College of Engineering Presents 2022 Tang Lecture

The Shirley and Ting-Wei Tang Endowment Lecture Series, founded in 1999, brings engineering leaders to campus to present a major talk to the University. This year’s Tang Lecture—titled “From Concept to Market: Bringing a Medical Device to Life”—will be presented by Joseph Hidler ’94, Founder and CEO of Aretech, LLC.

Aretech is an industry leader in developing advanced rehabilitation technologies, with a focus on robotic body-weight support systems. Aretech’s feature product, ZeroG, is designed to provide patients who have experienced a stroke, traumatic brain injury, or other neurological disorders the opportunity to practice walking safely and effectively.

Hidler’s lecture will take the audience on the journey of the birth and evolution of a medical device that is now being used by thousands of patients across the world. Discussions of the engineering challenges, economic considerations, regulatory requirements, and business pitfalls will be presented, and a roadmap for aspiring medical device entrepreneurs will be outlined.

Joseph Hidler earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1994, and his master’s degree and Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Northwestern University. Prior to founding Aretech, he was the director of the Center for Applied Biomechanics and Rehabilitation Research (CABRR) at the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington, D.C.

As the University recognizes Disability Awareness Month, this lecture may be of particular interest to students and advocacy groups in support of disabled communities.

The Tang Lecture will be delivered on Thursday, Oct. 13 at 4 p.m. in the Old Chapel. The event is free and open to the public.

More information: https://engineering.umass.edu/tang-lecture

UMass event page: https://www.umass.edu/events/2022-shirley-and-ting-wei-tang-lecture