November 19, 2002

Doctor Times Two — PhD Plus MD Makes Unique Career

Dr. Troy Nagle’s electronic nose is one example of a tool developed using electrical and biomedical engineering methods.

Dr. H. Troy Nagle didn’t start out planning to be an MD and a PhD. Nagle, professor of electrical and computer engineering at NC State University, began his career with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. He earned his doctorate in engineering at Auburn University, where he specialized in digital systems research, a brand new field at that time.

After a stint in Vietnam, Nagle started an academic career at Auburn as an assistant professor of electrical engineering, teaching a course in digital circuits. Within a few years, though, his career veered away from the ordinary. “I heard about a special program at the University of Miami for people with a PhD in engineering, science or math whereby you could earn an MD in two years,” he said. “I applied and was accepted into the program.”

Although not a primary career goal for Nagle, the idea of being a medical doctor had always been in the back of his mind. “My grandfather was a physician, and I always thought a career in medicine would be interesting,” he said.

His medical school class was just 36 students, most of whom are now practicing physicians. Nagle, however, decided to return to engineering after completing his medical training in 1981. He focused on biomedical engineering, a discipline that combines engineering with human biology and uses Nagle’s expertise in both fields.

His interest in biomedical engineering drew him to the Research Triangle area in 1984. “With Duke, UNC medical school and NC State, this is a great area for biomedical engineering,” he said. Indeed, Nagle has taken full advantage of the proximity of the three institutions; since 1988 he has held a research professor appointment in biomedical engineering at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH). For the past ten years he has been active on faculty committees working toward establishing a graduate biomedical engineering program at NC State. In 1991 a graduate minor in biomedical engineering was established at NC State. In July 2001 the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at NC State and Dr. Susan Blanchard, professor of biological and agricultural engineering, established an undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering, one of the College of Engineering’s newest degree programs. The next development in the biomedical engineering academic program will be joint master’s and doctoral degrees with UNC-CH. Approval for these new degrees is expected in spring 2003.

Nagle has spent the past 20 years applying his knowledge to challenges in biomedical engineering. With his graduate students and collaborators at UNC-CH, he has developed tiny flexible sensors for use on mouse hearts. By studying the heart’s electrical impulses researchers can learn how medicines and diseases affect this vital organ.

Another recent research effort is the development of an electronic “nose” (E-nose) that can detect volatile chemicals or odors. A pump sucks air into a portal of the machine, and an array of electronic sensors sends information about the odor to a computer, which displays each odor’s unique chemical pattern and compares it with a database based on human interpretation of a smell. His collaborators for this study include Blanchard and Dr. John J. Classen, associate professor of biological and agricultural engineering, as well as Dr. Susan Schiffman, director of the Duke University Medical Center Taste and Smell Research Laboratory. The late Dr. Robert W. Bottcher, formerly professor of biological and agricultural engineering at NC State, was involved until his death in April 2002. The E-nose could have many potential applications in industry and agriculture, but this project to date has focused on detection of airborne hog odors, a significant problem in North Carolina.

The wide availability of microelectronics expertise at NC State has led Nagle to establish the Biomedical Microsensors Laboratory, a collaborative effort with NC State researchers Dr. Jerome J. Cuomo, Distinguished Research Professor of Materials Science and Engineering; Dr. C. Richard Guarnieri, visiting research professor in electrical and computer engineering; and Mr. Stefan Ufer, research associate in electrical and computer engineering. In this laboratory the research team is using microfabrication methods developed for the microelectronics industry to build biosensors that will sense a variety of chemical substances, including ion concentrations and molecules such as glucose.

Nagle’s combination of medicine with engineering has benefited NC State in both research and teaching arenas. His programs in biomedical engineering, a cutting-edge discipline that promises to be essential to 21^st century advances in medical knowledge, show the advantages of crafting a unique career path.

— rudd —

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