Engineering design project = Research?

[EngineeringMD]

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I have been working with a doctor to design a medical instrument for a clinical need. The work involves research into the science background, and talking with doctors, but is mostly engineering research design (should I use this transistor or this resistor) with some science (should I use this reagent, this assay, etc.), and thinking about implementation (how would a doctor want to use this or that, would this be practical in a hospital). The device wouldn't be considered novel, but it serves a specific purpose that hasn't been addressed before. It is largely an independent project with the doctor guiding me in terms of clinical application/usability.

I was wondering whether this is considered research, and if so, would it be considered translational or clinical research? Should this be included in the MD/PhD research essay? This project is a large reason I want to pursue an MD/PhD, and I've discussed it a bit in my Why MD/PhD essay, but I do have other standard research experiences that I can discuss to fill the research essay.

 

[debateg]

Yes, that is definitely research. It probably falls into biomedical engineering, and many MD/PhDs allow you to do your PhD in that. However, keep in mind that most programs are heavily basic science focused, e.g. looking at cells, proteins, fMRI, etc. Actually doing device and assay development is more of a niche thing that many of the strong basic science institutions lack. Places affiliated with strong engineering programs (Caltech, MIT, Carnegie Melon, etc) may be a better fit for you.

It's not clinical research. Clinical research involves analyzing data from patients without much interest in underlying biologic mechanism (e.g. drug A vs drug B, exposure to XYZ and risk of cancer, etc). Translational research varies dramatically in meaning to the point that it means almost nothing. It's a buzzword and probably best avoided.

If you want to do that type of work in the long-term, you should focus on that. It will make you somewhat unique among your applicants, since most people want to do basic science. It will be important for your interviewers to know, and don't be surprised if they tell you that their institution doesn't have much to offer (which is good to know... you don't want to go there then).