Growing up Dr. Samantha Jacques ’00 was determined to one day become an engineer.
“I was always good at math and loved science, so I knew in high school that I wanted to be an engineer.”
The oldest of four, the Chicago native was drawn to biomedical engineering field because it wasn’t your typical engineering field and it included helping people. During her time at MSOE, she enjoyed working as a peer tutor and felt very supported by her professors. She says the most helpful lesson she received was how to learn.
“Technology changes so frequently. However, the linear and logical process that were ingrained in me helped me learn how to learn new skills and adapt to change. It also gave me a love for continuous learning and development that led me into leadership positions.”
Jacques earned her Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from MSOE in 2000 and shortly after a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Louisiana Tech University. She started her career as an educator working for Bucknell University as a biomedical professor. That role eventually led her back to Milwaukee to teach at her alma mater where she ran MSOE’s biomedical engineering program.
“Coming back to serve the institution that helped me become an engineer was very rewarding.”
After several years at MSOE, an opportunity arose for her to change careers into clinical engineering, which is the sub-field of biomedical engineering that supports technology in hospitals. The transition from educator to the hospital environment was challenging, but she credits the confidence she gained at MSOE for helping her succeed.
As a Clinical Engineering leader, she managed three major health systems across the country. “I built new hospitals, implemented new technologies and helped optimize workflows to ultimately help patients and their families.” She also worked on unique projects like working on a grant to set up an education program at Jimma University in Ethiopia and completing a lecture series in several cities in China, to help grow the clinical engineering field.
She says one of her proudest moments of her career was the publication of her book, “Introduction to Clinical Engineering” in 2020.
“As an educator, I had always wanted to publish a book. In the industry, there are very few books about clinical engineering specifically. Writing and publishing was a dream that finally came to fruition.”
Today, Samantha is the vice president of clinical engineering at McLaren managing services throughout the McLaren system including 13 hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, imaging centers and Michigan’s largest network of cancer centers.
Her advice to current students, “everyone struggles during their journey, be persistent and never give up on yourself.”
Samantha says she’s truly honored to be included into MSOE’s Wall of Distinction. “Those of us in service fields rarely get accolades for the work we do to help others. This award shows that those of us serving the public are greatly valued by our communities and colleagues.