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Smaller textNewsmaker: Matt Oberdier
Matt Oberdier
Mike Wereschagin is a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review staff writer and can be reached at 412-320-7900, via e-mail or on Twitter.
Residence: Shadyside
Age: 29
Education: Oberdier earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering in 2003 and a master's degree in biological engineering from the University of Akron.
Occupation: Oberdier is a doctoral candidate and National Institutes of Health fellow in Carnegie Mellon University's biomedical engineering program.
Noteworthy/achievement: Oberdier, along with his adviser and Allegheny General Hospital neurosurgeon Dr. James Burgess, is creating a device to help control bleeding during brain surgery. It could one day make it possible to perform surgery in space. The device — a clear, water-filled dome — would be attached to the patient's head after the scalp is removed. The surgeon would operate through instrument ports in the dome, while the fluid inside would apply even pressure to the brain and wash the area clear of blood. Using such a system in space would allow astronauts to prevent blood from floating around in the spacecraft.
Quote: "It's a means of performing surgery underwater."
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