Professional of the Month: Hosameldin ‘Sam’ Elsemany

PROFESSIONAL OF THE MONTH:

HOSAMELDIN ‘SAM’ ELSEMANY, CCE, CBET

Destined for HTM

BY K. RICHARD DOUGLAS

Some biomeds take a circuitous route to becoming a member of the HTM profession and some get involved with the profession from an early point, realizing that health care and technology are their future.

That was the case for Hosameldin ‘Sam’ Elsemany, CCE, CBET, a clinical engineer in the department of engineering at UConn Health in Farmington, Connecticut.

Elsemany’s path to biomed seemed to be perfectly aligned from the start.

“My late father, a cargo ship captain who circumnavigated the globe, stimulated my interest in technology and innovation at a young age. During his later struggle with gastric cancer, I would accompany him on hospital visits, and it was there that I was exposed to the sophisticated medical equipment that became a fascination for me. The STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) pathway I selected in high school aligned me with my college engineering pursuits,” he says.

Elsemany began to network within the burgeoning healthcare technology management (HTM) field to explore opportunities and, over time, discovered biomedical engineering.

His biomed education began with an associate of science degree from Gateway Community College in New Haven, Connecticut.

“I worked full-time to support my family while completing the biomedical engineering technology program. I joined the New England Society of Clinical Engineering (NESCE) as a student member, and this allowed me access to valuable mentoring encounters. I was encouraged to seek out volunteer opportunities in CE (clinical engineering) at local hospitals and found a great fit at a local academic medical center,” Elsemany says.

He says that during the 10 weekly hours he volunteered that year, he gained a solid understanding of hospital workflow as well as hands-on experience

with preventive maintenance and troubleshooting medical equipment.

“This helped me land a position as a field service engineer at a startup company that specialized in refurbishing nuclear medicine imaging devices. I spent two years working with brilliant engineers who trained me on different makes and models of nuclear medicine cameras as we traveled between health centers across the continental U.S. servicing accounts. This experience also provided valuable exposure in terms of customer service, networking, presentation and communication skills,” Elsemany says.

His desire to spend more time with his young family led him to investigate in-state employment options, which resulted in him accepting a clinical engineering specialist II position at Yale-New Haven Hospital (YNHH) in Connecticut.

“YNHH’s excellent tuition reimbursement program motivated me to complete my Bachelor of Science degree in biomedical engineering through Purdue University. At the annual AAMI (Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation) conventions, I learned the value of the CBET and coveted CCE certifications and set about obtaining them. These certifications were pivotal to my promotion to senior clinical engineering specialist at YNHH and subsequently clinical engineer/team supervisor at the University of Connecticut Health Center (UCHC). I am currently completing an MBA degree at UConn alongside full-time employment,” Elsemany says.

OPTIMISTIC ABOUT HTM’S FUTURE There are always challenges in the HTM profession and some additional considerations that come with leadership roles. Part of that challenge is to learn the business side of clinical engineering.

“My current position as a clinical engineer/team supervisor requires leadership, business, finance, communication and conflict-resolution skills. Short of wearing out the carpet in the self-help section at my local Barnes and Noble bookstore, a trusted mentor suggested I look into a formal degree program that would help me cultivate these skills. I did just that and enrolled in an MBA program at UConn,” Elsemany says.

He says that he is halfway through the coursework and amazed at the relevance of everything he is learning to everyday CE operational management.

“I wish I had done this sooner, and I encourage all biomeds to pursue graduate learning opportunities if possible. It brings the whole HTM picture together, makes for an efficient work environment, optimizes the CE department goals, and benefits the institution as a whole – and you may get featured in TechNation,” Elsemany adds.

He says that another challenge is that hospital staff may be unfamiliar with the role of clinical engineering.

“One challenge I have consistently encountered in-house is that most hospital staff have limited knowledge of the clinical engineering department within the hospital structure, let alone our valuable day-to-day contributions in terms of patient safety and clinical workflow. I was surprised to discover a widespread assumption that biomeds solely paste stickers on new devices and log them into an inventory. Others assume that we are simply IT professionals taking a shot at repairing malfunctioning electronics. This may well be due to the fact that in smaller hospitals CE is sometimes integrated into another departmental venue or managerial structure such as IT,” Elsemany says.

Despite this, he says that he is optimistic that as the HTM field continues to grow, so too will knowledge about its integral contributions to daily hospital operational functioning.

Elsemany says that his family includes three beautiful daughters, Liana, 9, Ayah, 16, and Zahra, 23.

“My wife, Shameela Elsemany, M.D., is my hero and I could have never done any of the above without her love, support and encouragement,” Elsemany says.

As an HTM professional, Elsemany says that he takes great pride in mentoring students and providing them with learning opportunities that he would have appreciated along the way.

“I enjoy educating people, both professional and lay, about the valuable contributions HTM professionals make in the health care arena. Networking is key, and each of us owes it to our profession to showcase these contributions and advancements. Increased demand for HTM course offerings on college campuses will in turn stimulate the growth of our profession within academia and the health care workforce. Our trailblazing efforts will result in future generations of HTM professionals finding a wide array of resources and publications at their disposal, which they will be encouraged to pay forward,” Elsemany says.

He says that there is a lot to look forward to, and he wants to take this opportunity to wish each and every one of you an exciting career trajectory.

FUN FACTS

FAVORITE BOOK: “Blink” by Malcolm Gladwell

FAVORITE MOVIE: “Forrest Gump”

FAVORITE FOOD: Sushi & Mediterranean

HIDDEN TALENT? Strategic problem solving

FAVORITE PART OF BEING A BIOMED? “Embracing the challenge, developing troubleshooting algorithms, interfacing with interdepartmental teams, global networking, lifelong learning and teaching, and - most importantly - seeing the impact of my work on patient safety and provider satisfaction.”

WHAT’S ON MY BENCH? Laptop, planner and inspirational content, family photos and sentimental gifts, coffee mug, walnuts