Introducing Eeman R Shah

Eeman R Shah is a biomedical and mechatronics engineering student at UNSW and IHealthE's first MedTech Ambassador. Her journey with the Institute began in 2026 through the Taste of Innovation program, where she worked on BraceBuddy, a scoliosis brace compliance monitoring device, as part of her Engineering Project Initiative (EPI) placement. Today, Eeman is completing her engineering degree. Alongside her studies, she supports the Raymond Kirby MedTech Makerspace, helping shape IHealthE's new MedTech Ambassador program while contributing to the operation of the spaces and the development of future ambassador training. Her experience reflects IHealthE's commitment to supporting students beyond the classroom by providing opportunities to develop technical skills, gain hands-on experience, and contribute to the future of MedTech innovation. 

We sat down with Eeman to learn more about her journey from the Taste of Innovation program to becoming IHealthE's first MedTech Ambassador, and how those experiences have shaped her passion for health engineering.

Why did you apply to undertake your student placement in the Taste of Innovation program?

The program was mentioned to me by Prof Laura Poole-Warren, who was my IHealthE mentor for a clinical immersion course. We had been discussing next steps after a term of observing a clinical environment to uncover its needs and I had wanted a way for us to take such a need and develop a solution.

Taste of Innovation offered that opportunity to create something that you could translate for clinical use in real time.

Can you tell us about the BraceBuddy project and what you enjoyed most about working on it?

BraceBuddy started off as a monitoring device to see if scoliosis braces were being worn for the prescribed time. For context, children with scoliosis usually have to wear braces for 16-20 hours a day and naturally, compliance is a struggle. The project evolved beyond that as we uncovered another need in our clinician meetings; there was no way to take objective pressure measurements when the brace is being fitted. Based on experience, clinicians normally estimate the amount of pressure the brace applies. From there, BraceBuddy became about optimising brace wear - a pressure sensing system that fits seamlessly inside a brace and provides real time objective measurements to clinicians to inform the treatment. My favourite (and the most challenging) part was drawing inspiration from the oddest of places and experimenting with the oddest of methods (I kid you not, I spent more than a few afternoons ironing laminating sheets to create the pressure sensors). That really opened my eyes to the amount of potential ideas that hide in plain sight around us.

As IHealthE's first MedTech Ambassador, what does your role involve, and what excites you most about helping shape the program?

My role revolves around facilitating the use of the Raymond Kirby MedTech Makerspace for the clinical prototyping happening there. I run workshops for students, support projects and coursework learning. I’m also currently working on bridging our Makerspace and the Makerspace Network on campus by integrating existing machine catalogues and designing MedTech trainings for staff.

I’m excited to see more ambassadors here as the space flourishes further into an intersection where ideas can be nurtured.

What has been your biggest learning or takeaway from working alongside researchers, engineers, clinicians, and innovators at IHealthE?

I’m constantly amazed by how many trains of thought are speeding through everyone’s minds. There’s a steady stream of ideas being suggested, evaluated, dismantled and then immediately adapted. I love how many different angles criticism is given from and how quickly feedback is evaluated; it's made me reframe the way I process and redirect discussions around a project.

What advice would you give to other students interested in MedTech innovation?

There’s so much to gain out of sheer curiosity!

Ask questions, be open to hearing answers you don’t want to hear and be ready to pivot when you do.

What's next for you after graduation?

Throughout my degree I’ve been fascinated by surgical robotics. It’s what drew me to biomedical engineering and it’s the first application I reach for when I’m asked about my degree. I was lucky enough to have my thesis centred around improving depth perception for teleoperated surgical robots. Now that I’m (nearly) on the other side of it, I have a growing interest in operating theatre design and the potential for innovation there. I guess we’ll see what the future has in store, but I would love to explore that avenue of MedTech.

Stay updated on Eeman's journey by connecting with her via LinkedIn. 

Learn more about the Taste of Innovation program on the IHealthE website.