Dynamic lateral support could improve quality of life for wheelchair users
Ever since she was young, Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) master's degree candidate Madara Dias has wanted to help people. “I set my heart on majoring in biomedical engineering so that I could continue helping people through my work,” she says. “I saw this as a career path that would allow me to make a direct and positive impact on people’s lives – and maybe even save lives.”
Dias, who holds a bachelor’s degree from the School of Engineering, will receive her master’s degree in biomedical engineering, along with a certificate in medical device design and development in May 2021. For her master’s degree thesis, she partnered with the Matheny School, a special school for children and adults with medically complex developmental disabilities in Peapack, New Jersey, to develop an innovative lateral support for wheelchair users.
Since 2016, BME has enjoyed a productive collaborative relationship with Matheny, which includes a week-long immersion program for students as part of their senior design capstone project. This interactive access to the Matheny School and its adult services programs has helped students create a variety of design concepts, including a motorized headrest for wheelchairs, a self-sterilizing and retractable intravenous pole , and a lateral support that that would not only give wheelchair users the extra support they need for stability and balance, but which would also support side-to-side movement.
“Current lateral supports are static, holding the patient in a fixed position, without allowing much independent range of motion,” Dias explains. Building on the work of earlier students, she worked for a year on developing a device that would greatly increase the users’ range of motion while improving their quality of life.
“An adjustable, affordable, and dynamic device, which is what I worked on designing, could also be beneficial for patients at high risk of developing pressure sores, by assisting in weight shifting. And it could benefit patients prone to self-injurious behaviors by reducing injury severity by softening the impact of blows to the wheelchair.”
For Dias, doing research from home during the pandemic presented its own set of challenges. “It made me think outside of the box and be creative with my design process. I drew a lot of inspiration from household objects, and staying at home encouraged me to work with the resources I had at home.”
She credits her advisor, BME assistant professor and undergraduate director Kristen Labazzo, as well as BME thesis committee faculty members Noshir Langrana and Natalie Macon, with contributing to her success. “My work would not have been possible without the support of my professors, who always made sure I had all the resources I needed to succeed even in a completely virtual setting.”
She also credits Matheny’s John Reck, who she says took the time to expand her background knowledge by teaching her about the difference a dynamic lateral wheelchair support could make in the lives’ of wheelchair users.
“The project was a great reminder of why I chose biomedical engineering – which was to help people. I’m really grateful to the Rutgers-Matheny collaboration for giving me the chance to work on a project that has the potential to make a positive impact on patient lives,” says Dias.
Labazzo, who also serves as chair of the Matheny School Board and as a member of Matheny’s Board of Trustees, says that Dias’ success exemplifies the value of the Rutgers-Matheny collaboration. ”Her success perfectly demonstrates how the collaboration provides Rutgers BME students with hands-on, real-world learning that not only enhances their education, but also prepares them for dynamic careers in the medical field.”
After graduating, Dias looks forward to applying all that she has learned in a full-time position at Merck as part of their Manufacturing Leadership Development Program (MLDP).