Since its inception in 2000, the Howe Awards have celebrated creative excellence in technology, honoring those who blend science, technology, engineering, and our core values to make a profound impact on patients and customers alike.

The 2024 Howe Awards honored 13 teams with gold, silver, and bronze awards across five categories. In addition, five exceptional individuals were also recognized as the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award winners:

• Jay Almarode, Associate Principal Engineer, Software Engineering
• Dolores Berger, R&D Sr. Staff Scientist
• Ralph Sonderegger, Associate Principal Engineer, Product Development
• Chris Drobnik, R&D Director, R&D Management
• Philip Tessier, Sr. Staff Engineer, Product Engineering

These trailblazers have been recognized for their groundbreaking scientific and technological advancements, creation of invaluable intellectual property, and unwavering support for products.  Their work and dedication have exemplified the BD Way and helped to drive measurable improvements in healthcare.

We reached out to these well-deserving winners to obtain their perspectives, including their journey at BD and how the industry is evolving with the rapid pace of technology.

Q. What are you most proud of in your career at BD?

Jay Almarode: I'm most proud of helping our team deliver world class software to scientists and researchers for so many years. It's been a team effort all the way, and when I see our technology mentioned in publications and research papers, I'm filled with immense pride as to what we've accomplished and continue to deliver.

Ralph Sonderegger: My friendships with my exceptional coworkers have been incredibly meaningful to me. Mentoring has also been a source of great joy, bringing with it challenges, friendships, and delightful surprises. I am proud of my contributions to developing the product development culture at our BD Sandy site in Utah, including creating Best Practices courses like the First Principles modeling course, which led to the current Excel Design Guide. Leading numerous major projects, making significant contributions to product development, and enhancing BD’s intellectual portfolio have all been deeply fulfilling.  

Dolores Berger: I would have to say it is the breadth of product development activities I have been able to work on over my career: Blood culture, ID/AST, rapid manual tests molecular Dx,  cancer Dx and others. Then, being able to go back and connect with many of these in my most recent role as a statistician. I have also worked closely on a few highly impactful product launches that I am very proud to have been associated with.

Chris Drobnik:  I’ve had the opportunity to be part of many great teams here at BD, but the most impactful has been working with the team developing products and services using radioactive seeds to treat prostate cancer. This effort has grown into a dedicated group of 50 associates in Carol Stream, IL and a world-class customer service team based in Covington, GA. Our unique business customizes products for specific patients, making it an intensely personal experience to help cancer patients at a critical time in their lives. I’m proud to be part of a team that has helped positively impact the lives of tens of thousands of men with prostate cancer. You couldn’t ask for more out of a career.

Philip Tessier: As a manufacturing and product development engineer, I am most proud of being associated with the development of the surgical mesh product line, including projects which continue to help advance resorbable materials and repair techniques. These are great products that surgeons love.  

Q. BD’s strategy focuses on 3 irreversible trends: smart connected care, the shift to outpatient and home settings, and chronic disease management. How are you seeing these three trends influence your area of work.

Jay Almarode: One trend that pushes us is the plethora of data and the complexity and scale of computation needed. We continue to work on large- scale cloud computing and utilize machine learning with the sole focus of solving customer problems. These efforts ensure that we stay ahead of the curve and deliver innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of our customers.

Ralph Sonderegger: By designing reliable, user-friendly, and adaptable products, we support BD’s strategic focus on smart connected care, the shift to outpatient and home settings, and chronic disease management. Additionally, solutions that are compatible with smart connected care systems and perform effectively across various clinical environments enable us to better manage chronic conditions. With advancements in AI, the increased data from these smart systems will facilitate more accurate analysis, accelerating the discovery of solutions for chronic diseases.

Dolores Berger: I can see the shift towards outpatient and home-based care, especially after the impact of COVID-19, which placed more emphasis on initiatives such as molecular testing at point-of-care (POC) – for example, self-collection for HPV testing.

Chris Drobnik : Our business delivers rapidly decaying radioactive implants for cancer treatment, which makes assessing the impact of these trends more complex compared to traditional products. However, these trends guide us to provide patient-centric rather than facility-centric products. We customize each order to individual patient needs and ensure timely delivery, worldwide. We strive to make the process as convenient as possible for patients and physicians, minimizing hospital time. This approach continues to guide our development of patient-specific products.

Philip Tessier: One trend that I am seeing is how hernia repair techniques utilizing BD surgical mesh can be performed in outpatient settings with minimally invasive techniques requiring mesh designs for easy placements.

Q. What would you say is the secret behind your success?

Jay Almarode: I think if you believe in the value of your work, are committed and willing to work hard, then success comes naturally. My secret is believing in the mission, and to help scientists cure diseases.

Ralph Sonderegger: There are many secrets to my success - my wife, who is the smartest, most creative person I know, and my friends and co-workers, whose skills complement mine and enable me to focus on my strengths. Along with this incredible support network, I also leverage my imagination and determination to achieve goals, and BD has empowered me to do so.

Dolores Berger: Though I’m not sure these are secrets, but being flexible, surrounded by incredibly talented people, continually learning (especially from mistakes), and staying focused on the goal would be my strengths.

Chris Drobnik: I would say an innate curiosity about the world around you and a passion for constantly asking the questions “what if?” and “why not?”. If you couple this with a certain degree of relentlessness and perseverance in the face of the roadblocks or setbacks you inevitably run into as you pursue these questions, you would be surprised at what you can accomplish. Plus, I am lucky enough to be surrounded by people who truly care and whom I admire, and it’s important not to forget to have some fun along the way.

Philip Tessier: My upbringing to give my best effort to the small details would be the key to my success. Along with it, learning from experience and the ability to move on to the next step for a solution.

Q. If you could have dinner with any scientist or innovator, past or present, who would it be and why?

Jay Almarode: I would choose to have dinner with Arthur Eddington. He was an astronomer (among other things) who wrote articles explaining the crazy theory of relativity to the English-speaking world in the early 1900's. His expedition to an island off the west coast of Africa captured images of the solar eclipse to prove Einstein's new theory. He was a pacifist who believed in international cooperation.

Ralph Sonderegger: Albert Einstein, for his imagination, wisdom, and determination. I love his quotes and, he had great hair!

Dolores Berger: I would want to spend time with the scientists/innovators working on ways to combat climate change, which is something that is impacting every aspect of our lives, including infectious diseases. 

Chris Drobnik: Being an Ohio native and having worked with my identical twin brother Mike for the past 35 years, I would say that it would be awesome if Mike and I could have dinner with the Wright brothers. Their story is pretty inspiring. It would be cool to hear their story, and for them to see the impact they have had.

Philip Tessier: Elias Howe, inventor of the sewing machine. We have made thousands of mesh products over the years using these machines. It would be intriguing to know how the process and first machine was conceived of and made.