MS-MPE Student Feature: Jana Citrenbaum

In May of this year, Jana Citrenbaum graduated from Florida State University’s Honors College with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering. During her time at FSU, she gained valuable hands-on experience in both research and product design. As an intern at Victor Technologies, she worked alongside the company’s CEO to manufacture custom orthotics for patients. She was also a charter member of Generational Relief in Prosthetics (GRiP), where she collaborated with peers from multiple engineering disciplines to design a prosthetic that allowed a young girl born without thumbs to play softball. For her senior design project, Jana and her team developed a vibration-reduction bite guard aimed at lessening dental drill vibrations to reduce patient anxiety during procedures.

Jana chose to pursue the M.S. in Medical Product Engineering program at the University of Pittsburgh because of its strong industry connections and hands-on curriculum. Her goal is to develop life-changing medical devices, and she views Pittsburgh as the perfect place to begin that journey, given its network of leading medical device companies. She values the program’s flexible structure, with evening classes and summers free for co-op or internship opportunities, as well as the faculty’s deep industry experience. Many professors have founded startups or worked at top medical device companies, offering students valuable connections through career fairs and networking events. Jana hopes that by combining coursework with industry experience, she will gain a clearer sense of her specialization in medical device development by the time she graduates.