5,000+

Name: Veronica Llaneza
Period of Participation: BD August 2010 – Present
Date of Graduation: B.S. in Environmental Engineering, 2010
Current Status: Currently my Ph.D. candidate in Environmental Engineering
Personal Statement: The Bridge to Doctorate Program has allowed me a great deal of freedom to
dedicate to my academic development. The BD Program has greatly impacted my life by allowing me
to only concentrate on my research and class work load.
Name: Nestor Arita
Period of Participation: August 2006 – May 2010
Date of Graduation: University of Miami, BS in Biomedical Engineering 2010
Baylor College of Medicine, MD Candidate, Class of 2014
Current Status: I am currently a second year medical student in the Baylor College of Medicine. I
anticipate graduating in May 2014. I am currently undecided on a specialty but have strong interest in
Orthopedic Surgery, Emergency Medicine, and Pathology.
Personal Statement: FGLSAMP greatly facilitated my involvement in research, which in turn helped me
develop sound critical thinking skills that I can apply as a student and for the rest of my career.
Name: David Amor
Period of Participation: 2005-2008
Date of Graduation: 2009 Bachelors in Biomedical Engineering, University of Miami
2011 Masters in Biomedical Engineering, University of Miami
Current Status: Senior Innovation Fellow at the University of Minnesota Medical Device Center.
Personal Statement: FGLSAMP was instrumental in allowing me to learn research protocols,
procedures and methods at the undergraduate level which allowed me to flourish later at the graduate
and post-grad stages. Furthermore, it nurtured and encouraged cooperative and collaborative research
between the engineering and science fields, enabling my future interest in medical device design and
development.
Name: Deborah G. Castillo
Period of Participation: 2002-2004
Date of Graduation: University of Miami 2004 Bachelors of Science in Biomedical Engineering
Johns Hopkins University, SOM PhD in Biomedical Engineering (Spring 2012)
Current Status: Graduate Student Fellow; PhD Candidate at Johns Hopkins University, Department of
Biomedical Engineering
Personal Statement: FGLSAMP was an important step in my college career because it introduced me to
scientific research as a possible career path. This experience set the foundation for my interests in
pursuing a doctorate degree in biomedical engineering.
Name: Edward Arguello
Period of Participation: Fall 1999 - Spring 2003
Date of Graduation: Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering, University of Miami, 2003,
-M.S. Degree - Biomedical Engineering -Case Western Reserve University
Current Status: Working in the field of Medical Device design, for major medical device companies
designing products ranging from intravascular catheters to insulin pumps.
Personal Statement: I am appreciative of the FGLSAMP program and the experience it provided during
my undergraduate studies. Through FGLSAMP, I was exposed to real-world laboratory and design
work outside of a classroom setting.
Name: Janice Dias
Period of Participation: 2005-2009
Date of Graduation: 2009; Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering
Graduate School at the University of Miami
Current Status: I am currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Biomedical Engineering at the University
of Miami. My research focus is the application of atomic force microscopy to the field of corneal
biomechanics.
Personal Statement: Through my participation within FGLSAMP, the world of biomedical research was
made known to me. I thank the FGLSAMP for being the vehicle that has informed me on the vast
opportunities and benefits accompanying obtaining advanced degrees and pursuing academic research
endeavors that matches my interests.
21