49er Industry Chats: Engineering the Extraordinary: Life-Saving Medical Technology

Distinguished Engineer, Medtronic

Mark Ashby has worked as an engineer in the medical device industry for over 30 years. Today, Mark is a Distinguished Engineer on the Product Development team at Medtronic in Irvine, where he works to advance medical technology for the company’s neurological business. In 2007, Mark led a team of engineers to pioneer Solitaire™, a revascularization device that retrieves clots from occluded blood vessels in the brain and restores blood flow for patients suffering ischemic strokes. Mark’s work, along with the work of his engineer colleagues, has completely changed the course of stroke treatment and contributed to improved patient outcomes including reduced mortality and complications.