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WOMEN IN MEDTECH | WOMEN IN ENGINEERING | CONTENTS
Medical Design & OUTSOURCING The slow rise of women in medtech leadership
2020 LIST OF 25 WOMEN OEM LEADERS......................9 PROFILES IN THE LIST: Camille Chang Gilmore, Boston Scientific................................................... 10 Katie Szyman, Edwards Lifesciences............................................................ 12
WOMEN IN MEDTECH MANUFACTURING...................14 Pamela Kan, Bishop-Wisecarver................................................................... 14 Jackie Daly Johnson, Beacon Converters.................................................... 16 Janel Wittmayer, CDC.................................................................................. 18
10 WOMEN-LED MEDTECH STARTUPS.........................20 PROFILES IN THE LIST: Maria Zannes, BioAffinity Technologies....................................................... 20 Patty Post, Checkable Medical..................................................................... 22 Dr. Swarna Balasubramanian, Noleus Technologies..................................... 24
Cover story.....................................................................26 A shocking comment by a male supervisor spurred Dr. Sally Saba to change healthcare companies from the inside. Now she’s chief inclusion and diversity officer at Medtronic.
Is diversity improving among medtech’s top leadership?.............................................32 Not by much — executive roles held by women crept up by a mere 2 percentage points since last year. We detail how it’s going and list some of world’s biggest medtech companies in order of the percentage of key roles held by women.
Engineering Offers Solid Salaries for Women................54 Jamie Cone..........................................................................58 Leanne Cushing....................................................................66 Dr. Seyedeh Elaheh Ghiasian...............................................72 Jennifer McConnell..............................................................78 Tatiana Minav........................................................................82 Calista Redmond..................................................................86 Obianuju Okafor...................................................................90 Priya Rajendran.....................................................................96 3M - Gabi Miholics.............................................................102 Advantech - Stephanie Kay Larsen....................................103 Altra Industrial Motion - Cheryl Potter.............................104 ATI Industrial Automation - Inka Johnson........................105 Bishop Wisecarver - Denise Butler..................................106 CPC Colder Products Company - Beth Langer................107 Cree | Wolfspeed - Kristen N. Parrish, PhD.......................108 Digi-Key - Kim Heinle Nelson............................................109 Emerson - Mireya Spears...................................................110 Fischer Connectors - Aemah Badri...................................111 maxon - Angelica Perzan...................................................112 Mitsubishi Electric Automation - Barbara Cima..............113 Penn Engineering - Kristina Valko.....................................114 PTC - Kathleen Mitford.......................................................115 Red Lion Controls - Megha Agrawal.................................116 Siemens Digital Industries Software - Brenda Discher.....117 Wurth Industry North America - Sylvie Hyman...............118 News - NASA engineer and astronaut - Jeanette Epps......119
Smith+Nephew...............................................................38
www.medicaldesignandoutsourcing.com OCTOBER 2020
Sarah Schneider
INSIDE:in Womenring Enginee
Stryker............................................................................42 Naomi Murray
www.designworldonline.com
October 2020
DIVERSITY IN MEDTECH JUST 20% OF EXECUTIVE ROLES HELD BY WOMEN SMITH+NEPHEW IS TAKING THE
Valentina Stolarsky
Infus Medical (Thailand) Co., Ltd....................................48
omen in engineering
WITH ITS ORTHO SURGICAL ROBOTICS
omen in
Medtech 2020
HOW STRYKER’S NAOMI MURRAY SEES 3D PRINTING, WOMEN CHANGING MEDTECH
: insidein
Patcharin Vinitwatanakhun
2020
Women Medtech
How Medtronic’s new DIVERSITY LEADER, Dr. Sally Saba, Saba wants to make the company even better
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HERE’S WHAT WE SEE:....................................................8
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omen in
Medtech 2020
HERE’S WHAT WE SEE
The slow rise of women in medtech leadership As some women begin to find their footing in the industry and start their own firms, others are making their way through the ranks at some of medtech’s biggest companies.
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he gender disparity in medtech leadership is slowly shrinking as companies enlist more women to C-suite roles. That’s the takeaway from this year’s Women in Medtech issue. While women still make up a small percentage of medtech leadership roles, their numbers are up from 2019. Just 20% of executive roles at the top 100 medical device companies in the world are held by women, and only four companies have a female CEO, according to an analysis of Medical Design & Outsourcing’s annual Big 100. In 2019, 18% of executives were women and only three companies had a woman CEO. Of the 1,037 leadership roles this year, 216 are held by women. Cardinal Health, Stryker, Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic and Baxter were recently named as some of the 300 best companies for women to work for by Forbes. Women hold 30% of executive roles at those companies, an above-average percentage for the industry as a whole. Many of the world’s top companies have hired executives for diversity and inclusion leadership roles. In 2019, medtech trade group AdvaMed announced an initiative called AdvaMed Advance to convene industry leaders and support the creation and expansion of inclusion and diversity roles in the medtech industry.
appointment in March, the Medtronic Foundation announced a $16 million commitment to partnership with organizations that are working to bring social justice and equity while improving the lives of Black Americans following the death of George Floyd in Medtronic’s home city of Minneapolis. The diversity issue expands beyond medtech. A higher percentage of female-founded startups across a number of industries are attracting funding in areas such as New York, Los Angeles and Boston than in the technology hub of Calfornia’s Bay Area, according to a Pitchbook Data and All Raise report. In 2019, 11.2% of venture capital deals were with firms led by women. In pharma and biotech, 14.7% of VC deals were with women-led companies. “The more we tell the story of how companies are benefiting from this work and innovation and really winning in the market because of their focus on this, I think the more people will come along and understand the importance of it,” Saba told MDO. This issue will also highlight some of the innovations happening in the medical device industry, such as Checkable Medical’s at-home strep tests, Danielle Kirsh Senior Editor Noleus Technologies’ Medical Design & device to reduce recovery times Outsourcing after abdominal surgery and dk i rsh @ wtwh m e di a .c o m BioAfffinity’s lung cancer detection tech. Women leaders at some of the world’s biggest medtech companies also offer their input on robotic surgery and 3D printing. As Sainz said in our “Diversity by the numbers” article, “The attention and priority of this topic has been clearly raised. Besides individual company programs, efforts across the industry such as Medtech Women, DxD or those driven/endorsed by Advamed, MDMA give me hope that pace of change is accelerating. The case for diversity is compelling as a competitive advantage for talent and in the healthcare market place.”
The pace of change in [diversity roles] has been too slow. There are significant grassroots efforts supported by large companies where employees are mobilizing around diversity. “I have been in this industry for 30 years. The pace of change in this area has been too slow. There are significant grassroots efforts supported by large companies where employees are mobilizing around diversity,” Maria Sainz, president & CEO of Aegea Medical, told Medical Design & Outsourcing. In this annual edition of Women in Medtech, we will hear from Medtronic’s first chief diversity and inclusion officer, Dr. Sally Saba. Since Saba’s 8
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Gwen Chapman
corporate VP and chief compliance officer Teleflex
Gitte Pugholm Aabo
Julie Coletti
Barbara Bodem
Myriam Curet
CEO GN Hearing CFO Hillrom
SVP and chief legal and regulatory officer Align Technology EVP and chief medical officer Intuitive Surgical
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2020 WOMEN IN MEDTECH
How Boston Scientific can help close the gap in healthcare HR VP CAMILLE CHANG GILMORE explains how the medtech giant is using data to shine light on healthcare inequality.
BY TOM SALEMI EDI TORI AL DI RECTOR DEVICETALKS
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ne of Camille Chang Gilmore’s proudest moments at Boston Scientific came earlier this year. Two days after the police killing of George Floyd, CEO Michael Mahoney and the executive team issued a letter that not only condemned racism but also committed $2.5 million toward combatting it. Boston Scientific has been putting funds and action into fighting inequality for more than 10 years. In a recent interview, Chang Gilmore, VP of human resources and global chief diversity officer, discussed the company’s renewed push for Close the Gap, a decade-plus campaign to highlight the fact that people of color in many communities don’t receive the healthcare they need. Close the Gap is targeting several U.S. cities with billboards and other public service announcements to raise awareness of the healthcare deficit. The broader public messages go hand-in-hand with Boston Scientific’s plans to supply hospitals and physicians with the data necessary to ensure patients get the treatment they need. Close the Gap currently targets cardiovascular and peripheral vascular diseases but Boston Scientific has plans to move into colorectal cancer and neuromodulation. In this edited interview from the DeviceTalks Weekly podcast, Chang Gilmore shares the rationale behind the campaign.
2020 WOMEN IN MEDTECH
MDO: What is the purpose of Close the Gap? Chang Gilmore: Close the Gap is not a feel-good initiative. It really is a testament to the mission that underlies everything that we do as a company at Boston Scientific. We are here to improve the healthcare outcomes for all patients around the world. MDO: How does it work? Chang Gilmore: The first thing is education. We provide education to providers not only about the prevalence of the disease states that reside in their communities, but we can also educate patients about what therapies are available to treat their diseases, like heart failure, atrial fibrillation or even stroke. We have a repository of data where we can look at an area by ZIP code and get really specific. We can tell hospital systems and providers and educate them on the diseases that exist locally within their communities.
trial. Believe it or not, there was this fallacy that stents reacted differently in people of color. We said we have to prove this wrong. We were hit with headwinds like people telling us Blacks won’t be compliant or Hispanics won’t show up if they participate in the clinical trial. Well, not only did we prove that to be just false, we proved that they would be even more compliant. We enrolled more than 1,500 patients in 65 sites. It was one of the best trials that we have seen in terms of having diverse patients. It really raised the question: Why don’t we have
Close the Gap is not a feel-good initiative. It really is a testament to the mission that underlies everything that we do as a company at Boston Scientific.
MDO: What happens after the information is delivered? Chang Gilmore: Then it’s really about partnerships that can reach Blacks, Hispanics and women in the community. We work with local hospitals to really build back that trust in the community because — and here’s the real deal with COVID-19 — I can tell you there’s been an erosion of trust. I think many healthcare providers and hospital systems recognize that Close the Gap can be part of their post-COVID-19 strategy to really get back into those communities and build that trust to stay. MDO: Where are the origins of the mistrust? Chang Gilmore: Well, if you look at 400 years of racism and sin in our nation coupled with examples like the Tuskegee trials where they injected syphilis into black men and then didn't provide treatment — those are the areas where distrust came about. MDO: What are some ways to build back that trust? Chang Gilmore: I’m proud that in 2015, Boston Scientific ran the Platinum Diversity
more Blacks, Hispanics and women in clinical trials? That’s going to be another focus area for Boston Scientific as we go forward. We’re going to be innovative to ensure that we have those constituency groups participating in our trials. MDO: What do those numbers look like now? Chang Gilmore: The facts are this. Hispanics represent 18% of the population but are in less than 1% of clinical trials. It’s a fact that Blacks represent 12% of the population and have the highest rate of heart disease but are in less than 5% of clinical trials, and a fact that women wait 30% longer to seek medical care than their male counterparts. This is what we’re trying to address. Is it the only answer? Probably not. But it’s definitely a start. MDO: How long is this process? Chang Gilmore: We're not going to tackle it tomorrow. It’s going to take some time, but we put our money where our mouth is. I mentioned to someone the other day, I said, the one thing I love about Boston Scientific is we listen, we learn and then we act. That’s just what we do. www.medicaldesignandoutsourcing.com
25 WOMEN EXECUTIVES (continued)
Julie Dewey
SVP and chief communications officer Wright Medical
Catherine Estrampes president and CEO GE Healthcare Europe
Britta Fünfstück CEO Paul Hartmann
Camille Chang Gilmore chief diversity officer Boston Scientific
Sarah Grauze
treasurer and VP of finance 3M
Elisa Hebb
VP of clinical and regulatory affairs Endologix
Sue-Jean Lin
SVP and chief information officer Alcon
Grita Loebsack
chief marketing officer EssilorLuxottica
Jill Mason
chief ethics and compliance officer Orthofix
Keri Mattox
SVP of investor relations and chief communications officer Zimmer Biomet
Laura Mauri
SVP, chief clinical and regulatory officer Medtronic
Jessica Mayer
chief legal and compliance officer Cardinal Health
Shana Neal
EVP, chief human resources officer Owens & Minor 10 • 2020
Medical Design & Outsourcing 11
2020 WOMEN IN MEDTECH
AI could boost Edwards' critical care business
25 WOMEN EXECUTIVES (continued)
Critical care comprises nearly 20% of Edwards’ revenue. Its continued growth is connected to the prominence of the company’s heart valve business.
Anne Françoise Nesmes CFO Smith+Nephew
Karleen Oberton CFO Hologic
B Y S EAN W H O O LEY AS S I S TAN T ED I TO R
Niamh Pellegrini
chief commercial officer Nevro
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Jane Rady
SVP of corporate strategy and business development Glaukos
Desiree Ralls-Morrison
SVP, general counsel and corporate secretary Boston Scientific
Sally Saba
chief inclusion and diversity officer Medtronic
Katie Szyman
SVP of critical care Edwards Lifesciences
atie Szyman spent 23 years helping develop Medtronic into a giant in the industry, but a patient-focused outlook became a driving force behind a change for her. A desire to work for a California-based company focused on the patient and innovation led Szyman to what she is now — a corporate VP and the GM of critical care at Edwards Lifesciences (NYSE:EW). “I just liked the smaller family feel of Edwards,” Szyman told Medical Design & Outsourcing. “I’m happy to come to Edwards, where I can continue to be part of something where we’re making a difference in the world.” Szyman joined Edwards in 2015 and runs the critical care business, which brings in around $800 million in annual revenue and operates with about 500 employees, developing monitoring technologies for
I just wanted to be able to take my finance skills and apply them in an industry where I felt like I could make a difference in the world. I was really passionate about being in something that mattered or something that made a difference in peoples' lives. ICUs and high-risk surgical situations. Edwards’ critical care business is also working on “smart recovery,” Szyman said, applying artificial intelligence and predictive algorithms to aid clinicians in decision-making, among other things. Edwards is developing an algorithm called hypotension 12
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prediction to predict severe, low blood pressure events about 5-10 minutes in advance to help clinicians take action early. “We’re really focused on being that window to digital health for Edwards,” Szyman said. While Edwards is a major player in the valve business, particularly in the burgeoning TAVR (transcatheter aortic valve replacement) space, Szyman is playing her part in bringing the Irvine, Calif.-based company’s critical care business forward, too. Szyman said critical care comprises nearly 20% of Edwards’ revenues, and its continued growth is connected to the prominence of the company’s valve business. “When a patient gets a valve, they need to be monitored,” Szyman said. “Over time, you can envision that there are less and less invasive ways to monitor patients and help reduce the stay and complications they would have. “We try to be linked as much as possible to the valve business for us to enable the platform for growth in the future.” Upon graduating from college with an accounting degree, Szyman spent three years as an auditor at PricewaterhouseCoopers before seeking a change. The St. Paul, Minn. native decided to apply her knowledge of finance in a different field, starting at a local company that is now one of the giants of the medtech industry — Medtronic (NYSE:MDT). “I just wanted to be able to take my finance skills and apply them in an industry where I felt like I could make a difference in the world,” Szyman said. “I was really passionate about being in something that mattered or something that made a difference in peoples’ lives.”
2020 WOMEN IN MEDTECH Szyman joined Medtronic in 1991 when it was generating under $1 billion in revenue with about 4,000 employees. When she left 23 years later, it was making sales of $27 billion with 85,000 employees. She held finance roles before becoming CFO of Medtronic’s coronary stent business, then working with mergers and acquisitions before moving into general management. Her final role at Medtronic was president of its diabetes business. From Medtronic to Edwards, two big names in medtech, Szyman has covered plenty of ground in the industry. Being a woman rising through the ranks in a maledominated industry left her unfazed. “I was raised with three brothers and they made me very competitive and they made it so I have pretty thick skin, so I never really noticed if I was the only woman in the room,” Szyman said. “I would now say that probably 90% of the time, I was the only woman in the room. “For me, it was never really about being a woman or a man. It was just about whether I was focused and doing a good job. If you stay focused on the patients, you can just do a great job, be passionate and make a difference.” At the request of Edwards CEO Michael Mussallem, Szyman became the executive sponsor of Edwards’ network of women. When she took that role five years ago, the network had about 200 women. Today, about 2,700 women are enrolled. As a board member of the American Heart Association, Szyman also helps organize events to encourage middle school girls to look consider STEM education. It’a an effort to excite young women about STEM and show them paths to fields like engineering. “It’s really important to have these networks to provide support, training and education so women can maximize their strengths,” Szyman said. As for the next wave of women coming through the STEM fields, whether they find their footing in accounting like Szyman or follow the engineering path, the Edwards GM of critical care believes “the best innovation comes with diversity of thoughts and diversity of perspective.” Following your passion, doing what you love and pursuing those things are the driving forces behind success, she said. “I think medtech is an unbelievably attractive space for women in the future,” Szyman said. “For people coming in after me, you can do it right. Go for it.”
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WOMEN IN MANUFACTURING
Women in Manufacturing Women account for 29% of the manufacturing workforce despite totaling about 47% of the U.S. labor force, according to an analysis from Deloitte. While the industry remains male-dominated in general, here are a few women leading medtech manufacturing companies in the U.S. Pamela Kan, second-generation president of Bishop-Wisecarver Image courtesy of Bishop-Wisecarver
BY DAN I ELLE KI RSH SEN I OR EDI TOR
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Women in Medtech MANUFACTURING
Pamela Kan BISHOP-WISECARVER PAMELA KAN, PRESIDENT Pittsburgh, Pa. Founded: 1950 Employees: 65 (32% women engineers) Revenue: $20-50 million (privately held)
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amela Kan joined Bishop-Wisecarver 28 years ago as a second-generation owner, coming to work for her father. Before entering manufacturing, she was a marketer, but had more interest in making things than selling them. When she decided to work for her dad, Kan didn’t expect to take over the company years later. “My family didn’t have a good succession plan,” she told Medical Design & Outsourcing. “I have three older brothers. I kind of just assumed that they would be more involved in the company than me. My dad was a natural maker and a natural engineer. He started a company that allowed him to basically get paid for what he loves to do — for his hobby. Therefore, he didn’t really run it in a highly structured manner. There was no succession plan. He kind of just told all the kids in the family, ‘If you want to work there, you can work there.’” Bishop-Wisecarver has been privately held by the Wisecarver family since www.medicaldesignandoutsourcing.com
1950. Now certified as a women-owned manufacturer, it sells linear and rotary actuators to customers in the lab and medical device industries. “We have a broad spectrum of customers,” Kan said. “But there is a vertical of customers that are in the lab and medical devices that we have contributed to for years. We’re very customized in how we design our solutions for customers. We do a lot of customization to our products to suit the application. Depending on the environment, we’ll change the materials in the product for the customer, change out the grease or the lubes or design specialized bearings to go into the system for the customer. We basically craft the solution to what that customer needs.” As the COVID-19 pandemic hit, BishopWisecarver was called on as an essential supplier, Kan said. The company has seen an uptick in orders for components by companies developing COVID-19-related products, such as vaccines, personal protective equipment, testing and automation and robotics.
WOMEN IN MANUFACTURING
“With COVID, right away we started to get notices from our medical device customers that we were an essential part of their product so we were an essential supplier, which was really great to be contributing that way and not have to stop operations during the pandemic,” Kan told MDO. “Now we have some customers in the telehealth space, too.” During the pandemic, many companies started to shift manufacturing practices to address the needs of the medical device industry, such
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We're very customized in how we design our solutions for customers. We do a lot of customization to our products to suit the application. as the ventilator and PPE shortages. Many OEMs signed agreements with manufacturers to produce ventilators: Medtronic partnered with Foxconn, GE with Ford, Ventec Life Systems with GM, and even Tesla started to make ventilators out of car parts. However, many of these ventilators are now piling up in government stockpiles, according to a Washington Post report in August. “We have really good lead times and deliveries, and that’s really critical in the medical space so that they can get the products as fast as they need it to respond to a pandemic like COVID, and so we didn’t affect their ability to service their end customers by not being able to supply them the product exactly when they needed it,” Kan said. "I would love to see more women in manufacturing," she added. "I don't tend to think about [the industry being maledominated]. I grew up as the only girl in my family. I think I'm used to being in a male-dominated world because I have a male-dominated family." 10 • 2020
Medical Design & Outsourcing 15
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ackie Daly Johnson joined Beacon Converters in 1982. She held positions in sales, quality assurance, technical/ R&D and finance and served as VP and director of operations until 2002 when she became president. Johnson has also served as co-chair of the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) working group 7/U.S. delegation to ISO TC198, led the task force charged with writing the international guidance document for ISO 11607 and is a U.S. expert on ISO TC198 WG7, which are all related to packaging and sterilization requirements. She also serves as a member of the executive boards of the Sterilization Packaging Manufacturer's Council of the Flexible Packaging Association and the Institute of Packaging Professionals’ Committee on Medical Device Packaging and ASTM Committee F2 on flexible barrier packaging. Beacon Converters manufactures flexible sterilization packaging systems in medicalgrade materials, suitable for all sterilization methods. The company serves the medical device, pharmaceutical, biologics and animal health industries and is a third-generation family business, women-owned and smallbusiness certified. "Medtech encompasses everything that Beacon does," Terri Shank, director of IT and marketing projects, told Medical Design & Outsourcing. "As a company that is dedicated to the medical and pharmaceutical industries, all our customers are involved in advancing medtech. The way we contribute most is by helping our customers innovate and be successful."
