We are clinical innovators merging healthcare and design

Innovating in Healthcare

The Heartbeat Technologies team is an interdisciplinary, diverse, and experienced team of surgeons, medical students, engineers, and designers who are collaborating to improve medical outcomes. Leveraging their first-hand experiences in the medical field as well as their Human-Centered Design training, the team is uniquely positioned to make lasting impacts on healthcare outcomes. The team functions at the intersection between healthcare and design and strives to create innovative solutions, one unmet need at a time.

Our Team

Kristen Quinn, MD
Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Quinn completed her undergraduate work at Vanderbilt University where she graduated with honors in neuroscience and public health. She received her MD from The Ohio State University College of Medicine, and moved to Charleston, SC to pursue her surgical training at the Medical University of South Carolina. Dr. Quinn has a passion for research, innovation, and entrepreneurship and feels a deep responsibility to her patients to rapidly translate medical solutions into clinical care.

Joshua Kim, MS
Chief Design Officer

Joshua Kim graduated from Northwestern University with a BA in Biological Sciences, the Segal Design Certificate, and a MS in Engineering Design Innovation. He pursued his passion to impact patient care by creating multiple medical devices focused on stroke rehabilitation, pediatric injections, and proton radiation therapy for cancer, and also co-founded a medical device start-up as its CEO. Kim then moved to Charleston, SC to create the Human-Centered Design Program at the Medical University of South Carolina to train surgical residents and medical students in Design Thinking and medical entrepreneurship. He has since helped create more than 10 student start-ups and is expecting to complete his MD degree from MUSC in 2026.

Heather Holman, BS
Chief Scientific Officer

Heather Holman graduated from the University of Central Florida (UCF) with a dual degree in Biomedical Sciences and Sport & Exercise Science. During her time at UCF, Heather worked in a neurodegenerative disease research lab completing her Honors in the Major senior thesis. Following graduation, Heather spent a year as a Post-Baccalaureate Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Neuroscience where she got to work with cutting-edge technology to better understand the mechanisms behind learning and memory. Her passion for research led her to pursue an MD/PhD at the Medical University of South Carolina. Heather’s career goal is to work at the intersection of medicine and science bringing innovative research solutions to the clinical setting so that patients can reap the benefits.

Samuel Seigler, BS
Intern

Samuel Seigler graduated from Clemson University in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry with secondary disciplines in French Studies and Philosophy. While he was at Clemson, Samuel worked with the Department of Genetics to investigate the nonenzymatic failsafe mechanisms involved in replication fork repair. He then moved to Charleston to attend the Medical University of South Carolina where he has found his passion for improving patient experiences and clinical outcomes. He aspires to advance patient care by bridging the gap between medical knowledge and clinical practices.

Chase Walton, MS
Intern

Chase Walton completed his undergraduate work and Masters at Brigham Young University where he studied Physiology and Developmental Biology. He is currently completing his MD and PhD degrees at the Medical University of South Carolina, in Charleston, SC. With a diverse research background spanning research with the Colorado Olympic Training Center to pharmaceuticals to ketogenic diets, he is passionate about advancing science to improve medical care.

Chris Carlucci, MS
Intern

Chris Carlucci graduated from the University of South Carolina with a BS in Public Health and a MS in Biomedical Science. He worked on immunological and allergic response research to complete his master’s degree thesis. Chris worked as a paramedic while completing his MS and up until he began studying at the Medical University of South Carolina, where he is expected to earn his MD in 2025. He is passionate about using his pre-hospital clinical experience to influence innovation in patient care.

Anthony Alerre, BS
Intern

Anthony Alerre graduated from Clemson University in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Bioengineering – Biomaterials with an honors thesis in cardiovascular tissue engineering. During his time at Clemson, he gained experience in medical device development involving amputee rehabilitation, infant concussion assessment, and cardiovascular biomaterials. He then moved to Charleston to attend medical school at the Medical University of South Carolina. Anthony has a deep passion is for continued advancement of healthcare and hopes to embed innovation into his medical career.