As a child, Nicole Camelio recalls having a knack for math and science and could often be found playing with K’Nex -- an educational toy that helps teach simple physics concepts by allowing you to build nearly anything with its system of rods, connectors, gears, and wheels.

As an adult, Nicole found a passion for user-centered design and human factor research and was educated as a mechanical engineer. As an Associate Director of Regulatory Affairs, this duality likely serves Nicole well as she can appreciate and understand the mechanics of how BD products and solutions are designed, but also how they work from a healthcare and end patient perspective.

“I really love working in the regulatory space. Every day is so different. My job is to engage across various areas of the business and communicating to regulatory bodies around the globe to help bring BD products and solutions to market,” said Nicole.

Importance of cross-collaboration 

Nicole began her career as a Quality Engineer with a smaller medical device company and then shifted over to another med tech company where she entered the regulatory space. She joined BD as a Senior Regulatory Affairs Specialist in 2018. For the past several years, she has been focused on supporting BD Surgery, and more recently has been learning and supporting the business’ pharmaceutical products, like BD ChloraPrepTM Patient Preoperative Skin Preparation. Her job requires close collaboration across the entire BD enterprise.

“My role is heavily involved in the product development process from start to end. My team and I work closely with the engineering team on the regulatory strategy for a product and then once we get testing, design documentation, and other items ready, we submit them to the various governing bodies to gain approval to then release them to market,” noted Nicole. “However, there are so many touch points across the lifecycle so close collaboration is absolutely critical.”

College ignited interest in Human Factor Research/User Centered Design

With a bachelor’s and master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Massachusetts – Dartmouth, Nicole relates that a former professor exposed her to research they were conducting around Human Factors and how items were designed.

“I attended engineering school but knew I did not really love engineering itself,” explained Nicole. “However, during my master’s degree research I discovered human factors.  It’s fascinating when you know how a product is designed to work and then how the end user actually uses it – there can be a lot of ‘ah-ha’ moments. In Regulatory Affairs, the more you know about the product design, and its use, the more effective you can be at your job. I enjoy witnessing how BD is evolving its devices and solutions to integrate more around user-centered design.”

BD in a Word = Opportunity

Another aspect of her role that she enjoys is serving as a People Manager at BD. She also called out the sheer volume of opportunity at BD – just ripe for the taking.

“I’ve been a People Manager now for three years and I enjoy this part of my role. I get to support my associates, help them navigate challenges, empower them, and give them the confidence that they can grow at BD – it’s really satisfying,” said Nicole.

When asked what word captures the essence of BD, “opportunity” quickly comes to mind for Nicole. “BD is a very large company that maintains the feel of a small company through its diverse business units. And when you think about it this way, there is so much opportunity to grow, develop, learn, and take on new roles without ever leaving BD.”

Busy working mom

When not working through regulatory submissions, Nicole is a busy working mom with a young daughter and son, husband, and dog, which does not leave her much extra personal time to pick up hobbies at this point in her life. “I like to say I’m focused on just having fun with my family because it’s all I really have time for right now,” jokes Nicole.