2021/01/14 | People | Biomechanics
Habilitation Francesco Clavica
PD Dr. Francesco Clavica, Group Head of the ARTORG Urogenital Engineering group, successfully gave the presentation for his habilitation to the Medical faculty council of the University of Bern on 16 December 2020. Under the title „Innovative engineering approaches to diagnose and treat diseases of the urinary tract“, he presented his research foci in a short video format.
Francesco Clavica holds a master's degree in biomedical engineering from Politecnico di Milano (Italy) and a PhD degree in Biofluid Mechanics from Brunel University London (UK). Before joining ARTORG, he has worked at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio (USA) and at the Department of Urology of Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam (The Netherlands). Besides his role as ARTORG Center group head, he is a Guest scientist at Center for Artificial Muscle of the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). For his research, Francesco Clavica applies experimental fluid dynamics, microfluidics and electrophysiology to address clinical challenges of the urinary tract and of the cardiovascular system.
Urogenital Engineering group
(photo: Adrian Moser © University of Bern)
As group head of Urogenital Engineering, Francesco Clavica translates his research into engineering solutions for common urological disorders. The group works closely with the Department of Urology of the Inselspital, Bern University Hospital (Prof. Fiona Burkhard) and the ARTORG Cardiovascular Engineering group (Prof. Dominik Obrist). One of the main research foci of the Urogenital Engineering group is on improving ureteral stents, used to treat stones of the upper urinary tract. Moreover, with his startup URODEA, Francesco Clavica and his team are developing the world’s first non-invasive solution for patients suffering from urinary retention. URODEA product is a handheld and external medical device, which aids bladder emptying by generating a urine flow while avoiding the contact with urine. The device eliminates the risk of urinary infections which are common side effects of catheter treatment.
