MPower Entrepreneurship Fellow Elizabeth Barski Graduates

Elizabeth Barski has spent the past two years as an MPower Fellow designing a prosthetic socket that moves with the body while earning a master’s degree in robotics. After her graduation in May, she’ll take her knowledge to Siemens Healthineers, one of the world's largest medical device companies.

Barski’s interest in medical devices began with her bioengineering (BIOE) senior capstone project.

“When I started as an undergrad in BIOE, I planned to be a doctor,” she recalled. “But as I got more experience with engineering research and was introduced to the medical device space as a possible career direction, I eagerly dropped the med school dream and went all in on engineering.”

Barski is fascinated by how bodies move and recover from injury, which shaped her MPower Fellowship project.

As a fellow, Barski developed a motor-powered prosthetic socket designed to adjust its fit around the residual limb based on the wearer’s activity, improving comfort and making adjustments throughout the day easier. Alongside the device, Barski created a low-cost residual limb model embedded with sensors to quantify the force applied by a prosthetic socket. Since joining the program, she has advanced this work from concept to prototype and is preparing a paper for publication.

“From the moment Elizabeth shared her idea, her passion for making prosthetic care more comfortable and accessible really stood out to me,” said Martha Wang, Fischell Institute assistant director and MPower Fellowship faculty mentor. “ It’s been a true joy to walk alongside her as she learned, iterated, and brought this device from an early concept to a real solution for patients.”

Barski credits the Fischell Foundry team with shaping her development as an engineer.

“All of the Foundry engineers — Kevin Aroom, Ryan Smith, John Rzasa, and Quinn Burke — have been an amazing resource to learn from,” she said. “They’ve helped me solve problems, taught me how to use lab equipment, and answered many questions throughout my fellowship.”

Barski added that Wang’s mentorship and regulatory expertise was especially valuable in helping her understand the full product development process.

After graduation, Barski will join Siemens Healthineers in New York as part of its Engineering R&D Leadership Development Program, where she will rotate through multiple roles over two years.

“I’m very excited to continue building my skills across different areas of medical device development and gain a broader understanding of the industry,” she said. “I’m truly grateful to the Fischell Institute for helping me grow into the engineer I am today.”

Outside of the fellowship, Barski stays active, plays music and spends time with friends. During graduate school, she joined UMD’s Womxn’s Ultimate Frisbee team, embracing the challenge of learning a new sport. She also played viola in UMD’s Gamer Symphony Orchestra, marking five years with the group at the time of her graduation.

Published May 22, 2026