The Human Performance Seminar Series (836) from the Center for Ergonomics is open to all U-M Industrial and Operations Engineering graduate students and faculty are especially encouraged to attend.

Title: Human Factors in Medical Device Design and Development

Abstract: The importance of human factors within the development of medical devices and combination products has risen greatly within the last 10 years. FDA and international guidance/standards have prescribed a comprehensive, risk-based, human-centered design approach supported by usability data. The human factors engineering role has become a pivotal role in organizations to define, design for, and protect the needs of users throughout the development process. This talk will share current practices and case study at Nemera - Insight Innovation Center - Chicago (formerly Insight Product Development), a design innovation consultancy that focuses on developing solutions for the med device and pharma industries. This talk will focus on the types of activities conducted and the human factors skill set needed to succeed in this industry.

Bio: Michael Lau, PhD, is the human factors leader at Nemera. He completed his doctorate in IOE in 2011 under Dr. Armstrong. As an HF consultant, Michael and his team work with many different pharmaceutical, medical device, and consumer managed healthcare companies, from start ups to Fortune 500. His work encompasses devices in the surgical, combination product, diagnostic, parenteral, and other areas and many different patient populations such as rare diseases, autoimmune disorders, and other debilitating conditions.