Katie Mcky

 

 

QUANTITY AND QUALITY—BIOMED AND BIOTECH ENGINEERS LENGTHEN LIFE AND IMPROVE IT

 

THIS FIELD IS AS EXCITING AS IT IS IMPORTANT, WITH THE COMPANIES INVOLVED CHALLENGED TO FIND SOLUTIONS TO MEDICAL ISSUES ON AN ONGOING BASIS.

 

A TINKER WAS ONCE DEPICTED AS A WIZENED MAN WITH CLEVER HANDS, ONE WHO COULD TWEAK PERT NEAR EVERY GEEGAW AND DOODAD. TODAY’S CONUNDRUM’S ARE MUCH MORE COMPLEX THAN A POT WITH A CROOKED HANDLE OR A CUCKOO CLOCK THAT DOESN’T CUCKOO. THE PROBLEMS FACED BY THE ENGINEERS OF THE BIOTECH AND BIOMED ARE PARTICULARLY DAUNTING. LUCKILY, TODAY’S TINKERS, AKA ENGINEERS, EMPLOY MINDS FAR BEYOND CLEVER. BY TENACITY AND TALENT, VIA CHEMICALS, GENETICS, AND MECHANICS, THESE WOMEN REENGINEER PERT NEAR EVERY ASPECT OF US. MEET SOME OF THESE BRILLIANT, MODERN-DAY TINKERS WHO EXTEND BOTH THE QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF LIFE.

 

NOVO NORDISK: PROVIDING INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS

Carrie Walker is a process engineer at the Vial Manufacturing Line in Clayton, NC for Novo Nordisk. However, there was a time when it looked like she might not become an engineer.

 

“While in college, I felt that my junior year was particularly challenging due to all the core engineering classes that I was taking at that time,” explains Walker. “The homework load was quite high and I also worked while going to school. I felt stressed, overloaded, and incapable of doing my assignments. Many times during that year, I questioned whether or not I was meant to be an engineer.”

 

Walker credits her classmates and my professors as the keys to her success. “My friends and I developed study groups to assist one another with homework and test preparation,” she recalls. “I also had many professors who would work with me one-on-one if there were concepts I was struggling with.”

 

Her classmates and professors were instrumental in her current success, but her drive also made a huge difference.

 

“My biggest accomplishment is that I am where I am today,” says Walker. “I was the first in my family to not only graduate college, but to do it completely on my own. I worked all through college and paid for it with grants and scholarships. School was tough to handle not only in academics, but in life. It was a big challenge and a road that no one I knew had ever been down before. I had to navigate the maze of college life alone. Now I have graduated and moved on to a career with a great company. I couldn’t be happier or prouder to say that I am a female engineering graduate of North Carolina State University working for Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals.”

 

One of 37,200 Novo Nordisk employees and 580 in Clayton, NC, Walker keeps the manufacturing line rolling. “I focus on the day-to-day and long term needs of the vial manufacturing line to ensure we maintain a controlled and reliable state in which we can consistently produce the highest quality product to our customers,” she explains.

 

Walker is very proud to be a part of the Novo Nordisk team, acknowledging that the company is constantly growing and changing. “I applaud my company that we strive for the best and most modern medicines to aid those in need,” she says. “Novo Nordisk is always on the fast track to not only provide the most innovative products, but those of the highest quality as well.”

 

If you want to share her pride, Walker has some advice for you.

 

“Novo Nordisk is always seeking diversity in its employees, however, common traits found in everyone include a positive attitude, passion, and the willpower to go above and beyond,” she notes. “In addition, the ability and desire to learn and grow are key traits in each employee as we are a very forward thinking and dynamic company. I must also say that discipline and attentiveness to detail are key in the manufacturing areas as well.”

 

She also urges students to branch beyond the classroom for a complete educational experience.

 

“I highly encourage all students in engineering to take advantage of interning and co-oping while in school,” says Walker. “The experience and learning are invaluable and will accelerate your career starting point upon graduation. In addition, to experience the applications of what you are learning in school reinforces the foundation of engineering concepts. I would also advise students to not be afraid to try new things. This is inclusive of activities in both school and the workplace. Try and experience all that you can, it will help you to learn and grow and become a stronger engineer. Finally, I would also recommend obtaining as much hands-on experience as you can. Take advantage of the lab courses and design projects during school. Per forming hands-on activities will also reinforce the engineering fundamentals that you are learning.”

