Kathryn

Advanced Manufacturing Engineer

Structural Heart
Danvers, MA

Tell us about your internship experiences and your impact.

I worked for Medtronic during the summer of 2010 at the Physiological Research Laboratory. I was responsible for inputting all of the preclinical research data from the Spinal & Biologics division into their Biomaterials Information Database (BID). This database allowed users to search for specific materials to determine what biological testing had been performed so that this information could be leveraged for future projects.

What was your favorite benefit of the internship?

Working at PRL was great; I was allowed to look in on preclinical trials and was given extensive insight into the different requirements of biocompatibility testing. I felt lucky that I was exposed to such a broad product range.

Describe a typical day in your position.

I am a manufacturing engineer for structural heart projects, mainly transcatheter valve delivery systems. These projects are currently in the process characterization and qualification stages, so my day revolves around testing, monitoring builds, and updating documentation. I analyze functional and dimensional output and circulate results to the team. I am responsible for developing and validating test methods, which often involves a lot of creativity.

Why do you enjoy working at Medtronic?

My role allows me to see projects at all different phases and I really enjoy that. I started off at Medtronic working on an R&D, phase 0 project and I really enjoyed the freedom we had to develop and test our prototypes. Now I am working on later-stage projects and it is really valuable to be able to take something from the development phase and transfer it to manufacturing.

How does Medtronic's Mission show in your day to day work?

My current projects are built for patients that have no other option; they are too weak for surgical (open heart) valve replacement surgery. Transcatheter valves are a viable option for these patients, and it is wonderful to know that we are extending lives of people that otherwise wouldn't have had much hope.

What do you appreciate most about Medtronic?

I appreciate the opportunities I was given from day one. I was entrusted with so many responsibilities and am constantly given the chance to communicate with the team and upper management. The exposure is truly wonderful and I feel lucky to be given such opportunities.

How do you give back?

Our site does a regular Habitat for Humanity project. Last year it fell on the hottest day of the summer, but it was still a great time!

What do you love about your current location?

Danvers is a great location because we have all the tools here to develop anything we want. We have in-house extrusion to make us any tubing we wish, we have braiding capabilities, and any type of secondary process you can imagine. I sometimes get emails from old team members asking for custom shafts and it is fun to know that we can help other sites out with a 2-3 day lead time!

What advice would you give to job candidates?

Research Medtronic!