Women in Medtech MANUFACTURING
Jackie Daly Johnson BEACON CONVERTERS JACKIE DALY JOHNSON, PRESIDENT Saddle Brook, N.J. Founded: 1947 Employees: 98 (80% women) Revenue: $15-25 million 16
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President Jackie Daly Johnson is the third-generation family member to lead Beacon Converters since its founding in 1947.
Janel Wittmayer, President, CPC
Proud of our connections with these leaders.
Beth Langer, R & D Engineering Manager, CPC
We know all about making critical connections. That’s been CPC’s focus for 40 years as a leader in connector technologies for fluid management applications. Talented, innovative people have fueled the success of CPC and parent company Dover Corporation. Janel Wittmayer, CPC president, and Beth Langer, R & D engineering manager, exemplify the smart, capable and committed leaders we’re proud to call our own. As we recognize women in medtech and manufacturing, we thank you, Janel and Beth, for your contributions to CPC, to Dover, and to industries across the globe.
WOMEN IN MANUFACTURING
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anel Wittmayer joined CPC in April 2016 as VP of sales and marketing. In May 2017, she was named the company's president. Wittmayer previously served as the senior global marketing director and marketing director of Nordson Medical, marketing and business director and director of business development at Tactile Systems Technology and has held analyst positions in the medtech device industry. CPC manufactures connection technologies for biopharmaceutical processing, medical/surgical equipment, in vitro diagnostics and other healthcare categories. Its connectors help enable secure fluid delivery in equipment in use at hospitals, labs and homes. Some are equipped with
I am honored to lead such an incredible organization and I appreciate the confidence that people in the company place in me. radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to allow data exchange at the point of connection. The technology can track batch numbers, expiration dates and the number of uses for single- or limited-use products. It can also be used to verify secure connections, correct line attachment or appropriate media. During the COVID-19 pandemic, CPC has been supplying products used in applications related to ventilators, hospital beds, vaccine production, lab testing equipment and disinfection systems. “I am honored to lead such an incredible organization, and I appreciate the confidence that people in the company place in me,” Wittmayer said. “I experience support both from the CPC team and colleagues at Dover Corp. (CPC is one of 18 Women in Medtech operating companies within MANUFACTURING Dover, a $7 billion diversified global manufacturer.) Earlier in my career I might have felt as if being a woman in the room presented distinct challenges, but today I know that I am judged by my performance and the company's success. CPC It's good to see a growing JANEL WITTMAYER, PRESIDENT recognition of that perspective St. Paul, Minn. — that if you're qualified and capable, you should be able Founded: 1978 to pursue and land the roles Employees: ~620 worldwide you want.”
Janel Wittmayer
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Janel Wittmayer has served at CPC’s president since May 2017.
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WOMEN-LED STARTUPS
10 women-led medtech startups The Life Sciences editorial team drew on its resources to produce this list of women-led medtech startups. These companies are less than 10 years old and were founded by women and/or are led by women.
Pushing the boundaries in cancer detection MARIA ZANNES and her company BioAffinity Technologies are seeking to up the game on lung cancer detection. Here’s how.
10 WOMEN-LED MEDTECH STARTUPS
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AERAMI THERAPEUTICS ANNE WHITAKER, CEO Aerami Therapeutics is developing inhaled therapies to treat severe respiratory and chronic diseases. Durham, N.C. Founded: 2010
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his one-time aspiring journalist carved out a role on Capitol Hill, first as an aide, then as a lobbyist, plus a stint running a trade group. During all that, she managed to pick up her law degree, too. However, when her brother was diagnosed with what ended up being a fatal case of glioblastoma, Zannes left Washington, D.C., for New Mexico. There, she came across a technology that had come out of Los Alamos National Laboratory which used certain compounds to label cancer cells, piquing her interests both on a personal and professional level. Zannes has now been involved in this technology for 10 years or so, developing a test for early lung cancer, and with plans to commercialize the noninvasive test this year. Zannes spoke to Medical Design & Outsourcing recently, discussing her background, her company, BioAffinity Technologies and its work, plus being a woman in medtech.
Following her time in the nation’s capital and while with her brother in New Mexico, Zannes learned about a certain porphyrin compound at Los Alamos that, when used to label cancer cells, fluoresced “20 times more bright” than normal cells. “It was this very unique and quite exciting label,” Zannes said. “And Los Alamos was doing work with sputum, the mucus that comes from our lungs. They were labeling that mucus and they found that they could tell the difference between people who had lung cancer and people who did not by the presence of these bright red cells, these bright red cancers. You can understand, both personally and professionally, why I was so excited.” BioAffinity’s work with the technology has led to the CyPath Lung, a non-invasive test that Zannes said is accurate in finding early-stage lung cancer. Just last month, the 12-employee company announced the start of Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) validation.
BIOAFFINITY MARIA ZANNES, FOUNDER AND CEO BioAffinity Technologies is developing tests and therapies to detect and treat lung cancer at the cellular level.
CANDESANT BIOMEDICAL NIQUETTE HUNT, FOUNDER Candesant is a privately held company dedicated to developing novel solutions for excessive sweating and hyperhidrosis.
San Antonio, Texas Founded: 2014
San Francisco Founded: 2011
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WOMEN-LED STARTUPS
The company’s test uses flow cytometry to profile the cancer environment and, in a trial of people at high risk for lung cancer, it could determine the difference between cancer and non-cancer with 92% sensitivity and 87% specificity, Zannes said. “We are not a genetic-based test,” Zannes said. “We are not looking for any particular mutation, and we’re stronger for it, particularly in the early cancer-detection field. That’s because, in looking at cancer’s environment and in understanding these cell populations and the certain parameters or biomarkers that differentiate people who are at high risk for lung cancer — who have cancer and those who do not have cancer — understanding that environment can be key.” Zannes expects the sales to begin later this year, with further trials intended down the line. “It is a different approach,” she said. “It is innovation that comes from a diverse workplace. It is looking at the problem and saying, ‘We’re not going to go necessarily with what others have done.'” Hope for the future Throughout her experiences in multiple fields and multiple locations, Zannes has navigated her way to a position in the C-suite as a woman and as a single mother. She believes it remains a challenge for women to reach that point, not just in medtech, but across all industries. “I don’t know of an industry that isn’t maledominated,” Zannes said. “So, it’s hard. It’s not unique in that regard. I mean, I’ve worked for many years, as I said, more than 20 years in the energy and the environmental engineering — think scientific — arena, and it was similarly very male-dominated, actually very white maledominated, which is much of society. I think you just persevere in all of it.” Establishing oneself in these roles as a woman or as a minority may be challenging, but Zannes said she believes that, as generations go on, women are becoming bolder and more aggressive, and that bodes well for the future of these male-dominated spaces. “We need to have more women,” Zannes said. “We need to have more minority candidates. We need to have more diversity in business. I think our company is very diverse, and we’re so much stronger because of that. Especially in the science realm, because you’re looking for innovation, right? “You want to discover new things and that takes a variety of perspective and collaboration. So, I think that that becomes extremely important and the companies that have that, I think, do much better.” Image courtesy of BioAffinity Technologies
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WOMEN-LED STARTUPS
Bringing strep tests into the home in the new telehealth era PATTY POST, founder and CEO of Checkable Medical, is developing at-home strep and COVID-19 tests and offering telehealth follow-up visits as the pandemic continues. B Y DA N IE L L E K IR SH S E N I O R E D ITOR
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atty Post found herself sitting at her third doctor’s office visit in a week. Two of her kids were diagnosed with strep throat a few days earlier. When her third child became sick, she knew it had to be strep, too, but the pediatrician said that it had to be diagnosed by a doctor before they could prescribe an antibiotic. “We were sitting there in the MinuteClinic and the nurse was taking the sample and the entire experience was about an hour and 20 minutes long,” Post told Medical Design & Outsourcing. “They were backed up. As she was taking her sample, I happened to go on Amazon and see that the exact McKesson test that she was using was available on Amazon, so I bought one.” The test she found online was a clinical-grade test, leaving Post puzzled about why it was available on Amazon. As a veteran in the sales, marketing, clinical regulatory and product development aspects of the medtech industry, Post consulted pediatricians, regulators and manufacturers for a better understanding of the at-home strep test market.
10 WOMEN-LED MEDTECH STARTUPS (continued)
Filling the gap “I realized that a gap was there,” Post said. “Certainly, there’s a lot of parents that would love to diagnose a sore throat without having to go into the doctor’s office. It turns out that over 75% of the time, when you go to
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CHECKABLE MEDICAL PATTY POST, FOUNDER AND CEO Checkable Medical is developing an in-home, overthe-counter in vitro diagnostic and digital platform for rapid diagnosis of the Group A Streptococcal bacteria, known to cause strep throat.
ELIDAH GLORIA KOLB, FOUNDER AND CEO Elidah is developing a non-surgical, non-invasive treatment for stress urinary incontinence. Monroe, Conn. Founded: 2015
Eden Prairie, Minn. Founded: 2019
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the doctor for a sore throat, the strep test is negative. So, a lot of parents end up utilizing healthcare just to be sure because they can’t take another day off of work.” While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention doesn’t track non-invasive group A strep infections, it estimates that three in 10 children with a sore throat have strep and one in 10 adults with a sore throat has it, too. For nine months, Post researched strep tests to understand if there was a product-market fit and what it would take to create a single-use, reproducible test. Working with engineers, Post launched Checkable Medical in February 2019 and started working at the Eden Prairie, Minn.-based company full-time by May of the same year. Checkable Medical is currently developing strep test diagnostic technology. Still in its R&D stages, the company isn’t taking orders but has started working on distributing an at-home COVID-19 antibody test. “We partnered with a company for the strep assay as we had decided not to create an assay from scratch because there are so many credible ones out there. In March, our partner got in touch with me and asked if we would be interested in doing an at-home COVID-19 antibody test that paired with our technologies,” Post said. “What we’re doing right now is, we’re going through the process of first doing
THE FLEX COMPANY LAUREN SCHULTE WANG, FOUNDER The Flex Company is developing menstrual discs and menstrual cups. The company is known for its patented Flex Disc, Flex Cup, Softdisc and Softcup products that are sold online and in major retailers throughout the U.S. Venice, Calif. Founded: 2015
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a usability study of that COVID-19 antibody test, and then we’re running a clinical trial.” The COVID-19 and strep tests both use lateral flow technology. The COVID-19 antibody test itself is a finger-stick test. It comes in a box with a lancet, two small tubes, two alcohol swabs and a single-use buffer. The paper-based technology works by putting one drop of blood onto the test with two drops of the buffer. Within 10 minutes, the user should have the results.
The last place you want to bring [patients] into is a healthcare facility when you don't know what's in the air or what's on the surface. The objection has changed dramatically. “Antibody tests are what should be used for population health purposes,” Post told MDO. “It’s the diagnostic that is used to tell you if your body has been exposed to COVID-19 and whether you’re in the middle of your infection or if you’ve already gone through it.” Stepping onto the telehealth path As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, telehealth will continue to play a major role in healthcare. The Cleveland Clinic predicted at its 18th annual Medical Innovation Summit on October 6 that telehealth will continue to be a disruptor into 2021 as the technology becomes accessible to more communities. Checkable Medical will offer every test buyer a telehealth visit to allow the patient to speak with a physician, according to Post. “What’s interesting with this telehealth movement is everyone was saying, ‘It’s going to take a massive consumer behavior change. How are you going to do that? How are people going to become aware of this?’ And now people are asking for it because their kids are sick,” she said. “The last place you want to bring them into is a healthcare facility when you don’t know what’s in the air or what’s on the surface. The objection has changed dramatically.” Medical Design & Outsourcing
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This surgeon developed an abdominal device to reduce hospital stays Many doctors have visualized devices to solve medical problems. The founder and CEO of Noleus Technologies has devised one to address prolonged hospital stays after abdominal surgery.
10 WOMEN-LED MEDTECH STARTUPS (continued)
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s a practicing surgeon specializing in surgical oncology, colon and rectal surgery, Dr. Swarna Balasubramaniam had an idea over 20 years ago that she thought could make surgeons’ jobs a little easier. She talked to other physicians and some engineers and had some drawings made, but decided not to proceed. “I didn’t do anything, even though people said it could be done,” Balasubramaniam, founder and CEO of Houston-based Noleus Technologies, told Medical Design & Outsourcing. “Fast-forward 12 years and a sales rep walks into my office with a device and it was pretty much my idea from 12 years before. I was like, ‘What?!?’” So, in 2016 when she thought of a device to help patients heal faster after abdominal surgery, Balasubramaniam took a different approach. Instead of throwing out her sketches, she consulted patent attorneys who were enthusiastic about the device’s potential. They guided her through the process of making her device idea a reality. “I wanted to see if the idea was any good,” Balasubramaniam said. “As a surgeon, I had no idea. I guess I was kind of thinking, ‘Someone’s thought of this idea before.’ I didn’t know the startup community at all.”
JACS MEDICAL INNOVATIONS ANGEL JOHNSON, FOUNDER JACS Medical Innovations is developing a blood pressure cuff that addresses the limitations of existing noninvasive blood pressure cuffs. Orinda, Calif. Founded: 2019
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But she knew there was a problem that needed a solution. Balasubramaniam has performed numerous cancer surgeries in which she removed parts of the colon and small intestine. These patients’ intestines “go to sleep” after surgery, she explained, forcing them to lie still for 5-7 days in the hospital until they can eat and eliminate the food. The problem is widespread. Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society, and surgery is the most common treatment for resectable colorectal cancer. In 2020, there have been 104,610 new cases of colon cancer and 43,340 new cases of rectal cancer as of August 31. “As long as we’ve been doing abdominal surgery, this problem has been there,” Balasubramaniam told MDO. “People have looked into this and they’ve done nerve stimulation things and doctors always assumed it was all the drugs from anesthesia. So, people investigated all of that and nothing really helped.” Balasubramaniam wondered if all the fluid patients get during anesthesia cause the problem. “We never really understood what happens in the abdomen because it’s kind of like a black box. But, thanks to CT scanning, we now can see intestines swell
NOLEUS TECHNOLOGIES DR. SWARNA BALASUBRAMANIAM, FOUNDER AND CEO Noleus Technologies is developing a device to reduce swelling and improve outcomes after abdominal surgery.
ODONATA MEDICAL ANN HOLDER, CEO Odonata Medical is developing wearable, washable garments with electrocardiogram technology that has artificial intelligence to monitor the mother and fetus during pregnancy and labor/delivery.
Houston Founded: 2015
Stillwater, Minn. Founded: 2018
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OTOMAGNETICS ABHITA VOHRA, CEO Otomagnetics is developing a non-invasive method to effectively deliver drugs and other therapeutics to the inner and middle ear and the eye. Rockville, Md. Founded: 2012
WOMEN-LED STARTUPS
like fingers swell,” she said. “What we’re doing is we’re treating the swelling and bringing the intestinal function back more quickly.” Reducing ileus with Noleus Technologies’ device Noleus stands for “no ileus,” the medical term for lack of movement in the intestines. The company’s leaf-like device is temporarily inserted next to the intestines to lower swelling by removing tissue fluid through a tube, aided by a suction pump. Once finished, the device folds up like a small fan and is removed from the patient’s side like a drain. The patient should be able to eat and drink once the device is removed, shortening their hospital stay, according to Balasubramaniam. She self-funded the patent stage, and colleagues pitched in toward developing the prototype. The company has had the device tested on animals to show that it works, but she is looking toward its next steps. “Now we’re waiting to get into humans to show that it really solves the ileus problem because animals can’t tell us if intestines are working or not working,” Balasubramaniam said. “That is the next step. Doctors really believe in this because we know that this is a huge problem. They also believe the solution will work because they see the fluid bogs down the patients and they see when the fluid leaves the patient. When we see the swelling go down, that’s when we see the bowel function typically return.”
Dr. Swarna Balasubramaniam, founder and CEO of Noleus Technologies, developed a potential solution to long hospital stays patients often experience after abdominal surgery.
Image courtesy of Noleus Technologies
The device works to remove tissue fluid in the abdomen to solve ileus after surgery. Image courtesy of Noleus Technologies
When doctors launch startups Startups play an important role in addressing the unmet needs of the patient population, and it's common for physicians and surgeons to become entrepreneurs, according to Brian Johnson, president of MassMedic. There’s even an organization, the Society of Physician Entrepreneurs (SoPE), that seeks to make it easier for doctors, nurses, dentists and other healthcare professionals to work on innovation and commercialization of medical devices. SoPE has over 300 members across 28 chapters in the U.S. and six international chapters. “Doctors have a lot of good ideas. A lot of the tools used in surgery have surgeons’ names on them. So, they’ve always been the ones to invent it,” Balasubramaniam said. “Now medicine and devices are getting way more complicated, but I think surgeons have always had the ideas and, in the past, have quickly licensed the idea to a company or someone developed it.” These days, more doctors are earning Master of Business Administration degrees and are trying to develop devices and companies themselves to make sure the insights into the problem aren’t lost, she added. “Medicine is really complicated, and the problem has a lot of nuances,” Balasubramaniam concluded. “You really do have to understand the problem in order to come up with the correct solution.” 10 • 2020
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diversity leader
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Dr. Sally Saba joined Medtronic in March after leading a transformation at a major healthcare provider.
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ally Saba knows what it’s like to be unwanted because of her gender. Saba’s mother rejected her at birth because she wasn’t a boy, leaving her to live with relatives in Egypt. When her caregiver decided to marry, she sent 3-year-old Saba to the U.S. to live with the family she had never known. The new — and ďŹ rst — chief inclusion and diversity ofďŹ cer for medtech giant Medtronic, Saba ultimately went to medical school in Cairo to become an anesthesiologist. One day, after helping to save the life of a 22-yearold man whose legs needed amputation after being crushed in a train accident, a male superior shamed Saba in front of her colleagues because she had “added a cripple to the world,â€? she recalled. “I still get shivers when I remember that moment because something inside of me was like, ‘I'm going to be part of changing whatever system makes us think like this.’... That was my initial interest in moving out of being a physician into being a part of systemic changes of some sort.â€?
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Becoming a change-maker Saba moved through a few different careers after that, working for the telephone company Vodafone in Cairo, getting an MBA and becoming a small business owner in California. When the Great Recession struck in 2008, Saba decided to return to healthcare. Breaking back in was tough, and even though a friend at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland helped her land an interview, Saba knew it would be a hard sell. “I said, ‘If my career path proves anything, it proves that I'm very adaptable. I'm resilient. I'm a self-starter. I never let anything that's happening in the world keep me down,’� she recalled telling her future boss. Saba was hired as director of product safety and recall in 2009 just as the national peanut recall began due to salmonella contamination. She set up a system to recall all peanut-containing products throughout the Kaiser Permanente system, which includes hospitals and clinics. Within nine months, Saba told her boss that she needed a bigger challenge.
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SALLY SABA
The boss tasked her with beefing up Kaiser’s supplier diversity program. Saba dove into research on economics and job creation, learned how much money the organization was spending in the communities it served ($1.7 million annually at the time) and came back with a five-year challenge to spend $1 billion per year in doing business with minorityand women-owned firms. Kaiser Permanente launched the initiative in 2011 and achieved its goal in 2014, gaining entry to the Billion Dollar Roundtable, which recognizes corporations that have achieved the milestone. One of the leaders at Kaiser, where Saba ultimately rose to vice president of performance, operations and compliance for inclusion and diversity, told Saba that the sign of her success wouldn’t be whether she could sell the organization on an idea, but whether the program succeeds and lives beyond her tenure there.
“I've taken that principle throughout every job I've had afterwards, that you've got to be into system change that lives beyond the leader or beyond the person in order for it to really be meaningful and sustainable,” she said. She left that program when it was at $1.65 billion. “Now the program is over $2 billion and still doing really, really well,” she added. “And I'm very, very proud of that.” Saba also spearheaded an initiative to shift the mindset of C-suite leaders to “personal ownership of progress toward equity and inclusion” — looping them into the data that show how their units perform compared with company aspirations — and holding them accountable. The initiative took two years of planning and another two years to win enough support to shift the organization, which was already leaning in that right direction, a few more degrees.
