Alan Dogan

To Alan Dogan, curiosity is “the drive to understand and improve what already exists.”

Alan is a medical student in the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, where he consistently explores new ways to improve patient care.

His nominator said, “Alan exemplifies the kind of forward-thinking, interdisciplinary approach that represents the future of medicine.”

Alan’s curiosity is inspired by his patients. He said, “Seeing their challenges firsthand pushes me to ask better questions and motivates me to innovate in ways that directly improve care.”

Alan is guided by an instinct to think outside of the box. He believes that meaningful insights often come from connecting ideas across disciplines. This philosophy led Alan to co-found HyperTech, an “entrepreneurial idea incubator” within Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine.

HyperTech gives medical and graduate students a space to identify patient needs so they can work towards impactful, innovative solutions.

Alan’s nominator said, “HyperTech has provided Alan and many of his peers with a unique opportunity to merge their medical training with their engineering skills and creative thinking.”

His contributions to Virginia Tech mirror the impact the community has had on him. He said, “I found my place by building close friendships in medical school and connecting with the incredible staff in Virginia Tech’s biomedical engineering program, as well as the physicians at Carilion Clinic. Those relationships helped me feel grounded and gave me a community that supported both my clinical and engineering interests.”

One of Alan’s proudest accomplishments is turning a 3D prototype into a full medical device that is now being used in a clinical trial.

After graduation in May, he plans to become a physician-scientist in an academic medical center, combining patient care with running a lab and collaborating closely with the industry to translate discoveries into real-world impact.

He said, “I’m passionate about identifying unmet patient needs in the clinic and translating them into practical, scalable solutions.”

For harnessing empathy and innovation to transform medical patient experiences, Student Affairs is proud to present the Aspire! Award for Commit to Unwavering Curiosity to Alan Dogan.