Sahil Ganatra, a graduate of the Computational Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CoBB) master’s degree program, is bridging the gap between technology and clinical care.
Ganatra earned his bachelor’s degree in neuroscience from the University of Pittsburgh. Originally, he thought he wanted to become a doctor. However, after working as a clinical research assistant for three years, he realized he was more interested in understanding and analyzing the data that drives medical decision making.
“As a clinical research assistant, I was exposed to the sheer volume of data that is generated in clinical trials,” Ganatra said. “I saw how important it is to be able to analyze and interpret that data effectively in order to drive forward meaningful outcomes for patients from these clinical trials.”
He applied to the CoBB program because of the coursework that would empower him to apply machine learning and bioinformatics skills back into clinical research. The combination of coursework and hands-on learning helped him reach his goals.
“One highlight of the program for me was being able to apply skills that I had learned in all of my classes to a computational drug design project that I ended up presenting at the end of the semester,” Ganatra said.
Ganatra graduated from the program in August 2025. With his master’s degree completed, he is starting a new role as a clinical study manager for Philips. Philips is a medical technology company that aims to improve health through innovation.
As a clinical study manager, Ganatra will oversee clinical trials that are focused on validating and testing medical devices for sleep and respiratory care diseases. He will work with devices such as CPAP machines, BiPAP machines and ventilators.
“I’m really excited that I will be able to contribute to the design and execution of studies,” he said. “The CoBB program really taught me how to think about data analysis. Now, I’ll have the opportunity to apply those principles upstream and determine how studies should be executed so that the data that we collect is clinically meaningful.”
Ganatra’s advice for current CoBB students is to consider how they can utilize the skills they learn in the program into a wide variety of roles within the biotechnology sector. He recommends thinking beyond the traditional computational biologist or bioinformatics career paths.
“Some of the most influential roles in biotech aren’t just about analysis. They’re about shaping how studies are designed and run and, ultimately, how to translate those studies into patient care,” he said.