EPM asks Sandra Hernandez, Global Clinical Flow Marketing Manager, Beckman Coulter Life Sciences, about her journey into the field of medical technology, what it's like being a woman in STEM, and some of the biggest challenges in the industry.
Q. Could you tell us about your journey into the field of medical technology and now, working for Beckman Coulter Life Sciences?
A. I started my journey in the field of medical technology as a generalist and worked across all lab specialties. That included working in the middle of the night – starting with the midnight shift before I was able to work my way up to the day shift. After several years in the field, I earned the opportunity to train in the clinical flow cytometry lab. That was an eye-opening moment that led me to earn a certification in flow cytometry followed by my supervisor’s license. I then went on to manage a clinical and molecular pathology lab for several years and was a longtime customer of Beckman Coulter Life Sciences. I always admired the company and its mission, and conversations led me to be recruited to join the company as a strategic marketing manager to further support the mission and vision of accelerating answers.
Q. What are some innovations that you think have made a difference over the years?
A. Some innovations that have been very impactful, particularly for clinical flow cytometry, have been the IVD premixed dry leukaemia and lymphoma panels, and the IVD controls for those panels. Automation has also made an impact in all lab areas to help drive efficiency, which is especially beneficial in clinical flow cytometry where sample preparations can be very manual, tedious, and technique-dependent. Automation has helped standardise the process, as well as minimise errors, and decrease the time it takes to get results. It’s especially thrilling to know your work may help laboratory staff reach their results faster with greater accuracy.
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Q. What made you make the transition from clinical lab to industry?
A. After working in clinical labs for many years, I felt that I had a unique and real-world perspective into the customer wants and needs. I wanted to bring that voice to the table to help develop and bring to market products that would help drive improvements in the clinical flow cytometry lab, which could ultimately improve quality patient care. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about.
Q. What has been your biggest achievement?
A. My biggest achievement has been the success of the ClearLLab 10C System. I was fortunate to be involved in this project from the early stages of development, through the launch, and then the commercialisation of this product. I truly believe ClearLLab 10C has been a real game changer for labs. They now have an IVD solution for L&L (Leukaemia & Lymphoma) testing that is standardised, easy to use, and easy to implement.
Q. You’ve been in articles talking about the power of lean – what’s that all about and why is it important?
A. Labs are being asked to do more with less: less budget, less staff, and fewer resources while facing higher workloads and increased regulatory pressures. The power of lean helps labs streamline their workflows by adding lean processes and automation. Automating steps in manual sample processing not only enables the labs to be more efficient, but also reduce errors and improve quality patient data. It can also take the burden of time-consuming and tiresome tasks off of lab staff and allow them to instead focus on their work and their passion – not the workflow.
Q. What has your journey been like being a woman in science/STEM?
A. There were moments when it was difficult to have my voice heard in a predominantly male audience. This is when it is really important to have faith in yourself and persevere. I was very fortunate to have great support from my family and colleagues who encouraged me and helped me find my voice.
Q. What advice do you have for women entering the industry?
A. The best advice I can give women entering the industry is to really follow your passion. Don’t let other people’s potential stereotypes or judgments side-track your goals and aspirations.
Q. What do you think are some of the industry’s biggest challenges?
A. One of the biggest challenges I see in the industry is the lack of technologists entering the field. We have an aging workforce right now with many technologists retiring in the next couple of years and we will not have enough trained technologists to fill the gap. This makes the challenge to reduce manual and tedious tasks even greater so that the job is appealing and not draining.
Q. What are some of your industry insights for the upcoming year?
A. Automation will continue to drive the industry, not only for sample preparation but also automation of the data with machine learning and AI-enhanced software and cloud-based solutions.