Meesha Dogan, CEO, co-founder, and director of Cardio Diagnostics, recently led a group of Iowa engineering students on a tour of her company’s Iowa City lab, where patient samples are processed for diagnostic testing. With an impressive 15 patents under her belt, Dogan co-invented her company’s core technology during her graduate studies at the University of Iowa, where she holds a PhD in biomedical engineering and both a BSE and an MS in chemical engineering.

With the aim of precision cardiovascular medicine, the team at Cardio Diagnostics—with headquarters in Chicago and now an Iowa City location—has created a new technology platform that turns a blood sample into a scalable, actionable clinical tool. This tool uses machine learning and epigenetics to predict risk, prevent, and inform treatment of cardiovascular disease, making care more accessible, personalized, and precise. 

The student tour was one of many “Career Treks” that Iowa engineering students can attend, where students tour companies, learn about their operations and the technology behind them, ask questions, and network with potential employers. 

“Biomedical engineers at the University of Iowa have the opportunity to collaborate with researchers and physicians at a world-class teaching hospital,” said Dogan. “Those collaborations not only propelled me in my academic career, but they also showed me how biomedical engineering can improve quality of life through innovation, something we are doing at Cardio Diagnostics every day.”

Dogan has earned numerous recognitions, including being named to both the Cardiovascular Business Forty Under 40 and Crain’s Chicago Business 40 Under 40. Under her leadership, Cardio Diagnostics has secured strategic partnerships, multiple funding rounds, and national recognition, including Fast Company’s Next Big Things in Tech and the Biotech Breakthrough Awards. 

Her achievements build on a growing list of honors — One to Watch from Nature and Merck, Biotech Breakthrough’s Clinical Diagnostics Solution of the Year, and FLIK Woman Entrepreneur to Watch. Her research has also resulted in at least 15 granted patents, with more pending. 

Dogan is also a recipient of the University of Iowa College of Engineering Alumni Merit Award, which honors graduates who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and meaningful impact in their fields.