 

If you join Walker at Novo Nordisk one day, you’ll likely share her pride in a company that not only seeks mitigate disease, but to cure it.

 

“While it is well-known that Novo Nordisk is a leader in diabetes care, it often comes as a surprise to hear that we have scientists who are dedicated to finding a cure for the disease,” says Walker. “In our quest for developing innovative treatments and finding a cure for diabetes, Novo Nordisk invests more resources in diabetes research than any other company, second only to the U.S. government. Further, we also have leading positions in hemophilia care, growth hormone therapy, and hormone replacement therapy.”

 

Wherever you ultimately work, you’re likely to share her joy in being a woman engineer.

 

“I chose to go into engineering while in high school because I wanted a challenge,” says Walker. “I enjoyed science a great deal and wanted to pursue a career where I could work day-to-day with scientific related items and never be bored. I must say that I feel that I have accomplished that.”

 

BECTON, DICKINSON AND COMPANY: COMMITTING TO HIGH STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE

Kande Horne Kara, staff engineer – core team leader, Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD), Medical - Pharmaceutical System, ex plains that her employer has likely touched your life, even if you aren’t familiar with its name.

 

“BD may not be the most recognized name to the average person, but its products probably touch more lives every single day that you can ever imagine, from the syringe and needle that delivered your flu shot to the blood collection systems used during a blood test to diagnostic systems to detect cervical cancer,” says Kara. “You would think that a company with such significant global impact would generally be a household name!”

 

BD is also big enough to be a household name, with nearly 30,000 employees in over 50 countries worldwide.

 

In spite of its global reach, BD centers itself on old-fashioned values.

 

“I love that BD’s core values—treating each other with respect, doing what is right, seeking to improve and accepting personal responsibility—are at the heart of everything we do,” says Kara. “Besides ‘what’ we do, it’s the ‘how’ that is just as important. BD does not sacrifice quality for expediency. Working for a company that is committed to the highest standards of excellence and whose values align with my own cannot be overstated.”

 

It’s because of these values and Kara’s passions that she’s a fine fit for BD.

 

“I found that my undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering was the perfect marriage of engineering and medical disciplines to satisfy my curiosity for how things work and my enduring passion for improving the health and lives of people,” says Kara. “My BD career has allowed me to harness my passion in all of my projects.”

 

As a staff engineer - core team leader, Kara leads a cross-functional team that designs and develops self-injection drug delivery systems from concept to commercialization.” In her leadership role, Kara has learned that her colleagues always have her back.

 

“I have been fortunate to have had roles with increasing responsibilities over my 13+ years with BD,” she says. “My first experience as a core team leader was to manage one of the highest priority projects in the entire company, to develop a thinner shorter pen needle to improve patient comfort, minimize anxiety/fear and potentially improve patients’s compliance to their diabetes therapy. With the added responsibility, came the added pressure (some self imposed) and visibility from senior management to deliver. This was a bit daunting at first, but I realized that I had the full support of an entire organization. I used this support to my advantage by constantly engaging the project core team and leadership team and working as a team to identify and mitigate risks as early and as often as possible. I was not afraid to ask for help when I needed it. With a talented and motivated team be hind me, we were able to deliver the product on time and within budget. The product is very successful today and has been well received by patients with diabetes.”

 

If you’re considering becoming Kara’s colleague one day, she has some advice for you.

 

“My advice to students majoring in this sector is to get as much hands-on experience in the field as possible through internships, coops or volunteering,” says Kara. “Build and maintain a professional network—join professional and social organizations through your school, attend conferences, get to know your professors, parents’s friends or colleagues, etc. These individuals can help get you the internship experience that you are looking for. Besides the educational background and relevant experience, BD looks for intangible characteristics in candidates like passion, drive, integrity and commitment to helping all people live healthy lives, the company’s purpose.”

 

JANSSEN RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT: THE PURSUIT OF INNOVATION AND INTEGRITY

“Ichose to study biomedical engineering because I wanted to pursue a career that combined mathematics and the life sciences. I knew biomedical engineering was a growing field with a lot of flexibility and opportunity,” said Sarah Hotaling, associate scientist II, Biotechnology Center of Excellence, Janssen Research & Development, Inc.

