Damen Wilson, a third-year MD/PhD student in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering.

The excitement today around neural engineering is palpable, holding the promise of developing personalized treatments for neurological disorders and more options for understudied and undertreated conditions. It’s this combination of engineering and medicine that captivates Damen Wilson, a third-year MD/PhD student in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering.

What is the focus of your studies?

The autonomic, or involuntary, nervous system regulates heart rate, respiration, digestion and other physiological functions that we do not consciously control. I am focused on transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) in areas of autonomic dysfunction. This presents itself in conditions such as Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (an inherited disorder that affects connective tissue) and POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, a blood circulation disorder that causes the heart to beat faster). More broadly, the field is novel biomodulatory therapeutics and diagnostics for understudied and undertreated conditions. I hope to develop or at least lay much groundwork for a new wearable device aimed at personalized treatment of these patients’ dysautonomia (malfunctions of the autonomic nervous system).

What spurred your interest in this particular topic and line of research?

I think the neural area of medicine as a whole is an exciting frontier, where conditions with limited treatment options will see more options in the coming decades with the development of novel technology and research. Exposure to some of these patients was what ultimately sparked my interest in my specific project. Each patient is unique, their pathophysiology is unique, and with lack of personalized care, it is evident their quality of life is suffering from it.

Why did you choose Purdue to continue your studies as a graduate student?

I went to Purdue as an undergraduate. I was born and raised in Indiana and loved my time studying my bachelor's here. The opportunities I received here for my career development were crucial in me choosing my path. I was able to do things like utilize an internship and co-op, study abroad, join student organizations and conduct research, which all ultimately allowed me to grow and explore what career path I wanted to pursue. I was also able to work at two separate medical device companies, each in different areas. I was afforded the opportunity to get firsthand prosthetic development experience with patients in Ecuador, and I traveled to Beijing with Google for a medical device competition through a Purdue club. Furthermore, the Purdue MD/PhD collaboration with the Indiana School of Medicine (IUSM) is an amazing program, two powerhouses (largest medical school in nation, top-tier engineering program) joining forces to train future physician engineers. This was very appealing to me.

When did you first get interested in engineering?

I grew up in a very small town, with a small school of limited course offerings and opportunities (we did not even have physics). However I loved math, and my high school math teachers were amazing in homing in on the passions they recognized in students. One teacher in particular allowed our class to design and build a full-sized trebuchet. It was my first design and engineering experience and solidified the idea that I wanted to use math in problem solving, so I went into engineering. As for the biomedical side, I had a grandfather pass from a very rare neurological disorder; I also had a rare bacterial infection myself, often confused with cancer, while in high school. Both experiences showcased shortcomings in modern medicine to me, but also the passion and inspiration that exists with all the healthcare professionals.

What’s it like studying at Purdue?

The whole handshake saying is really true here — you are quite literally one handshake away from the most influential STEM people you can imagine. I have had instructors who made it clear that their passion is to see students prosper, and I still remain close to most of them. Student-wise, in my hometown we were not very diverse, and upon coming here I made friends with individuals from all over the world. Furthermore, through the club I was a part of, Purdue MIND, I was able to collaborate with students across many disciplines to make real prototypes.

Beyond subject matter, what else have you learned as a Purdue graduate student?

I am only in my first year, but through coursework and my research I have definitely learned to be a better scientist in terms of my research methods.

What is the Purdue research environment like?

It is very collaborative, and there have been many meetings with PIs that sparked ideas that eventually turned into full-fledged research projects. Research facilities are top tier in equipment, which is also true of the clinical opportunities with the hospital systems in Indianapolis. I currently am working through the process of submitting an intellectual property disclosure through the Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) at Purdue. I’ve already worked with OTC several times to try and get disclosures as an undergrad, and each time it was a pleasant experience. I have a T32 NIH fellowship called TPAN and am in the Purdue graduate workshop series aiming to submit for an NIH F30 in the Spring. I have had a few papers published and have attended several conferences. I also have been mentioned in a news story, as the team leader of a group that won the grand prize in a U.S.-China maker competition.

What advice might you give to other students deciding where to attend graduate school?

Make sure you have some mentors you feel you can work well with; having a healthy mentor-mentee relationship I think is most important. Graduate school is long (in my case very long, ha-ha), so if it's important to you, make sure you can choose an environment/location you know you can be comfortable in (more comfort, less stress, more productive!). Purdue is a powerhouse in engineering. You may very well not get the same opportunities at a different or smaller institution. The program’s rigor and notoriety are also nationally recognized, which may be important in a job search. Nearly every single one of my close classmates from undergraduate are thriving in awesome industry roles.

What about the future? What are your goals; what are you looking to accomplish in this field?

My long-term career goals are to discover, refine, and apply neural engineering methods that translate to personalized treatment in neurological disorders with heterogeneous symptom presentation. I am seeking an MD/PhD — with the MD through IUSM and a PhD in biomedical engineering within the Purdue Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering — with the goal of growing and excelling as a scientist, engineer, and physician. Following the completion of my MD/PhD degrees, I plan on completing a research-oriented neurology residency, where I will refine and become proficient with the research and clinical skills necessary for translational neurology research. I aim to establish a hybrid clinic laboratory aimed at using translational neural engineering research to treat neurological disorders in a personalized manner, where I split 25% of my time in clinic and 75% of my time in the lab.

Might you share with us a little window into your personality?

I, as many others at Purdue, have a mindset of learning to do things myself for fun, but also to save money too. This usually leads to taking twice as long to get something done, but I enjoy it. I love film, video games, backpacking, and home projects. I have been slowly restoring an old 1848 pre-Civil War home over the last few years that everyone loves to talk about in our program. It’s a running joke that it will never be finished.