Why a Researcher Should Understand More Than Just Their Own Device
As a PhD researcher working on next-generation polymeric heart valves, I spend most of my days buried in data: tensile curves, SEM images, dip-coating parameters, FTIR peaks, and cyclic loading behavior. I engineer membranes, optimize composite formulations, and test fatigue life. But recently, I’ve come to realize — all this knowledge isn’t enough.
To truly innovate, especially in the medical device field, you have to look beyond your own bench. That’s why I’ve been taking time to understand the diagnostic and interventional procedures used in cardiovascular care, such as angiography, angioplasty, stenting, and echocardiography.
This isn’t just intellectual curiosity. It’s about context — the clinical picture in which my device will live and (hopefully) save lives.
From Bench to Bedside: The Clinical Gap
Most engineering PhDs focus on materials, testing, and fabrication. But if you’re designing a heart valve — or any life-critical implant — it doesn’t exist in isolation. It enters a complex, fast-moving, clinical world.
I realized that if I don’t understand how doctors diagnose aortic stenosis, how they visualize valve dysfunction using angiography, or how they decide between transcatheter vs surgical interventions, I can’t claim to know whether my device is truly fit for purpose.
The doctor isn’t thinking about my fracture toughness graphs. They’re thinking about access routes, fluoroscopic visibility, deployment risks, and backup strategies if the leaflet doesn’t coapt properly.
That gap between lab and hospital can’t be bridged by data alone. It needs insight.
Why I’m Studying Angiography, Echocardiography & More
So yes, I’m now brushing up on angiography — how contrast dye reveals arterial blockages, how balloon catheters dilate vessels, and when a stent becomes necessary. I’m reviewing echocardiography — how sonographers assess leaflet mobility and regurgitation severity.
It might not be in my thesis, but it’s essential for what comes after the PhD:
👉 Bringing my valve to clinical trials.
👉 Supporting our startup “Syntex” as we develop regulatory dossiers.
👉 Collaborating with interventional cardiologists.
👉 Responding to FDA and MHRA reviewers.
👉 Designing something that integrates, not disrupts, the clinical workflow.
Engineering in the Real World Means Understanding the Human World
What I’m learning is bigger than medicine. It’s about becoming a holistic innovator — one who respects the system they’re entering.
Too often, we engineers build in a vacuum. We assume the world will adjust around our invention. It rarely does.
When you want to build a real-world device, you need real-world empathy. That includes the people using it, the systems managing it, and the patients trusting it.
My Advice to Other Researchers
If you’re a researcher like me, building medical devices or anything user-facing, ask yourself:
- Do I know how my product is currently used in the field?
- Do I understand the pain points of clinicians, not just the performance metrics?
- Have I ever watched a live procedure where my device might one day be deployed?
- Am I designing with awareness — or in academic isolation?
If not, take some time to study the systems your invention must integrate with. Read clinical case studies. Watch interventional videos. Talk to nurses, surgeons, and technicians. Attend a medical conference.
It won’t just make you a better inventor. It’ll make your device more likely to survive the journey to market — and do what it was meant to do: help people.
Wasif Reflects: Where Engineering Meets Meaning
At this stage in life, I’m no longer chasing wealth or titles. I’m chasing meaningful contribution. That means being honest with myself about where I lack perspective and actively working to fill those gaps.
Learning how the heart is imaged, diagnosed, and treated has humbled me. And it’s reminded me that innovation isn’t always about novelty — sometimes it’s about understanding what already exists, deeply and respectfully.
Because only then can you truly build something better.
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Wasif
Wasifreflects 