It’s a wrap! My externship at AMTZ, the Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone in Visakhapatnam, India, has come to an end, and it was truly special.

Professionally, this phase was about horizontal learning: following a single device through every stage of its development, from ideation, conceptualisation, and brainstorming through proof of concept, product design, risk assessment, testing, and technology transfer. We also explored the full medical device lifecycle, from initial evaluation and design definition through product development, final validation, regulatory approvals, launch, and post-market surveillance.

A highlight was meeting Nitturi Naresh Kumar, Head of Biomedical Engineering, who emphasised the importance of continuous learning to keep pace with emerging technologies in the field.

There were personal highlights too. Meeting someone from your country while abroad is always heartwarming. Meeting your namesake is even better. It was such a joy to meet Dr. Njeri Gitau, an award-winning global public health specialist, Rockefeller Fellow, and published author. Thank you, garana, for your kind and inspiring words.

And then there was the food journey. Before I left, I was told to try biryani. Nobody mentioned how spicy it would be. Week one was survival; by the final week I was thriving, and chilli is now my default spice. Diwali, the festival of lights, made the experience wholesome: the sweets more than made up for the early days of spice overload.

I’m grateful for the learning, the networks, and the memories.

On the workbench with the AMTZ team

Diwali celebrations