Jonathan Lu

Class of 2026-2027

The George Washington University, Arizona State University
Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences, concentration in Clinical Health Sciences; Master of Public Health, with concentrations in Program Planning and Implementation and Health Communication; Doctor of Behavioral Health, with a clinical concentration

Capstone Project Abstract

Airway Innovations, Inc. is an early-stage medical device company developing portable technologies for airway management and resuscitation in time-critical environments. This capstone project focuses on the commercialization of Aerstat, a compact rapid-infusion system designed to automate and simplify the pressurization of blood products and intravenous fluids.

Current manual pressure-infusion devices require clinicians to repeatedly inflate and monitor a pressure bag as its contents are delivered. During resuscitation, this task consumes time, attention, and at least one hand that may also be needed for hemorrhage control, airway management, monitoring, movement, communication, or documentation. Existing automated infusion systems can be large, expensive, and poorly suited for prehospital, transport, military, and other resource-constrained environments.

The student will evaluate Aerstat’s priority markets, ideal customer profiles, clinical use cases, competitive alternatives, purchasing pathways, and willingness to pay. Through customer discovery and market analysis, the project will develop an evidence-based commercialization and go-to-market strategy for introducing a portable rapid-infusion capability closer to the point of injury and other settings where conventional automated systems may not be practical.

Why did you choose ESTEEM?

I chose ESTEEM to connect more than two decades of experience in military medicine, healthcare leadership, and operational problem-solving with the skills required to evaluate, commercialize, and scale meaningful innovations. Throughout my career, I have seen promising ideas fail to reach the people who need them because the path from identifying a problem to building a sustainable solution is rarely straightforward.

ESTEEM provides the entrepreneurial, technical, and business foundation I need to translate frontline healthcare problems into viable products and ventures. I was also drawn to Notre Dame’s mission, its commitment to service, and a community that views entrepreneurship as a means of service to humanity rather than just simply building companies.

What do you hope to do after ESTEEM?

After ESTEEM, I hope to continue building and advising healthcare ventures that solve meaningful problems for clinicians, patients, servicemembers, and veterans. I am especially interested in helping early-stage medical technology companies identify their markets, validate clinical needs, develop effective go-to-market strategies, and bring useful capabilities into settings where time, personnel, and resources are limited.
Long term, I hope to lead and scale mission-driven healthcare ventures at the intersection of medicine, technology, education, and entrepreneurship.

What do you like to do in your free time?

In my free time, I enjoy skydiving, rock climbing, traveling, and spending time with those who matter most to me. I also enjoy coaching and mentoring veterans and future healthcare professionals, volunteering in my community, and finding new opportunities to challenge myself intellectually and physically. I am involved as a board member for Special Operations Forces to School of Medicine, SOFtoSOM, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that supports Special Operations Forces service members and veterans who want to become physicians.