Major: M.S. in Perfusion
Class: 2008
Helping when patients need it most
While a patient lies unconscious in surgery, the perfusionist - the person who ensures that the machines are circulating the body's supply of blood while the heart cannot - is critical. One of the team of players in the operating room, perfusionists are involved in cardiopulmonary bypass, patient monitoring, blood conservation and the many other functions that help maintain the life of a patient.
Kirsten Kallies, who received her bachelor's in biomedical engineering from MSOE in 2006 and her master's in perfusion from MSOE in 2008, said the program fit her interests well.
"I wanted to be in a clinical setting, in a hospital with cutting-edge technology. And I react to emergency situations well, so it fits my personality."
Clinicals are a major part of the degree and require many hours in surgery, where students get practical experience.
"I recently had a rare case, where it was something you just couldn't learn from a book. You had to be there," she explained. Kallies currently serves as an assistant professor in MSOE's Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department.