Matt McDonald, the director of data research and engineering for the Neuromodulation division of Boston Scientific, has spent nearly his entire career engineering, designing, and planning products with patients and elegant design at the forefront of his thinking.
Currently, Matt is focused on the collaboration with IBM Research to transform the way neuromodulation research is done around the world, with wearables and apps – with the aim to help people with chronic pain live healthier lives. Leveraging his own engineering and design experience, Matt compiled a team with the right clinical, digital, and neuromodulation background to complement IBM’s artificial intelligence work, with the goal of taking a more holistic approach to chronic pain care and creating a monitoring and tracking system based on novel metrics that allow patients to get timely care.
Matt was also a key part of the team that developed the first magnetic research imaging (MRI) conditional spinal cord stimulation systems at Boston Scientific, along with new standards for MRI safety testing. As part of this team, he built out new, robust procedures that helped increase adoption worldwide.
He currently holds 60 U.S. patents, is on the internal patent review board, and has received a multitude of honors for his product development and engineering accomplishments. Prior to his roles at Boston Scientific, Matt held other engineering and project management positions at medical device and imaging companies.
Matt earned his bachelor’s degree in bioengineering from the University of California, San Diego, and received his master’s degree in mechanical engineering, with a focus on design, from the University of Southern California.
