Chris Faresich, '13, Extremity Medical Product Development Intern

Chris Faresich, ’13, Biomedical Engineering, is spending his summer interning at Extremity Medical, LLC, an orthopedic device company specializing in the hand, wrist, foot, and ankle. 

"I work in product development, where I design custom surgical instruments which adhere to the requests of surgeons. Then I order the prototypes and final products," he says. "Also, I assist in Operations and Quality Assurance by inspecting incoming parts, help with warehouse management, support XM in cadaver labs, and observe the implantation of XM devices in an operating room."

Faresich says his first day on the job included a visit to a cadaver lab where he assisted in the implantation of KinematX, an arthroplasty radiocarpal joint. He says his past experience in the operating room and cadaver labs prepared him well for what he saw.

He says he enjoys getting a new custom instrument request and designing the part from scratch using a software program called Solidworks. “I know that I am going to walk away from this internship with experience in applicable engineering skills that I would not have learned in the classroom,” he says.

Faresich found his internship with help from Gwen M. Greene Career and Internship Center Associate Director Laura Godwin, who helped him focus his search on orthopedics companies in the northern New Jersey area.

“I came across the contact information of an engineer at XM. Within an hour of sending an email, I heard back from the product development manager who was very enthusiastic about learning more about my summer goals.”

Faresich sees his future in the medical device design field. In addition to the engineering experience he is gaining now, he spent a previous summer in the Morristown Medical Center interning under the Chair of the Department of Surgery.

“These two internships have provided me with expansive knowledge of medical devices; seeing their birth from a problem sparking an engineer's solution to their final destination within the patient via the work of a surgeon,” he says.

Faresich would like to enter the field as a development engineer and then obtain an MBA and transition to a business role.

“Coming into college I wanted to be a veterinarian, then considered medical school,” he says. “Now I want to eventually head an orthopedics company, so I know all too well my direction is subject to change along the way. However, that does not stop me from pursuing my passions and learning about myself along the way.”

Read more "Spotlight on Summer Interns" stories here.