 

Hotaling also chose to work for a company that gave her room to stretch—and grow.

 

“At Janssen there is a lot of opportunity to grow and stay challenged,” she says. “Janssen is a large organization with many facets; I’m surprised at our constant ability to evolve. Nothing is static.”

 

Hotaling is a member of the Cell Line Development group in the Janssen Research & Development Biotechnology Center of Excellence, where she creates high expressing manufacturing cell lines that express antibodies against different molecular targets.

 

One of 28,000 Janssen employees worldwide and 8,000 at Janssen R&D, Hotaling is based at the Biotechnology Center of Excellence. The center employs a team of approximately 350 researchers and development personnel who work at research hubs at Spring House, PA and La Jolla, CA. The Biotech CoE is part of Janssen R&D, which is the research engine for the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson.

 

Janssen is guided by Johnson & Johnson’s values, explains Hotaling. “The Johnson & Johnson Credo outlines the core values by which the company and its employees conduct business,” she adds. “Innovation, quality, integrity, social and moral responsibility, and a strong sense of community are key traits promoted by our company.”

 

Hotaling urges students to guide their coming careers by getting as much hands-on experience as possible now. “Hands-on experience in a campus lab, or as a co-op, is very important for learning your strengths, and for making connections that could lead to a future job offer,” she states.

 

Developing a network could also be key to a long, fine career.

 

“I started out working in manufacturing at a time when the economy was very unstable,” recalls Hotaling. “There were a couple rounds of layoffs and the prospect of losing my job was scary. I was able to rely on my experience and previously established connections to segue into another job within a different department.”

 

ST. JUDE MEDICAL: VARIED OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN AN EVOLVING ENVIRONMENT

“One of the things that I like most about St. Jude Medical is the opportunity to work in multiple areas of engineering and with different medical devices,” says Chrismar (Chris) Scribner, principal manufacturing engineer for St. Jude Medical. “I’ve worked on new product development projects, relocation of manufacturing lines to other facilities, and continuous improvements to existing processes.”

 

Scribner, who works in St. Jude Medical’s Cardiovascular and Ablation Technology Division and focuses on operations program management, also finds that myriad, ongoing opportunities can challenge an engineer.

 

“It’s always challenging and a little scary when you have to work on something new and unfamiliar,” says Scribner. “At one point in my career I was asked to manage the construction of a new plant, which included working with construction crews and contractors from floor layout, equipment design, and installation through validation completion of all of the new equipment and processes. I felt very much ‘out of my comfort zone’ and when I needed to make spur of the moment decisions, I learned to ask enough questions of the subject matter experts (e.g., construction workers, contractors, etc.) in order to comfortably make the decision. Although it was challenging, I grew professionally more at this point in my career than any other time.”

 

One of 16,000 employees, Scribner is part of an organization that is perpetually changing, which she quite likes.

 

“One of the most surprising things about St. Jude Medical is that it is ever-changing, which is also true about the medical device industry itself,” says Scribner. “In order to successfully work at St. Jude Medical, you need to be able to adapt quickly and be flexible.”

 

Success at St. Jude Medical also comes from collaboration and innovation.

 

“The skills and traits that St. Jude Medical seeks in its people are those who are collaborative and team-oriented, innovative and flexible, trustworthy and respectful, and passionate about quality and improving the lives of patients,” she acknowledges.

 

If you’re still in school, Scribner urges you to straddle the line between academic and application now.

 

“My biggest piece of advice is for students to get internships, because not only do internships allow you to learn about the medical device industry and gain some hands on experience, they often times lead to jobs after graduation,” notes Scribner.

 

And if you haven’t yet applied to an engineering program, Scribner encourages you to consider doing so.

 

“Whether you’re a man or a woman, engineering is a diverse and challenging career that allows you to do cool stuff that can make an impact in people’s lives,” Scribner says.

 

She also encourages you to consider the biomed/biotech sectors, as well as St. Jude Medical.

 

“I chose the medical device industry because I get a lot of satisfaction out of being part of a company that makes devices that save lives,” she says. “Whenever I’m asked about what I do, I am proud to say that I work for St. Jude Medical.”