Several advancements in Biomedical Engineering are bringing together R&D, experimental research and innovative solutions to address healthcare problems.
Prabagar Sankar, our next pathbreaker, Senior Engineer at Intuitive, works in the broader field of Robotics and minimally invasive medical technology.
Prabagar talks to Shyam Krishnamurthy from The Interview Portal about how his work in the Biomedical Devices Laboratory at Drexel University on therapeutic ultrasound for wound-healing applications, shaped his career in the field of medical devices.
For students, there are many different ways to pursue your dreams . Do not let an unsuccessful result discourage you.
Prabagar, Tell us about your background
I was born and raised in Pondicherry, India, and attended Petit Seminaire Higher Secondary School. My father is an engineer in Pondicherry’s Electricity Department, and my mother is a homemaker.
As a child, I wanted to become a doctor. During my bachelor’s studies, I began to understand how engineering techniques could help solve medical problems. That introduced me to another way of contributing to healthcare, and my interest in biomedical engineering gradually grew.
What did you study for your undergraduate and postgraduate degrees?
I completed my bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Electrical Engineering at Pondicherry Engineering College in 2016, followed by a master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering at Drexel University in Philadelphia in 2018.
During my time at Drexel, I worked on therapeutic ultrasound for wound-healing applications. Ultrasound is often associated with medical imaging, but this research explored using sound energy as part of a treatment approach. It brought together engineering, experimental research, and a healthcare problem.
What were some of the influences that led you to such an offbeat, unconventional and uncommon career in Biomedical Engineering?
I always wanted to contribute to the medical field. During my bachelor’s degree, learning how engineering could address healthcare problems made biomedical engineering a natural direction for me.
At Drexel University, Professor Peter Lewin’s mentorship helped shape my career. Seeing how engineering could improve someone’s life gave the work a personal meaning and motivated me to continue in this field.
How did you enter this career? Tell us about your career path.
I began by reaching out and looking for opportunities, then making the most of the ones that came my way. My career developed step by step. A recurring reason for changing roles was to challenge myself and learn about a different product rather than remain where I was comfortable.
My initial role at Drexel involved orthopedic biomechanics research in collaboration with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The work focused on understanding how a child’s head and spine move during simulated vehicle impacts, with the aim of informing child-injury prevention. I supported experimental work, including test setups and analysis of head and spine motion.
I then worked in the Biomedical Devices Laboratory under Professor Peter Lewin. Our research addressed chronic wounds that do not heal easily. The team developed and evaluated a lightweight, battery-powered wearable device that delivered low-frequency, low-intensity therapeutic ultrasound to the wound area. Unlike imaging ultrasound, this work explored using sound energy as a treatment; here, wearable meant a treatment device rather than a health-tracking device.
My contributions included device testing, verification and validation, supporting clinical-trial activities, and using MATLAB to trace wound images and assess changes over time. This gave me experience in how an initial hypothesis and device concept move through experimental testing and clinical evaluation, and I contributed to work that led to peer-reviewed publications.
At Sonova, I worked as a Senior R&D Engineer on physiological sensing and wearable technology connected with hearing devices. My work included sensors and algorithms for heart-rate and activity monitoring, including contributions associated with Phonak Audéo Fit.
Phonak Audéo Fit is a hearing aid that combines hearing support with heart-rate and activity tracking, with the information displayed in the myPhonak app. It uses an optical sensor to measure heart rate, adding health-tracking features to a device people already wear for hearing support.
At Boston Scientific, I worked as a Senior R&D Systems Engineer in Endoscopy. My responsibilities included compatibility between endoscopes and electrosurgical generators, requirements, testing, and risk management.
I joined Intuitive Surgical as a Senior Engineer. Intuitive brought me into the broader field of robotic and minimally invasive medical technology; my work supports the Ion platform and includes requirements, design controls, risk management, and verification and validation.
Each move brought a different product and a new learning curve. My engineering foundation carried across the roles, while each experience broadened my understanding of medical-device development.
How did you get your first break?
It began with my passion for contributing to healthcare. During my bachelor’s studies, a guest speaker at a conference at my university introduced me to biomedical engineering. I had wanted to become a doctor as a child, and discovering another way to contribute to the medical field sparked my interest.
I visited the nearby research facility at MGMC to learn more about biomedical engineering, meet researchers, and understand their work. Taking that initiative opened the door to research opportunities in Pondicherry and strengthened my decision to pursue biomedical engineering at Drexel.
