Who We Are

Director In this role, he oversees the development and growth of the program while leading the administration of a curriculum that trains students in the core competencies required to bring new medical technology to market. In addition, he oversees and teaches five courses of the program, including Cost Analysis (I6200), Translational Challenges (I6400), and the year-long Biodesign Capstone sequence (I6500, I6600, and I6700) that anchors the MTM curriculum. In two of his previous roles, Dr. Fritton developed orthopedic technology at Stony Brook University and as a senior R&D engineer at Hospital for Special Surgery. He completed his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering at Cornell University and then spent 15 years in research and orthopedic instruction at Mount Sinai and Rutgers before joining the faculty at CCNY in 2019. In addition to teaching, Dr. Fritton maintains an active research program in skeletal biomechanics and mentors undergraduate, graduate, and medical students in research and biodesign.

Contact: jfritton@ccny.cuny.edu

Assistant Director Muaad Alody was born and raised in Yemen. He came to the United States to pursue the best and highest possible education. Muaad Alody is a lifelong City College, receiving his Bachelor of Arts in political science and international relations and his Masters of Public Administration (MPA) from CCNY. Muaad served in Student Government and held a series of Administrative offices at City College. While enrolled at CCNY for both his BA and MPA, he served his peers as the Executive Vice President of the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) and the Graduate Student Council (GSC) Chairperson. During his tenure in student government, he was heavily engaged in the decision-making process for CCNY by serving on various college committees, such as the Student Services Corporation (SSC) and the Auxiliary Enterprise Corporation (AEC). At City College, Mr. Alody worked in the Office of Student Life & Leadership Development as an orientation leader, a college assistant, and an office manager. He then joined the Student Engagement Initiatives at CCNY as the Administrative Coordinator, where he managed all administrative aspects of 5 different programs. Most recently, Muaad worked as the Administrative Coordinator of the Nanoscience Initiative in the Advanced Science Research Center (ASRC) at the CUNY Graduate Center.

Contact: malody@ccny.cuny.edu

Communications & Marketing Intern Hana Kassem is a DACAmented recent Biomedical Engineering graduate from The City College of New York and is currently enrolled in MTM. She spent the summer as an R&D Intern at Fesarius Therapeutics. She was the 2022-2023 President of the Biomedical Engineering Society- CCNY Student Chapter and a Peer Mentor through the Black Male Initiative Urban Mentoring and Achievement Network. Previously, Hana was a College Assistant for the CCNY Registrar for three years, worked as Social Media Manager and Product Design Intern for Fulament, a 3D printing accessories start-up, for one year, and participated in the New York Immigration Coalition DREAM Fellowship in 2020. She has also conducted research through three different labs at CCNY and The University of Michigan since 2020. She was also a student-athlete and manager for the CCNY Women’s Basketball Team for the 2019 season and Social Media Coach for the CCNY Women’s Soccer Team for the 2021 season.

Contact: hkassem@ccny.cuny.edu

Manufacturing Engineer Rodaina Elhelw is a mechanical engineer, holding a bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering from The City College of New York. During her academic journey, she was a member of CCNY’s chapter of ASME, and competed in their annual design competition, E-Fest, representing CCNY with the design and manufacturing of a mechanical hovercraft. She gained hands-on experience as a machining assistant at CCNY’s Manufacturing Lab, assisting mechanical engineering students in the manufacturing of their projects. In addition, she was a research assistant, conducting experiments on a high-temperature, cool gas reactor. Rodaina’s passion for making a difference and changing lives was portrayed as a teacher for middle school students with STEM Institute. She aims to inspire the next generation by implementing technical skills in them from a young age.