OrthoWorx Member Spotlight: Medtronic Spinal and Biologics, a Partner in Education

Madison Elementary School sixth grade students got a glimpse into the world of spinal implants from local Medtronic Spinal and Biologics Business professionals.

A Medtronic-sponsored educational series this past school year featured professionals from human resources, quality and engineering. They shared with students about the importance of science and math, careers in the life sciences industry and spinal health.

Medtronic partners with Madison Elementary through the Warsaw Education Foundation Partners in Education Program. This past year was the first of what they hope to be many years as a partner in the program. “We felt that a true partnership was about more than funding. By getting involved with the education aspect directly, our goal was to show students what the orthopedic industry does to improve the quality of life and how much fun it is to do this for a living. We hope that this gets the next generation of doctors, engineers, programmers, machinists, etc… excited about learning and pursuing the life sciences for a career,” states Roy Wiley, Senior Director, Medtronic Spinal and Biologics Business.

Students learned about spinal health issues, like scoliosis, and how spinal implants help people to live better lives. This includes people suffering from degenerative diseases and also those recovering from spinal injuries. Using spinal implants, quality engineers demonstrated how implants function once implanted inside the body.

In addition to the science and medical side of the spinal industry, engineers spoke about the machines used to make the implants, how they are manufactured and about potential careers in the industry.

Members of the Medtronic human resources team talked to the students about the importance of recognizing the medical benefits of taking care of your spine. They also explained all of the different career opportunities available at a company like Medtronic and in the life sciences industry in general.

Trisha Tackett, Human Resources Generalist, Medtronic Spinal and Biologics, comments, “The students were very interested – specifically in careers. They wanted to know what the high-level jobs were, and how much people could earn. They were also very eager to share their experiences about people they knew that had spinal injuries.”

Tackett concludes, “This being the first year, it was more like a watch and learn. We’d love to get them to have a more hands-on experience in the future.”