Alejandro Alvarez Flores

Biomedical Engineer

Use of bacterial cellulose dressings with amoxicillin-clavulanic acid for the treatment of burns in pediatric patients.

My name is Alejandro Alvarez Flores, I am 24 years old, and I studied Biomedical Engineering at IBERO Puebla. I graduated in 2022 with the Francisco Javier Clavijero S.J. medal for academic excellence and the Diego de Ledesma S.J. medal for student participation; since then, my life has taken a course defined by innovation and commitment to vulnerable communities.

I discovered the TechForGood scholarship thanks to my coordinator, Ana Moreno, who saw in me the potential to make a difference. Encouraged by her confidence, I proposed the project "TechForGood".Use of bacterial Cellulose based wound dressing for delivery of Amoxicillin-Clavulanic acid in pediatric burn injurieswhich was selected in 2022 as one of the three winning projects. 

This project focused on responding to the high rates of pediatric burn patients and creating an innovative project to help our community. The project was developed with the goal of providing low-cost, cutting-edge technology for the treatment of pediatric burn patients. Since 2019, innovation has been central to the project, receiving recognition from the Department of Science and Engineering at IBERO Puebla, as well as an article published by the Mexican Society of Biomedical Engineering (SOMIB) (Álvarez, Patiño, Veles, & Rosas, 2021).

This scholarship not only allowed me to finance my last semester of study and my degree process, but also to start a diploma program at FAB Academy 2024. However, the most valuable thing has been the opportunity to join a community that shares a common purpose of continuous improvement and mutual support.

I used the scholarship resources to ease the financial burden of my education and to become more deeply involved in projects that have a direct impact on the lives of children, improving their quality of life and ensuring my continued professional development. Since winning the scholarship, my career has taken an impressive flight. Currently, I teach at IBERO Puebla, I am part of a research team in prosthetics and I collaborate with companies in the management of medical equipment in health clinics. Currently, I am particularly focused on creating accessible and quality solutions that allow people with disabilities to significantly improve their quality of life.

My future goals are clear: to continue developing technologies that are not only technically innovative, but also inclusive and accessible. I would like to close with a piece of advice for those students who seek social benefit through technology: always focus your efforts on supporting those who need technological innovation the most and seek to collaborate in a transdisciplinary way to enrich your projects with diverse perspectives and skills.