Kailash Kalidoss, Medical Systems Engineer
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Kailash is a Medical Systems Engineer at an engineering consulting firm based out of the Bay Area in California. Over the course of his career, he has been involved with various stages of medical device design, from business requirements to design, verification, validation, and regulatory approval.
Kailash Kalidoss, Medical Systems Engineer
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Education
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BS in Electrical Engineering (BSEE)
Masters in Business Administration (MBA) |
How did you end up in this role?
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As a kid, I was always interested in STEM and that led me towards pursuing engineering. I started in the medical devices industry in 2006, fresh from graduation with my bachelor's engineering degree. I was placed on campus for an Indian IT giant named HCL Technologies.
All my education till my bachelor's degree in Electrical and Electronics engineering was based on the State education system in India, which has both its pros and cons. For me, the transition from high school to pre-university was particularly challenging and I had to work hard to fight the odds to maintain my grades. One can get quickly demotivated because of the pressure to perform especially from society. Self-motivation and filtering the noise around did help me a lot. Along with my dad, we tried to tackle one problem at a time. Eventually, the transition to engineering turned out much easier because of the hard work. I could pursue a Master’s degree in Computer Science as well as an MBA based on the learnings I had early in life. "Hard work, discipline, attitude, and passion are enablers for knowledge, especially in STEM."
The corporate world was another experience to tackle as a fresher. Suddenly your expectations were different and business-oriented. But with time and the right soft skills, I could adapt.
The journey has been quite a challenging ride. I started as a Software Test Engineer and expanded my portfolio to the various stages of Medical Device Design over the years. Over my 12+ years of experience, I have worked as a consultant for various leading US-based Medical Device Companies. Currently, I work for an engineering consulting firm based out of the Bay Area in California. |
A day in the life
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The foundation of my professional experience is in consulting for complex projects involving, Quality Assurance and Design Control of Embedded Medical devices, starting from Business requirements to product release. I also handle the Verification & Validation of various critical systems mostly in the medical devices space. I work on design control of various medical devices ranging from diagnostics such as COVID-19 detection to laser surgical systems that are used for cardiac and eye surgeries and infusion pumps for sedation and insulin. Design Control directly relates to Quality and Regulatory standards including approvals from regulatory bodies such as the FDA.
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Advice for aspiring students
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Hard work, discipline, attitude, and passion are enablers for knowledge, especially in STEM. Start early and keep at it. Work on a method that is best suited for you. For example, I choose deriving analogies and videos as a supplement to reading. As for a professional setting, try to bridge the gap by working on your soft skills and people management. Technical knowledge is most useful when coupled with the right communication traits.
Always work for a greater cause, beyond earning on your regular day job. I have taken this initiative by volunteering for Civil Air Patrol and as a NASA JPL Solar System Ambassador to take STEM and Aerospace knowledge to the greater community. It surely gives me a sense of satisfaction that I’m an educator and a change enabler. |