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“Inclusion and diversity is this interesting ambiguous space where a lot of times, responsibility is deferred to an unknown or it's deferred to the chief diversity officer and the ERGs (employee resource groups),” Saba said. “And when you shift an organization's paradigm so ownership belongs in the leaders’ hands and you equip them to make progress, then real change happens… You have to do a good job of connecting inclusion, equity and diversity to the hearts and minds of business leaders and ensuring the CEO, C-suite, and senior leaders authentically believe inclusion and diversity is a business strategy, then get their buy-in to really adopt change.” Getting Medtronic more involved in social justice Saba was attracted to Medtronic because it is a global healthcare company that already had many well-established inclusion and diversity programs in
SALLY SABA
place, including its Medtronic Women’s Network (MWN) and Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) initiatives. MWN is run by employee volunteers with more than 15,000 members across 68 countries. WISE centers on the advancement of women in R&D and STEM roles in order to build an inclusive work environment for women in science and engineering through outreach, recruiting, talent development and cultural awareness programs. WISE teams are active across 70 company sites in the U.S., Canada, China, Europe, India, Israel and Japan, according to Medtronic. When WISE began tracking progress in July 2015, Medtronic had only 20% women in R&D managerlevel and above roles. In 2019, that figure stood at 26%. In the last year, Medtronic doubled the number of women in VP tech roles from five out of 40, or 13%, to 10 out of 48, or 21%.
I still get shivers when I remember that moment because something inside of me was like, 'I'm going to be part of changing whatever system makes us think like this.'... That was my initial interest in moving out of being a physician into being a part of systemic changes of some sort.
In January, the company was one of three recipients of the prestigious 2020 Catalyst Award in recognition of its initiatives for fostering a workplace in which women can advance. Saba joined Fridley, Minn.-based Medtronic on March 2, less than three months before the police killing of George Floyd in the company’s home city of Minneapolis. Floyd’s death hit home on numerous levels. Company officials and members of its African Descent Network began talking about the Black community’s needs and Medtronic’s response. In July, the Medtronic Foundation announced a $16 million commitment to partnerships with organizations working to bring about social justice and equity, improve the lives of Black Americans and help heal and advance the broader community. The effort includes scholarships, work with Black neighborhood groups,
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SALLY SABA
healthcare equity efforts and community volunteer opportunities for employees. Beyond the tragedy of Floyd’s death and the subsequent civil unrest, Saba sees a catalyst for expedited change. Medtronic leadership committed to an annual inclusion and diversity strategy that includes performance expectations for the C-suite and all levels within the organization.
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You have to do a good job of connecting inclusion, equity and diversity to the hearts and minds of business leaders and ensuring the CEO, C-suite, and senior leaders authentically believe inclusion and diversity is a business strategy, then get their buy-in to really adopt change. Saba’s goals include expanding Medtronic’s efforts from inclusion and diversity to equity. “How do we accelerate change within our workplace and beyond? How can we bring this broader equity agenda to a global scale and amplify our impact beyond Medtronic itself?” she asks herself and her team. “I'm extremely lucky and honored to be with a company that really lives its mission,” Saba said. “That's the thing that drew me to this company the most… Medtronic is really in it to walk the talk.”
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DIVERSITY in MEDTECH
20% of executive roles held by women
Just
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Diversity in executive roles in the medical device industry is trending more toward parity, with women holding slightly more C-suite roles in 2020 compared to last year.
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ust 20% of executives at the 100 largest medical device companies in the world are women, and those companies average 19% female composition in the C-suite, according to an analysis of Medical Design & Outsourcing's annual Big 100 breakdown of the top revenue-generating medical device companies in the world. Those numbers are up slightly from 2019, when 18% of executives were women with an average of 15% of women holding leadership roles at each company. "I think medtech in general is still lagging in whether or not they have committed to real change in I&D (inclusion and diversity). The stats around women in tech are a bit scary, whether in the rates in which they're joining or the rates in which they leave after they join,” Sally Saba, Medtronic’s chief diversity and inclusion officer, told MDO. “They're both metrics that really should be understood and analyzed even further, but I think there's a great opportunity if they were to lean in and start these programs or strategies. The opportunity is still vast and it's vast on a global scale.” Of the 1,037 leadership roles in medtech companies this year, 216 or an average of 19% are held by women, up 4 percentage points from the year prior. Just over a dozen of those companies listed no women in executive leadership roles, which is half the amount that had no women in C-suite roles last year. “The numbers at entry level and low managerial ranks are encouraging, but there is a clear leak as we move up corporate ladders,” Maria Sainz, president and CEO of Aegea Medical, told MDO. “Stereotyping, comfort, the informal networks which are traditionally male-dominated, scarcity of candidates are behind what we see/have.” Five companies on the list have a female CEO: B. Braun Melsungen, Silk Road Medical, Paul Hartmann, GN Hearing and Insulet.
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Within those five companies, women hold an above-average number of leadership roles — Silk Road Medical at 50%, GN Hearing at 33%, B. Braun Melsungen at 33%, Insulet at 30% and Paul Hartmann at 25%. The company with the highest percentage of women in C-suite roles is Silk Road Medical with 7 of 14 of its executive roles held by women. The lowest percentage is Henry Schein, with 1 out of 15 (7%) of its executive leaders being women. Fourteen companies listed no women in leadership roles and 25 companies have only a single woman executive, up one company from last year. The remaining firms have at least one woman in a leadership role — Baxter leads that subset with 11 women executives, up three from 2019. The following companies list no women in leadership positions on their websites: • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Dexcom (0/9) Smiths Medical (0/8) Conformis (0/7) Bruker (0/6) Carl Zeiss Meditec (0/6) Nikkiso (0/5) Drägerwerk (0/5) Olympus (0/5) Agfa-Gevaert (0/4) Ra Medical Systems (0/4) Siemens Healthineers (0/2) Demant (0/2) Ambu (0/2) EDAP (0/2)
Medical Design & Outsourcing
Cardinal Health Revenue: $15,444,000,000 (2019) 42% women in leadership roles (43% in 2019) 17 key personnel; 7 women.
SUZANNE FOSTER, president, Cardinal Health at-home solutions; MICHELE HOLCOMB, EVP, strategy & corporate development; JESSICA MAYER, chief legal & compliance officer; TIFFANY OLSON, president, nuclear & precision health solutions; OLA SNOW, chief human resources officer; DEBBIE WEITZMAN, president, U.S. pharmaceutical distribution; SARAH WILLS, EVP, chief corporate affairs officer.
3M Revenue: $7,431,000,000 40% women in leadership roles (29% in 2019) 20 key personnel; 8 women.
The top 20 medical device companies have a slightly higher number of women in leadership roles than the rest of the list. There is an average of 24% of women in C-suite roles within the top 20 revenue generators, which includes medtech giants like Medtronic, Stryker and Boston Scientific. Ranking the lowest of the top 20 was Siemens Healthineers, which employs 52,000 people and has no women in its two listed executive roles. “The attention and priority of this topic has been clearly raised. Besides individual company programs, efforts across the industry such as Medtech Women, DxD or those driven/endorsed by AdvaMed, MDMA (Medical Device Manufacturers Association) give me hope that pace of change is accelerating,” said Sainz. “The case for diversity is compelling as a competitive advantage for talent and in the healthcare marketplace.” 34
A note on our methodology: We use the leadership/management pages on each company’s website to identify its executives. We do not include directors and board members in the mix.
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VEENA LAKKUNDI, SVP, strategy & business development; KRISTEN LUDGATE, SVP, human resources; MOJDEH POUL, EVP, healthcare business group; DENISE RUTHERFORD, SVP, corporate affairs; KAREN CARROLL, VP & general auditor; SARAH GRAUZE, treasurer & VP, finance; THERESA REINSETH, VP, corporate controller & chief accounting officer; CHRISTINA SPENCE, assistant treasurer.
Zimmer Biomet Revenue: $7,982,200,000 (2019) 36% women in leadership roles (20% in 2019) 14 key personnel; 5 women.
RACHEL ELLINGSON, SVP & chief strategy officer; ANGELA MAIN, SVP, global chief compliance officer & associate general counsel, Asia Pacific; KERI MATTOX, SVP, investor relations & chief communications officer; CARRIE NICHOL, VP, controller & chief accounting officer; PAMELA PURYEAR, SVP, chief human resources officer. www.medicaldesignandoutsourcing.com
DIVERSITY IN MEDTECH
Baxter Revenue: $11,362,000,000 (2019)
Johnson & Johnson Revenue: $25,963,000,000 (2019)
Medtronic Revenue: $28,913,000,000 (2019)
35% women in leadership roles (32% in 2019)
27% women in leadership roles (no change from 2019)
17% women in leadership roles (20% in 2019)
31 key personnel; 11 women.
11 key personnel; 3 women.
18 key personnel; 3 women.
LAURA ANGELINI, GM, renal care; ELLEN BRADFORD, SVP & corporate secretary; STACEY EISEN, SVP, global communications & president, Baxter International Foundation; TOBI KARCHMER, VP, World Medical; HEATHER KNIGHT, GM, U.S. hospital products; JACQUELINE KUNZLER, SVP, chief quality officer; KAREN LEETS, SVP & treasurer; JEANNE MASON, SVP, human resources; LYNN PAWELSKI, VP, global regulatory affairs; CLARE TRACHTMAN, VP, investor relations; SHIRLEY XU, GM, Greater China.
ASHLEY MCEVOY, EVP, chairperson, medical devices; JENNIFER TAUBERT, EVP, chairperson, pharmaceuticals; KATHY WENGEL, EVP & chief global supply chain officer.
Fresenius Revenue: $19,563,753,800 (2019) 25% women in leadership roles (21% in 2019) 16 key personnel; 4 women.
B. Braun Melsungen Revenue: $8,363,037,400 (2019) 33% women in leadership roles (no change from 2019) 6 key personnel; 2 women.
ANNA MARIA BRAUN, CEO; ANNETTE BELLER, head of finance, taxes & controlling.
Alcon Revenue: $7,362,000,000 (2019) 31% women in leadership roles (32% in 2019) 16 key personnel; 5 women.
HEATHER ATTRA, SVP, head, global quality; JEANNETTE BANKES, president & GM, global surgical franchise; KAREN KING, SVP, investor relations & communications; SUE-JEAN LIN, SVP, chief information officer; KIM MARTIN, SVP, chief human resources officer.
Stryker Revenue: $14,884,000,000 (2019) 30% women in leadership roles (no change from 2019) 10 key personnel; 3 women.
YIN BECKER, VP, communications, public affairs and strategic marketing; KATHERINE OWEN, VP, strategy & investor relations; KATHRYN FINK, VP, human resources.
KATE DOBBS, SVP, marketing & communications, Fresenius Medical Care North America; KAREN GLEDHILL, general counsel, Fresenius Medical Care North America; ANGELA MCCLURE, chief experience officer, Fresenius Medical Care North America Wendy Millette, chief compliance officer, Fresenius Medical Care North America.
Boston Scientific Revenue: $10,735,000,000 (2019) 25% women in leadership roles (19% in 2019)
LAURA MAURI, SVP, chief clinical & regulatory officer; KAREN PARKHILL, EVP & CFO; CAROL SURFACE, SVP & chief human resources officer.
EssilorLuxottica Revenue: $19,466,366,000 (2019) 15% women in leadership roles (18% in 2019) 13 key personnel; 2 women.
CHRYSTEL BARRANGER, president, Europe & photochromics; GRITA LOEBSACK, chief marketing officer.
Abbott Revenue: $5,374,000,000 (2019) 13% women in leadership roles (17% in 2019) 23 key personnel; 3 women.
LISA EARNHARDT, EVP, medical devices; MARY MORELAND, EVP, human resources; ANDREA WAINER, EVP, rapid & molecular diagnostics.
16 key personnel; 4 women.
WENDY CARRUTHERS, SVP, human resources; JODI EDDY, SVP & chief information & digital officer; DESIREE RALLS-MORRISON, SVP, general counsel & corporate secretary; MEGHAN SCANLON, SVP & president, urology & pelvic.
Royal Philips Revenue: $21,808,150,800 (2019) 20% women in leadership roles (15% in 2019) 15 key personnel; 3 women.
SOPHIE BECHU, EVP & COO; DEEPTHA KHANNA, EVP, chief business leader, personal health; DANIELA SEABROOK, EVP, chief human resources officer.
GE Healthcare Revenue: $19,942,000,000 (2019) 12% women in leadership roles (7% in 2019) 17 key personnel; 2 women.
KATYA KRUGLOVA, VP, human resources; CATHERINE ESTRAMPES, president & CEO, EMEA.
Danaher Revenue: $13,512,600,000 (2019) 11% women in leadership roles (9% in 2019) 9 key personnel; 1 woman.
ANGELA LALOR, SVP, human resources. www.medicaldesignandoutsourcing.com
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Medical Design & Outsourcing
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DIVERSITY IN MEDTECH
Owens & Minor Revenue: $9,210,929,000 (2019) 11% women in leadership roles (10% in 2019) 9 key personnel; 1 woman.
SHANA NEAL, EVP, chief human resources officer.
Becton, Dickinson
Henry Schein Revenue: $9,985,803,000 (2019) 7% women in leadership roles (no change from 2019) 15 key personnel; 1 woman.
LORELEI MCGLYNN, SVP, chief human resources officer.
BIG 100 REVENUE RANK: 15
Revenue: $9,064,000,000 (2019)
Siemens Healthineers Revenue: $16,251,449,200 (2019)
11% women in leadership roles (down 11% from 2019)
0% women in leadership roles (no change from 2019)
18 key personnel; 2 women.
2 key personnel; 0 women.
BETTY LARSON, EVP & chief human resources officer; AMI SIMUNOVICH, EVP & chief regulatory officer.
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British medtech giant Smith+Nephew chose a different path in the ortho surgical robotics space. One of its top robotics program leaders explains how it could make all the difference. CHRI S N EWMARKER EXECUT I VE EDI TOR
SMITH+NEPHEW IS TAKING THE
ROAD LESS TRAVELED WITH ITS ORTHO SURGICAL ROBOTICS
F
that includes a handheld cutting tool that can fit a aster, smaller and more accessible — those particular surgeon’s techniques. are the three descriptors that Sara Schneider “There's more flexibility in the approach when uses to describe Smith+Nephew’s Cori you have that handheld piece that's not robotic knee surgery system, which anchored into this mammoth piece of launched over the summer. As the director of robotics equipment,” Schneider said. She later added: “I think that program management at S+N, the next few months, if not the next Schneider had to make the few years, will really show us how design and engineering choices beneficial that technology is in behind the company’s next-gen surgical robot. the hands of surgeons.” Schneider is an engineer The Cori robot is a big deal who grew up in Boston. She got for Smith+Nephew because involved in ortho surgical robotics ortho surgical robotics is a hot after she and her husband moved area for medtech, even as the COVID-19 pandemic causes to Pittsburgh and she took a job health systems to scale back as a program manager at Blue Belt Technologies, creator of the Navio elective procedures. robotics system. After S+N acquired Stryker has enjoyed a great deal Blue Belt and its Navio system for $275 of success with its Mako robots, and million in 2016, Schneider gained a reputation Zimmer Biomet is seeking to compete with its Rosa systems. Smith+Nephew is as an organized manager who could keep the Sara Schneider, making a bet with a system that isn’t the many moving pieces of a project on track. She director of robotics size of a mini-fridge with an arm, that program management rose through the ranks to become director of robotics program management. doesn’t rely on pre-operative imaging, and at Smith+Nephew
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ORTHO SURGICAL ROBOTS
The Navio system had the basic ingredients that would eventually go into the Cori. Instead of using pre-planning and imaging to guide the robot, the surgeon places small, reflective discs at strategic places around the surgery site. The discs bounce back infrared light to optical cameras that serve as trackers. Once the system has registered the key parameters of the surgery site, the surgeon uses a pointer tool to digitally “paint” over the bone surface that needs to be removed. The surgeon then uses a handheld cutting tool that has a robotic feature that automatically halts the spinning of the tool’s burr if it’s outside the painted area. “The way that we described this very simplistically is that you could almost perform this surgery with your eyes closed. As long as the surgeon is bringing it close enough, the system will decide, ‘Am I going on or off?’” Schneider said.
The Navio system was a good start for Smith+Nephew. But after a few years on the market, company officials decided it was nearing the end of its intended life from a design standpoint. To create the next-gen Cori system, Schneider’s
patient has less time under anesthesia and the surgeon can manage their practice more efficiently. “We had to make a lot of design decisions about, ‘How are
The way that we described this very simplistically is that you could almost perform this surgery with your eyes closed. team focused on making the surgical tool faster and reducing the overall size of the system so that it could easily go into the outpatient centers that are increasingly becoming popular for orthopedic surgeries. The new handpiece, according to Schneider, is significantly faster in terms of bone removal and cutting efficiency — reducing surgical time so that the
we going to design this handpiece? What optical camera are we going to use? What are the specifications of the CPU (central processing unit) that we're going to use to achieve those specifications that we've set for ourselves?’” Schneider said. The Cori system is about a quarter of the size of the Navio. While the Navio system stood 3 ft off the ground, the Cori’s console is the size of an Oxford English
Investing in the Latest Technologies Medbio is committed to the reduction of part to part variation with the use of robots and automation
www.medbioinc.com 40
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ORTHO SURGICAL ROBOTS
Dictionary volume and sits on a table. “I’m working with the technical team and the marketing team to say, ‘How do we meet this user need? How do we compress all of the electronics that we had in Navio into this small console that that's really more desirable from an OR standpoint?’” Schneider said. “We had a lot of discussions about, ‘How can we still maintain an ergonomic and aesthetically pleasing console shell without taking up a significant amount of space?’ There are trade-offs between product specifications — performance versus size versus cost of goods. There was a lot of putting our heads together and figuring out, ‘How can we balance all of those inputs to give the user the most valuable product?’” Fortunately, electronic components technology had progressed enough that the team had more advanced, compact components to swap into the Cori’s design.
If you hire a lot of people that have the same viewpoints and opinions, you're not going to have folks challenge one another. And when that starts to happen, you don't end up with the most superior product. “I'll credit the engineers for just the layout of all the components. There's a lot that goes into designing how they all stack amongst one another,” Schneider said. Now that the Cori system is launched for knee applications, Schneider and her colleagues are looking to expand the platform to surgeries on hips and other joints. They’re also looking at additional attachments and accessories to improve user experience,
and there’s the prospect from an R&D standpoint of packing in more artificial intelligence capabilities down the road. “There’s no shortage of work, and we’re excited about what’s to come,” Schneider said. Schneider recalled that when she joined Blue Belt Technologies in 2014, she was one of only a handful of women in the Pittsburgh facility. These days, about a third of the employees in the robotics group are women — a development Schneider credits to Smith+Nephew’s dedication to hiring women and running robust mentorship programs. Half of Schneider’s eight direct reports, in fact, are women. “If you hire a lot of people that have the same viewpoints and opinions, www.medicaldesignandoutsourcing.com
Schneider and her Smith+Nephew colleagues made a faster surgical tool (center) and a console (bottom) that was the size of a large book volume when creating the company’s next-gen Cori ortho surgical robotics system. Optical cameras (top) track the procedure so that the spinning of the tool’s burr automatically turns off when it’s outside of the operating area — the robotic feature of the system. Images courtesy of Smith+Nephew
you're not going to have folks challenge one another. And when that starts to happen, you don't end up with the most superior product,” Schneider said. “When I'm looking at hiring people again, I'm thinking about, ‘How can I bring in a new person with a new viewpoint that can challenge the voices that we already have on our team?’” 10 • 2020
Medical Design & Outsourcing
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Image courtesy of Adobe Stock
How Stryker’s Naomi Murray sees
changing medtech After 18 years in the industry, Murray says women still need to ruffle some feathers.
