During her PhD, Caitlin addressed challenges in diabetes management, focusing on the development of next-generation insulin drugs that could lead to fully autonomous insulin delivery as well as enable improved access to medication in resource-poor environments.
As a Schmidt Science Fellow, Caitlin worked with Dr. Jeffrey Karp at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital where she pivoted from biomedical engineering into materials science and device fabrication. During her Fellowship Caitlin developed simple biomaterial sensors that can be used to monitor chronic inflammation with a goal to provide patients with access to easy-to-use tools to monitor changes in disease states in the comfort of their homes.
Since completing her Fellowship Placement, Caitlin has started her own research group at the University of Toronto. Her group’s focus combines her experiences from PhD and as a Schmidt Science Fellow for the development of dynamic polymer materials for drug delivery and biosensing applications. She hopes to apply these polymer technologies to address challenges in diabetes and digestive diseases.
Caitlin is motivated to work toward making a positive impact on the lives of others by engineering medical technologies that may improve the lives of patients. Caitlin also believes in the importance of inspiring the next generation of scientists and plans to share her teachings through mentoring.