"Purdue Calumet Alumni Committed to Excellence" honoree, president and chief executive officer at Cardiovascular Systems, Inc.

"My advice to current students is to explore many career options within your major, don't be afraid of change, and take advantage of opportunities as they present themselves to you."

Michael Kallok, a "Purdue Calumet Alumni Committed to Excellence" honoree, is president and chief executive officer at Cardiovascular Systems, Inc., a medical device company, located in St. Paul, Minn.

According to Kallok, he is responsible for all aspects of the business: research and development, clinical trials, regulatory affairs, sales and marketing, and manufacturing.

"I rely on good senior managers in each of those functions to keep the company operating," Kallok said. "The most interesting aspects of my job involve the processes of developing medical devices that help people. It is a very rewarding career."

Kallok holds a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering sciences from the University of Colorado, a master's degree in engineering from Purdue Calumet, a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from the University of Minnesota and post doctoral work in thoracic diseases from the Mayo (Minn.) Graduate School of Medicine.

Kallok said two biology courses that he took as electives in his master's program at Purdue Calumet influenced his career path.

"These courses got me very interested in using my engineering skills to solve problems in medicine and biology," he said. "I decided to obtain my Ph.D. in biomedical engineering and have enjoyed an exciting career in the medical device industry spanning nearly 30 years.

"Purdue Calumet really provided the catalyst I needed to take my career in the direction I chose," Kallok said. "Being able to obtain an MS degree while working full time was another benefit that made it possible for me to realize my dream."

Kallok said that Purdue Calumet helped in ways ranging from the courses he took to the job he found through the Career Center (now named the Center for Career and Leadership Development).

"I was a student at Purdue Calumet when I found an excellent job at a company called Chicago Metallic Corp.," he said. "Working at Chicago Metallic made me realize that I wanted to do something other than traditional engineering, and this prompted me to take the biology electives. The opportunity at Purdue Calumet plus the job gave me the education, real-life experience and the motivation to continue my education and move into a career in medical devices."

Kallok has advice for students.

"My advice to current students is to explore many career options within your major, don't be afraid of change, and take advantage of opportunities as they present themselves to you."