Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Biomedical Engineering, Drexel University, 2020
  • M.S., Epidemiology, Drexel University, 2017
  • B.S., Biomedical Engineering, Drexel University, 2013
Professional Honors
  • Young Investigator Scholarship, International Society for Technology in Arthroplasty, 2018
  • German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Fellowship, 2018
  • Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) Fellowship, 2015-2017
  • James A. Rand Award, American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons, for Most Outstanding Paper inArthroplasty Surgery, 2012

Dr. Higgs' background spans biomedical engineering and epidemiology, with a focus on the real-world evaluation of medical device performance. He has extensive experience with characterizing clinically relevant changes to metallic, ceramic and polymeric biomaterials, and has expertise in corrosion assessments of orthopedic alloys. 

Dr. Higgs' laboratory work has encompassed mechanical, electrochemical and structural investigations of medical devices, leveraging his proficiencies with mechanical testing, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and micro-CT analysis. His computational initiatives have included advanced statistical modeling to elucidate the clinical and design variables that influence the outcome of orthopedic implants. Dr. Higgs has also used his skillset to provide technical and regulatory guidance for novel medical devices, within context of the de novo and 510(k) pathways of the U.S. FDA. Additionally, he has supported the development of an operational roadmap applicable to international medical device suppliers seeking to navigate the impact of the European Union Medical Device Regulation (EU-MDR).

Prior to joining Exponent, Dr. Higgs was a graduate research fellow in the Implant Research Center at Drexel University, where his doctoral research focused on developing electrochemical methods to quantitatively evaluate the corrosion of femoral prostheses. He also completed a regulatory fellowship (FDA) through the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education. As a part of the FDA's Medical Device Epidemiology Network (MDEpiNet), he coordinated an institutional partnership that explored the potential of orthopedic implant retrieval analysis as a source of real-world data.