Professional of the Month

PROFESSIONAL OF THE MONTH: SONALI KAMALASANAN, CBET

Passion for the Job

PROF

In Atlanta, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA) is an important health care provider and one of the largest pediatric clinical care providers in the country. In 2022, U.S. News and World Report named the hospital one of the nation’s best children’s hospitals; marking 19 years with that achievement.

With such an important mission, to care for the Atlanta area’s youngest patients, the hospital depends on competent biomedical services.

Sonali Kamalasanan, CBET, is manager of HTM for CHOA. Her career track started very young when she realized the profession she would choose.

“My dad has always been my hero and inspiration. He’s an engineer by profession and that’s what made me inspired towards engineering at first. But as a kid, I was also fascinated by the medical profession. Once I was a senior in high school, I had to choose a career path and be focused. I came across biomedical engineering and learned how specialized this field is; where both medicine and engineering intersected,” she says.

Kamalasanan says that she realized that biomedical engineering came with a broad, multidisciplinary curriculum that allows students to develop a strong framework of skills and knowledge. She also realized that it required a heavy course load of mathematics and science classes, such as chemistry, medical physiology, biology and electrical engineering.

“It was quite challenging. I stood up to the challenge, and until this date, I have never looked back. I’m proud of the decision and the career path that I chose,” she says.

Kamalasanan has a Bachelor of Biomedical Engineering degree with six months training in the research and development department at Siemens Medical.

The training and experience have paid off.

“At present, I hold the position of manager of HTM for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and I am also a biomedical engineering consultant

for the United Nations. I have been in the HTM industry for more than 25 years and have worked at different levels and different positions during this tenure. I have worked as a BMET, sales and service engineer, manager of biomed, director of biomed and biomed consultant,” Kamalasanan says.

Her specialty areas lean toward the non-technical skills needed in HTM leadership.

“Finance management and process implementations are the two core areas for the proper functioning of the HTM department and these are my strengths,” Kamalasanan says.

ACHIEVING THE BEST FOR HER EMPLOYER AND THE U.N. Kamalasanan says that the major challenges she has faced are similar to what other managers who prioritize involvement in all facets of their team and customers have faced.

“During my tenure, I have faced several challenges from setting up a biomedical department; getting the PMs under control; setting up policies and procedures; working with union workers to creating, tracking and staying on budget. I have handled various projects for OR, radiology, cardiology, ophthalmology, labs, etcetera and have been a part of the evaluation team for the purchase of capital medical equipment in hospitals as well as the U.N.,” she says.

Kamalasanan says that as a consultant with the U.N., it is always a challenge trying to draft the technical specifications and evaluate the tenders for various worldwide projects.

“During this evaluation process, it is very important to consider various factors like the country’s adaptability to sustain the equipment in their present local working environment, having availability of local vendors for after sales support and working within the guidelines of international safety and regulatory standards,” she says.

When not working, Kamalasanan stays busy with her many pastimes.

“I have a lot of hobbies like jewelry making, stitching, painting, and, last but not the least, I do have a green thumb and love gardening,” she says.

“I was fortunate enough to marry my engineering sweetheart and have been happily married for the past 26 years. We have been blessed with two boys, and at present, both are in their undergrad programs with the University of Georgia,” she adds.

A person of few words, Kamalasanan says that attitude and self-improvement are key attributes in her life.

“I believe in myself and always have a positive attitude and try to get the job done in an accurate and timely manner. I am very passionate about whatever I do and consistently seek ways to improve by setting goals and working towards them,” she says.

Always up to the job of meeting challenges and finding the best solutions, this HTM manager contributes to the health and well-being of the youngest patients in Atlanta.

GET TO KNOW ME!

FAVORITE BOOK: “The Girl on the Train” by Paula Hawkins

FAVORITE MOVIE: “Inception”

FAVORITE FOOD: Mexican cuisine

HIDDEN TALENT: Video Editing

WHAT’S ON MY BENCH? My favorite pen, laptop, writing pad, multicolored sticky notes, and my coffee mug.

FAVORITE PART OF BEING A BIOMED? Each day throws up a new challenge for the HTM department; there are emergency and regular breakdowns that need to be taken care of in a timely manner, the scheduled planned maintenance for all equipment needs to be on track and all of these must be managed with the available resources. Working through these challenges and getting the problems solved gives me immense pleasure and satisfaction by the end of the day.

SHIFTING GEARS

Crafting the Perfect Brew

BY: K. RICHARD DOUGLAS

Thomas Jefferson once said; “Beer, if drank with moderation, softens the temper, cheers the spirit and promotes health.” What a ringing endorsement from the Father of the Declaration of Independence.

The social drink has been a favorite of Americans since the country’s founding. Served at sporting events, breweries, outdoor festivals and backyard gatherings, it has found a comfortable place in the national psyche.

Independent breweries have sprung up all over the U.S. with microbreweries and craft beers satisfying the diverse tastes of enthusiasts.

An offshoot of this love of beer is home brewing growth; as much of a craft as the methods practiced by the commercial breweries.

