How long I have been in the industry:
My name is Arleen Thukral, and I have been in HTM industry since 2012.
Short Background:
I started out being interested in engineering and medicine. I graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a Masters and Bachelors in Biomedical Engineering in 2012. While I loved the scientific method and enjoyed working with data, I came to understand through my research experience that a principle investigator is largely dependent on grants and follow multi-year cycles. I was interested to learn about careers that involve technical expertise but allow for more instant gratification in the work. The impactful nature of clinical engineering combined with a large scope of work was and is exciting.
Key Milestones or people who helped you grow
I began my tenure with the Department of Veteran Affairs through the Technical Career Field (TCF) program under the mentorship of Robert Steldt, Chief at Milwaukee VAMC at the time. Under his leadership and with collaboration with other excellent team members, I learned the importance of being brave and striving to do what has not been done. The team at Milwaukee was setting the precedence for new technologies in the VA including simulation learning center and building and in-house networked medical device database.
From there, I became Chief Biomedical Engineer in 2014 at Fresno, CA, VA Hospital. I progressed to be a regional engineer in VISN 21and became Chief Healthcare Technology Manager in VISN 2 in 2019 overseeing 9 HTM departments in New York and New Jersey VA. A milestone in my career was implementing the transition to a new CMMS (Nuvolo). This was possible due to supportive leadership and staff that worked tirelessly to meet the demanding schedule. Last year, another milestone was being named 2024 AAMI Young Professional of Year. I am very grateful to be recognized for my contributions to the HTM community thus far.
Any roadblocks you overcame
In my current role, I have met some challenges with change management and consensus building. As a result, my team and I have focused on our communication practices by establishing systems that standardize and streamline our processes for communication. We utilize an action tracer to outline goals and objectives using template examples. In addition, our workgroups utilize SharePoint intakes to standardize the inputs for discussions and document progress/next steps. Knowledge articles and SOPs are also created to close training gaps. We are open to feedback to continue to improve as we face new challenges.
What makes a great leader in this field?
A great leader is someone that can listen to everyone’s concerns, discuss various points of views while provide insights, and provide direction/vision for next steps. They do not fall in love with the first idea and are willing to improve.
Your advice for other women in HTM
I would say to follow your passion, seek out other women in HTM and get involved/volunteering with HTM organizations. Be visible and help make others visible by presenting at conferences or mentoring newer staff.
Remember you are not just part of the HTM field, you are shaping its future. Keep growing and proving that technical excellence and inclusive leadership go hand-in-hand.