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    Women In Medtech: Catherine Castagna

    Careers for the head and heart

    Meet women who are changing lives at LivaNova

    Catherine Castagna is a Software Engineer III at LivaNova. She is responsible for developing software for clinicians and patients to interact with LivaNova’s implantable therapy devices. She’s been with the company since October 2019.
    Catherine Castagna

    Q: What led you to pursue engineering as a career choice?

    A: I feel like I was always meant to be an engineer. Growing up, my mom joked that I started every sentence with "Well actually,” which was then followed up with facts. I was always interested in learning how things worked and problem solving, so an engineering career really suited me. Being in software is even more an extension of that thinking because of all the logic involved.
     

    Q: Please tell us a little bit about your career path and what led you to LivaNova.

    A: LivaNova was my first experience in the corporate world, and I don’t want to leave. It’s a place where I want to grow, expand my knowledge and work with the team. I am lucky because in my field, the advice that is often given is to start somewhere … even if you don’t want to end up there. And here I am, instead picturing a long future with my first corporate job.

    Q: Is there a woman who mentored or inspired you throughout your career?

    A: My mom was the artist in a family of engineers and got her first master’s degree in graphic design.  At age 60, she returned to school to pursue a second master's degree in art history. She inspires me to never be complacent and to follow my heart as I grow in my pursuits.
     

    Q: What inspires you to do this work?

    Q: What is the best or most helpful benefit that LivaNova offers its employees?

    A: The vacation and personal time benefits are amazing, and I use them often. I’m also lucky to benefit from my department being remote. It gives me flexibility on where I work each day and I’m grateful to have space to focus without the extraneous noises of an office building.
     

    Q: What advice would you give to women engineers who are entering the workforce?

    A: Secure a technical mentor and you will be well set. The software developers I worked with noticed I was new to the field. They included me in meetings and conversations about technical solutions, all for the sake of expanding my learning. Their efforts transformed me from a new person in the field to someone who provided almost immediate value to the company's goals.
     

    Q: Why would you encourage other women in medtech to come work at LivaNova?

    A: There are many reasons to work at LivaNova. I think it’s a perfect fit for both women and men. LivaNova is inclusive and everyone works well together. I’ve never felt singled out or treated any differently here, and I think that having that at the beginning of my career was invaluable to my growth as a leader.
     

    Q: Please share with us a little-known fact about you.

    A: In college, I took up a 1930s partner dance called Lindy Hop. I danced two to three times a week in the evenings in surrounding cities. Recently, I went to my first dance since COVID started, and it felt magical to stretch my wings in this art form again. I look forward to dancing more in the future.
     

    This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. 

    Women In Medtech

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