Alumni Who Inspire: Alyssa Greene

Biomedical engineering alumna Alyssa Greene chatted with us this month about her inspirational journey from WVU student to Chief Biomedical Engineer at the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center in Clarksburg, WV. (WVU graphic/Paige Nesbit)

The alumni of the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources at West Virginia University are the living story of our academic community and a reflection of our institution values. Whether they graduated recently or many years ago, our alumni journeys reflect the strength and purpose of our community of Mountaineers!

Q&A about Alyssa Greene

Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

We are honoring our alumni through monthly conversation and recognize Alumni Who Inspire! at the Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources for their dedication to their professions, our college and WVU. This initiative was launched in fall 2023 as a monthly discussion board with Statler alumni.

For this month’s Alumni Who Inspire! conversation, we're honored to feature biomedical engineering alumna Alyssa Greene.

Q: Hello Alyssa. Thank you for joining us. To begin, could you please introduce yourself to our students — tell us where are you from, the program you graduated from, and your current role?

A: Thank you for having me. I am a West Virginia native, raised by two registered nurses who faithfully served the Louis A. Johnson Medical Center in Clarksburg, VA for a combined 58 years. I call Clarksburg, WV my hometown.

I graduated from WVU with a B.S. in biomedical engineering and a minor in clarinet music performance in May 2019. I am currently the Chief Biomedical Engineer at the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center in Clarksburg, WV.

Q: How did it all start for you? When did you first become interested in this field?

A: It started during high school, when I volunteered at the local Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital. I knew then and there that I wanted to pursue a career in healthcare! Upon graduation from Robert C. Byrd High School in Clarksburg, WV in May 2015, I was accepted to WVU’s Statler College and started classes in Fall 2015.

Q: When you joined college, did you already have a clear career plan, or were you still exploring?

A: I had a plan. I chose WVU because of the new biomedical engineering program, my love of the Mountaineers and WV, and its proximity to home. The new biomedical engineering program at the time excited me as it brought together my interest in healthcare, passion for serving the community, and aptitude for mathematics and engineering.

Q: Looking back and beyond regular coursework, how did you deepen your academic interests while in the Statler College? For example, did you take on side projects or research work, or internships?

A: I will say I did it all! While I was at WVU, I was actively involved as an honors tutor and served as a lead honors tutor during my senior year. Through the test WELL Leaning Center, I was able to offer and participate in outreach events to connect with WVU students of varying backgrounds. For instance, I held ENG101 project workshops for freshmen to provide a focused space with tools and snacks to work on engineering projects.

During academic breaks, I continued to volunteer with the Clarksburg VA, specifically with the biomedical engineering department. This experience confirmed that I wanted to specialize in healthcare technology management, a subset of biomedical engineering that focuses on the support of the medical equipment life cycle in healthcare facilities.

Q: Alongside academics, what kinds of activities were you involved in during college?

A: When I wasn’t studying, I had the joy of marching with the Pride of West Virginia, the Mountaineer Marching Band, during my freshman and sophomore year. I performed at the Cactus Bowl in 2015 and in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2016! I also enjoyed playing with the WVU Wind Symphony during the first three years of my collegiate career.

Q: Were there a particular course and project, or experience that really sparked your curiosity or shifted your direction?

A: Yes. While at WVU, my main inspirations came from my professors and my volunteer experiences at Clarksburg VA. Professors in biomedical engineering were extremely supportive of my interest in the healthcare environment. One of my favorite courses focused on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Patient Safety. While volunteering at the VA, I was able to witness how biomedical engineering directly supported patient care by repairing and maintaining medical equipment, implementing new medical technology, working with clinicians to strategize needs, and reducing risk to patient safety.

Q: Tell me about the transition after graduation. What was your first step into the professional world?

A: After graduation from WVU, I worked at the Fairmont Regional Medical Center in Fairmont, WV as a Biomedical Equipment Technician for three months before being accepted into the VA Technical Career Field (TCF) Program in Fall 2019. The VA TCF Program develops entry-level engineers with a training plan, training funds, and an experienced preceptor to fully advance the employee into a successful biomedical engineer over the course of two years.

My husband, our dog, and I traveled over 3000 miles to Sacramento, CA, where I worked for the VA Northern California Healthcare System as a TCF Biomedical Engineer. In my new position, I delved further into the world of biomedical engineering, mentored directly by the local Chief Biomedical Engineer.

After a year and a half, I was given the opportunity to come home to serve the VA that first interested me in healthcare: the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center. I started as the first ever Staff Biomedical Engineer at LAJVAMC in June 2021 and I was promoted to Chief Biomedical Engineer in December 2023.

Q: Now coming to your current role: what do you specifically do? What are your primary responsibilities in your organization?

A: I am responsible for managing the Biomedical Engineering Department. I oversee department compliance, medical equipment implementation projects, and daily medical equipment maintenance operation, and I provide clinical consultation. I enjoy writing policy, performing equipment planning with clinical services, and reducing risk of patient injury through problem solving.

Q: What has been the most challenging aspect of your current role and how did you overcome it?

A: The largest challenge that I faced was overcoming the knowledge gap and learning all the details associated with healthcare technology management. I conquered this challenge by asking lots of questions, staying organized, and saying yes to new opportunities. I have been incredibly blessed to work for the VA and am so thankful for this career.

Q: Finally, for our current students, what advice would you give about exploring their academic interests, making the most of their college experience and even following in your footsteps?

A: The best advice I could offer students who want to follow in my footsteps is to be inquisitive and curious, be willing to take on unique challenges and experiences, and seek a mentor in your desired field.

When I was in college, I never imagined that I would move over 3,000 miles away from my hometown.  Taking that leap presented me with the qualifications for my dream career and led me and my family back home to a life we love in West Virginia.

Alyssa is an ambassador for the state and the college. She is not merely a former student, but she is also a strategic partner in our student success today. Alyssa returns to campus frequently and engages with the college and its students through career fairs and focused spot sessions; she plays a meaningful role in helping students grow professionally.

When alumni like Alyssa return to campus to interact with our students, they provide real-world insights, practical career guidance, and first-hand perspectives on workplace expectations and what it means to be a successful engineer. Because alumni like Alyssa were once students in the same institution, their advice is relatable, credible, and highly impactful.

Join the college in thanking Alyssa for being an ambassador — representing the best of our community and thank her for giving her time and supporting all Mountaineers!

---