A healthy approach to technology
In this edition of My Kind of Job is David Branagh, a senior engineer at Intelesens, a life sciences company based in Belfast, which develops and manufactures innovative, wearable, non-invasive, wireless, medical monitoring devices
What do you do?
I lead a multi-functional team within Intelesens, which has the overall goal of developing and manufacturing technology that delivers real benefits for not only patients, but also healthcare professionals. My team will cover everything from hardware to software, verification to validation and usability to clinical trialling. It is my responsibility to investigate potential developments for our technology and products. At a strategic level, I am involved in defining technology direction, recruiting employees and developing workplace practices and procedures to increase productivity, quality and effectiveness. Our mission at Intelesens is to continue providing innovative technologies and products that will revolutionise both acute and chronic healthcare for ageing and ill populations.
How did you get there?
While studying engineering at university I was sponsored by a small telecommunications network simulation company, I also had a summer placement with the national telecommunications carrier in South Africa. On graduation I spent two years as an embedded engineer in a telecoms multinational before moving into multichannel audio compression used in cinema and on DVDs. After five years I moved into medical devices at Intelesens, where I have been for the past six years.
Do you have a typical working day?
My day usually starts with addressing emails that have come in overnight and then holding the daily team update meeting at which we focus on progress made within the past 24 hours and priorities for the next 24 hours. This is followed by a senior team meeting, which brings together all aspects of the business such as finance, sales, supply chain and of course an overview of all the projects being worked on. These meetings will result in a number of actions and the rest of the day will involve ensuring they get done and providing support and guidance for my team where necessary.
What qualifications do you have?
I have a Master of Engineering (MEng) degree in Electrical/Electronic Engineering from Queen’s University Belfast.
I also have an Executive MBA in Business Administration and Management, also from Queen’s University Belfast.
What skills do you need in your role?
Within my role, focus and prioritising are extremely important. Maintaining focus on projects is crucial, and this can be a number of different projects at any one time. Working across a number of projects means there is a lot of work to be done. As with all product development and manufacturing, attention to detail is essential. And working within the life sciences industry, there has to be an element of caring for the well-being of others. The technology we develop is aimed at improving the patient’s quality of life by providing healthcare professionals with equipment to improve the speed of diagnosis and treatment of patients with cardiovascular and other acute and chronic diseases.
What is the best thing about your job?
As with any project management position the challenges revolve around the prioritisation of activities based on commitments, resource and quality. The rewards include seeing the satisfaction and pride of team members when they deliver on their commitments and make a significant contribution to the project and company.
And the worst?
One of the worst things is that insight into the healthcare sector in the UK and globally has led me to realise how inefficient healthcare is and how reluctant to change it can be. With an ageing global population there are many more people living for longer with chronic conditions. This is placing an enormous burden on the current delivery method for healthcare while there is failure to utilise technology. Thankfully with innovations such as those developed at Intelesens things are beginning to change.
What do you think are the greatest challenges/pressures of the job?
In a marketplace where there is a fast growing demand for wireless monitoring sensors the greatest challenges are around sustaining innovation in an industry with long routes to market and a general reluctance to change.
This long product cycle makes the time-scales to return on investment a challenge to manage. In this job we are striving to deliver real benefits for all healthcare professionals and their patients in a marketplace where there exists a rapidly growing demand and where wireless sensors and networks are estimated to reduce annual healthcare costs in the US by $25 billion by 2012.
What did you want to be when you were at school?
Since an early age I have always been fascinated by technology and aware of the impact of positive leaders.
So although I did not know at that time what a job incorporating these elements would look like, you could say that I was always working towards technology leadership.
What advice would you give someone considering a career in your profession?
The traditional idea of a career is a misguided concept.
My advice for someone considering a career within the life sciences or engineering sectors would be to get an education, gain experience of your chosen field, learn some more, try something different or learn a new skill and repeat.
What is the most common question people ask when they find out what you do?
Many people are genuinely interested in how technology can improve their own health outcomes, or those of parents or ageing relatives. When younger generations are increasingly monitoring their fitness and exercise the next logical step is wireless medical devices that can aid detection and diagnosis of health conditions to allow early and effective interventions.
How do you relax outside work?
As father to three young children I am definitely kept busy outside of work. But in my spare time I enjoy swimming, hillwalking and playing the piano and organ. I also volunteer for the Scout association, which aims to provide challenge and adventure for young people through fun activities.
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