SciMed team member since 2021

How did you get into the healthcare technology industry?

Working in the HealthTech industry happened entirely by chance, when a former colleague introduced me to the field and SciMed. Whilst I knew nothing about the industry (!), I've always enjoyed scientific writing and I knew from my research career that variety and broad expertise was something I enjoyed, so as it happens it was a move that suited me very well.

What do you like most about working about working at SciMed?

Of course it's very worthwhile being part of the process that facilitates medical devices onto the market and ultimately facilitaing and improving patient healthcare. The most enjoyable I think are being part of really innovative new devices, and being able to help in that process.

What's your specialist subject?

My academic research career has been very varied, from vascular biology, diabetes mellitus, cell adhesion and wound healing, and more recently the role of immunology in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). AMD is a common form of blindness which occurs later on in life and has a strong genetic component. We published a paper which shows that there are more mast cells in the macula causing changes to the surrounding tissues in people who have a higher genetic risk of AMD (but who don't yet have the disease). This was a very exciting finding which we published.

What challenges do you think the healthcare technology industry face, and how would your expertise deal with that?

Within the EU, the most notable challenges include medical devices and IVDs becoming compliant under the new MDR and IVDR regulations, not only because of the considerable additional work required to be compliant, but the demand that is placed on notified bodies to facilitate this.

If you could have a scientist for dinner (past or present), who would it be and why?

I think if I could have had a dream job, it would have been a zoologist, and I also have tremendous admiration for women who have been real ground-breakers in STEM. So with this in mind, I would choose Jane Goodall or Dian Fossey, women with tremendous enthusiasism and dedication who have advanced our understanding of primates tremendously, and highlighted the importance of conservation.