Portfolio: Neurotechnology development and translation for pain, migraine, neuralgia, and headache within these programs: NINDS (Translational Neural Devices), Blueprint MedTech, BRAIN (Therapeutic Human Neuroscience), HEAL (Translating Discoveries into Effective Devices to Treat Pain), SPARC (HORNET)
Keywords: neuroprosthesis, neural engineering, neuromodulation, neural interfaces, open-source technology, electrochemistry, implantable materials, therapeutic and diagnostic medical devices
Eric Hudak is a Program Director in the Division of Translational Research at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Dr. Hudak manages a portfolio of neurotechnology development and translation awards in pain, migraine, neuralgia, and headache for these NIH Institutes and programs: NINDS (Translational Neural Devices), HEAL Initiative, Blueprint MedTech, BRAIN Initiative, and SPARC program. Additionally, Dr. Hudak is the program lead for the HEAL Initiative Translational Devices program and is a co-lead for the SPARC program's HORNET initiative. Dr. Hudak received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from The University of Toledo and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University. In his graduate work, Dr. Hudak examined the electrochemistry of neural stimulation electrodes to uncover potential causes of tissue damage and to investigate ways of improving the safe use of these materials. Before joining NIH in 2019, Dr. Hudak was a Principal Research Scientist in the Department of Research & Technology at Advanced Bionics, a leading producer of cochlear implants. At AB, Dr. Hudak led research projects to enhance the properties, safety, and reliability of cochlear implant device materials and components, including electrodes, electrode arrays, feedthroughs, insulation materials, connectors, and medical batteries.