S EA N W H O O LEY A S S ISTA NT ED ITO R 42
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M
ath and science fascinated Naomi Murray from a young age. Around her junior year in high school, she began to notice that she was one of — if not the only — girl in her math classes. "[When I was young, I started noticing] pretty early that I was outnumbered," Murray told Medical Design & Outsourcing in an interview. "You begin to get used to being in a more male-dominated industry." Now the director of additive technology at Stryker, Murray said that while in college, some engineering disciplines had more women than others. At the Kalamazoo, Mich.-based orthopedic device company, she has experienced many situations in which she was one of very few
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women in the room or on a team. When she began working at Stryker as a research engineer in 2002, Murray found her team to be very welcoming. Later on, she learned that, when planning for her arrival, the team realized that she would be the only woman on the team and that its members had become more aware of their day-to-day behavior. "When I was first told that, I thought it was strange that a woman joining the team caused a change in behavior," Murray said. Murray came to feel that part of her responsibility as a woman in engineering is to "help drive change, to make women on engineering teams normal and to support other women across the organization who might feel alone or underrepresented."
www.medicaldesignandoutsourcing.com
North American (NEMA) 5-15 Standard Cord Versus the 5-15 Hospital-Grade While both NEMA 5-15 standard and hospital-grade cord sets have similarities, there are differences. Both 5-15 cord sets are grounded Class I, 125V cord sets. The “5” states a rating of 125V, and the “15” states the cord set is rated at 15 amps. Both plugs can be “hand-wired” instead of molded, and both come in gray, black, or clear colors. However, the hospital-grade plug is significantly larger to provide better protection. Though both cords endure testing, the hospital-grade plug is subjected to the UL 817 Abrupt Removal Test where a 10-lb weight is attached to an inserted plug and then dropped to check for electrical continuity. The standard NEMA 5-15 endures The Abrupt Pull Test where a 2 ½ pound weight is dropped 25 times from the inserted plug. Only the NEMA 5-15 hospital-grade plugs and receptacles bear the “green dot” which signifies they meet standards UL 817 and CAN/CSA C22.2 no. 21 requirements for Hospital-Grade status.
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WOMEN IN 3D PRINTING
Early on, Stryker recognized that having diverse voices within teams within the company and championing all sorts of diverse voices is important.
Stryker has done a good job of helping drive that mission forward, according to Murray. The company has made promoting diversity and inclusion a priority, with a number of employee resource groups available to do so. They include the Stryker Women’s Network (SWN), Stryker’s Allies for Equality (SAFE), Women in Stryker’s Engineering (WISE), Stryker’s African American Network (SAAN), Hispanic/Latino network (SOMOS), Stryker’s Emerging Professionals (SEP) and Stryker’s Veterans Association (SVA). "Early on, Stryker recognized that having diverse voices within teams within the company and championing all sorts of diverse voices is important," Murray said. "I feel like, at Stryker, there's a lot of openness and opportunity and many women to look up to." 44
Medical Design & Outsourcing
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In June, Stryker CEO Kevin Lobo spoke on the DeviceTalks Weekly Podcast about improving diversity in the industry, among other topics. While Murray lauds her company for its work in promoting diversity, she's helping to bring Stryker forward in additive manufacturing, a field that, about 20 years ago, was practically brand new. She started working on additive technologies in 2003 as a research engineer, beginning with porous structures. By 2007 the team had its first prototype equipment, and in 2011, Stryker had installed the first production equipment at one of its plants. At that point, the team focused on the Triathlon Tritanium tibial baseplate, which was first implanted in 2013 and launched in 2014. Murray is excited by what she's seen in the additive field and what may come, www.medicaldesignandoutsourcing.com
as she said 3D printing methods offer design freedom, particularly with porous metal technology. "As the additive industry continues to evolve, its customers are going to demand new capabilities that they don't have today," Murray said. "I think we've just scratched the surface on things like the combination of additive and other technology such as Stryker's robot surgery technology." Additive manufacturing technology is still rather new, and Murray believes it will need to continue evolving in order to continue its rapid growth. As-printed surface finish continues to be a challenge for metal additive technology. The additive industry must improve surface finish of as-built products for wider-scale adoption and long-term sustained rapid growth, she said.
WOMEN IN 3D PRINTING
Murray also believes there is still room to improve diversity and the presence of women in medtech, especially promoting women in science and engineering and into C-suite positions. She advises women entering the industry, whether they're looking at being an engineer or an executive, to persevere and to ruffle a few feathers. "It's OK if things are different or a little bit difficult compared to what you think they should be," Murray said. "You don't have to solve the problem, whether it's technical or organizational, alone or all at once. One of the most important things we can do is take the first step and make sure we get others' opinions, pull in that diversity and be bold."
As the additive industry continues to evolve, its customers are going to demand new capabilities that they don't have today. I think we've just scratched the surface on things like the combination of additive and other technology such as Stryker's robot surgery technology.
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2020 Valentina Stolarsky
Women in Medtech
Materials /Biocompatibility Department Manager B. Braun Medical Inc. Kharkiv Polytechnic University, Ukraine Master’s degree in Plastics Engineering
I think, having more women in charge will promote gender balance in the workforce, which will improve working atmosphere and increase productivity. I was born in Ukraine. Since I was in high school, chemistry (organic chemistry in particular!) was my biggest passion, which has defined my future profession as a polymer chemist. I graduated from Kharkiv Polytechnic University, Ukraine, with Masters Degree in Plastics Engineering and received a “Red Diploma” meaning the Highest Honors for a college graduate. I worked for 17 years in plastics processing industry creating new materials from recycled plastics. One of the most successful projects
46
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was recycling of Nylon fishing nets into household and construction articles. I am proud that my work saved seas and oceans of millions of pounds of abandoned fishing nets. In 1992, I immigrated to the Unites States and shortly got a job as a Materials Engineer at Nova Medical Specialties, Inc., in NJ, which was a part of B. Braun Medical, Inc. My responsibilities were to design, develop and support manufacturing of cardiovascular, urological, esophageal, chemotherapy and other catheters.
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Q&A: with Valentina Stolarsky Materials /Biocompatibility Department Manager for B. Braun Medical Inc. MDO: What first drew you to medtech? When did you first know you wanted to be in the industry? Stolarsky: Working in Medical device industry was always my dream. Most of components in medical devices are made of plastics and I knew that there was a lot of potential in this industry for introducing medical grade engineering plastics having great durability, as well as mechanical and other properties. MDO: What projects, past or present, have made you love what you do? Stolarsky: When I started working for Nova Medical Specialties, I was surprised that most of the manufacturing processes of cardiovascular catheters were manual, so my first big project was to replace manual processes with semi-automated ones where possible. I worked with a team of talented manufacturing engineers, and for three years, we made drastic changes to the catheter manufacturing processes and materials that improved their quality and reduced cost. In 2009, the B. Braun NJ plant was closed and my department was transferred to B. Braun PA. Here in Allentown, back in 2009, my new job responsibility was to create and equip a state of the art Polymer Testing Laboratory to support R&D and Manufacturing with selection of new materials, improving existing products, product failure investigations, etc. As of today, the B. Braun Allentown Materials laboratory is successfully functioning!
women working in Regulatory Affairs, Quality, Manufacturing, R&D, Sales and Marketing, etc. I am proud that B. Braun is actively hiring and promoting women. MDO: Describe your biggest leadership challenge. How did you conquer it or resolve it, or what was the outcome? Stolarsky: I had challenges to find qualified and experienced talent with broad experience in analytical, organic / polymer chemistry and biocompatibility combined with hands-on knowledge in plastics processing and production troubleshooting. I have learned that my success as a leader depends on my ability to develop and retain talents. MDO: Talk about your leadership skills. What is the most important lesson you have learned that has guided you in your career? Stolarsky: The most important lessons I have learned (mostly from my boss) are: • Simplicity and transparency are the crucial things for a good leader • Admitting mistakes – ability to saying: “I was wrong” • Ability to keep my employees feeling that they make a difference – not me • Ability to make quick decisions and pursue alternative action plans.
MDO: What projects are you most looking forward to? Stolarsky: I am looking forward to the projects involving use of advanced biocompatible materials that would make a revolution in the medical device industry. These projects will allow focusing on the future high demanding applications and bring B. Braun into leading innovation role in this industry.
MDO: In your opinion, what more can be done to promote greater participation of young women in the medtech industry today? Stolarsky: Improving the use of science, technology and innovation in young women’s training, greater involvement of young women in decision-making.
MDO: What are some of the barriers women face in today’s medtech industry, if any? Stolarsky: When I joined B. Braun Medical, it was a handful of women working in various professional positions. For 27 years with this company, I see drastic increase in number of
MDO: Why is it important for companies to be more inclusive and have more women in charge? Stolarsky: I think, having more women in charge will promote gender balance in the workforce, which will improve working atmosphere and increase productivity.
www.medicaldesignandoutsourcing.com
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Medical Design & Outsourcing
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SPONSORED
2020
Patcharin Vinitwatanakhun Quality Director Infus Medical (Thailand) Co., Ltd. Chulalongkorn University, Thailand Bachelor of Pharmacy National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) MBA
I think by showcasing the accomplishments of women in leadership positions and sharing their stories and experiences, young women would be able to see a possible career path for themselves in the medtech industry. Women in Medtech
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Patcharin Vinitwatanakhun is the Quality Director at Infus Medical (Thailand) Co., Ltd, a world class contract manufacturer that specializes in Class II and Class III single use medical devices. She oversees the quality management system and regulatory affairs, and has been at the company for over 26 years. Patcharin received a
Bachelor of Pharmacy degree from Chulalongkorn University, and a MBA from the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA). Prior to joining Infus, she spent 15 years in the pharmaceutical industry working as a quality manager for 2 multinational pharmaceutical companies with headquarters in the USA and the UK.
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Q&A: with Patcharin Vinitwatanakhun Quality Director for Infus Medical (Thailand) Co., Ltd. MDO: What first drew you to medtech? When did you first know you wanted to be in the industry? Vinitwatanakhun: An opportunity opened up at Infus Medical for me to establish a quality management system, and I thought that it would be a great chance for me to apply my experiences of the stringent quality system from the pharmaceutical industry to the medical device field. I was drawn to the dynamic nature of the medtech industry and intrigued by the constant innovations of the various medical devices, and have been in this field and at Infus for almost 30 years.
MDO: Describe your biggest leadership challenge. How did you conquer it or resolve it, or what was the outcome? Vinitwatanakhun: The biggest leadership challenge for me is to constantly instill a sense of responsibility towards patient safety within the members of my team. With human nature, each person is different, so it is important to find ways to motivate and encourage each and every employee to understand that their individual role is vital in ensuring that the products for all our customers are manufactured with the highest quality for the ultimate goal of improving patient lives.
MDO: What projects, past or present, have made you love what you do? Vinitwatanakhun: I was in charge of establishing the entire quality system at Infus Medical during the company’s first few years to ensure that we comply with the various national and international standards, and also with all applicable regulations of the medical device industry to support our customers who are located worldwide in almost every continent. Knowing that my role plays a key part in continuing to ensure product quality and patient safety while using medical devices manufactured at our site is always rewarding and serves as the biggest motivation.
MDO: Talk about your leadership skills. What is the most important lesson you have learned that has guided you in your career? Vinitwatanakhun: I tend to lead with strong confidence whilst having a risk assessment mindset. I am not scared to make hard decisions as in the medtech field and in my position, I cannot afford to compromise quality and trust that our customers have toward us for anything. The most important lesson I have learned is to manage smart by both heart and mind to serve all the stakeholders and to ultimately save patient lives.
MDO: What projects are you most looking forward to? Vinitwatanakhun: What constantly excites me is the ongoing preparation for the manufacturing of new products that are currently in co-development with our customers or product owners. There are always new processes and technologies that are being incorporated into the products that require careful planning and serious validation efforts to ensure a successful launch and a sustaining product life cycle. Another project that I’m excited for is for the company to fully adopt an electronic system for all quality management efforts. MDO: What are some of the barriers women face in today’s medtech industry, if any? Vinitwatanakhun: I do not see any barriers for women in the medtech industry as I have witnessed people of all genders being given the same opportunity.
MDO: In your opinion, what more can be done to promote greater participation of young women in the medtech industry today? Vinitwatanakhun: I think by showcasing the accomplishments of women in leadership positions and sharing their stories and experiences, young women would be able to see a possible career path for themselves in the medtech industry. Young women born in the era of high technology should also be encouraged to use their technological skills to manage and lead the medtech industry to a new level. MDO: Why is it important for companies to be more inclusive and have more women in charge? Vinitwatanakhun: Having more women in charge will promote inclusivity, and a diverse workplace will definitely benefit from having multiple views and perspectives by creating a culture of kindness and empathy, which is extremely critical in our current day and age.
www.medicaldesignandoutsourcing.com
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SPONSORED
2020 Dawn Velut
Underwriting and Operations Lead, Life Science, The Hartford
As a female leader, I have worked hard to gain acceptance and to empower other women to take on new challenges.
Women in Medtech
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As the Life Sciences Underwriting and Operations Lead at The Hartford, Dawn Velut is responsible for advancing the company’s life science expertise through underwriting processes, training and development, as well as mentorship. She also leads the company’s life science sales and distribution relationships. Having worked in insurance supporting life science companies for more than 20 years, Dawn understands the unique challenges that medtech and other life science companies face. She thrives on knowing her team’s work helps life science companies manage their risks so they can advance medical innovation. Dawn brings her passion for helping others succeed to everything she does. She recently helped to implement a life science mentorship program at The Hartford to develop employees’ skillset in
the life science industry and underwriting risks. She’s committed to empowering women across the company to pursue different leadership roles in insurance, specifically in life sciences. She strongly believes that all companies, regardless of size or industry, benefit from having diverse teams, including women as well as different ethnicities, races and sexual orientations. Prior to joining The Hartford in 2017, Dawn has held numerous life sciences roles of increasing responsibility at W.R. Berkley and Chubb, including vice president, assistant vice president, central territory manager and various underwriting roles. Her interest in life science led to her initial role at Chubb when the company launched their Life Science Practice. Dawn is honored to be included in the Medical Design & Outsourcing Women in MedTech issue for 2020.
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Q&A: with Dawn Velut Underwriting and Operations Lead, Life Science, The Hartford MDO: What first drew you to life sciences? When did you first know you wanted to be in the industry? Velut: For as long as I can remember I have been fascinated with medical innovation, but I actually started my career in finance then transitioned to underwriting. I was able to first apply my passion for medical innovation when I was at Chubb and then later in my career at Berkley Life Sciences. I was at Chubb when they launched their Life Science practice, so I was able to learn about the industry as a young underwriter and gain valuable experience. At Berkley Life Sciences, I had the great fortune to join a start-up operation for W.R. Berkley as a leader and build the central part of the country organically. I’ve spent the majority of my career supporting life science companies. Being part of something that is new, innovative and growing has always excited me. All that preparation has brought me to The Hartford. Now having the opportunity to build a Life Sciences Practice with the expertise and brand recognition of The Hartford has been a dream. I have never been more proud of the life science industry than I am today with medical innovation being more important than ever considering the pandemic. It’s very rewarding to be part of an industry that is emerging and growing all the time. I’m proud to work in insurance because we enable medical innovation. MDO: What are some of the barriers women face in today’s medtech industry, if any? Velut: As a female leader, I have worked hard to gain acceptance and to empower other women to take on new challenges. I have found that many times women struggle to advocate for themselves, so I try to provide confidence, offer mentoring and networking ideas. I also encourage other female leaders to strive for opportunities that may be outside of their comfort zone. Women should know they are 100 percent qualified for a wide range of roles in the medtech industry and sometimes what holds them back is themselves.
MDO: Talk about your leadership skills. What is the most important lesson you have learned that has guided you in your career? Velut: As a leader, I feel it’s important to spend as much time as possible mentoring and coaching. One goal of a leader should always be to help others be successful. It’s critical that your team knows you support collaboration and ensure that the entire team is moving in the same direction. Everyone should understand the vision and buy into the “why”. It is not one individual that leads to success, it requires a unified effort of the entire team. Also, spending time on personal development. MDO: In your opinion, what more can be done to promote greater participation of young women in the medtech industry today? Velut: Encouraging women to post for positions in the medtech field is one of the most important things we can do. The opportunities will help to bring them along in their career and will demonstrate to other women what is possible. I am very proud of the work The Hartford has done with diversity & inclusion over the last several years. The mentoring programs that are available will help women to grow and succeed for years to come. I also believe that connecting with the younger generation through their preferred communication channels such as social medial platforms is important as that is how they obtain much of their information. On a personal note, I promote the industry to my daughter and friends, providing them with education about the medtech industry as an area to consider as they are determining their future career aspirations. MDO: Why is it important for companies to be more inclusive and have more women in charge? Velut: The perspective they bring helps move the industry forward. But it’s not just women, diversity in race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation will ensure that new and creative ideas are discussed and implemented. I believe this will also enhance employee engagement and retention. The medtech field is still emerging and is constantly evolving and I am so proud to be a part of it.
www.medicaldesignandoutsourcing.com
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2020
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omen in engineering 10/26/20 8:02 AM
ENGINEERING OFFERS SOLID SALARIES
FOR WOMEN
Only about 21% of universitygraduate engineers are female. Those that do pursue engineering are handsomely rewarded: Nine out of the 10 most lucrative four-year college degrees are in engineering.
BY LISA EITEL • EXECUTIVE EDITOR
ENGINEERING & TECHNICAL VOCATIONS OFFER SMALLER-THAN-AVERAGE WAGE GAPS Here, engineering and technical occupations are arranged clockwise from lowest to highest median compensation — from packaging-machine operators to engineering executives. On average, women in technical fields are paid $0.85 for every $1 a man is paid for the same job … though that percentage is relatively good … as women in all occupations are (on average) paid $0.80 for every $1 a
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man gets. That’s according to the most recent U.S. Dept. of Labor Women’s Bureau statistics. Female engineers and technical personnel working as engineering managers, mechanical engineers, and electricians enjoyed the narrowest wage disparities. More work needs to be done to address the gender-related wage gaps associated with electrical engineering and production management.
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10/26/20 8:06 AM
W O M E N I N E N G I N E E R I N G S A L A R Y U P D AT E
P ROJECT MANAGER S 647,0 53 W ORKFORCE 30%
15%
70%
S OFTWARE ENGINEERS 1 ,201,088 WO RKFORCE
85%
E LE CT R ICA L & E LE CT R ON IC E N G IN E E RIN G T E CH N OLOG IST S 7 7 ,8 8 9 W ORKFORCE 9%
92%
7%
12%
CO M PUTE R NE TW O RK ARCHI TE CTS 9 5, 9 54 WO R KF OR CE
93%
12%
88%
AEROSPACE ENGINEERS 121,570 WORKFORCE
88%
9%
7%
ENG INEE RS ( O TH E R) 491,5 84 W OR KF O R C E
10%
93%
91%
% 90%
M EC H ANI C AL ENGINEERS 24 7,884 WORKFOR CE
E NG I NE E R I NG M A N A GER S 16 6 , 2 18 WORK F O R C E
E L E C T R I C AL & E L E C T R ONI C S E NG I NE E R S 1 80,3 73 W O R KF O R CE
PERCENTAGES OF WOMEN IN VARIOUS ENGINEERING FIELDS Women are the minority in all engineering professions we surveyed … and that’s exacerbated by the fact that many women who earn engineering degrees don’t pursue employment in the field. WOMEN
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MEN
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MEDIAN WAGES & SALARIES IN ENGINEERING AND A SMALL SAMPLING OF RELATED TECHNICAL OCCUPATIONS Engineering maintains its status as a well-paying field for women.
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W O M E N I N E N G I N E E R I N G S A L A R Y U P D AT E
BLACK WOMEN
& INTERSECTIONALITY Black women outnumber Black men two to one in college, but only about a quarter of those women go on to earn bachelor’s degrees in engineering. The National Society of Black Engineers (in a report titled Ignored Potential in partnership with Society of Women Engineers and the Women in Engineering ProActive Network) lists steps that the engineering industry, schools, families, faith groups, professional groups, policy makers, and researchers can take to ensure more Black women join and find success in the engineering community.
COVID EFFECTS ON WOMEN IN STEM A recent study by the Society of Women Engineers found that 90% of all surveyed women reported seeing no change in their own employment status due to COVID-19. About a quarter reported delayed promotions, salary cuts, bonus freezes, and furloughs for some at their company. 75% reported their employers were reassessing long-term policies regarding remote-work arrangements.
VOCATIONAL JOBS Of the 28 million U.S. jobs requiring STEM expertise, 13 million of them are satisfied with less than a bachelor’s degree. But women currently miss out on the higher wages garnered by relatively short training programs in engineering-related trades. These include machine operating, programming and coding, and laboratory management — for which labor-market prospects are bright. U.S. Department of Education data indicates that for the 100,000 STEM-related vocational degrees men earn at community colleges (per year before COVID-19) about 16,000 women earn the same.
(each full circle represents 10,000 STEM related vocational degrees)
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Women in Engineering
Taking a leap of faith into a bright future
Engineering is not always an end in itself. Often, it becomes a necessary companion to other science disciplines, like medicine. Jamie Cone is Engineer II at BD Technologies & Innovation in Research Triangle Park, NC. She graduated from North Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering with a concentration in biomaterials. One of her responsibilities involves using additive manufacturing equipment in the development of medical components. Jamie wanted to be involved in the medical industry from a young age. “I always saw myself being either a nurse or a doctor. However, the more I learned about the education requirements for different careers in high school, the more I started to consider other options.�
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Jamie Cone
Engineer ll • BD Technologies & Innovation in Research Triangle Park, NC.
