“As an athlete, I am always really interested in the human body. I am so glad I chose biomedical engineering as my major,” said Penn State senior Brian McKellar.
Since July 2016, the Schreyer Scholar has been working with EpiBone Inc., a revolutionary bone reconstruction company that hopes to help patients harness the regenerative capabilities of their own bodies. The company’s mission is to create a simplified surgical procedure – using a patient’s own stem cells – to improve bone formation and regeneration, and shorten recovery time without the complications of foreign body implantation.
“Many people’s health conditions do not allow them to have body implantation surgery. Having our technology and research will help improve their quality of life,” said McKellar. “I have been doing mostly lab work. This experience is definitely invaluable to me.”
EpiBone is a small startup company – they recently got their 10th member on board. McKellar said he loves working in a startup environment. “Being in a small company gives us a lot of freedom and options because not everything is established yet. We can try a lot of different ideas and concepts, which is something people can’t always do in bigger corporations.”
In addition, McKellar has had opportunities to collaborate with EpiBone’s surgeons and medical researchers, who he says are “actively involved in a lot of aspects of the company, to help guide and direct the development of the company’s products.”
Besides his research in the EpiBone lab, McKellar is also involved in Penn State sports and service activities.
A rugby player since high school, McKellar was named captain of Penn State Rugby last spring.
In 2015, Penn State Rugby was paired with a THON family for the first time.
“I took the rugby team to meet our THON child, Logan. That was absolutely incredible,” McKellar continued.
McKellar also mentors underclassmen at Penn State by volunteering as an Engineering Career Envoy and participating in the Schreyer Honors College Career Development Program. His responsibilities include answering career and academic oriented questions, and providing guidance for younger engineering students.
“I usually talk to students about my internship experiences,” said McKellar, who also completed internships at Johnson and Johnson, McNeil Consumer Healthcare. “We participate in a lot of social activities, too, like watching movies, eating dinner together, etc. It’s a lot of fun.”
McKellar said being involved in so many activities and keeping up with his engineering coursework has its challenges.
“I have a lot of things on my plate, so I don’t get as much sleep as I should. It’s not easy, but I am having a good time,” he said.
Following graduation, McKellar hopes to continue pursuing entrepreneurial interests.