and graduate certification in Drug Discovery and Development from Drexel University College of Medicine. In 2018, Waleed joined Biomedical Engineering at Drexel seeking his doctorate in bioinformatics, including genome information engineering, advanced biocomputational languages, and applied machine learning. He is conducting his research at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia with a goal of improving pediatric cancer treatments and further his teaching goals of making complex science more accessible.
Natalie Napolitano
Biomedical Engineering
Natalie earned a BS in Respiratory Therapy from Gannon University and a MPH in Health Policy from George Washington University. She is currently a MS/PhD student in Biomedical sciences and her research focuses on the use of Non-invasive ventilation in pediatric patients and determining the time point in care to predict failure of this therapy. Natalie currently works full time as a Respiratory Therapy researcher at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia designing clinical and bench research describing the practice of the Respiratory Therapist and the therapeutics, they deliver to pediatric patients such as mechanical ventilation and aerosolized medication. She plans to continue her career as a clinical researcher upon completion of her PhD
PhD Students
Giselle Matlis
Biomedical Engineering
Giselle C. Matlis, is currently pursuing her MS and PhD in Biomedical Engineering at Drexel University. She earned a bachelor’s degree with honors in Biomedical Engineering from Drexel University with a concentration in biomechanics and human performance. Giselle has four years of experience working in biomedical research labs at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Additionally, she has experience as a research assistant analyzing FDA regulatory trends impacting the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. Giselle’s research focuses on the development of the Dragon Heart, a total artificial heart (TAH) that can supply life-saving opportunities for patients with small body surface areas (BSAs), specifically children. The design uses a novel two pump configuration minimizing device size. Her research focuses on designing, optimizing, prototyping, and computationally and hydraulically testing these pumps to improve patient outcomes. When she is not in the laboratory, Giselle enjoys mentoring students, cooking, baking, being outdoors, and sharing time with her family, friends, and dogs.
Masters Students
Briana Heintzelman
Biomedical Engineering
Briana Heintzelman is a BS/MS Biomedical Engineering student with a concentration in medical imaging. She has gained research experience at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania, as well as industry R&D experience at Johnson & Johnson’s Depuy Synthes. For her master’s thesis project, she is working on a computational model of the interactions between the cardiovascular system and cerebrospinal fluid circulation to study the effects of continuous vs pulsatory circulatory assist devices on cerebrospinal fluid dynamics. Outside of academia Briana enjoys racing mountain bikes, rock climbing, and yoga.
Brandon Tsang
Biomedical Engineering
Brandon Tsang is pursuing a BS/MS in Biomedical Engineering with a concentration in biomechanics here at Drexel. He is originally from Odenton, Maryland, and spent his last co-op in the Bio-Circ Lab assisting with the Drexel Dragon Heart technology. This experience inspired him to make contributions to the health care industry, and further pursue a career in research and development for pediatrics. Outside of the lab, you can find him pursuing any of his hobbies, such as weightlifting, snowboarding, or troubleshooting 3D printers.
Emily Woodland
Biomedical Engineering
Emily Woodland is pursuing a BS/MS in Biomedical Engineering at Drexel University with concentrations in Biomechanics and Biomaterials and a minor in Computer Science. She first joined the BioCirc Laboratory as a STAR Scholar in June 2023, where she analyzed the design and function of the Drexel Dragon Heart's centrifugal pump. Outside of the laboratory, Emily loves to run, read, and cook. You can also find her giving a campus tour as one of Drexel's Student Ambassadors or tutoring students in the Math Resource Center. She is currently completing her first co-op experience with the University of Pennsylvania working in the field of patient compliance and privacy. Upon graduation, she plans to continue her education in pursuit of a PhD in Biomedical Engineering.
Research Interns
Maria Ordoñez
Biomedical Engineering
Maria-Renee Ordoñez Paredes, is working toward her Master in the Integrated Biomedical Engineering and Business. She also completed her undergraduate work at Drexel in Biomedical Engineering. She has worked for the last 3 years at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia particularly focused on research related to children with congenital anomalies and resuscitation science. Maria hope to continue her career in the field of Pediatrics Research and develop solutions for this amazing population.