Hannah Sugrue ’21, a biomedical engineering major, landed a job opportunity before graduation. She will begin working as an R&D engineer at Cardinal Health. In this role, Sugrue will be working on a research and development team that develops ECG and defibrillation electrodes & lead wires. She discovered the opportunity through University of Hartford’s Handshake platform which is overseen by UHart’s Office of Career and Professional Development.
Four years ago when Sugrue was considering which college to attend, she ultimately chose UHart because she felt the programs and opportunities complimented her interests and ambitions. Furthermore, she was really drawn to the layout of campus.
Sugrue originally enrolled as a biochemistry major because of her interest in science. After speaking with a couple of upperclassmen, however, she discovered the world of biomedical engineering which encompassed all of her interests into one area (from the medical field, to mathematics, to physics, to even helping others). Sugrue says UHart best prepared her for the workforce through project-based semester courses and research opportunities. She specifically credits Assistant Professors of Biomedical Engineering Mary (Cater) Arico and Takafumi Asaki for playing a major role in her success.
Specifically, Sugrue conducted two types of research during her undergraduate career. First, she worked with Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy Kristamarie Pratt on ACLR Reconstruction with Hartford Hospital. During the research, the team used 3D visual software to gain more knowledge of how quickly patients who have ACL surgery can heal and return to normal activity.
The second set of research was on breast cancer detection with Associate Professor of Chemistry Colleen Krause. The team developed a device through electrochemistry that could have the ability to detect proteins in saliva that correlate with breast cancer. The research was recently recognized at a national level.
Along with conducting research, Sugrue interned at Baystate Medical Center from August 2019 to March 2020. During the internship, she observed the engineers and clinicians in almost every area of the hospital, and even had the opportunity to observe surgeries in-action. Through her observations, she gained knowledge of how medical devices are used and cared for in a hospital. “It was a very eye opening experience and I learned a lot about the inner workings of patient care,” Sugrue says. “It also was crucial in my career choices because it made me realize that working in a hospital is not for me, so I chose to stick with working in an industry setting.”
Sugrue was very involved on campus during her time at UHart. “I really enjoyed being part of the amazing clubs BMES (Biomedical Engineering Society) and Tau Beta Pi (Engineering Honors Society).”
When asked what advice she would pass on to incoming students, Sugrue says “be confident in your capabilities and always give it your all no matter what.”
Hannah Sugrue '21, Biomedical EngineeringMy experience within CETA and at UHart was great. My favorite thing about UHart is how tightly knit the community is, and how easy it was to develop close friendships with my classmates and professors.