When Rachel Coxon saw an artificial heart on display at the University of NSW several years ago, she immediately knew biomedical engineering was the career for her.
She's currently doing a PhD in biomedical engineering and was recently presented with a Future Summit 2008 Australian Leadership Award for her work so far.
Ms Coxon, from Rosehill, said the award would give her the opportunity to mix with some of the country's top minds and leaders where she would be able to contribute ideas into the shaping of Australia's future.
Ms Coxon works for ResMed, a manufacturer of respiratory medical devices for the diagnosis and treatment of sleep-disordered breathing.
"I'm running clinical trials for my PhD with patients at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital,'' she said.
"The patients have cardiac failure and sleep disorders and the trials are looking at ways of developing better diagnostic methods for the treatment of the sleep disorders.''
Ms Coxon, 25, said biomedical engineering helped to improve the quality of life of patients suffering from a range of health issues.
Examples of devices available due to biomedical engineering include prosthetic limbs, cochlear implants and pacemakers.
"If something is not functioning properly, that's where these assisted devices come in handy,'' she said.
In the coming months, the young humanitarian hopes to develop an online forum for people interested in her field.
It could also one day help to raise money for patients who couldn't afford the medical equipment, she said.
Ms Coxon is also a mentor with the Australian Youth Development Association.