From California to the HAWK

Balasubramaniam gives his lectures exclusively in English. The students benefit not only from the language, but, above all, from the 30 years of experience that the biochemist brings with him from the fields of life science, biotechnology, and medical technology. This, coupled with his expertise in product management, global marketing, medical device launch, and commercialization, makes the lectures an unforgettable learning experience for the students who listen to the Indian-born lecturer every week. This is also confirmed by Bachelor's student Kadriye Guenes who attests, "I can gather a high amount of practical wisdom and tips for the working world in medical technology companies as in digital health with professor Balasubramaniam."

Balasubramaniam works at Oracle Health in California and, as part of this work, is allowed to teach on a voluntary basis for the Oracle Education Foundation and to pass on his extensive expertise to the students: "Thanks to my many years of knowledge of the German as well as the international medical device market, I am aware of the latest trends and the current market requirements and can thus pass on my extensive knowledge from experience."A good ten years in research and development, which have led to two patents and 15 scientific publications“, are also part of his capturing lectures.

"It was important to us“, emphasizes Prof. Dr. Christoph Russmann, Dean at the Health Campus, to provide students with tools for their later practical work that go beyond the usual. The experience they get from my colleague Nandha Kumar Balasubramaniam is invaluable for their future professional life. Our future medical technology engineers obtain significant knowledge of the development of medical products. This applies especially to the area of digital technologies. "And Balasubramaniam emphasizes, "I attach great importance to ensuring that the knowledge acquired is supported by practical exercise." He also presents concepts for the digital transformation of all corporate processes in medical technology.

The medical device expert also specializes in digital technologies, including all aspects of the added value - from concept to market launch as well as the commercialization of a product. Moreover, he wants to impart this knowledge to his students, via online lectures, and, as far as Corona allows, occasionally in presence. In the process, his audience also works on small projects in which they deal with medical device manufacturers and their developments, culminating in thirty-minutes case study presentations delivered in English.

Based on his work at Oracle Health, the scientist has already been exposed to the development of a wide variety of hardware and software solutions that include telemedicine as well as web-based diagnostics, wearable devices, or sensors for remote monitoring. Balasubramaniam's goal is to introduce students to digital transformation that is transforming patient-centric healthcare.

The personal contact with his colleague Christoph Russmann, Dean of Health at the Faculty of Engineering and Health, whom he met while managing the Cataract Surgery portfolio while at Carl Zeiss Meditec AG in Jena, Germany, led Balasubramaniam to come to Göttingen. Russmann is certain: "With this interdisciplinary and interprofessional degree program, our students have excellent career prospects. Through internationally oriented lectures with a workshop-based character, such as those conducted by my colleague Kumar Balasubramaniam, we enable the students to think even further outside the box. The fact that Kumar is an outstanding expert not only on the American market, but also on the European – especially the German market, is a huge advantage".