New Graduate Course Delves into the Intricacies of Medical Device Toxicology

By Chuck Carlson

This summer, the Michigan State University Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology Online Graduate Programs will unveil a new course for its students.

Titled “Introduction to Medical Device Toxicology,” the course will be led by two adjunct professors who are passionate and experienced about a subject not often taught in this field.

Thor Rollins and Christopher Pohl are the adjunct instructors who will teach the course that starts May 13.

Both men work in the medical device toxicology field and are based in Salt Lake City, Utah – Rollins as vice president of Nelson Labs and Pohl, a 2023 graduate of the online MS in Pharmacology and Toxicology program, as a senior toxicologist at Medtronic.

“I’m really excited to share our difference perspectives,” Rollins said.

Their goal is both simple and complex: To inform students that every medical device in existence, from bandages to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines, contain in most cases, dozens of chemicals. Rollins and Pohl want to provide a basis of understanding about these devices, what they do and how they can benefit, and harm, patients.

“We want to tell a story about toxicology,” Rollins said.

“My idea is teaching students to be storytellers,” Pohl said.

And it’s a story about learning the biocompatibility and toxicology of medical devices. The course will also include a review of regulatory expectations and standards, endpoint assessment, and the data needed for toxicological risk assessment to assess safety of medical devices.

“I’ve been doing this for a couple of decades and there was really not a need for this course for the first 10 years,” Rollins said. “But about 10 years ago, we started making changes in medical devices. Some of these devices you can see some crazy (chemicals) come off them.”

“Medical devices are kind of the Wild West in some instances,” Pohl said. “There’s new information and new ways of using them and there are so many new things coming out. We are trying to teach these students how to look at testing strategies. How are you going to ensure that patients are safe?”

Importantly, the course will be to tap into experts in the field of medical device toxicology including:

• Ron Brown – Former FDA Reviewer

• Dr. Todd Kennedy – Toxicologist, W.L. Gore, a global materials science company

• Dr. Matthew Jorgenson – Toxicologist, Teleflex, a global provider of medical technologies

• Dr. Steph Street – Principal Toxicologist, Medtronic

• Miki Giffin – Senior Toxicologist, Medtronic

Online Graduate Programs Director Dr. Isola Brown was intrigued by the idea of a new course when approached last year by Pohl. The course will run as a pilot program this year, with goals that it will eventually become a permanent part of the online graduate programs’ curriculum.

She sees new courses like this as a valuable addition to the program, especially since many of the graduates will move into the pharmaceutical field.

“It’s a necessary evolution,” she said. “Our students are going out and working in these industries or are already working in them. It’s important to bridge that gap between what you’re learning in the classroom and what you do in real life.”