Camilla Halewood
Director of Research & Development at Embody Orthopaedic Limited
If you want to be an engineer you definitely have to do maths and physics - but if you want to and your school lets you, definitely do something totally different as well at A-Level. I did history and have never regretted it, even though I don't use it in my job.
About Camilla...
Who am I?
"I am an engineer working in the medical devices sector."
What do I do?
"I work for a really small medical devices company. We have developed a new type of hip replacement for arthritis and my job is mainly about getting it approved for use."
How did I get here?
"All I knew when I finished my engineering degree is that I wanted to work in the medical sector so I was lucky enough to do a masters in biomedical engineering which got me interested in orthopaedics. After a brief stint at the transport research laboratory working on vehicle safety, I got a job in orthopaedic engineering research. Then I moved to a small company, still in orthopaedics, but less on the research side, more on the product development side, and I've been there ever since."
The life I live
"I got into running during covid and I still do that regularly. I love most sports and have just started playing padel tennis which is great! I've also got a 3-year old dog called Wilma who needs walking."
My typical day
"Working for a small company means my days can be quite varied. I do spend a lot of my time in front of a computer using spreadsheets but I also still get to do some hands on stuff like testing prototypes and preparing medical devices for use."
My qualifications
"I did A-Levels, then an undergraduate degree in engineering, a masters in biomedical engineering and then I completed a PhD while working in research."