Today we’d like to introduce you to Abigail Lupien.
Hi Abigail , can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My story began with an interest in and love for the medical field and mathematics. I have always wanted to understand how life works around me on a deeper level, which is what drew me to biomedical engineering. While earning my B.S.E. in Biomedical Engineering at Arizona State University, I became especially interested in medical device development, microbiology, and translational research. What started as an academic path eventually became much more entrepreneurial when my team and I began investigating bacterial vaginosis and recognized how significant the problem of recurrence is for women.
That work eventually grew beyond a short-term university project and became Solibra Health LLC, which I co-founded and now serve as the Chief Scientific Officer. Building Solibra Health has become a huge turning point in my story because it has pushed me outside of what I originally thought being an engineer looked like. Although it is still a startup company, being involved in everything from research and design requirements to antimicrobial testing, preliminary data collection, regulatory pathway research, and our now patent-pending technology has made it one of my greatest achievements to date.
Since graduating from ASU, I’ve continued to build my experience in clinical research at Celerion, where I work directly within clinical trial operations, collecting and documenting study data while maintaining regulatory and protocol compliance. It has given me another perspective on healthcare innovation and the necessary steps involved—not only in developing something in the lab, but also in understanding the level of precision, documentation, and collaboration required when research reaches human participants.
I’m still very early in my career, which is something I am thrilled about. I never expected that graduating with an engineering degree would also mean helping to build a women’s health medical device startup, contributing to patent-pending technology, and working in clinical research. Each experience has made me more certain that I want my career to sit at the intersection of engineering, research, entrepreneurship, and improvements to patient care, whatever that may look like for me.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely has not been a completely smooth road. One of my earliest challenges was simply figuring out where I belonged. Right out of high school, I considered so many different paths-biology, criminal justice, psychology, nursing and even law. At the time, it felt as though I was being pulled in completely different directions, but eventually I realized there was a common theme between all of them. I was drawn to science, problem-solving, understanding people and ultimately doing work that could make a meaningful difference in someone’s life. Biomedical engineering became a way for me to combine many of those passions rather than just choosing one.
That uncertainty didn’t disappear once I chose my degree though. BME challenged me academically, and building Solibra Health has brought an entirely different set of challenges. We’ve had to navigate the transition from a university project into a real startup, work through finding lab space outside of ASU and design questions without always having a clear roadmap, seek out resources and expertise and learn areas like regulatory strategy, business and intellectual property. At times, there have been far more questions than answers.
I think those challenges along with many others have actually shaped the direction of my career. I’ve become much more comfortable with not having everything figured out immediately. Whether it was choosing my degree, working through difficult engineering problems, entering clinical research, or helping build a startup, I’ve learned that some of the most valuable opportunities come from being willing to learn, adapt and keep moving forward even when the path isn’t perfectly defined.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I think one of the biggest things that defines me is that I’ve always been a creative person. Long before BME or Solibra Health, I loved art. I’ve been drawing and painting for years, and it has always been one of the ways I can slow down, express myself, and create something that feels completely my own.
That creativity shows up in a lot of areas of my life. I love projects where I can envision what something could become and then figure out how to bring it to life. Sometimes that means painting, creating clothing, or finding another new creative outlet, and many other times it has been through engineering. I’ve realized that I am happiest when I’m able to use both sides of myself—the analytical side that loves science and mathematics and the creative side that wants to build, design, and experiment to make thoughts a reality.
At the base of it all, Solibra Health has become an extension of this. I get to combine science and creativity while helping turn an idea that started in a classroom into something tangible. But I don’t want my career or a company to be the only thing that defines me. I’m proud of the fact that I’ve continued making space for the things that I love while pursuing a very technical career.
If there is something that sets me apart, I think it’s that I genuinely love to create. I’m not afraid of starting with a blank canvas—literally or figuratively—and not knowing exactly what the finished product will look like. Whether it’s a painting, an engineering idea, or something entirely new, I want to create something that I can be proud to put my name behind.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I definitely wouldn’t be where I am today without the people who have supported me along the way. It starts with my family-my mom, stepdad, dad, stepmom, sister and brother and any additional family who has supported me behind the scenes. They have always encouraged me to pursue what interested me, even when I wasn’t completely sure what direction I wanted to take.
Over the past couple of years, that support system has grown to include my fiancé and his family as well. They have encouraged me to put in the time, take the opportunities seriously, and continue pushing myself to make something better. Whether I’m excited about a new idea or overwhelmed by everything I have taken on, having people around me who genuinely want me to succeed has made a huge impact.
I also owe a lot of credit to my professors, teachers and mentors who have challenged me throughout my education and even after. And, of course, my co-founders at Solibra Health. What started as a university project became something we collectively decided was worth continuing. Building something from the ground up requires to have a team that has been so willing to keep learning and growing alongside me.
Truly none of my accomplishments have been an individual effort. My name may be attached but I have always had a village in the back supporting me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Solibra-health.vercel.app
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abby-lupien
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/solibrahealth/about/