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Many young women show interest in science and an aptitude for math, but instead of directly heading into engineering, they sort of stumble into it by accident. It would be nice if it was more acceptable for women to become engineers.
The long-term educational commitment to be a doctor or nurse was not something Jamie wanted. “I was in my first year of college at NC State University and I was in the ‘first year college’ program, meaning I had not declared a major. I was still undecided and trying to figure out what I wanted to do. Finally, after talking to several peers and having a long talk with my Dad, I realized that engineering would be a good fit for me. I had always been good at math and science and I have been a creative person since I was very young – I took lots of art classes and design classes in high school. Once I heard about the Biomedical Engineering program at NC State, I knew that I needed to apply, and if I was accepted, then I would know that it was meant to be. That was exactly what happened.” Many engineers can point to a mentor or historical example for why they chose this field. Jamie, though, did not have the benefit of an engineering mentor. “I think that is why it was so scary for me to make the decision to become an engineer, because I did not know what I was getting myself into. I was taking a leap of faith and trusting that it would lead me to a bright future.” Tackling challenges She soon discovered that solving problems is part of the fun of engineering. She says she is in the middle of conquering one of her greatest engineering challenges, which involves additive manufacturing (AM). Jamie is knowledgeable and comfortable using additive manufacturing (AM), especially in the design of medical components. Some of the engineers she works with, though, have limited experience with this technology. “My greatest challenge as an engineer has been to educate colleagues about AM and its benefits. Because I work for a huge
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medical injection molding company that molds billions of parts per year, 3D printing introduces a whole new way of thinking and designing for medical components. I have been part of the most recent efforts to try and educate and persuade other engineers within our company to think differently and to trust that AM can be an alternative method to traditional manufacturing, and one that can significantly save time and money. “As my department has slowly spread the word about 3D printing capabilities, guidelines for choosing the best applications for 3D printing, and developed course content for designing for additive manufacturing, we have seen an increase in the interest to learn more about the various 3D printing technologies and materials available today, as well as a rise in the desire to build more prototypes across all of our business units. All of these efforts should eventually lead to significant growth in low volume production opportunities as well as more parts being 3D printed for manufacturing spare parts, which could result in monumental savings for the various business units and manufacturing sites. In addition to this, it has also been very rewarding to be able to successfully print parts that have initially seemed impossible.” Responding to a pandemic Recently, in these challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic, BD Technologies & Innovation focused its resources on addressing three critical needs: equipping healthcare partners with a comprehensive suite of technologies and solutions that are essential to discovering more about the virus; diagnosing patients at scale; and supporting patient care. BD launched three new molecular (PCR) tests to diagnose COVID-19, as well as a new point of care antigen test to expand access DESIGN WORLD
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RedEye FDM print in action. FDM is an addi-
tive manufacturing process that builds plastic parts layer by layer from production-grade plastic material. The design team knew that alternatives to FDM would be too brittle for use on the medical device
to testing beyond reference labs and hospitals. These tests would normally take months or years to develop, but were completed in a fraction of that time because of the urgent need to expand diagnostic testing to help track and contain the pandemic. BD experienced unprecedented demand for certain equipment, especially for medication delivery systems, vascular access devices, and critical care management supplies in the wake of hospital surges. “Our manufacturing facilities had to massively increase production,” says Jamie, “in some cases producing more in one week than in the whole of the previous year. BD teams were deployed to the front-lines to install medical equipment as cities erected emergency field hospitals, and we partnered with the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) to mobilize and launch an advanced program on infection prevention and control to support training of new staff.” BD life sciences instruments and reagents are used by researchers to better understand
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the body’s immune response to infection, which is essential for discovering potential treatments and for developing new vaccines. BD is supporting the U.S. public health response by providing precise data on COVID-19 infections to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from the company’s proprietary surveillance and reporting system, BD MedMined. And BD is preparing for a massive global vaccination campaign by working with governments to advance plans for manufacturing and stockpiling of immunization devices. Spreading the word Many young women show interest in science and an aptitude for math, but instead of directly heading into engineering, they sort of stumble into it by accident. It would be nice DESIGN WORLD
10/26/20 8:20 AM
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if it was more acceptable for women to become engineers. Noted Jaime, “it is important to pique the interests of girls at a young age--as young as elementary school-with engineering and science activities, and lessons that introduce them to basic engineering principles early on. I think circumstances have probably improved a bit since I was younger, but I never even learned about engineering until high school and college. “I think it is also important to promote career discovery programs for young women that will allow them to explore their potential, curiosity, and passion for innovation. By developing these unique and interesting experiences for girls, they can explore technology in an interactive and insightful way, which can give them practical knowledge and understanding of the impact that they can have by being part of innovative projects.” Plus, it gives young women a chance to showcase their unique contribution to engineering, as women tend to think differently and approach engineering problems and challenges using out-of-the-box tactics, which can be advantageous for engineering problem solving. “Putting gender aside as a factor,” adds Jaime, “I do believe that it has been proven that there are some significant differences in the way the male and female brains work. Because of this, women may be able to use these differences to their advantage to solve a problem in a way that a male would have never thought of. Women may also be able to communicate their ideas more effectively or voice ideas in a different way. Most women are also smaller framed than men and therefore can exceed with fine motor skills and coordination. Lastly, I think most people would agree with me that most women overanalyze almost everything, and so they may be less likely than men to miss small details.”
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These advantages, though, do not necessarily make it easier for women in today’s engineering world. “Thankfully, I have not personally felt any barriers as a woman engineer in my career so far. However, I have witnessed and heard about others’ experiences. I think women engineers feel like they have to prove their worth in the workplace due to their skills and/or commitment being questioned. Women may feel intimidated when they are predominantly surrounded by men and have concerns about their voice being heard. I also feel like in some environments it is more difficult for women to get promoted or to get a pay raise, or even equal pay to those at the same level as them. However, I think this it is very dependent on the company and the culture in the workplace. I think it is also very important to have professional mentorships so that women engineers can get advice from other women who have experienced difficult situations that can provide insight on how to react and handle these difficult situations.” Mastering confidence Every new engineer has those moments that challenge their confidence. And every engineer has their own approach to master confidence. For Jamie, the accumulation of experience was key. “The more times that I was successful with the decisions I made on the job, the greater my confidence became. To be successful, I observed senior engineers that were able to guide me and instruct me on the best methods for solving problems. I feel like I was able to understand the way that those engineers thought through solving specific problems so that I could take the same approach with similar problems. “I was also able to witness some of the mistakes that others made, which helped me understand some DESIGN WORLD
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initial ideas to avoid. However, at the same time, I think it is also important to not hold back or be afraid to try new experiments that haven’t been done before. As long as you have some justification for why the idea might work, then it is definitely worth discovering what the outcome will be. I think it is always good to list out your options for possible actions or solutions and weigh out the predicted outcomes for those various actions. Then you can prioritize what you think is the best possible outcome and have all the alternative actions as backup options to try next time. “I think it is also very important to thoroughly think through your ideas and methods and don’t be too quick to act, similarly to the saying “think before you speak.” You want to make sure you’re preventing any avoidable negative outcomes solely based on the timing of your actions.” Finding the fun Many things motivate women and men to pursue careers in engineering. A lesser mentioned motivation is how fun it is to be an engineer. “The most fun thing about engineering is working to solve a problem and then finding the solution and knowing that you figured out how to make something work successfully, notes Jamie. “I am fortunate enough that I have had a lot of freedom in my engineering career to try any idea I may have, no matter how crazy it seems, just to see what the outcome is. Experimentation is also one of the best ways to gain knowledge, whether it is through a positive or negative outcome. For example, and as I mentioned before, it is very rewarding to be faced with a geometry that seems impossible to 3D print, and trying several different iterations until you are finally successful and are able to produce a nearly perfect part. Lastly, it is really exciting to be able to work with so many different project groups within my company at all stages of their development process and see their prototypes change over time as their designs are modified, and then eventually see a medical product come to fruition.”
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Women in Engineering
Trading robot-fabrication (and eyeliner) tips
Leanne Cushing is an accomplished engineer and inventor with more than 18 years of robotic systems experience — having designed systems for automotive, entertainment, automation, and consumer-electronics applications. Cushing also happens to be the captain of the BattleBots team Valkyrie. In a recent exchange, she shared with us her passion for and perspectives on mentoring young innovators and creating meaningful solutions to global challenges with engineering. Here’s what she had to say. What first drew you to engineering? I was fortunate that engineering was introduced to me pretty early. In middle school we students participated in a simulation program to encourage us to think about what we wanted to be when we grew up. I’ve always loved watching planes take off, and I thought aerospace engineering would teach me how humans figured out how to defy gravity and fly. Were there influential engineers who helped shape your decision to become an engineer? On the FIRST Robotics team to which I belonged in high school, one of our mentors was an engineer at Smiths Medical. When he saw how I was working through ways to design a box-stacking mechanism for our robot, he taught me about the various means to achieve linear motion … and ultimately helped me design a system for box stacking employing plastic chain and sprockets.
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But as a freshman, I found my first year on that robotics team to be socially difficult. Part of the challenge was that I had so much to learn: At that point, I didn’t even know the names of most of the tools I was handed to use. Having a mentor with whom I could openly ask questions (when the boys on my team were out of earshot, of course) contributed to the success I had on the team … and ultimately helped prepare me for the hands-on work I found at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). Describe your involvement in a product launch that went well. I’ve joined a number of startups as one of the first employees to sort out some degree of organization in chaos. For example, in one position at DESIGN WORLD
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American cybersecurity and databackup company Datto, I completely overhauled the organization’s approach to hardware sourcing and management by establishing partnerships with Intel, Gigabyte, and others. Working at an organization that grew into an incredibly successful company taught me a lot — and also gave me a lot of confidence in my abilities. My current R&D role at OnePointOne focuses on opportunities to change the way farming is currently done — and I’m really excited for us to show what we’re working on. I currently can’t say much more than that … but it’s a world changer. I have a hard time not working on the weekends because I love what I’m doing and believe in our mission so much. How did you get involved in BattleBots? On the year of the show’s return in 2015, my roommate was working on the first design of the robot Overhaul. I was only mentoring a FIRST Robotics team at the time, so the idea of getting to design robots again rather than just support seemed really exciting. I joined a team in the 2016 season, but we were disqualified. I vowed I’d be back on the show: I wanted to start fresh with my own team, one that wouldn’t need to feel
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the stress and chaos of my 2016 experience. Valkyrie is about to go into our third year and my team members have become my family and best friends. The most satisfying part of working on BattleBots from an engineering perspective is seeing material science up close and in action. A lot of theory you learn at a university level is hard to witness day-today — so every time you have a material or component failure, you’re learning and growing as an engineer. Describe your biggest engineering challenge to date. My biggest challenges have been adjacent to engineering but not actual engineering problems that couldn’t be conquered. When starting my own home-appliance company, I had to balance both engineering and fundraising. It was the hardest two years of my life. I was stressed, broke, and underslept most days. We completed our invention (and it still lives at my cofounder’s house) but we couldn’t close our funding round — and had to find work elsewhere.This year has thrown a pandemic, a heatwave, and wildfires at me and it is still better than most of last year. What more can be done to increase participation of young women in engineering today? After a few internships and interactions with sexist professors and peers, I realized that the engineering world and its traditions were established without considering the fact that other people besides men might actually be
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Women in Engineering fit to do design work. In fact, a few of my favorite engineering lectures from the 1970s refer to engineers solely as He. I believe judgmental Alpha Female personalities that act as gatekeepers are one of the largest social and career challenges that women face in industry. In high school (and part of college) I was definitely that type myself. There are structures in engineering that are already against us, so as women we should support each other. The “women in _____ engineering” societies are set as more of a networking placeholder, like ASME or IEEE, and don’t actually provide an environment to get past a handshake and LinkedIn request. These societies encourage those already engaged in STEM but there aren’t many ways to support or expose more passively interested individuals which could make or break their decision to pursue a more technical career. So far I’ve only found my startup network and various robotics competitions to be the means of finding younger women/non-binary builders and engineers to take under my wing. Also: Trading eyeliner tips and then fabrication recommendations all in the same conversation is pretty rad. What unique perspective do you think women bring to engineering? When first approaching an engineering challenge, I say: “There’s always another angle.” Humans are an incredibly diverse bunch, and diversity uncovers new solutions — which in engineering is ultimately a good thing. Women and those who have nonbinary gender identities have very different life experiences than men. Most of the women in engineering I know have had at least one call with a vendor or supplier who’s asked to be connected to the boss or the lead engineer on the project. I could have a male receptionist make these calls for me a hundred times over, and DESIGN WORLD
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he’d never be asked the same thing. Sour stories aside, diversity and inclusion in engineering uncovers the limitations of existing designs — and the lack of diversity can end up being exclusionary. One of my favorite examples from the past decade is Microsoft’s Kinect release — with a camera system that struggled to detect people having dark skin tones. It’s an example of how (generally) white male engineers tend to look at the world as how they experience it and then design to that standard. It’s surprising that a whole team didn’t have one person raise the concern that their testing dataset was relatively limited. Dialogue and inclusion would have prevented that issue — and likely would have resulted in a better engineered product. How can those new to engineering develop confidence in the workplace? My advice to those new to the engineering workplace is to identify easy wins, allies, and areas you are passionate about. Easy wins are projects I’d recommend to any engineer in their first three to six months. Allies — men who won’t see you as a Female Engineer — will help you have confidence and support you in meetings and design reviews. Also: Be careful to never take things personally — and don’t be surprised when colleagues occasionally do. Politics especially over the past few years have shown the emotional range allowed for men versus women is very skewed. If you had unlimited time to apply your engineering background, what challenges would you tackle? I’ve become increasingly daydreamy about improving technologies for those with mental and physical disabilities but I don’t have that “a-ha” moment yet. Similarly, I think the life science and biology fields tend to struggle with communicating some of their archaic practices that need improvements to engineers to solve some of the reachable problems. I also expect climate engineering to grow increasingly important, but some of the problems we’ll need to solve still haven’t presented themselves.
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Dr. Seyedeh Elaheh Ghiasian Research assistant at Open Engineering Systems Lab
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Applying
practical engineering through additive manufacturing For this engineer, additive manufacturing offered a way to apply engineering concepts to practical problem solving. A career in medicine or engineering? For women interested in science, this seems to be a frequent choice. For Dr. Seyedeh Elaheh Ghiasian, the choice was a little complicated by the need to take special courses for one or the other before she finished high school. “I’m Persian, and back in my country, you decide about your major during high school,” she says. “At that time I wanted to be a physician instead of an engineer. But I’m good at the math and knew that math was applicable in an engineering field. I changed my path at that time and took several related courses to engineering while in high school. “When I started in university, I was first accepted in industrial engineering. After a year and half I found that it was not a field I liked because it was more of a combination of management and engineering, and not as focused on practical engineering as I wanted. I learned that I’m more interested in mechanical engineering, more problem solving.
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Layer by layer Now a research assistant at Open Engineering Systems Lab, Elaheh’s bachelor program taught her general mechanical engineering. In her masters studies, she was able to select an area of expertise and she wanted a field related to mathematics. In her studies for her PhD program at the University of Buffalo, N.Y., she chose to study the stability of structures. It was here that she first encountered additive manufacturing (AM). What intrigued her about AM was that it gave her a practical manufacturing method for her studies at the PhD level and also a tool she could work with in industrial application as
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I didn’t want to focus on things that were abstract, theoretical, or conceptual,” she says. “I wanted to do practical things. That’s why I got interested in additive manufacturing.
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opportunities arose during her studies. Her dissertation was on “An Automated System for Feasibility Analysis and Design Adaptation for Additive Manufacturing.” “I didn’t want to focus on things that were abstract, theoretical, or conceptual,” she says. “I wanted to do practical things. That’s why I got interested in additive manufacturing.” A recent project was developing software for an additive manufacturing application. This project began in 2017. An aerospace company came to her university to request the project and her advisor assigned it to her. “They wanted a specific software for additive manufacturing because they wanted to determine which parts in their inventory were suitable for this process. The software will tell them which part is a good candidate from multiple perspectives including technical and business,” notes Elaheh. The aerospace customer has more than two million parts in inventory. Those parts were previously made using conventional manufacturing. The aerospace company’s engineering and manufacturing teams understood that not all of the parts were good candidates for additive, but not knowing the strengths and weaknesses of additive well enough, they needed help in selecting suitable candidates. Of course, there were feature changes, additions, and deletions to the software. Elaheh did all of the coding. “I was disappointed sometimes because there was no one that could write code with me, but over time, I continued doing the research and finished the program. When she was in her Master’s program, she worked for a research institute. The institute took on a project for a plant involving fuel nozzles. “Their fueling nozzles broke over time and they requested we www.designworldonline.com
create a new nozzle. I joined the group, but I was the designer for creating a new type of bellows for the nozzle.” The challenges here were primarily an incompletely defined job description of the part and a tight deadline. Elaheh had to conduct much research to familiarize herself with industrial fuel nozzles. Collaboration was limited because of the tight budget. So, she often worked 80 hours a week. “In my country, it is easier to renegotiate contracts when you discover missing information or initial estimates of the work involved are wrong. Unfortunately, this was not the case here, so there was nothing to do but plow through.” Leading the way Elaheh has been in several leadership roles, especially those involving additive technology. “During my PhD studies, I was the first of my group to work with additive manufacturing. My professor hired a few other PhD and masters students but left it to me to lead them in using the additive equipment, which was a nice opportunity to develop leadership skills. One of the things I learned is that leadership requires a lot of patience. People have different skills, and learning what those skills are and then delegating appropriately requires time and patience. I would say delegating can be a challenge too, especially when you think you can do it faster and better than the people you work with, a trait I’m still working on.” The female perspective Even though Elaheh is originally from another country, she notices the challenges women in engineering regularly face. “Specifically in engineering fields, men generally think that they know much more than women. It’s gotten a little better nowadays, and maybe when you work in a factory DESIGN WORLD
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Women in Engineering
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or in an industrial place you see more of these things than if you work in an academic area. In academic areas, things are better, at least I think so because I work in an industrial space. Many of the men I’ve worked with think they are more practical than women. They tend to marginalize women. “I’ve found that in a given equal situation, if a male engineer needs to start from zero, a female engineer has to start from -10. Women must always prove themselves as having the same level of engineering abilities as men. This is very disappointing and sometimes exhausting. However, I won’t give up. It’s important for women to be recognized and work to change the rules that have been written by men in support of men.” Elaheh grew up with three sisters, which made the male engineering perspective unexpected. “My father always respected us,” she says. “He never treated us as though there was a difference between men and women. He always gave us great confidence saying, ‘My daughters can do everything any man can do.’ But when I went to university and interacted with some men working in the engineering area, I saw that they think that they are very good at engineering and women maybe not. But I didn’t let their attitude stop me.” Even so, …“There is a difference in the treatment of women engineers in the US versus my home,” she continues. “In general, I think the US treats women engineers better.” Elaheh points out that many industries have specific opportunities for women engineers because they discovered that having men and women in engineering teams was beneficial to many projects. “Both perspectives are needed on engineering projects. Women pay attention to the details and men have a good perspective about the future. I think that both of those perspectives should be combined for a project.” She also notes the programs many universities develop to encourage women into engineering fields. “Back home, I think that you need to fight more as a woman, because when I left my country, at that time, I’m not sure that they were focused on equality between men and women. In the U.S., I see much more opportunity to express myself as an engineer. There are still some issues and inequalities, but it’s pretty good here.” If she had to live her life over again, she would advise focusing on doing practical projects to help her understand engineering sooner and better. “Even taking a part and breaking it down and putting it back together will aid your understanding of engineering. Start developing a small aircraft or a small UAV. For Elaheh, the journey of employing engineering to practical problems never ends.
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Women in Engineering
Delivering
a forensic perspective to engineering Jennifer McConnell is a Product Manager with Protochips, a microscopy solutions provider that maximizes the electron microscope’s resolution capabilities to give scientists, engineers, and researchers the ability to perform dynamic quantitative nanoscale analysis. Here is what she shares with DW about how she evolved her chemistry background to other engineering fields and what it took to get there. What first drew you to engineering? When did you know you wanted to be an engineer? I actually stumbled upon the engineering world and didn’t realize how much I would love it. My background and experience is in chemistry, forensics specifically, and when it came time for a change, I was looking for an experience outside of the laboratory, but with a little bit of familiarity (ties to chemistry/science). As I began my new role as a product specialist and quickly grew into a product manager – a role I never knew existed – I found an amazing and fulfilling combination of the science I love and a new world of engineering, design, and product development where I could utilize skills I had but also learn and grow many new ones. The products we develop have a major impact on important research areas like green energy and drug delivery, and having a hand in that makes this role even more rewarding. I have held this role for about twoand-half years now, so I am still new to the industry but have already learned so much.