During my master’s studies at Drexel University, Professor Peter Lewin recognized my potential and gave me the opportunity to work as a research assistant in his lab. His support and mentorship became an important foundation for my career.
What were the challenges? How did you address them?
One personal challenge was learning that an unsuccessful experiment does not mean the work has been wasted. In research, the result may be different from what you hoped for, but it can still teach you something valuable.
I learned to see failure as part of the process: understanding what did not work helps guide the next question or experiment. That change in perspective was important for me. Progress in research is not always a straight path.
Another challenge has been moving beyond familiar work. Each career transition meant learning about a different product and its healthcare application. I chose opportunities that challenged me and built on my engineering foundation.
There are technical challenges too, such as making sure a sensor measures reliably or a device performs as intended. Careful testing and collaboration with people from different disciplines are important parts of that work.
Where do you work now?
I work at Intuitive Surgical in Sunnyvale, California, as a Senior Engineer, supporting the Ion platform.
Ion is a robotic-assisted bronchoscopy platform used for minimally invasive lung biopsies. A physician guides a thin, flexible catheter through the airways to collect tissue from a lung nodule, with shape-sensing technology helping identify the catheter’s position and shape during navigation.
What problems do you solve?
I help define what a device needs to do, assess what could go wrong, and review evidence that its design meets those needs. I also help keep the connections between requirements, design decisions, risks, and testing clear.
What skills are needed? How did you acquire them?
The work requires an understanding of engineering systems, careful analysis, clear communication, and collaboration. It also requires knowledge of medical-device development, risk management, and testing. This includes checking that a device meets its specifications and is suitable for its intended use.
My electrical-engineering and biomedical-engineering education provided the foundation. I built on it through experience in research, physiological sensing, hearing technology, and medical-device development.
What is a typical day like?
My day is a mix of meetings, analysis, documentation, and hands-on work. Biomedical engineering involves collaborating with people from different areas, so discussion and problem-solving with colleagues are an important part of the job. I also review device requirements, risk assessments, and testing evidence.
What do you love about this job?
What I love is contributing to technology that can help people live better lives with fewer limitations. Knowing that my engineering work is part of that larger purpose gives me satisfaction and motivation to keep going.
How does your work benefit society?
My work contributes to healthcare technologies that can support people’s health and quality of life.
My work on hearing-aid sensing technology contributed to features that provide heart-rate and activity information alongside hearing support, helping people stay connected and better informed about their health.
At Drexel, I contributed to a therapeutic-ultrasound device studied for wound healing, with the goal of improving care and quality of life for people with chronic wounds.
At Intuitive, my engineering work supports the Ion robotic platform, contributing to the safety and reliability of technology used in minimally invasive procedures.
In medical-device development, my work on requirements, risk management, and testing supports device safety and reliability. These are team efforts, and my contribution is part of the engineering work needed to turn a healthcare idea into a device supported by evidence.
Tell us about a memorable project that is close to your heart.
My therapeutic-ultrasound research at Drexel is especially close to me because it was my first major therapeutic-ultrasound research experience. Under Professor Peter Lewin’s mentorship, I contributed to a team developing and evaluating a device for wound-healing applications.
During a hospital visit as part of the clinical trial, a patient who had used the device asked to meet the engineer involved in developing it. He came up to me, told me about the impact it had had on his life, and thanked me.
That moment has stayed with me. It made the purpose of the work personal: something I had helped develop as part of a team had made a difference to someone. It remains a source of satisfaction and motivation.
What advice would you give students based on your experience?
Follow your passion, and take opportunities to explore it. I initially wanted to become a doctor, but through engineering I found another way to contribute to healthcare.
Build a strong foundation in your subject, seek out mentors, and stay open to learning about different fields. Projects and research opportunities can help you discover the problems you enjoy solving.
Do not let an unsuccessful result discourage you. In research, understanding why something did not work can be a useful step forward. Keep learning, ask questions, and remember the purpose behind the work you want to do.
What are your future plans?
My goal is to grow into a leader in medical technology and contribute to the wider healthcare-innovation ecosystem. Alongside developing medical devices, I want to help startups grow by sharing my experience and offering input as they develop their technologies.
Through mentoring and collaboration, I hope to support teams working to turn promising ideas into healthcare solutions.