Meet the Biomedical Operations Team at the Children's National Research Institute

Sarah: I grew up loving math and science and when applying to colleges I was trying to find a major that combined the two. Biomedical engineering was a relatively new major and the more I researched it the more I liked it. I wanted to learn how to challenge my way of thinking and be more innovative.

Sam: After working in research labs for the past four years, I knew that I wanted to find a position that allowed me to continue working with research labs. I’ve always enjoyed finding new ways to approach and solve problems, so this job seemed like a natural fit, as I get to work alongside researchers in a way that better fits my abilities and interests. 

Harley: I switched to biomedical engineering my sophomore year of college. I realized I wanted to be a part of something that is constantly adapting and changing, allowing me the opportunity to always get to learn new things. When I switched to biomedical engineering, it gave me the opportunity to be able to directly learn how all the sciences (physics, chemistry, biology) can be combined to solve a problem.

Ananda: I chose to go into the biomedical engineering field because I have always loved building things and solving complex problems. Biomedical engineering was an up-and-coming field and it excited me to read of all the vast topics it umbrellaed. I loved learning and challenging myself in school so I ultimately chose to go into this field due to its complexity, challenges and that it would always be an evolving and growing field. It also incorporates topics of other engineering and STEM fields into one making it more versatile in the work field.

Sarah: I like that I work in a place where our genders were not a determining factor, that our boss knew we were all able to do the work.

Sam: What it means is that hopefully someday not so far down the road, an all-female biomedical operations team won’t be such a rare event. That’s pretty exciting.

Harley: I enjoy it because it means there are more of us to break the barriers together. I enjoy seeing the shock on people's faces when they ask for the engineers and a bunch of women show up.

Ananda: I hope we can inspire other young female engineers to keep working through the hard times in school and in a male dominated field because there is light at the end of the tunnel. Keep doing what you love no matter if it is stereotyped as a female or male’s job. I think it is important to note that, yes, we are an all-female engineer team, however to our boss it was just four people who were simply capable of doing the job well. Through it all, our team is successful because we support each other whether we are female or male and that should stand in any workplace.

Sarah: I love the fact that we can support the institution so they can focus on their research that can potentially save lives. My favorite thing to do is go around and ask people about what they are studying and listen to how passionate they are. Being in a working environment that is at the forefront of science makes every little thing we do feel so important.

Sam: My favorite part of this job is the feeling that we are doing important work that benefits so many people, not only the research teams we work with directly, but also the communities that this research seeks to help. Children’s National is making outstanding discoveries, and it’s great to be able to support the teams in their efforts to positively impact the world.  

Harley: I enjoy getting to be a part of all the amazing work being done here. It is also inspiring to be surrounded by so many people who are here to help others. I also love the opportunity of being able to learn from the people around me, both work and life related.

Ananda: I love the fact that we are constantly supporting CNRI in a variety of ways to help it develop and grow. It is fun being able to help fix a device that is broken or train others on the equipment so they can perform their experiments efficiently and safely. Everyone’s research here is very important so being able to be of assistance to them is a good feeling. Every day is different, and each day-to-day challenge keeps us on our toes, making coming to work fun and exciting.

Sarah: Mansplaining was the major thing I experienced in college. The more we got into the major, and the more people who dropped out, the less that happened. By junior year we were down to 40 people in my class, and we were all quite close. In everyday work life, the more work we do, the more they see that we are plenty capable.

Sam: Something that I think a lot of women in STEM struggle with sometimes is finding role models that we can effectively relate to. I know that personally, I always found myself most inspired by any female authority figure in my life. It’s so important for young women to feel like they belong in STEM, which can be tough without effective role models. Luckily, I think we’re getting to a point where being a woman in STEM is less rare, and we have all of the women who struggled through being literally the “only woman in the room” to thank. Still room to improve, but it’s great to be a part of positive change.

Harley: I feel as though women in our society are constantly faced with men asking us if they need to take over, that certain things are a job for a man. This can make me feel like they don’t think I am capable of the job I was hired for, which should never be a reason why one should question their worth. If we are doing a task it is because we (and our boss) find ourselves to be fully capable of executing it. If we needed help, there are plenty of other men and women around who we can ask for help.

Ananda: A challenge we face as women in STEM is that we must work twice as hard to prove that we are just as capable as men in STEM. Although I think it adds more fun to our daily life to be challenged and tested, it can be difficult being stereotyped as something less than who you truly are and what you are capable of. I think there are many stereotypes about people in the STEM field so when others see a team of all women in their young 20s doing the job that they might not have pictured doing it is significant and we hope it changes their perspective on men vs. women in the workplace. I have been grateful to have always been supported by my family to continue in STEM despite the lack of women in engineering making these challenges more bearable.

Sarah: This is a hard question to answer. We support CNRI by providing knowledge of the facility and the equipment inside it. We can also train users on equipment and advise them when they are purchasing items for the labs.

Sam: Put simply, we make sure the labs are set up for success so that research can continue to run smoothly. This includes equipment maintenance, space planning, resource distribution and any other needs that come up day to day.

Ananda: Our team supports the needs of the researchers in their day-to-day research so that they can succeed better. We work behind the scenes providing maintenance, repair, support and training of the equipment in the labs to ensure all is going smoothly. We will work with vendors to provide installation and deinstallation as well as certification of the equipment.

Sarah: I am from San Antonio, Texas, and came to Children’s National in February 2021 after completing my bachelor of science in biomedical engineering.

Sam: I am originally from Buffalo, NY, but came to Washington, D.C., for school at George Washington University and graduated with a bachelor of science in biology in May 2020. I started at Children’s National this past July (2021) after spending the last few years working directly in research labs.

Harley: I am from San Antonio, Texas. I moved to Washington, D.C., to work here at Children’s National in August 2021.

Ananda: I am from Baltimore, MD, and recently graduated from the Catholic University of America with a bachelor of science in biomedical engineering in spring 2021 and my master of science in biomedical engineering in summer 2021. I recently started here at Children’s National as a research and biomedical operations engineer in July after graduating this summer.

Kenta: My goal as a manager when hiring team members has been to simply to recruit the best talent for the job. From my perspective even in an engineering-heavy job: I don’t see gender as a factor when it comes to evaluation of talent. They happen to be all female but I view them all as highly capable team members to achieve the role we serve for the organization. It shouldn’t be any more unique in my perspective than the teams I’ve had before with men and I honestly don’t think about it until someone points it out to me. There have been many other females in the past that have been part of our team and I’ve been appreciative of all of them for their contributions over the years. My first hire, who also happens to be a female engineer, has moved on to take on much bigger roles in the organization and I am always proud to see her succeed even if it’s away from our team. I do understand that others may view it as unusual to have an all-female team in this field, but I will continue to believe that being female makes no difference in achieving what is being asked to accomplish for this team. My hope is that this team plays a role in being an example for breaking down any barriers that are still out there.