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Jennifer McConnell Product Manager, Protochips
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Women in Engineering
I think women just bring a different perspective in general, and the more opinions and perspectives there are to consider, the better a final decision will be.
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Were there any influential engineers who helped shape your decision to become an engineer? If so, who and why? Even though a career related to engineering wasn’t in my original plan, there were several key people in my life that were engineers and inspired me to go into a STEM field. Two of the biggest influencers were my grandfather, an electrical engineer, and my step-mother, a software engineer. They were challenged (in a good way), they were respected, and they were fulfilled in their careers, and I admired and wanted that. My step-mom, in particular was such a strong influence on me. She was outgoing, opinionated, confident, smart, her laugh was contagious, everyone loved her, and this was everything I wanted to be. I was quite the opposite when I was younger: shy, quiet, easily intimidated, cared way too much about what others thought about me. Seeing her success in a role as a software engineer, which, in my youth, really did seem like a “boy job” to me, stuck with me. If she could do something like that, then I could do anything, right? She inspired me to pursue the track I really wanted, which was to be a chemist at the time, despite my father joking around and saying, “you will never graduate with that degree, you will change it before you are done. That’s too hard.” For the record: I did finish that degree, went on to get a master’s degree, and worked for the most experienced group of methamphetamine researchers in the country at the DEA, tracking trends, training law enforcement, and aiding in the taking down of clandestine laboratories domestically and internationally Protochips team receives Microscopy Today’s 2019 Innovation Award for their Atmosphere Catalysis Solution www.designworldonline.com
Describe your involvement in a research or design project. How did you better your team? As a product manager, my role isn’t so much to engineer the product but to help the engineers understand what the customer wants to achieve with the product. Our engineers don’t always have the same opportunities as I do to get in front of customers and get an in-depth look at their everyday activities. Still, you could imagine that knowledge would be very useful when designing a new product. The most important thing I can do to help the team operate at their best is to communicate effectively: come up with creative ways to demonstrate the customer’s current challenges and their ultimate goals, provide an open line between the engineers and the customer for questions during the development process, and help the team communicate between ourselves and make sure everyone is up-to-date on the status and goals. Describe your biggest research or engineering challenge. How did you conquer or resolve it? One of the biggest challenges I have lies within one of my personality traits. I need to be vocal and opinionated in my role, but my people-pleaser tendencies and non-confrontational demeanor can stifle my voice at times. I am still working to overcome this, but have made huge improvements as my experience, confidence, and rapport with colleagues has strengthened over time. What I keep reminding myself is that just because my experience is different doesn’t mean my opinion is any less important. My background actually gives me a different perspective than others, and I may see something that others do not, so it is important that my opinion and voice is heard as well.
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In your opinion, what more can be done to promise greater participation of young women in engineering today? I think the promotion of engineering needs to start at a much younger age. Having more engineering (and generally STEM) focused games/toys/assignments/books throughout the classrooms for all ages will introduce it earlier and raise awareness in kids. In addition, the development of applied engineering classes for middle and high school students and making at least one a requirement will also open their eyes to many aspects of engineering that go beyond some of the stereotypical ideas of what engineers really do. When I was younger, “engineering” was building bridges and buildings, and that’s about it. I think there is a lot of mystery as to what engineers really do and what different areas of engineering exist when you are still in your teens, and that knowledge could help those who don’t want to just “build bridges and buildings” realize there may be a place for them in the engineering world. What unique perspective do you think women bring to engineering? I think women just bring a different perspective in general, and the more opinions and perspectives there are to consider, the better a final decision will be. It’s no secret women see and interpret situations and feedback differently than men, and the more diversity in thinking there is in a company, the more well-rounded the company.
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How can those new to engineering develop confidence in the workplace? What safeguards would you recommend to women aiming to minimize mistakes? Any comments on learning from mistakes? As someone without a formal engineering background entering a company full of electrical and mechanical engineers, I felt like a fish out of water and incredibly insecure. Gaining confidence takes some time. What helped me most was putting in the effort to build a rapport with each of the engineers individually. As I grew comfortable with each of them, and they grew comfortable with me, we learned each other’s strengths and knew we could count on each other for different things. Building that trust and rapport strengthened my overall confidence because I felt, even if I made a mistake, the team still knew I was competent, capable, and would do my best to prevent that mistake from happening again. What also made me feel better was taking notice when others made mistakes. This was not to judge or ridicule them, but to remind myself that we are all human, and no matter your experience level, background, age, gender, etc., we all make mistakes sometimes. Whether you are the rookie of the vice president of a department, everyone will make mistakes; it’s how you respond to those mistakes that matter most. If you had unlimited time to apply to your engineering background, what global challenges would you be interested in tackling? If I had unlimited time, I would like to go back to school, expand my degree into chemical engineering, and get my hands dirty in the green energy sector. Right now, I help with the development of tools to further this area of research, but I would love to get in there and be more directly involved.
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Steering towards the future of fluid power engineering When one thinks of fluid power research and university-level instruction, people often think of MSOE or Purdue here in the U.S. In Europe, a few key universities come to mind — RTWH Aachen University, Germany; Technical University Dresden; Aalto University, Finland; Tampere University, Finland; and Linköping University, Sweden. Being affiliated with one of these universities is testament to a researcher’s knowledge, and Tatiana Minav is one such woman. Over her career, she has been affiliated with three of those universities mentioned, including Purdue, Aalto and Tampere. Minav earned her engineering degree from St. Petersburg Electro-Technical University, then later did her Master’s and post-doctoral work at Lappeenranta University of Technology, Finland and has done several stints as a post-doctoral researcher working on powertrain solutions for electrical vehicles, direct driven hydraulics under Arctic conditions, thermal hydraulics, sensorless position control and more. Now, she is Assistant Professor at Tampere University, where is continuing her dream of working on a concept of more efficient and intelligent off-road mobile machinery. Minav said that if she could focus on just one aspect of engineering, it would be in the mobile machinery space, where she would love to improve the efficiency of off-road machinery and bring them
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Tatiana Minav
Assistant Professor at Tampere University
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Always ask questions! There are no stupid questions. If you don’t ask a question, nobody will offer you anything.
to zero emission level. She would also enjoy creating ultimate autonomous and intelligent machines that would self-plan and self-repair themselves, collaborate with each other and with humans. She found a path to fluid power after she began studying electrical engineering in her post-grad studies. “From high school I knew that I didn’t want to be a teacher or medical doctor. This logic brought me to engineering — specifically, electrical engineering. And only during my second Master’s degree I discovered fluid power for myself. After I started doing my PhD study I realized how it is cool to be an engineer. My professor told me: with an engineering degree, you have permission to break things, because you know how to fix them.” As a researcher and professor, Minav not only gets to shape technology but future students as well. She encourages young people to explore fluid power engineering at the high school and college levels because it is fun. As she said, “Always ask questions! There are no stupid
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questions. If you don’t ask a question, nobody will offer you anything.” In her role at Tampere, she enjoys educating and working with new students as well as leading industrial projects at the university. Not only does she have administrative responsibilities, such as organizing processes and helping to meet deadlines, she also gets hands-on with industrial research projects. “My work is to grow students who can do projects for the industry inside university and later in industry,” she said. “My involvement in industrial projects starts from discussing with companies. I listen and offer solutions based on their needs. Industrial projects can
be simple or they can encompass state-of-the-art research to advance prototype development. Based on the project type, my participation varies from helping to find correct technologies to going to the lab to help assemble test rigs, or creating simulation models.” As for women in fluid power, Minav hopes to see more young woman pursue a career in the field as they can offer so much to the technological future of the industry. “I believe diversity helps. My personal example would be in my own projects: with more diversity in groups comes more opinions and solutions, and thus, more creative ideas. From there innovation is coming. Women bring a fresh point of view, and they deliver very accurate results.”
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Women in Engineering
Unlocking the key for open source, collaborative engineering Calista Redmond is the CEO of the RISC-V Foundation, a global nonprofit association based in Switzerland. Founded in 2015 as the RISC-V Foundation with 29 members, RISC-V is now a truly global organization with over 200 member organizations in more than 30 countries, plus over 300 individual members worldwide. Redmond has over 20 years of senior-level management and alliance experience and significant open source community experience. In this interview with DW, Redmond walks through the path she took in computer engineering on the road to her leadership role in helping to direct the future development and the adoption of the RISC-V, a free and open ISA enabling a new era of processor innovation through open standard collaboration, What first drew you to engineering/electronics? / When did you first know you wanted to be involved in engineering/ electronics as a profession? I have focused my career on technology as a fundamental building block for improving society, disrupting industries, and connecting communities. The ability for collaboration across borders and disciplines has the capacity to drive lasting change for both how we function and our connections to one another. My role in technology has been at the strategic level more than the code level.
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Calista Redmond CEO, RISC-V Foundation
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Women in Engineering Were there any influential engineers (women or men) who helped shaped your decision to get involved? If so, who and why? The computer revolution across many sectors, including both business and consumer, has guided my passion and career. I have been most inspired by the open source collaboration models initiated in software by legends such as Linus Torvalds and companies like IBM. Their conviction and investment overcame industry skepticism and now dominates the foundation most software runs on today.
Open source leadership is about inspiring, engaging, and igniting the passion, energy, and resources of those individuals and organizations that play pivotal roles in the adoption of technology.
Give us an example of your involvement in: a design project, a product launch, the development of new technology, or the adoption of a new technology or process. How did you better your team, if applicable? Leadership in open source, especially in hardware, is not about directing resources. Open source leadership is about inspiring, engaging, and igniting the passion, energy, and resources of those individuals and organizations that play pivotal roles in the adoption of technology. I have enjoyed being part of the leadership team across several open hardware movements, including OpenDaylight, OpenPOWER, Open Mainframe Project, and RISC-V, that have had a pivotal impact on the wider technology landscape. In your opinion, what more can be done to promote greater participation of young women in engineering today? I think we need to inspire both young women and men to pursue technology as it has become pervasive in every career I can possibly think of. The challenge we face as a society is that there is an impression that technology starts with a code on a computer. We need to reverse this ideology
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and start with thinking about the impact that technology can have. What is the vision we’re aiming to achieve? By inspiring this type of visionary thinking, we can better guide people toward the many roles and careers that are needed to realize this. The careers involved in technology include all levels of education, skill, experience, context, and engagement. What kind of perspective do you think women can bring to engineering that might be different than men? The composition of any team is driven by the experiences and perspectives of its members. When we bring diversity to a team, we benefit from a tremendous increase in creativity and problem-solving. This diversity extends beyond usual gender, age, race, and orientation norms and into the fascinating areas of right brain / left brain strengths. When I seek to build a team, I look first at the strengths each individual brings to the project. Where the teams may fall short on diversity, I seek out rising stars that may step up to the project’s challenges. Can you give some thought to how those new to engineering can develop confidence in the workplace and avoid mistakes? What checks and balances would you use to make sure that you don’t make mistakes, in general? Always invite feedback and seek to surround yourself with those who inspire you as well as willingly provide you with objective input on your work. Be willing to take risks and make mistakes while looking for every opportunity to collaborate on your journey. When you collaborate, you become wiser, and you get the added benefit of cultivating relationships that will help you throughout your career.
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Creating software to increase inclusivity
Obianuju Okafor is a software engineer and researcher who designs and implements mobile and web applications in various languages with expertise in UX research, machine learning, and data analytics. Read more about her work in human-computer interactions and software engineering for accessibility at leah-u.github.io. Okafor also happens to be a computer science PhD Candidate at the University of North Texas. Here’s what she had to say in a recent exchange with Design World on her work in natural-language processing and the more general topic of women in engineering. What first drew you to engineering? I have always been science-inclined, and in school I excelled in mathematics, physics, and chemistry. I’m also a problem solver by nature — and I enjoy solving complex problems … especially mathematical problems. It was only natural that I eventually became a software engineer, which is all about using technology in the form of applied mathematics to solve problems. Were there any influences who helped shape your decision to become an engineer? Although not an engineer, my Dad played a huge part in my decision to become an engineer. He knew my skills and aptitude and he knew how remunerative a career in engineering could be … and in fact, that’s why he suggested engineering would be the right career path for me.
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Obianuju Okafor Software engineer and researcher
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EMPOWERING INNOVATORS
To anyone new to engineering, I would say: Nobody has it all figured out — regardless of how many years an individual may have been in engineering. The truth is that we’re all constantly learning. So don’t be too hard on yourself … and trust in your ability while giving yourself space to grow. I have to say — he was right! At the time, my brother was also in a computerscience program… and computer science is quite similar to the field of engineering I pursued — that of software engineering. So going into my field, I already knew some of what to expect.
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Describe your current area of research. My current research area is an intersection of software engineering, human-computer interaction, accessibility, and natural language processing. The project on which I’m now working entails creating an accessible programming environment for people who are visually impaired via a Block-based programming environment called Blockly. For the uninitiated, Blockly is an open-source Google-sponsored library (under the Apache License 2.0) for JavaScript that helps designers create visual drag-and-drop programming editors and languages. Before I joined the project, my team had incorporated accessibility into Blockly using keyboard shortcuts and screen readers. My contribution to this project is incorporating speech as an additional form of input in this environment. Describe your biggest engineering challenge to date. My biggest engineering challenge has been continually staying up to date on all the emerging technologies in my subspecialty of engineering. That’s because the algorithms, software tools, and languages we software engineers employ are constantly changing and evolving. So as a technologist, I have to constantly work on improving myself and staying current. That’s why I’m incessantly
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Women in Engineering
reading books and articles as well as taking new courses and acquiring new programming proficiencies. What can be done to increase participation of young women in engineering? I think a lot can be done and propose that our industry attack the issue of limited diversity in engineering at its roots. From an early age, girls should be encouraged to take interest in computing-related activities … and we shouldn’t give girls only dolls and cooking sets while we give boys only computers and video games. Such rigidity reinforces the stereotypes of yesteryear that engineering activities are only for boys and grooming and nurturing activities are only for girls. We should also promote, encourage, and create spaces for women engineers. A lot of times younger engineers especially feel overlooked or isolated — and I’m sure this feeling has led a few women to either give up on or lack motivation in engineering. What unique perspective do you bring to engineering? I think being an African American woman in engineering enables me to look at things from a different standpoint. My diverse background also motivates me to constantly seek inclusion in all the products I design and implement.
woman or man) makes mistakes. Here, it’s important to avoid beating yourself up too much over flawed actions already made. The most important thing is what you learn from a mistake. In the world of software engineering, we minimize mistakes by always going over our work and testing it multiple times — and having someone else go over it and test it as well. With unlimited time to apply engineering, what global challenges would you tackle? One challenge I’m interested in tackling is the problem of accessibility for those who have a disability of some type. This also happens to be the research problem on which I’m currently working. With unlimited time, I would work on creating an accessible and inclusive world for all — regardless of ability, gender, nationality, race, and religion.
Any comments on learning from mistakes? To anyone new to engineering, I would say: Nobody has it all figured out — regardless of how many years an individual may have been in engineering. The truth is that we’re all constantly learning. So don’t be too hard on yourself … and trust in your ability while giving yourself space to grow. Of course, mistakes are inevitable — and everyone (whether
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DESIGN WORLD
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Women in Engineering
Engineering tools
to help with domestic duties
Priya Rajendran is a software engineer and the CEO and cofounder of S’moresUp — an app to (among other things) establish routines and manage kids’ activities as well as handle family chores and allowances. The app uses behavioral and predictive analysis to help families run households together — and teach kids about financial management, self-discipline, healthy habits, and online safety. Here’s what Rajendran had to say about what inspired her. There are far more women with engineering degrees than there are women working in engineering. Have you seen COVID accelerate this trend? There is a childcare crisis right now because of this pandemic, given that many women will no longer be able to turn to child care to take care of their kids — either because daycares or schools are shut down or the inherent risk in hiring a nanny before a vaccine is found. This leaves women taking the brunt work of childcare … making it extremely challenging to also carry on with a full-time job in a high-stress high-hours field such as engineering. I feel that this won’t bode well for the number of women in tech given how many women engineers will be having to drop out of the workforce.
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Anyone shape your decision to become an engineer? Yes. My dad played a huge role in me deciding to become an engineer. He earned his bachelor’s in science in physics and went on to become the divisional engineer of telecommunications for our state district. He was the only one in his family to go to college. Coming from a rural village — with agriculture being the main source of income and all sons in the family — my father was a walking role model for us. My father influenced both me and my younger sister to study engineering. Describe your involvement in a product launch and what ensured success there. I led the team at PayPal that worked on bringing the first version of biometric authentication to market. The tool allows DESIGN WORLD
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Priya Rajendran
Software engineer and CEO - cofounder of S’moresUp
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Women in Engineering users to login and shop at any merchant that accepts PayPal on mobile devices (and in stores) with only their fingerprint: tinyurl.com/ppfingerprint. We formed a small team whose only focus was to bring this solution to the market. The focus, the empowered high performing team, and good partnership all led to a successful launch. From start to finish the project was done in six months. How did your previous engineering experiences influence your design of SmoresUp? You learn from every experience you have in your career — success or failure. I learnt a lot from all previous launches and that helped immensely in how we formed the team for S’moresUp and how we decided to take a customer-centric approach right from the start of the
product development. My cofounder Reeves and I are both engineers, with strong technical background and consumer product experience. Our challenge was to get out of the engineering and product mode and become the marketing and brand of our product. Getting the first 100 users wasn’t bad, as we could grow through our friends and family. But scaling from that 100 users to the 300,000 users we have today hasn’t been easy. We wanted to grow organically and that has been our biggest challenge. How did the Bosch partnership come about? Tech industry in general hasn’t focused much on family management as much as they do on workplace management. You can find a lot of tools for project management, task management, time management for work but not much for families. Tech savvy parents try to use these tools meant for work in their families but fail as they can’t support the needs of young children. We wanted to develop a
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Women in Engineering platform that focuses on families with kids ages two to 16. The Bosch team approached us after having done some research on the platforms that help families with daily household management. They found us through various articles and found our platform to be an excellent means to help families on their smart devices. What more can be done to increase participation of young women in engineering? Thoughtful inclusion right from the beginning (school days) helps young women to develop interest in engineering early on. We have to teach our boys to be inclusive of girls when they choose partners for projects even starting at school. I have a 14 year old daughter who joined a robotics group last year and struggled being the only girl in
that group. The coaches and leads for the robotics group (adults) had to be very cognizant to that and encourage the students to work together and be inclusive. We have to start young. That is the only way we can increase participation of young women in engineering.
recommend working yourself out of your current job and look for the next challenge. Don’t let the imposter syndrome hold you back because it never really goes away. Also: Get comfortable to step out of your comfort zone. Accept challenges and take risks.
What unique perspective do women bring to engineering? Women offer the engineering community critical thinking skills and the highest level of critical thinking — that of empathy.
What safeguards would you recommend to women aiming to minimize mistakes? Feel comfortable in negotiating and asking for more … and never settle when you know you are worth more. Make mistakes — it’s the best way to learn — but don’t make the same mistake over and over again.
How can those new to engineering develop confidence in the workplace? Focusing on their strengths (instead of trying to get marginal improvement on their weaknesses) would be the first place to start to develop confidence. I also
What global challenges are you interested in tackling? My causes are early child education and making quality education accessible to all.
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Gabi Miholics Application Development Specialist
3M Abrasive Systems Division Gabi Miholics started her career in the veterinary world, working as an assistant in animal hospitals. It wasn’t until she enrolled in an Environmental Technology course that she began to realize a new passion that ultimately led her to 3M Canada where she started her work in the research and development laboratory in London, Ontario. While working at 3M, she completed her Bachelor of Science, Chemical Engineering at Western University in London, Ontario. As a technologist at 3M she worked in the R&D lab, supporting a number of product lines in product development. Currently, she works in Application Engineering for the Abrasive Systems Division where she leverages her expertise and skills to engineer abrasive processing solutions for customers, many using advanced automation such as robotics.
