Mr. Todd Carlson has been honored by the American Health Council as “Best in Medicine.” Mr. Carlson has been appointed to the Industry Board of The American Health Council for his dedication to the role as a Principal Validation Engineer. With thirty years experience within the device industry, Mr. Carlson’s expertise is with project management in the manufacturing division, validation engineering and quality services.

To pursue his career choice, Mr. Carlson attended South Dakota University to attain his B.S. in Electronics, graduating in 1990. Following this, Mr. Carlson went on to gain his CQE (Certified Quality Engineer) and CQA (Certified Quality Auditor) – these provided him with the fundamental skills and knowledge to understand the responsibilities of being an engineer and auditor.

Currently working as a Principal Validation Engineer at Medtronic, Mr. Carlson became involved in this role by continual growth within the same organization for his thirty year career. He attributes his successful career to his internal drive and having high self-motivation.

Medtronic is a medical device company that focuses on improving and transforming the lives of millions of people. The mission is “to contribute to human welfare by application of biomedical engineering in the research, design, manufacture, and sale of instruments of application that alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life.” Though initially starting as a medical equipment repair shop by two men in 1949, Medtronic has expanded to include medical technologies from implantable mechanical devices, surgical instruments and biologic delivery devices. Medtronic offers a variety of services such as technology, development, healthcare strategy, patient safety and quality improvement, patient services and research. Mr. Carlson’s responsibilities vary on a daily basis. These include making sure that all processes are repeatable and up to par with FDA regulations. He has to ensure he has an overall understanding of the products from a developmental standpoint all the way through to processing. Mr. Carlson regularly evaluates and analyzes risk factors in manufacturing and continually overcomes those risks in a timely fashion. To ensure he is always completely aware of everything regarding quality, Mr. Carlson is a member of the American Society for Quality.

Moving forward into the future, Mr. Carlson’s goal is to continue growing within his current organization as a project manager, as well as adding more value and insight to the company.

In his spare time, Mr. Carlson enjoys water skiing, racquetball and various outdoor activities. Additionally, he works with various charities including the YMCA, United Way and his church.