Industry Perspective

BME Industry Perspective: Biomedical engineering at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Anonymous — Mon, 08 Aug 2022 14:47:12 +0000

BME Industry Perspective: Biomedical engineering at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 08/08/2022 - 08:47

Rachel Leuthauser

Rahie Talukder

Rahie Talukder is a biomedical engineer working for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.

As someone who was always interested in medicine, Talukder attended the University of Colorado Denver as a biology and pre-med major. She then earned her master’s degree in biomedical engineer from the University of Denver.

After graduate school, Talukder joined the VA’s two-year training program for biomedical engineers. It’s designed to give those with entry-level experience more training that is geared towards clinical engineering and medical device management.

Talukder is passionate about growing biomedical engineering opportunities for students and works to achieve this by serving on the Biomedical Engineering Industry Advisory Board at the University of Colorado Boulder.

What is your day-to-day like as a biomedical engineer with the VA?

My job at the VA requires me to be a project manager and facilitator in addition to an engineer. A lot of what we focus on is management of medical equipment, from the acquisition and procurement aspect to working with the clinicians so that they can treat patients better. We also make sure that all the maintenance is being completed on our devices so that they can safely be used. Sometimes the devices we are procuring are big MRI machines that turn into huge construction projects. In those cases, we work with other engineers on fitting that technical construction piece with the clinical aspect. Once a device is old and at the end of its life, we then work on turning that equipment in and repeating the process – bringing in new equipment and working with clinicians again.

My role as a biomedical engineer also entails working with executive leadership and medical directors at hospitals. One project can affect so many different systems and departments, so a large part of my day-to-day is facilitating conversations with all those people to make sure that the devices we put in place are meeting the hospital’s needs. We also organize trainings to make sure the devices are being used correctly to help patients.

What inspired you to enter the biomedical engineering field?

I have always wanted to work at a hospital and make patient care more efficient but didn’t think I could do medical school. I realized I loved analyzing data and found that biomedical engineering is a mix of the technical and clinical aspects of health care. Biomedical engineers don’t have direct patient care relations, but everything we do is going to ultimately affect their clinical care, which I found beautiful.

Within the VA itself, I love the community here. It is one of the largest networks of hospitals across the U.S. and since it’s a federal position, much of our work is standardized. It allows us to have communication across the country anytime you need help bringing in a certain piece of equipment. I can talk to a biomedical engineer in California who may already be working on the exact same equipment.

What advice do you have for current biomedical engineering students?

I highly suggest shadowing folks you may know in positions that you may want to pursue. Those connections will promote and expand opportunities for you. Even if you have a medical appointment, speak to your doctor if there is a piece of equipment right there in the room. I’ve never found myself limited by my questions. When I was in undergrad, I would reach out to administrative services or even the deans of graduate school departments just to have a chat with them. It helped me understand which career I wanted to pursue.

I also feel being asked for advice is wonderful on the receiving end. Being able to provide insight and have a conversation with someone that’s interested in what I do is very fulfilling. I feel very passionate about inspiring students to look into the biomedical engineering field and industry since BME is still relatively new. There is such a wide umbrella of what you can do with a biomedical engineering degree – weather research and development, start-up companies, pharmaceutical development, agriculture, clinical work, and much more. The field is evolving and there are so many opportunities to take advantage of!

BME Industry Perspective is a series of articles highlighting professionals in the biomedical engineering field who have a breadth of experience, knowledge and advice to share with our future biomedical engineers. Follow along to learn about their work and how each of these engineers are helping impact society.

Biomedical Engineer Rahie Talukder shares what her experience has been like working for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. As someone who was always interested in medicine, Talukder attended the University of Colorado Denver as a biology and pre-med major. She then earned her master’s degree in biomedical engineer from the University of Denver.

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BME Industry Perspective: Founding multiple companies as a chief medical officer

Anonymous — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 19:54:49 +0000

BME Industry Perspective: Founding multiple companies as a chief medical officer Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 07/11/2022 - 13:54

Rachel Leuthauser

Murdoc Khaleghi

With a career spanning two-decades, Murdoc Khaleghi has become a career chief medical officer and board member with five exits.

Khaleghi began his biomedical career at the University of California San Diego, where he graduated with his bachelor’s degree in bioengineering. He then earned an MD at UC San Diego, followed by three graduate degrees in business and computer science from Columbia, UC Berkeley, and the University of Pennsylvania.

His career has been spent in both hospitals and start-ups. After becoming the founding Chief Medical Officer of the start-up Everly Health, Khaleghi proceeded to continue getting involved in health tech start-ups, often as the co-founder. Many of those start-ups have gone public or become unicorns.

Khaleghi is also a member of the Biomedical Engineering Program Industry Advisory Board at the University of Colorado Boulder.

What inspired you to enter the biomedical engineering field?

Most innovation happens at the intersection of disciplines, which is what bioengineering is! In addition, I love understanding the human body from the perspective of engineering. So, I chose to go to one of the top universities in the world in bioengineering at the time, UC San Diego.

What obstacles did you face along the way and how did you overcome them?