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Talk about the culture at your company. What makes it inclusive or supportive of women in engineering and automation? At 3M, I’ve never felt that being a woman was a disadvantage; we have a culture of supporting women with no evidence of gender bias for as long as I have worked here. There were always women at higher supervisory positions here in London. There were always women at supervisory positions here in 3M Canada and women in the laboratories held master’s degrees, Ph.D’s and engineering degrees leading R&D projects or product development or managing manufacturing process thirty years ago. (I recently celebrated my 39th year working at 3M Canada). Being surrounded by accomplished women leveled the playing field in the workplace and allowed women to move into higher level positions. Describe a recent company project (in which you were involved) that went particularly well. How did you and your team go about ensuring success? Recently, I’ve delved into automation and robotics working with integrators and customers to automate manual process manufacturing parts for aerospace, helicopters, and medical devices using 3M abrasives. This requires understanding operating parameters needed to product repeatable parts and understanding how automation differs the manual process. Discussions with customers go beyond 3M abrasives; we talk about the robot, the periphery equipment, how to move parts to and from the robot, the initial investment and how to measure ROI. One recent project involved working with an integrator in Canada whose customer was in Europe. Success in this project required more than tacit engineering skills. It required communicating with our global 3M network to ensure that when the robotic cell landed in Europe all the products and support were in place for a successful start-up. Describe your biggest career challenge. How did you solve it — or what was the outcome or lesson learned? When I first started visiting customer manufacturing sites in Canada, I did have to overcome gender bias in the industry and gain credibility. On visits, customer questions would often be addressed to my male colleague who could not answer the technical questions and would turn to me for the answer. I was well-versed in topics around abrasive use, and became determined to speak the language customers used in discussing their applications. With a common language, I gained credibility and gender was not an issue. Today, through the relationships I’ve established with machine builders and customers, I am often the first point of contact to those looking to reimagine their existing process and invest in new equipment. For the rest of Gabi Miholics’s insights, visit www.designworldonline.com/WiE.
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Stephanie Kay Larsen Senior Verification Engineer
Advantech Ottawa, Illinois Engineering degree: Bachelor of Science Degree Computer Information Systems from DeVry Institute of Technology (although now it is called (DeVry University) Stephanie Larsen has worked at the Advantech Ottawa, Illinois location for more than eight years, most recently as a Senior Verification Engineer. Her responsibilities include designing and implementing test procedures to determine if a product works as intended. She has worked on all varieties of Advantech products ranging from WiFi, serial, telematics, wireless, and more. She went to Illinois Valley Community College and received two degrees: Associate in Arts and Associate in Science. Upon graduating with a Computer Information Systems Bachelor degree from DeVry Institute of Technology, she was hired at Tellabs and continued her career there for 13 years in the telecommunications field.
Women in Engineering
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Talk about the culture at your company. What makes it inclusive or supportive of women in engineering and automation? The Advantech culture is fast paced, with multiple projects going on at the same time, yet it is also family oriented. They advocate for inclusion, diversity, and innovation. Luckily in both of my jobs, I have always been taken under the wings of my coworkers. Nearly all of them were men. They have all treated me well and I have never felt different just because I was a woman. What first drew you to engineering and this industry? Honestly, how much they make and the difference they make in world. Neither of my parents went to college and I saw them struggle and knew I didn’t want that. I have always liked to solve problems and was pretty good with math and science. At the beginning of my career, I wrote code and fixed field defects, then was given the opportunity to do automation and manual testing. I liked the chance to expand my knowledge and to pick the requirements apart and ensure things were implemented correctly. It’s fun to look at the product from an end user point of view to ensure the product does what it is supposed to do in an easy manner. Describe your biggest career challenge. How did you solve it — or what was the outcome or lesson learned? My biggest career challenge is to remind myself to have patience. Our process is quite iterative so some times seem like a rollercoaster; some are good when we make great progress and others are bad because you feel like several steps have been taken backward. But all in all, it all works. This job reminds me to have patience and to take a breath knowing we are all in this together and ultimately have the same goal. Secondly I struggled with is balancing work and life. I have learned to manage my time and the stress of kids’ busy lives. I try to delegate, prioritize both at home and here at work and somehow get more done in less time. Things always work out well when clear expectations are communicated.
For the rest of Stephanie Kay Larsen’s insights, visit www.designworldonline.com/WiE.
DESIGN WORLD
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Cheryl Potter Value Stream Manager for Warner Electric
part of Altra Industrial Motion
About the Author
Cheryl has been a Value Stream Manager for Warner Electric, part of Altra Industrial Motion since 2015. While serving in this role, she had P&L responsibility for Warner’s linear actuator business along with moving it from Illinois to one of Altra’s largest electromagnetic clutch & brake manufacturing plants in New Hartford, CT in 2016. Cheryl is currently managing Warner’s clutch-brake production operation at that facility. Cheryl holds a Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering (BSEE) degree from Marquette University and an M.B.A. from Bowling Green State University.
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Talk about the culture at your company. What makes it inclusive or supportive of women in engineering and automation? The culture at Altra Industrial Motion is one of opportunities based on ability and work ethic. As a woman, I have always felt my opinions and contributions are valued and that opportunities consistently arise and are being offered to me. I have had the opportunity to perform many different jobs at Altra. Each one has helped me develop as a person and as an effective manager. Altra has given me the opportunity to train in many areas, including Lean Manufacturing, Lean Product Development, Problem Solving, and Strategic Planning. Describe a recent company project (in which you were involved) that went particularly well. How did you and your team go about ensuring success? I helped design and implement a moving, single-piece flow production line to improve daily productivity and meet customer demand. This multi-faceted project required different team members to build, test, and implement the line that allowed faster and easier product assembly while making it easier to see and fix any problems. Multiple products were built on this line and it also involved the need to design and develop a special test machine. After successful implementation, the new line improved productivity by 25%. What first drew you to engineering and this industry? My interest in math and electronics, along with a desire to be challenged and financially independent drew me to pursue a career in engineering. My career path in electrical engineering thus far has fulfilled all these interests, desires and more. The problem-solving skills I have learned and developed throughout my career have been useful in my personal life as well. Helping customers develop new products and being able to visit many customer facilities to see solutions I designed get installed and operating in actual applications have been some of the most rewarding experiences throughout my career. Describe your biggest career challenge. What was the outcome or lesson learned? My biggest career challenge was switching roles from an Engineering Supervisor to a Production Manager while moving a manufacturing operation to another state. The move required planning and coordinating the transport and installation of all the manufacturing equipment, re-locating with the business and establishing and training a new workforce. People skills were needed to keep the business operating efficiently. I’m very proud that we were able to grow the business significantly within two years of moving it. For the rest of Cheryl Potters’ insights, visit www.designworldonline.com/WiE.
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Inka Johnson Robotics Application Engineer
ATI Industrial Automation Inka Johnson works in the industrial robotics field. She received her bachelor’s degree from Duke University in Biomedical Engineering. She worked with a non-profit, Engineering World Health, where she had the opportunity to repair medical equipment in developing countries. She’s been in the industrial automation industry since 2017 and at ATI Industrial Automation since 2018. As a Robotic Applications Engineer at ATI, she defines new ways to use ATI’s products with various robots, and helps customers integrate the products into their applications.
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Talk about the culture at your company. What makes it inclusive or supportive of women in engineering and automation? What I like about ATI is that nobody treats me any differently. I’m an Applications Engineer, not a Female Applications Engineer. It doesn’t matter to anyone, and it shouldn’t. I also appreciate that ATI has several women and people of color in leadership positions across the company. A person’s merit and contribution to the team are what matters here. What is your favorite part about working in this role and at ATI? My favorite part of my job is helping someone else and seeing the understanding and interest on their face. Sometimes a lot of troubleshooting is required to get something to work. But once I’ve put in that effort, I can document and share it with others, making their job easier. At ATI I am also surrounded by other talented people who share their knowledge with me. I work a lot with our software and electronics development teams. I learn so much from them and appreciate their willingness to “teach a (wo)man to fish.” This allows me, in turn, to condense this into something that can provide added value to our internal teams and customers. What first drew you to engineering and this industry? Engineering was an obvious choice for me. I really enjoy diving deep into the technical details and analyzing every aspect of any project. Even if you don’t need to do that every day, an engineering background strengthens those skills for when you need them. Automation is an interesting field because you get to link your virtual work (programming and logic) to a tangible outcome (robots and other components moving). Describe your biggest career challenge. How did you solve it — or what was the outcome or lesson learned? Probably just the first step -- deciding which career or field to pursue! As an engineer, you have many opportunities. I found myself in the field of industrial automation after seizing a paid training opportunity abroad. Now I’m ATI’s expert on the integration of robotic force torque control. The best thing I ever did in my career was focus on company culture and opportunities for continuous learning. I’ve learned that that matters to me a lot more than the industry or exactly what the job description is.
For the rest of Inka Johnson’s insights, visit www.designworldonline.com/WiE.
DESIGN WORLD
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Denise Butler Mechanical Engineer
Bishop Wisecarver Denise Butler is a Mechanical Engineer at Bishop-Wisecarver in the R&D department. Her focus includes developing tests and interpreting data related to product development, as well as participating in presentations and researching new ideas. Prior to this, she was an intern at Festo where she was responsible for programming, testing and installing working systems for customers and mechanical troubleshooting for functionality. Denise earned her degree from San Jose State University where she served in leadership with the Alpha Omega Epsilon female engineering sorority and provided hands-on projects and skills to the next generation of women in technology. Denise also served as a FIRST Robotics team mentor where she guided high school students in programming, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering. Her other degrees include A.S. Engineering and A.S. Science, from Thomas Nelson Community College.
Talk about the culture at your company. What makes it inclusive or supportive of women in engineering and automation? Bishop-Wisecarver definitely has a family focused culture. In the few months that I’ve been here, so many people have reached out to see how I was settling in and if I needed anything. This happened my first week and then continued into the following weeks where, even with everything happening via Zoom because of COVID-19, colleagues contacted me directly to make sure I felt part of the team and to offer support. As a female engineer, I have always found it important that I got an interview because I’m good at what I do and not just because I am a female. When I interviewed with Bishop-Wisecarver, I felt heard and not just another check box for the day. It was a cool experience to have my ideas and goals considered and discussed beyond the standard interview process. I’m given the same responsibility and the same opportunities and we all work together as a team. Describe a recent company project (in which you were involved) that went particularly well. How did you and your team go about ensuring success? I’m part of a concept development team that generates ideas for future products. The process is one that gives a real sense of teamwork and support as there are several team members from different levels within the company and we get together often to brainstorm ideas. We are encouraged to give our crazy ideas and outlandish sketches and it is a super creative process that is fun, while also productive. What first drew you to engineering and this industry? I’m the youngest of four siblings in my family and the only girl. My dad and brothers all work for the same company as elevator mechanics and a part of me wanted to find a way to match my brothers. Mechanical engineering was the way I could join their conversations and not only understand what they were talking about, but throw in the physics and theory behind it as well. Manufacturing is the perfect industry for me as I studied mechatronics for my capstone project in college and making things move provided intense gratification. I knew I wanted to use my engineering skills in a hands on way and manufacturing lets me do that.
For the rest of Denise Butler’s insights, visit www.designworldonline.com/WiE.
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Beth Langer Engineering Manager
Thermal Managment Business Unit CPC Beth leads liquid cooling design solutions at CPC, a manufacturer of quick disconnect couplings for use in a variety of industries ranging from HPC and data centers to EV charging/ EV batteries and laser technology, among others. In addition to creating solutions for CPC customers, Beth is an active committee member for the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and the Open Compute Project (OCP). She holds a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minn.
Women in Engineering
Talk about the culture at your company. What makes it inclusive or supportive of women in engineering and automation? Having a clear mission and set of core values sets a foundation for CPC’s culture. With a strong emphasis on collaboration, dedication and respect, support and inclusivity come very naturally. These behaviors are modeled from the top down, and I’m personally inspired and empowered by seeing women at CPC in so many leadership roles. Describe a recent company project (in which you were involved) that went particularly well. How did you and your team go about ensuring success? We’re still in the midst of it, but we recently passed a major decision point in the development of a unique solution for a key customer. With the pandemic, having most of the team working remotely has been a challenge. In the end, though, our team has rallied closely together. Part of our team is overseas, but we’re now more proficient than ever in working remotely. It’s easy and effective to just hop on calls, share screens and keep the conversation going. What first drew you to engineering and this industry? When first considering a college degree, I honestly had no idea what engineering was. I always liked math and science, spreadsheets, tinkering, etc., but after I realized engineering meant leveraging those skills and curiosities to solve complex problems in creative ways, I fell in love. My friends know I’m happy to talk about engineering to anyone who will listen, but I especially like sharing my experience and perspective with women through our intern program, as well as when CPC sponsors volunteer STEM events for girls. Describe your biggest career challenge. How did you solve it — or what was the outcome or lesson learned? Most recently, I struggled with deciding where to go next in my career. I really enjoy digging into project and product development details, but wondered if I could add even more value in a management role. I’ve now been granted an opportunity to lead our thermal design engineers. They’re an excellent team that will help me continue to grow. I’m very excited about what the future holds.
For the rest of Beth Langer’s insights, visit www.designworldonline.com/WiE.
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Kristen N. Parrish, PhD Silicon Carbide Systems Engineer
Wolfspeed Business Unit Cree | Wolfspeed Degrees: PhD Electrical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, 2013 MS Electrical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, 2010 BS Electrical Engineering, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, 2008
Kristen Parrish is a Silicon Carbide Systems Engineer for Cree | Wolfspeed based in Durham, NC. She received a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, and master’s and doctorate degrees in Electrical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin. She was previously a Systems Engineer at Texas Instruments in Dallas, TX. Kristen has co-authored more than 15 publications and 4 patents, and has spoken at several conferences, including South by Southwest (SXSW).
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Talk about the culture at your company. What makes it inclusive or supportive of women in engineering and automation? At Cree | Wolfspeed, meetings and projects are typically democratic. If you have good technical ideas, people speak up – titles and seniority don’t overpower sound engineering work. Even in the pandemic, with virtual meetings, I’ve seen a lot of good discussions happen and ideas contributed by new and junior employees. Secondly, because of that democratic culture, I’ve been given assignments and projects just as meaty as anyone else, and I’ve seen that with new hires as well. We are able to get the support we need to succeed in these assignments, from both technical experts and management. Third, I’ve seen more and more women hired in technical and senior leadership positions since I’ve arrived. Between promotion and hiring of women, making sure we are heard and respected for our contributions in the workplace, and giving us opportunities to show what we can do, I think those are some great ingredients for encouraging and supporting women in the workplace. What first drew you to engineering and this industry? Both my parents were chemical engineers, so I grew up knowing it was a viable career option – which is why I’ve always dedicated time to outreach and talking to students, especially women, about what engineering is really like. I think it’s changing as time goes on, with tech companies being in the pop culture spotlight more and more, but when I was growing up it felt like most people didn’t know what engineering was unless they knew someone who was an engineer. There’s no engineer equivalent of Grey’s Anatomy or Law and Order! Luckily, I’ve always loved puzzles and problem solving, and I found that I picked up mathematics quickly, so engineering was a natural choice. I’ve never had just one technology I was all in on – I’ve always wanted to work on things that are cutting edge and will have a positive impact on the world. When I finished my undergraduate degree, smart phones were just landing, so I thought I’d work in RF circuits for mobile. However, I found myself working on a couple of automotive technologies instead – intravehicular communications, LIDAR and radar for self-driving cars, and now electric vehicles! I’ve worked in a few different fields, but Power Electronics is something that’s easy for me to get excited about. Contributing to using fewer natural resources and helping to make renewable energy applications more prevalent is an impact that I’m passionate about, and I can’t wait for the electric vehicle revolution!
For the rest of Kristen N. Parrish’s insights, visit www.designworldonline.com/WiE.
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Kim Heinle Nelson Senior Quality Engineer Manager
Digi-Key Electronics Degree:
BS Industrial Engineering and Management, 1991 North Dakota State University
Women in Engineering
How does the culture of Digi-Key include/support women, and why do you enjoy working here? When I started working at Digi-Key Electronics being female was to my advantage because most of the warehouse team members were women at that time. I enjoy working alongside people who are interested in one another both on a personal and professional level. It’s that feeling of community and openness to interact with anyone in the facility that makes Digi-Key a great place to work. What first drew you to engineering? My high school Physics teacher first suggested that I consider Engineering as a possible career choice. I must admit, I was not that interested in spending time alone designing mechanical or electrical gadgets but then I discovered Industrial Engineering and Management! Industrial Engineering is the “people side of engineering” and deals primarily with time, space utilization, and efficiency. It is about improving processes and using project management skills to implement improvements. Industrial Engineers work in many different areas like distribution, manufacturing, healthcare, logistics, financial, energy, and service industries. What was your biggest engineering challenge and how did you resolve it or what was the outcome? Implementing same day shipping of electronic components from a distribution center in northwest Minnesota in the early 1990’s was our greatest engineering challenge. We identified incremental steps to minimize disruption to customers, installed state-of-the art material transport systems, worked with our logistics partners, and streamlined processes from order entry through shipping. From a personal standpoint, one of my biggest challenges was to value progress over perfection. Implementing improvements in a more agile way allows benefit earlier in the process even if things are not perfect right away. Fail early and fail fast to get to the best solution while providing incremental results. What career advice would you give your younger self? I would encourage my younger self to be curious about how things work and consider what might make things better. Strive to improve on something new every day. For the rest of Kim Heinle Nelson’s insights, visit www.designworldonline.com/WiE.
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Mireya Spears Product Marketing Specialist at
Emerson
Mireya Spears is a product marketing specialist at Emerson. Spears has an MBA and a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from the National University of Piura in Peru.
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What about your company’s culture makes it supportive of women? I’ve always felt that at Emerson we breathe a culture of diversity that promotes equality while advancing personal development. As a woman in a male-dominated field, I’ve never felt like I was left behind due to my gender. I’m assigned important projects, and my male colleagues value the opinions and skills I bring to the team. Since the acquisition of my company by Emerson last year, Emerson has on more than one occasion sought to meet with the women of the office for feedback on how we are supported in our workplace. I was also pleased to discover that Emerson has many programs in place for a female worker such as myself to gain more skills and knowledge to grow in the company. I’m quite passionate about my role as an engineer at Emerson for a variety of reasons: • I get to employ and develop my creativity; my ideas and contributions are valued. • My role offers me the space to work and further develop my skills. • I’m constantly learning something new; I also learn from different cultures. Anyone shape your decision to become an engineer? Without a doubt, the two most influential people who shaped my decision to study engineering were my mother and grandfather. Both were professionals managing their own companies — and inspired me to learn about the details of a well-managed business. My grandfather was a mechanic by trade, operating his own industrial fishing-boat repair and service workshop. He was the key figure in bringing electrical energy to the city of Paita in Peru, the site of his shop. Later, he established an automobile service and gas station, which became a permanent icon in the region. My mother’s example (and faith in me) drove me to never give up on my goals. Life is not easy, but she taught me that there are always solutions ... even if you can’t immediately see them. I have this same mindset toward my career — treating every setback as an opportunity to leap forward. Talk about your leadership skills. I’ve learned that people have different motivations for doing things. Leaders who identify what motivates team members can change their approach to help everyone give their best. I also believe: If you want to be a leader you must first serve others. Advice you’d give your younger self? I would advise my younger self that she doesn’t need to please everybody. I would also tell her that her opinion matters ... so she should be decisive, speak up, and trust in her training. For the rest of Mireya Spears’ insights, visit www.designworldonline.com/WiE.
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Aemah Badri Manufacturing Engineer
Fischer Connectors Aemah Badri was born and raised in a village in northern Iraq called Alqosh. She moved to the United States in September 2010 where she enrolled at Georgia Tech and earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering. During her studies, she was involved in research and had several internships that broadened her skills. She tutored fellow students in math, science and engineering, which challenged her to find different teaching techniques to explain different subjects. She speaks four languages--English, Arabic, Assyrian and Turkish--which gives her an advantage when communicating and collaborating with people from different backgrounds.
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Talk about the culture at your company. What makes it inclusive or supportive of women in engineering and automation? Respect, excellence, collaboration, longevity, entrepreneurial spirit, and innovation are six values that our company lives by. Respect is my personal number one since it encourages everyone to respect others opinions and diverse backgrounds. Our management is leading the conversation about our company’s efforts around gender diversity. Transparency is important for showing that words are backed up by actions. I can speak on inclusiveness as I experience it every day with my colleagues. Different perspectives are much appreciated, and moreover they are heard and implemented if they serve the purpose. We all see things differently, and it is a huge advantage when it comes to finding the best solution while approaching the problem from different angles. Being a female engineer, I would like to encourage other women to enter this industry with no fear and join the company that appreciates you as a professional with your unique experience and opinion as well as matches your personal values. What first drew you to engineering and this industry? Since I was a kid, I always liked being a problem solver. I used to take a defect item, break it down and investigate into the source of the problem to make it work. Yes, I went through a lot of failures trying to figure out the solution, but I was always up for a challenge and never gave up. I enjoy challenging problems that require a creative approach.For example, the place where I came from, toys were very expensive and my family could not afford them, so most of the time, my siblings and I used to create our own toys. The situation challenged us to think outside the box. Those fun activities always encouraged me to think about being an engineer. What career advice would you give to your younger self? When I decided to go to an engineering school, I was criticized that I wouldn’t be a good fit because I am female, and I wouldn’t be able to take good care of my family. Studying mechanical engineering at GA Tech was not an easy decision and wasn’t a smooth journey. Despite all the criticism, I decided to pursue my passion of becoming a professional problem solver. I accepted the challenge and have never questioned my decision. I graduated at the top of the class with highest honors. All the efforts paid off, and all the personal sacrifices were worth it. For the rest of Aemah Badri’s insights, visit www.designworldonline.com/WiE.
