When Tech High School graduate (1999) Sarah Ahlberg broke her leg playing soccer in eighth grade, she recovered at home with her father who had just undergone quadruple heart bypass surgery. It was a traumatic experience for her to face the mortality of a parent at such a tender age. By the age of 15, her leg had healed crookedly from a bad set in the bone, so she had to endure reconstructive surgery. When the surgery was complete, she had pins and wires sticking out of her leg like a bionic girl. Instead of grossing her out, it fascinated her. She knew she wanted to learn more about how technology can heal. She wondered if surgery with technology worked for her father and for her, what else could it do?
“That experience [quadruple bypass] was my first exposure to the field of biomedical engineering,” shares Ahlberg. “And because that surgery worked for my dad … I had my youth with him, and he got to see my children being born.”
After her own surgery, Ahlberg took as many math and physics classes with Mr. Boatz and Mr. Anfenson at Tech High School as she could. She loved math with Boatz because it presented puzzles she could solve, but then when she blended math with physics in Anfenson’s class, the puzzles became real-life functioning problems to solve.
Thanks to the reconstructive surgery, Ahlberg went on to play varsity soccer at Tech (the team made it to the State Tournament for the first time ever), college soccer and eventually became a marathon runner.
Ahlberg to play soccer for Gustavus Adolphus College. While she gave her all on the field, Ahlberg dove headfirst into earning her bachelor’s degree in physics. It became the groundwork for her master’s and PhD degrees in biomedical engineering at the University of Minnesota (U of M).
While at the U of M, Ahlberg studied in the Visible Heart Lab, a new research facility funded by Medtronic.
“It’s where I got to know and learn Medtronic as a company,” explains Ahlberg. “I assisted with a lot of different projects and work with Medtronic engineers … and it’s how I got hooked up with my first job with Medtronic (at the time called Cardiac Surgery business).”
Ahlberg worked on surgical ablation tools. Ablation is used to burn and kill soft tissue and is typically used in atrial fibrillation. Five years later, she was offered a job in the transcatheter valve department at Medtronic. She began designing less invasive ways to fix heart problems.
“So instead of having open-heart surgery,” says Ahlberg, “we were developing valves that could be loaded with a catheter through your leg … into your heart. It’s a very exciting and innovative space.”
During the nine years Ahlberg worked in that department, she did preclinical work on the safety and efficacy of their devices in animals. From there, she moved from being a scientist to managing a team of scientists in the field.
The CEO of Medtronic, Omar Ishrak, approached Ahlberg in 2020 because of her expertise in ultrasound as a way to visualize cardiac structures and transcatheters in soft tissue. The two formed a mentor/partner type of relationship and started a project together that uses ultrasound to do navigational imaging in a variety of different businesses at Medtronic.
“[Since retiring] He is still an important mentor for me,” shares Ahlberg. “That [relationship] took my career on a different trajectory. Once I got to know different people because of that detour, I was approached to be the director of research and technology in cardiac ablation solutions. So, I’m back home to ablation. But now I’m in catheter-based ablation.”
Ahlberg is excited for this new technology and her team to develop the new technologies. They are also integrating the devices into the new navigational system. In addition, her team is developing new ways to ablate tissue that isn’t thermal but instead high-energy pulses which reduces the risk of damaging tissue surrounding the targeted area. It’s an idea that she worked on as a scientist 13 years prior but is now coming to fruition. The results from their human pivotal trial were quite positive. Her goal is to be the first team to have this new technology in the hands of physicians across the United States.
“It’s a really big moment for me!” exclaims Ahlberg. “We’re getting ready to change how ablation is done. I want to keep making current medical devices and procedures better by integrating new technology and to make better solutions for our patients.”
To say that Sarah Ahlberg repairs broken hearts is an understatement. She hopes to give more years to heart patients and their families just as medical technology did for her. With the technology that she and her team has developed, she is excited to see what leads to future miracles.
Fun Facts:
- Ahlberg has a set of twin boys.
- Her family loves to travel and explore National Parks. Thus far, they’ve seen 19 of them.
- Ahlberg’s resume includes nine issued patents, over 20 journal publications, more than 35 scientific presentations and teaching assistant positions in Advanced Cardiac Anatomy and Physiology Courses at the University of Minnesota.
- Awards include: Technical Fellow Honor and Inductee into the Institute of Engineering in Medicine Industry at the University of Minnesota
- She coaches youth soccer.
Ahlberg presents at a scientific conference as the chair.
Ahlberg’s family at Glacier National Park
The youth soccer team Ahlberg coaches
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