"Victoria is the right place to be if you have a medical background."
As co-founder of the Melbourne based biomedical design start-up, VECtor Medical Technologies, Can Ertan aims to bridge the gap between engineering and medical care.
Can grew up in Istanbul, Türkiye surrounded by a family of accomplished health professionals. Both Can’s parents are doctors and encouraged him to study in Australia based on the country’s international reputation in health sciences.
After being offered places at universities around the world including The University of Toronto, Newcastle University in the UK and Sydney University, Can chose The University of Melbourne allowing him to study both biomedical engineering and medicine.
“You don’t choose a university only based on its ranking. I wanted to migrate to Victoria because the state is known worldwide as a centre for health. We have the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, The Royal Children’s Hospital and major research sites in the field that are changing the future of medical practice.”
In the final year of his Master’s Degree, Can joined The University of Melbourne’s Bio design Innovation Program. The program brought engineers and MBA students together to explore clinical problems and develop solutions that had the potential for ‘real world’ applications.
The project has now evolved into an exciting new start up called VECtor Medical Technologies, that aims to change the way doctors identify problems with patients’ nerves.
Can and his business partners are developing a 3D imaging system that will allow nerve tissue to be regionalised in real time during surgery. If successful, the project has the potential to save Victorians millions of dollars from complications associated with nerves in orthopaedics, abdominal surgeries, and trauma patient care.
Can described how the start-up has provided him with invaluable experience as an engineer and a future doctor while providing other Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medical (STEMM) students with internship opportunities. In 2021, VECtor Medical Technologies provided internships to four electronics students and graduates to contribute to the company’s research and development phase. VECtor is hoping to provide employment in engineering and business fields in the future as well."
Can received Victorian visa nomination in 2021. “The application process was straight-forward and the website was clear.”
“Victoria has allowed me to have a balanced life, surrounded by people who are creating life changing and world impacting research. It is the right place to be if you have a medical background.”