Institution news
Zoë, a keen Institution volunteer and secretary of the East Midlands Region, says she is looking forward to a year of leadership development and to promoting awareness of electronic assistive technologies.
Dr Helen Meese CEng MIMechE, Head of Healthcare at the Institution, said:
“The WISE fellowship is a fantastic opportunity for young women within the NHS to share their passion for healthcare and to raise the profile of engineering and science to a wider audience. Technology and medical devices are playing an increasingly vital role in medicine and patient care and we are in need of more engineers like Zoë to facilitate their application. Zoë’s year as a fellow will enable her to highlight the importance of assistive technology; a field which is set to grow significantly over the coming years as our population ages.”
What are you looking forward to most during your WISE fellowship?
I feel this is an opportunity to develop and understand a range of leadership skills, which can help remove barriers to progression. I will also have two mentors whose perspectives will bring support to areas that I have identified for myself. I’m looking forward to raising the profile of assistive technology, starting with meeting with Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust’s chief executive and medical director to promote assistive technology in general, discuss healthcare science within Barnsley and develop broader links across the NHS and beyond.
How did you move into the assistive technology sector?
I studied integrated engineering at Cardiff University as I wanted a broad-based engineering degree. In my final year I became interested in medical engineering and chose a project in this field. Following university I worked in gait analysis at Derby Hospital and during this time learned about and developed an interest in electronic assistive technology. I joined Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, which is well known in the sector for its leading role in electronic assistive technology, to pursue this further.
What makes working in this sector rewarding for you?
I am motivated by having a people-facing role, applying classic engineering skills to find solutions for my clients. Assistive technology scientists, engineers and clinicians are working to identify suitable technology for people whose paramount requests are for greater independence, less isolation and better communication, and the results produce life-enhancing outcomes.
What message do you want to convey to young people, particularly girls, about STEM careers?
I want to show that engineering is broader than young people might realise. There are so many ways to connect children to engineering through their own interests: food production, for instance! We also have to broaden the ideas about what an engineer looks like, and what his or her workplace looks like. Although the gender imbalance is not too pronounced in this sector, women in healthcare science are underrepresented in leadership roles. Engineers themselves know that there can be something for everyone in the profession but we still need to work on the external perception of engineering.
What are the key traits of a young person, who may be suited to a career in healthcare engineering?
A vital trait is problem solving – in any situation. Looking at how things work, finding solutions and making improvements is the starting point for all kinds of engineers. Pre-school children are always trying to find ways to achieve what they want, so when and why do many of them lose this drive?
What are your aspirations for assistive technology in the next 10 years – given the rapid pace of technological change?
Approximately eight years ago eye-gaze technology was emerging as an access method for people with disabilities but at that stage was very expensive. This technology is now available to clinicians as a routine option to enable people to access assistive technology. Brain control – picking up on the signals that our brain makes as we think about different things, such as moving a limb – is being developed and I think has potential to become more available as an access method. It also seems that mainstream applications, such as Alexa and Siri, signify a step forward in speech control.
As technology develops, the line between assistive and mainstream technology sometimes becomes blurred. Functions developed for helping people with disabilities become standard while our ageing population requires technology to support a range of requirements. There is still a need for the specialised side to push the boundaries, and ensure those with the most significant disabilities can maximise their independence and access to modern society.