Valerie Merkle

Valerie is an organized and self-motivated engineer who thrives in a collaborative team environment. Through her 5+ years as a Lead Reviewer and previously as an acting Senior Lead Reviewer at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, she has demonstrated strong leadership and the ability to effectively and efficiently manage multiple complex regulatory submissions, including preparation for and presentation at a meeting of the Circulatory System Devices Panel.

Through Valerie’s graduate research experience at The University of Arizona and FDA, she has experience in the very early stages of product development. At UA, her dissertation work focused on the fabrication of a novel material for potential cardiovascular applications with specific laboratory experience in nanofibrous scaffold fabrication, cell-material interactions, and platelet activation. At The University of Arizona, Valerie also completed coursework related to teaching at the collegiate level, inclusive of coursework on how people learn and how to tailor messages to address different learning styles. This education instilled a strong value of communication, which is essential between team members, management, industry, and other stakeholders.