Why this work, what drew you to it … My love of math and science classes is what originally attracted me to Electrical Engineering. I essentially knew it drew from the raw materials that aligned with my academic interests. I got into the medical device space through my time as a design contractor where I supported a custom chip being developed by ANS in the early 2000s. Seeing how important effective power management was in producing a long-lasting implanted device sparked my interest in Neuromodulation products and I’ve never looked back.

Your proudest professional moment … Any time I get to see the impact our products have on the life of a patient, those are always the proudest moments for me. Being part of the team that helps a chronic pain or movement disorder patient get their life back is something that little else can compare with.

When you’re not Mr. DeShazo, for fun Daran likes to … I still spend a lot of time playing and recording music. Guitar is my main instrument, but I enjoy trying to play just about anything! In addition, I’m a pretty big movie buff and love travelling with my wife. Getting away for a quiet weekend, nice scenery and time outdoors is hard to beat.

Your dreams for the future … There is a lot of excitement ahead when it comes to Neuromodulation products. I’d love to see us produce devices that can provide effective therapy with even less patient interaction. Implants can keep getting smarter and smaller.  Bigger picture, I’d like to see technology used to better connect people instead of isolating or dividing.

Best advice you ever heard … I’m not sure I’ve heard more impactful advice than the importance of understanding that failure and mistakes are inevitable, it’s really just a question about how we learn from them and continually improve and move forward.

Thanks for joining us. Any closing thoughts? It was great talking to you. I really look forward to where Abbott Neuromodulation technology can go in the future. Everything we do is patient-centric and while developing a new technology is a rewarding challenge, it really means the most when it has a tangible benefit in the life of a patient and their family.