Catherine Fiu, the Principal Biomedical Engineer for the Samoa Ministry of Health wants to inspire more women to join the engineering field.

The Science, Technology and Mathematics associated fields have always had lesser women, a key area for focus for the many of the government ministries.

“Engineering is seen predominantly as a male dominated field but there are more women in engineering now and it's not difficult if you’re passionate about it,” Fiu said in an interview with Pacific Community, a scientific organisation in the Pacific region. 

Growing up, Fui was always interested in the engineering field. Before going to university for engineering she looked up which area she wanted to specialise in. She chose biomedical engineering because she loved the idea of designing medical equipment to be used on patients. 

“I think it’s such a blessing to be able to help clinicians, nurses, and doctors treat patients,” Fiu said. 

Fui said it was difficult transitioning from a university setting to a 9-5 job in addition to the stress of being in a hospital setting. But having a good support system, such as her family, helped her overcome these challenges. 

She also learned to lean on her mentors, attend training sessions, and troubleshoot ideas with her team. 

One highlight throughout her career was planning and preparing for the COVID-19 pandemic. The first case in Samoa occurred in 2021 and by then she had helped build the isolation units for patients who contracted the virus. 

These units were equipped with medical equipment and she helped train nurses and doctors on using the equipment to make sure the hospital was ready for any patients that arrived.