Meet the Instructors
Chris Hermann, MD, PhD is the Founder and CEO of Clean Hands Safe Hands (CHSH). He has over 16 years of experience working in medical technology design and healthcare. His background, as a physician and engineer, has given him a unique perspective to bridge the gap between engineering and medicine. His in depth technical and clinical knowledge have allowed him to lead multi-disciplinary teams to address complex clinical problems. These teams have created several medical devices, biologic therapies, and electronic sensors that are used clinically or are in clinical trials.
Dr. Hermann started and led the multi-institution research collaboration that developed the core technology utilized in the CHSH system. The research team included investigators from Children’s Healthcare, Georgia Tech, Emory School of Medicine, the GA Tech Research Institute, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Over the last 12 years the research team has secured and executed more than eight state and federal research grants totaling over $3.2M. Unlike most clinical research grants, these projects were heavily focused on rapid iteration engineering development and completely driven by the real world needs of clinicians. Dr. Hermann is the lead inventor for the patents related to the CHSH technology and serves as the connection between the clinicians and engineers.
Outside of his clinical experience, Dr. Hermann has over fourteen years experience in a variety of leadership development training, experiential education, and team building roles. These include running and facilitating high ropes/challenge courses, climbing leadership development programs, and high adventure sailing programs. He has a PhD in Bioengineering, a MS in Mechanical Engineering, a BS in Biomedical Engineering with High Honors from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and an MD from Emory School of Medicine. He is married with three children.
Saylan Lukas is a Professor of Practice at the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology College of Engineering and Emory School of Medicine. Saylan has over 20 years of medical device design and development experience. From startup companies to large international corporations, he has led project teams from initial feasibility through global commercialization in areas of patient specific craniomaxillofacial orthopedic implants and instruments, transcatheter heart-valve stent grafts and delivery systems, cranial stabilization systems, cancer treatment devices, and laparoscopic instruments. Saylan has extensive experience in new technology assessment, product development, computer aided design, 3D printing and prototype fabrication, design verification and validation testing, human factors and usability, risk analysis, manufacturing scale-up, sustaining engineering, and root cause analysis. He has developed and launched multiple products, obtained successful FDA approval on several 510(k) applications, has been awarded numerous patents, and published multiple technical papers in peer-reviewed journals. Saylan earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees in Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (Terre Haute, IN) and a Master’s in Business Administration from Butler University (Indianapolis, IN).
Dr. Chris Revell is a Professor of the Practice at the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology’s College of Engineering and Emory School of Medicine. Chris has over 16 years of medical device design and development experience, ranging from venture capital-funded startups to large, publicly traded companies. Chris’ experience includes leading teams in all phases of medical device product development, from early technology development and customer insights through commercialization and into sustaining engineering. His areas of focus through his career include devices and instrumentation used in orolaryngological surgery, respiratory and airway management, acute and chronic gastrointestinal and enteral feeding solutions and various devices within the neonatal intensive care (NICU) setting. Chris has extensive experience in the customer insight-driven product development process, including customer discovery, business case development, technology development, product development, design verification and validation, human factors, sustaining engineering and regulatory compliance. Dr. Revell has developed and launched multiple products, has authored and obtained successful FDA and EU regulatory clearances and blends technical knowledge with business viability within the medical device arena. Chris earned his undergraduate degree in Polymer & Textile Chemistry from Georgia Tech and a PhD in Bioengineering from Rice University.
Meet the Capstone Liaison
Alessandra is a fifth-year Ph.D. student in Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, where she is developing novel ultrasound-interrogated microfluidic sensors for minimally invasive intracranial pressure monitoring. She has been part of the BME Capstone Design program since 2022, having previously served as the Head Graduate Teaching Assistant and now as the Partnerships Liaison, where she manages sponsor relationships, handles Capstone marketing, and supports program development. Alessandra earned her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2021, where her research focused on medical device design and prototyping. She is passionate about education and mentorship and aims to one day lead her own lab to develop accessible healthcare technologies.
Kayden Shuster is pursuing her M.S. in Biomedical Innovation and Development at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where she also earned her B.S. in Biomedical Engineering with a minor in Biology. She brings a strong foundation in medical device development, having contributed to multiple phases of the product lifecycle at Avanos Medical, from early-stage concept generation to verification testing and regulatory compliance. Kayden led early product development through her project with the Mayo Clinic. She is passionate about translating unmet clinical needs into innovative, user-centered solutions.
Meet the Graduate Teaching Assistants
Valeria Perez is a B.S/M.S. student in Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech (’25). She’s worked in R&D at top Medical Device Companies and startups like Boston Scientific , Johnson & Johnson MedTech, Mayo Clinic Hospital, and Nyra Medical. She also co-leads PatchPals—an ACC InVenture Prize People’s Choice Award Winner. Valeria loves building with customers and clinicians and plans to move into technical sales/solutions engineering in medtech, translating complex devices into clear value for hospitals and caregivers.
Emily Yan received her B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2024. She completed a Fulbright Fellowship in Taiwan in 2025 and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Biomedical Innovation and Development at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Her research interests center around design for biomedical applications and plans to pursue medical school post-graduation. Outside of academics, Emily enjoys going to the gym, learning new board games, and cooking with CHEFS at Tech!
Ethan Cantrell is a B.S./M.S. student and will graduate with his masters in the spring of 2026. His interests in a career align with R&D engineering which he have bolstered through an internship doing R&D engineering at Cook Medical and as an Orthobiologics R&D engineer and researcher at Arthrex. As an undergraduate he spent his time outside of class in research working on tissue engineering for diaphragm tissue grafts, working to improve access to water in Nicaragua through Engineers Without Borders, playing club soccer, or being a brother of Pi Kappa Phi.
Amritaa Basu received her B.S. Biomedical Engineering and Business Analytics Certificate from Georgia Tech in May 2025. She is now pursuing her BME M.S. through the B.S./M.S. pathway. She has previously interned with BD, Edwards Lifesciences, and American Heart Association, and conducted cardiovascular tissue engineering research with the Serpooshan Lab at Emory University. Amritaa is inspired by her upbringing across 8 cities in India and the U.S., and this has shaped her perspectives on equitable development of biomedical infrastructure. After graduating, Amritaa hopes to pursue industry with a focus on R&D, Process Engineering, or PM for cardiovascular interventions.
Emma Snyder is pursuing a Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech. During her time at Tech, she has gained industry experience through internships with several medtech companies. Upon graduating in December, Emma will join Medtronic, where she looks forward to designing medical devices that improve lives around the world.
Isabella Turner received her B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2025. She completed the Denning Technology and Management Program in 2023, integrating Engineering and Business. Now, she is studying to complete a Master’s in Industrial and Systems Engineering- Health Systems. Her research and post-graduation interests are centered around optimizing air leak detection, treatment, and management during thoracic surgeries. She showcased her research and commercialization ambition through this past summer’s cohort of Create-X. During her undergraduate and graduate term, Isabella competes on the Varsity Cross Country and Track and Field team, proudly representing GT.
