Alumni
Profiles of Success
Frank Callaghan
Vice President for Research and Development
Endocardial Solutions, Inc.
MS Biology 1979, Purdue
MS Electrical Engineering 1982, Purdue
Frank Callaghan has always been interested in the science of medicine, but knew that he had no interest in the practice of it. His very particular focus has led him down an interesting career path, which involves management experience in the research, design, manufacture, regulation, pre-clinical, and clinical trials of cardiovascular devices.
After earning his BA from the University of Delaware, Frank began work in the Institute for Neuroscience and Behavior at the university. As a research associate, he investigated the role of biogenic amines in fetal development. After a couple of years in the lab, he was accepted into Purdue, where he earned two masters degrees--one in Biological Sciences, which he earned in 1979, and the other in Electrical Engineering, which he completed in 1982. Frank spent much of his time working on his thesis, which involved medical devices with applications in cardiology. He also spent time outside of his classes working as a TA, and also as an RA in the Biomedical Engineering Center.
"The training I received in five years as a grad student was exceptionally thorough".
After graduating from Purdue, Frank was offered a job at Cordis Corporation as a Research Engineer. In this role, he helped develop catheter prototypes and three new methods of cardiac pacing. The following year he was promoted to the position of Senior Research Engineer, which put him in charge of a team of engineers and scientists developing fully automatic pacemakers. He later became Manager of Systems Technology, where he directed 16 scientists engaged in multiple projects. In 1987, Cordis' Implantable Products Division was acquired by Teletronics, and Frank was promoted to Director of Research and was later named Director of Research and Development. With these advancements he became the manager of 34 engineers and scientists, who introduced over forty new products to the market.
Frank is now the Vice President of Research and Development for Endocardial Solutions, Inc., a company that develops catheters and workstations for 3-D mapping and visualizations of cardiac arrhythmias (an abnormal rate of atrial or ventricular contraction). In this role he is responsible for the development of hardware, software, and catheters, and conducts clinical feasibility research studies and animal studies. As many as 50 engineers, scientists, and mathematicians have worked under him. The achievements of his group of scientists and engineers include the development of the world's most advanced cardiac electrophysiology workstation.
For Frank, there is no typical day on the job. "Every day is different," he says. After spending about an hour responding to voicemail and e-mail, his day "is consumed with meetings covering product specifications, product development plans, product testing, design reviews, and clinical research". Frank also spends a great deal of time traveling to cardiology conferences, where he attends the scientific sessions or works on the exhibit floor. "I also travel to various customer and clinical research sites to participate in clinical procedures,...as well as to participate in the testing of advanced product concepts," he adds.
Speaking positively about his experience at Purdue, Frank states "The training I received in five years as a grad student was exceptionally thorough". To students pursuing a career in biology, Frank advises "Don't study biology just because you love it. Also study the stock market to determine areas of anticipated growth (like medical devices, pharmaceuticals, genomics, etc.) and gear your training accordingly. In the end, being employable in a growth industry can offer exceptional career options and opportunities."