While earning degrees is not easy, actually translating them to industry is much harder. We can have great knowledge or ideas, and then when pursuing them, practically get punched in the face. I've been lucky to be able to work with folks who have had the tenacity to overcome those obstacles, and then focus on how I can support those people, even if it meant I was doing the quickbooks accounting, etc.

How has combining your engineering, medicine and business skills helped you succeed as a founding CMO?

Again, most innovation happens at the intersection of disciplines. In addition, early-stage companies need to have knowledge sets from a lot of areas, but don't have the resources for large teams. So having one person that can speak all these languages, and translate, adds a value beyond the sum of the parts. I've been able to subsequently add the skillset that develops from being part of companies from the very early stages to exit.

What advice do you have for current biomedical engineering students?

Live on as little as reasonably possible. Everyone thinks they live modestly or frugally, including those who live on six figures. Instead, cling to the lowest cost lifestyle you can, take the savings and buy assets that will earn income. As you develop financial independence, you then have a far better chance of discovering and pursuing what is most meaningful. In addition, you have the flexibility to focus on experience over compensation, including being part-time and/or equity based. Being able to take those risks has ultimately led to far greater reward, both financially and personally. You'll never find your calling or pursue your passion while worrying about a mortgage.

There are a lot of bioengineers in the world, so if you want to stand out, consider what additional knowledge and experience you can develop. Prioritize your development over title or money.

Murdoc Khaleghi is a career chief medical officer and board member with five exits. His career has been spent in both hospitals and start-ups. After becoming the founding Chief Medical Officer of the start-up Everly Health, Khaleghi proceeded to continue getting involved in health tech start-ups, often as the co-founder. Many of those start-ups have gone public or become unicorns.

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BME Industry Perspective: Working as a software project engineer at Medtronic

Anonymous — Mon, 13 Jun 2022 06:00:00 +0000

BME Industry Perspective: Working as a software project engineer at Medtronic Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 06/13/2022 - 00:00

Rachel Leuthauser

Kelly Gazarik

Kelly Gazarik, a University of Colorado Boulder alumna, was at the forefront of creating the Biomedical Engineering Program.

Gazarik graduated with a degree in chemical and biological engineering with a minor in biomedical engineering in 2019. The minor was the only option for her during her time at CU Boulder, so she worked with the engineering council, student government and Professor Mark Borden to launch the Biomedical Engineering Program. She continues to be involved as a member of the BME Industry Advisory Board.

Gazarik now works for Medtronic as a software project engineer. She started her career with the medical device company in 2018 when she completed a summer internship. She then worked for the company part time during her senior year of college, before becoming a full-time engineer in September 2019.

What is your day-to-day like as a software project engineer with Medtronic?

I spend most of my time working with my team to brainstorm new data strategies to improve our medical devices. Half of my time is planning and collaborating with colleagues, while the other half is dedicated to market research and understanding what the medical staff needs. We do a lot of tech development to come up with solutions that will suit physicians’ needs.

What inspired you to enter the biomedical engineering field?

Like a lot of engineers, we are here to solve problems and improve lives. I felt like this was the best place I could contribute and make an impact on the world. I was always fascinated with medicine and I think adding an engineering degree to that allows you to have so much more power in what you can create. It opens so many doors to impactful opportunities.

How does your work benefit society?

Right now, we are working on incorporating data and AI to improve healthcare. We want to reduce the cognitive load for surgeons to drive better patient outcomes and increase learnings. We are trying to build some equity in the health care system. Our idea is that if we can democratize some of this technology, everyone can have a better playing field and access. Whether someone is a new doctor that needs training or a physician that has been in the business for a while and needs a refresher, this can be something that everyone can have as a tool to learn and improve.

What are some obstacles you have faced and how did you overcome them?

One of the hardest processes for me was marketing myself as a strong biomedical engineering candidate. Even with the BME Program becoming more established, it’s a question that we are still asking ourselves. How can we make sure biomedical engineers are hirable and marketable? I think the best way to achieve that is through networking. At CU Boulder, students can make connections through the Biomedical Engineering Society and tap into the biomedical engineering professors. They can help make students excellent candidates for the market.

What advice do you have for current biomedical engineering students?

My advice would be to have a little fun and try to find something that serves you in a different way than classes would. Get involved in a society or project that interests you – something that gives you a little bit more drive and that you can invest your time into. Preferably those projects are related to biomedical engineering, but it also not be! There are so many experiences that can be transferable, from building rockets to studying public health. You can sell pretty much any of the wonderful programs at CU Boulder to be an advantage for a biomedical engineering career since it’s so diverse.

What was your favorite part about being a Buff?

We have a really strong engineering program. The rigor of the coursework really speaks to students’ success and the engineering faculty and staff are so supportive. Not to mention that our campus is just beautiful. Being in Boulder is so incredible!

Kelly Gazarik, a University of Colorado Boulder alumna, helped launch the Biomedical Engineering Program. Gazarik now works for Medtronic as a software project engineer after interning for the medical device company in summer 2018.

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