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Angelica Perzan Sales Engineer
maxon Angelica Perzan earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Roger Williams University and is currently enrolled at the University of Connecticut pursuing a Masters of Mechanical Engineering. Her professional career began in November 2014 at maxon as an Inside Sales Engineer within the Small Quantities Department focusing on new business development. In September 2017, she was promoted to an Outside Sales Engineer currently serving as the primary technical contact over a four-state territory.
Talk about the culture at your company. What makes it inclusive or supportive of women in engineering and automation? I am fortunate that my employer is focused on the individual rather than his or her gender. maxon gives me and my male colleagues the same opportunities to be successful and reach new heights in our careers. When approaching my manager and maxon US’s CEO for their support and recommendation to pursue my Master’s in Engineering, their encouragement was unmatched. What sets maxon apart from others is mentorship. I directly attribute my progress to my colleagues’ commitment to ensure I was in an environment to succeed. What first drew you to engineering and this industry? My parents are my role models and the largest factors leading to my interest in engineering. Immigrating to the US from Poland in the 80s, they saw a land of opportunity. My mother, a licensed nurse in Poland, worked as a line operator at a factory until she went back to school to receive her license to practice in the US. Likewise, my father founded his own company within the first year residing in the US, without knowing the language. I was raised in a home where your passion is what drove your career, not your gender. I always enjoyed math, so my parents suggested I follow my father’s footsteps and pursue engineering. After my first engineering course in high school, I was hooked. What career advice would you give to your younger self? The best advice I would give to my younger self is to be confident and not worry about “embarrassing” yourself. Take the risk, ask the questions that pop into your mind, and do not let other people’s judgements hinder your growth. For the rest of Angelica Perzan’s insights, visit www.designworldonline.com/WiE.
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Barbara Cima Quality Engineer
Mitsubishi Electric
Barbara Cima has worked in industrial automation for more than 15 years as both a production engineer and a supplier quality engineer. Her current focus is on quality assurance through supplier development and process and system design. She received a BS in General Engineering from the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign, where she studied mechanical and electrical systems design, and environmental quality. She was also inducted into the Gamma Epsilon engineering honor society, and is an active member and former local chapter president of Junior Chamber International, a civic leadership organization.
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Talk about the culture at your company. What makes it inclusive or supportive of women in engineering and automation? In my experience at Mitsubishi Electric, I can’t recall ever feeling that my input, or the input of my female coworkers, was discounted because of gender. I often see company managers and leaders ensure that women are included in key discussions by asking for our input, deferring to our experience or expertise, and crediting our ideas. In some workplaces, a woman explaining a work process or technical subject is still seen as being “pushy” or “know-it-all,” but at Mitsubishi Electric, I am typically thanked for taking the time to help others. In interactions with suppliers and customers, my male coworkers are quick to correct any questions or requests incorrectly directed to them instead of me. Describe a recent company project (in which you were involved) that went particularly well. How did you and your team go about ensuring success? We’re nearly done implementing a company-wide visual management program. We have a small core project team and a large number of participants responsible for developing and maintaining content specific to their department. Working with a large group of people across departments to do something new, on a short deadline, with most staff newly transitioned to working remotely can be challenging. I employ a lot of the coaching skills I learned as a volunteer leader to help guide the participants to develop content that resonates with them and ensure the project has staying power. We are also employing frequent brief check-ins to drive progress. We’re continuously updating our training materials and approach to share examples and lessons learned. Finally, we divided the project tasks so that the core team is responsible for the administrative tasks and the other participants can focus on creating the content unique to their work areas. What first drew you to engineering and this industry? Like many engineers, I’ve always enjoyed building and fixing things, as well as taking them apart to see how they worked. Although I have several family members who are also engineers or work in other technical fields, I didn’t consider engineering as a career until I was in high school. I became a fan of author Carl Sagan, who inspired deeper interest in science and technology. Industrial automation wasn’t really on my radar until I completed a college internship at the manufacturing facility of a large producer of motion control equipment, and I was subsequently hired full time after graduation. For the rest of Barbara Cima’s insights, visit www.designworldonline.com/WiE.
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Kristina Valko Applications Engineer
PennEngineering® Danboro, PA - USA
From a young age, Kristina Valko had an engineering mindset. It was no surprise that she embraced art and STEM classes throughout her early school days and graduated college with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Kristina began her career at PennEngineering as a New Product Development Engineer where she gained exposure to a number of diverse markets, from automotive electronics to industrial/ commercial products. She enjoys the handson work of prototyping and testing, as well as engaging directly with customers, which led to her current position as Applications Engineer. Today, she develops fastening products for customers looking for new and innovative solutions to application-specific challenges. Kristina is a graduate of the University of Delaware and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Talk about the culture at your company. What makes it inclusive or supportive of women in engineering and automation? I’m really proud to work for an organization that embraces a culture of diversity and has made strides in recent years to recruit more female representation across the company, including into our engineering teams. When I was hired in 2018, I was one of only two female engineers in my department. Today, we have four women engineers and more diversity in job applicants than ever before. Regardless of gender, everyone I work with is very inclusive and values my opinion. They support me and embrace my creativity while also being open to sharing their industry knowledge and letting me learn from them. I always feel included and know I’m not stuck in a box here. Describe a recent company project in which you were involved that went particularly well. How did you and your team go about ensuring success? I’m fortunate to have worked on many great company projects, but there was one that took place during the recent quarantine that was particularly successful. A customer was looking for a new fastener solution that required several rounds of sample design and development from our engineering team until we produced a part that met all the project specifications. I managed all testing and reporting for the project, which resulted in multiple part orders for over one million parts. Close collaboration between our engineering team and our customer made it possible. What first drew you to engineering and this industry? I grew up as a creative person and my interest in engineering started at a young age. I enjoyed art and tech classes at school and was fortunate to have exposure to STEM classes like woodworking, engineering, and architecture. I was always one of the few females in my classes, even in college. But to me, that was a good thing. It lit a competitive spark that drove me to take on any challenge and overcome it with confidence.
For the rest of Kristina Valko’s insights, visit www.designworldonline.com/WiE.
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Kathleen Mitford Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer
PTC Kathleen Mitford is an EVP and Chief Strategy Officer at PTC. She oversees key organizations including Strategy; Mergers and Acquisitions; Strategic Alliances; Corporate Marketing; and PTC’s Academic program. Prior to her appointment, Kathleen led both the Product and Research & Development (R&D) organizations as EVP of Products. During her tenure, PTC received numerous industry analyst accolades in the IoT, AR, PLM, and CAD markets. Under her leadership, PTC defined and executed a strategy for IoT, which led to a very successful entry into the multi-billion-dollar market. Her Bachelor of Science degree is from Thomas Jefferson University.
Talk about the culture at your company. What makes it inclusive or supportive of women in engineering and automation? Our people power us at PTC; people who are putting their brains and passion to work to ignite new, diverse ways of thinking and new solutions. It’s the brilliance of our people that makes PTC agile – enabling us to deliver an incredible customer experience, and positive work environment. Like many companies, our purpose statement is at the heart of every decision we make. Our purpose is the ‘Power to Create’ for both our customers and our employees. We provide solutions to companies so they can create and design products, all while encouraging our own employees to have the power to not only create, but to innovate and ideate. As a company, we use our ‘Power to Create’ an inclusive and diverse work culture by following two important values: PTC for All; and Brains, Passion, and Fun. In support of women in engineering and automation, we develop and launch a variety of internal programs to help advance their careers. We take pride in our Women of PTC employee resource group, our Women Mentorship Program, internal socials, and external events that really advocate for women in the workplace. What first drew you to engineering and this industry? I have an interesting background as I went to college for fashion design and started my career as a menswear designer. Even in college, I was interested in technology applications for designing and manufacturing clothing. At the menswear company, I was asked to lead their implementation of a PDM (Product Data Management) system as I recently graduated from college and was up to speed on the latest fashion technology. I spent so much time on the phone with the software company telling them what their product should do, they offered me a job. This was over 20 years ago and since then, I have had the pleasure of leading multiple product management, research and development, marketing, strategy, acquisition and partner teams at different technology companies. What I love about technology is the speed of innovation. You are required to stay current on the latest technology trends and practices are you risk becoming irrelevant. Being a curious learner this matches my drive to always learn something new.
For the rest of Kathleen Mitford’s insights, visit www.designworldonline.com/WiE.
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Megha Agrawal Technical Project Manager
Red Lion Controls
Megha Agrawal has a Master’s degree in Computer Controls & Automation from Singapore and a Bachelor’s degree in Electronics Instrumentation & Controls Engineering from India. Megha is also pursuing a certificate in Strategic Management from Harvard University. She is a mother of two girls (5 yrs & 2 yrs old) and lives in Boston.
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Talk about the culture at your company. What makes it inclusive or supportive of women in engineering and automation? Red Lion has a very collaborative culture and values its employees. As a team we are always supportive of each other and are ready to lean in where team members need help, allowing the employees to be themselves and bring new ideas to the table. I have always been treated with equality and respect. I am fortunate to lead some critical projects and my male colleagues value my opinion and skillset. During the pandemic, it has not been easy to manage work with young kids at home. Red Lion has been very supportive and provided flexibility to help balance my professional and personal life. Describe a recent company project (in which you were involved) that went particularly well. How did you and your team go about ensuring success? We had a strategic project for a large Oil & Gas company where the customer had requested product enhancements on a tight timeline. We took unprecedented steps and worked with the cross functional extended team of Product Management, Engineering & Sales. We were able to deliver on time, gaining customer’s trust and loyalty for a longer-term relationship. What first drew you to engineering and this industry? My father, who is an Electrical Engineer, inspired me to pursue engineering. Since childhood, I saw my dad working on complex circuits. He taught me to look at a problem from different angles to find the optimum solution. Over a period of time, I started loving complex problems and found myself gravitating towards engineering. By the time I reached high school, I knew that I wanted to be an engineer. Describe your biggest career challenge. How did you solve it — or what was the outcome or lesson learned? I believe that challenges are simply obstacles on the way to success. One of the challenges was early in my career when my technical expertise was questioned in this male-dominated industry. I remember, 12 yrs. ago, I was at a site visit in Indonesia, and several people couldn’t believe that a woman could do the job. I dealt with such situations by staying focused and trusting my work. I always strive to upgrade my skills and demonstrate high levels of engineering competence. For the rest of Megha Agrawal’s insights, visit www.designworldonline.com/WiE.
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Brenda Discher Senior Vice President of Strategy and Marketing
Siemens Digital Industries Software Engineering Degree: Bachelor of Science in Mechanical/Industrial Engineering and a Master’s of Business Administration in International Marketing and Finance from Eastern Michigan University
About the Author
Women in Engineering
Brenda Discher is senior vice president of strategy and marketing for Siemens Digital Industries Software, a business unit of Siemens Digital Industries. She leads industry strategy, business strategy and marketing, and advises on strategic business and technology acquisitions. She also manages global brand, communications, and digital go-to-market strategies to establish the company as a market leader in the manufacturing industry for enterprise and SMB customers. Prior to joining Siemens, Discher spent more than 20 years in various leadership positions at Autodesk in marketing, product management and customer service and support.
Talk about the culture at your company. What makes it inclusive or supportive of women in engineering and automation? At Siemens, we value diversity as the inclusion and collaboration of different thinking, backgrounds, experience, expertise and individual qualities across all organizational levels and dimensions. Our Diversity & Inclusion program includes 12 Employee Resource Groups that cover areas from Veterans to Emerging Professionals to the Women’s Impact Network, Black Employee Community to Health & Wellness. In addition, I have implemented the Women’s Mentor Circle program as part of the Women’s Impact Network (WIN) at Siemens here in the US. What first drew you to engineering and this industry? Two pivotal factors during high school piqued my interest in engineering and set me on a path to becoming a mechanical engineer. The first was that I had a ninth-grade math teacher, Mr. Leckrone, who encouraged me and truly sparked my love for mathematics. The second factor was that my parents owned an automotive tool and die shop about an hour northwest of Detroit; my stepfather was in R&D and my mother was the company’s accountant. I spent most of my free time hanging out in the shop with the manufacturing engineers who worked on lathes, milling machines and general fabrication. So, it was by this curiosity and ability that my fascination with STEM developed. Describe your biggest career challenge. What was the outcome or lesson learned? When, I worked for Schlumberger, I learned what it was like to be a woman in a maledominated industry and workplace. My managing role had me teaching older men in the software and training/development group to use a new interface. I constantly experienced inappropriate behavior, like “How can a pretty little thing like you think you teach an old guy like me a new software tool?” I worried telling HR would affect my promotability. So I told myself, “Suck it up.” The most unsettling time came during a presentation in front of a large group of executives. One of the male executives in the audience shouted, “I don’t need to hear what they have to say, I’ll buy whatever she is selling!” I bit my tongue, did my presentation—I killed it, by the way—and then left the room. This man pursued me as I left. When I spoke to human resources about the problem, I was told that if I raised any red flags, it could reflect poorly on me. It was dealing with these kinds of behavior that have been the biggest challenges in my early career. For the rest of Brenda Dischers’ insights, visit www.designworldonline.com/WiE.
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Sylvie Hyman Account Application Engineer Engineering Degree: Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering University of Florida Sylvie Hyman is originally from South Florida and attended the University of Florida from 2013 to 2017. She majored in mechanical engineering and was involved in various organizations such as UF’s Machine Intelligence Lab and Team Florida Cycling. After graduating, she relocated to Minneapolis, Minnesota to work for Cummins as a design engineer. Her main function was to be the primary contact for engineering related issues on the manufacturing line for generators with engine displacements of 50 to 95 liters. After a year and a half she did a six month rotation in plant quality. The main difference between this role and her design engineer role was dealing with manufacturing issues, not just engineering issues. She enjoyed the faster pace of work and missed those aspects when her six months were up.
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What first drew you to engineering and this industry? Growing up I always exceled in math and science. Like most people I preferred doing things I was good at. Before college, my family always pushed me towards the medical field, but once I got to school I realized that my mind works better for understanding concepts over facts and I gravitated toward the engineering coursework and extracurricular activities over the pre-med ones. Describe your biggest career challenge. How did you solve it — or what was the outcome or lesson learned? So far, the biggest challenge in my career was realizing that it was time for a change and then making that change. When I first started at my previous company I thought that I would work there for the rest of my career. For the first 2 years I was learning a lot and struggling to keep up with the work being asked of me. I am someone who works best under pressure so for me, this was ideal. After a while though, I started to find myself stuck in a routine and not really being challenged. I tried for a while to seek out opportunities where I would be challenged, but still able to bring value to the company, and kept falling short. By the time I realized it was time to move on from that company, there was a global pandemic that made finding a new place to work much more challenging. I also had the guilt of millions of people being laid off while I still had a steady income working remotely. After months of job searching and many rejections, ghostings, and being told that positions were no longer being offered due to the pandemic, I finally landed an offer with Würth and decided to accept. So far, I am very happy with decision. It is cool to see that my mentors with 30+ years in the industry are still learning new things almost every day. What career advice would you give to your younger self? If I could tell anything to my younger self, I would tell her how valuable she is despite her inexperience. I’ve always pushed myself to be the best at everything and thought I had to have vast knowledge or experience in a subject to bring any value. I now realize that all experience is built upon and you can never be 100% prepared for situations in life, but it’s rare for life to throw you anything that you can’t handle.
For the rest of Sylvie Hyman’s insights, visit www.designworldonline.com/WiE.
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Engineer Jeanette Epps joins
operational Boeing crew mission to ISS NASA has assigned engineer and astronaut Jeanette Epps to NASA’s Boeing Starliner-1 mission, the first operational crewed flight of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft on a mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Epps will join NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Josh Cassada for a sixmonth expedition planned for a launch in 2021 to the orbiting space laboratory. The flight will follow NASA certification after a successful uncrewed Orbital Flight Test-2 and Crew Flight Test with astronauts. The spaceflight will be the first for Epps, who earned a bachelor’s degree in physics in 1992 from LeMoyne College in her hometown of Syracuse, New York. She completed a master’s degree in science in 1994 and a doctorate in aerospace engineering in 2000 — both from the University of Maryland at College Park. While earning her doctorate, Epps was a NASA Graduate Student Researchers Project fellow, authoring several journal and conference articles on her research. After completing graduate school, she worked in a research laboratory for more than two years, coauthoring several patents, before the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) recruited her. She spent seven years as a CIA technical intelligence officer before her selection as a member of the 2009 astronaut class. NASA assigned Williams and Cassada to the Starliner-1 mission in August 2018. The spaceflight will be the first for Cassada and third for Williams, who spent long-duration stays aboard the space station on Expeditions 14/15 and 32/33.
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NASA’s Commercial Crew Program is working with the American aerospace industry as companies develop and operate a new generation of spacecraft and launch systems capable of carrying crews to low-Earth orbit and to the space station. Commercial transportation to and from the station will provide expanded utility, additional research time and broader opportunities for discovery on the orbital outpost. For nearly 20 years, the station has served as a critical testbed for NASA to understand and overcome the challenges of long-duration spaceflight. As commercial companies focus on providing human transportation services to and from lowEarth orbit, NASA will concentrate its focus on building spacecraft and rockets for deep-space missions. Follow Epps at twitter.com/Astro_Jeanette and instagram.com/jeanette.epps. October 2020
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AD INDEX | WOMEN IN MEDTECH | WOMEN IN ENGINEERING
3M ...................................................................77
FUTEK Advanced Sensor Technology, Inc. ...37
Accumold ..........................................................2
Infus Medical (Thailand) Co., Ltd. ..................36
AllMotion .........................................................34
Interpower .......................................................43
Altech Corporation .......................................6, 7
maxon .............................................................61
Altra Industrial Motion ...................................63
MedBio ............................................................40
ATI Industrial Automation ............................100
MICRO .............................................................30
B. Braun ..........................................................BC
Microlumen ...............................................28, 29
Bishop Wisecarver ..........................................89
Mitsubishi Electric Automation .....................92
CGI Inc. ......................................................19, 99
New England Wire Technologies &
Chieftek Precision .............................................4
New England Tubing Technologies ...........1
Clippard ...........................................................31
Penn Engineering ...........................................85
CMT ...........................................................69, 71
RECOM Power, Inc. ........................................93
CPC Colder Products Company ...........17, 101
Red Lion Controls ...........................................95
Cree | Wolfspeed ............................................98
Resonetics ..................................................... IFC
Digi-Key ...........................................................68
Siemens Digital Industries Software .............75
Eagle Stainless Tube.......................................15
Tegra Medical ...............................................IBC
Emerson ..........................................................65
The Hartford ....................................................39
Fischer Connectors .........................................76
Würth Industry North America ......................70
SALES
LEADERSHIP TEAM
Jami Brownlee jbrownlee@wtwhmedia.com 224-760-1055
Bill Crowley 610.420.2433 bcrowley@wtwhmedia.com
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Managing Director Scott McCafferty smccafferty@wtwhmedia.com 310.279.3844 @SMMcCafferty VP of Sales | Publisher Mike Emich memich@wtwhmedia.com 508.446.1823 @wtwh_memich EVP Marshall Matheson mmatheson@wtwhmedia.com 805.895.3609 @mmatheson
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Protecting caregivers, treating patients and delivering confidence. It starts with decades of product development expertise. Our vast catalog of standard components can be customized to generate endless possibilities for sets and kits. We put in place processes for ensuring stringent quality levels, managing volumes of documentation and tracking all project details. Add in a full suite of capabilities, and you have a turnkey solution that’s more like a partnership for creating confidence. B. Braun Medical | OEM Division | USA | us.bbraunoem.com | 1-800-359-2439 Š2020 B. Braun Medical Inc. Bethlehem, PA. RX only. All rights reserved. OEM 16-5563 05/20 LMN
MEDICAL DESIGN & OUTSOURCING | 9" X 10.875" | BRN2608