Chad Huss, a hospital service technician 3 with Agiliti who works in Wisconsin, just needed to accumulate the required supplies to turn an interest in home brewing into a pastime.

“I have had an interest in trying home brewing for years but wouldn’t make the choice to go out and get started due to the cost of starter kits and the uncertainty of how it would turn out. But later on, when I brought it up to my fiancée, her ex-husband had a starter kit that he didn’t use anymore. Therefore, I was able to get the basic equipment to get started for free. From there, I looked up some local home brew supply shops and purchased a recipe kit, bottles and bottle caps. After brewing my first batch I have been hooked ever since,” Huss says.

He says that there is actually very little required to get started in the hobby. A new home brewer can get a starter kit that can range from about $50 to $380. Obviously, the more expensive kits come with more equipment and are a little more advanced.

“But all you really need to get started is a recipe kit ($25-$50), five-gallon stainless steel kettle ($45), a spoon for stirring, fermenting bucket ($18), air lock ($3.50), hydrometer, thermometer, siphon/bottle filler ($26), bottles ($22), caps ($6) and bottle capper ($21). I have saved money by looking for used equipment to buy or wait for a sale by one of the major suppliers. In total around $176,” Huss says.

He says that the steps include obtaining liquid extract from a commercial supplier, which creates “wort,” the sweet infusion of ground malt or other grain before fermentation. The water is then dehydrated out of it, creating a syrup.

“All you must do is add the liquid extract to water and boil. Partial mash is the in-between process of extract and all grain brewing. You use extract, but also some grain, that gets mashed (infused into the water to extract starches that get converted into sugar). Finally, all the grain is mashed in the water to extract the starches to be converted into sugar,” Huss says.

One example, within the process, that Huss says has evolved with home brewing experience, is the mashing process.

“I start out at 120 degrees when I put the grain in and wait for a few minutes to get a dissolved oxygen reading and PH. My meters for checking these stay accurate up to 120 degrees. Also, if this was to be a wheat beer, this temperature would serve as the protein rest as wheat has more proteins in it. Putting grain into the water adds some oxygen from the grain, therefore the baker’s yeast in there will

eat the oxygen. Then I turn it up to 144 degrees for 30 minutes, which is the beta-amylase starch conversion. Then to 155 degrees for one hour, which is the alpha-amylase start conversion. Then to 162 degrees for 30 minutes, this will increase the body of beer,” Huss says.

There are several more steps before the mixture is boiled and hops are added. A longer boiling time can result in a darker beer. After the previous steps, there is still fermentation. Huss’s process includes many other steps that all impact the final product. He has added some more sophisticated equipment to make the process more high-tech and still has a few items on his wish list.

GATHERING WITH FELLOW BREWERS AND COMPETITIONS Improving one’s skills comes with experience as a home brewer and Huss has seen the evolution.

“My skills and knowledge have been evolving ever since I started. I would say the biggest changes a home brewer faces are going from extract, to partial mash, to all grain brewing,” he says.

Home brewing clubs serve an important education component much like biomed associations.

“Some clubs host home brew competitions and have a professional looking website, and have positions within the club like president, treasurer, etcetera. Our club is very laid back. It’s just about getting together to try each other’s beers and provide input. Mostly talking about beer and techniques and life in general,” Huss says.

The hobby isn’t restricted to having a few family members, friends, or even club members taste-test the finished product. There are actually competitions within the home brew universe.

“Home brew competitions are where home brewers can enter their beers to be judged. There are competitions that are hosted by breweries or home brew clubs. Then there are AHA (American Home Brewers Association) and BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Program) competitions. These are competitions that are judged by judges that have been certified to give you a more professional input about your beer,” Huss says.

He says home brewers can win money and other prizes at larger competitions.

“There is generally a winner for each beer category and then a best of show, which is the best beer at the competition,” Huss adds.

How can readers become involved in this pastime?

“They can get a starter kit and recipe kit from a local home brew supply shop or online supplier. Some of the biggest suppliers are Northern Brewer and More Beer. I also like to shop on Amazon, and there are two local homebrew shops that sell online, such as Wind River Brew in Barron, Wisconsin, and RiteBrew in Little Chute, Wisconsin,” Huss says.

He says that if you’re not sure, you can find information by searching online, or contacting a local home brew club and attend a meeting.

“There are also Facebook groups you can join to learn more and go to a home brew competition. There are usually samples given out to attendees. If anyone wants to reach out to me on LinkedIn, I would be willing to talk to them and answer questions,” Huss says.

When not mixing up the perfect brew, Huss stays busy as an HTM professional.

“I have worked for Agiliti for 12 years and I am currently a hospital service technician 3. I work at one of our on-site programs where I mostly work on Alaris infusion pumps and a variety of hospital beds. In addition, I help manage our inventory levels, training staff, as well as, cleaning and distribution of equipment,” he says.

Huss already has one certification for serious home brewers and is working on others. On the job, or practicing a pastime, Huss is determined to do things to perfection. Attention to detail is in everything this biomed does.

Chad Huss enjoys being a home brewer and visiting craft breweries.