Deepti Bhadkamkar has always been driven by the impact of what she does. When she looks at a building, she sees more than a structure; she sees a place that will impact people with countless ripple effects. She sees stem cell labs that will significantly impact the way we understand and treat disorders and diseases; she sees world-class hospitals that will save children’s lives.

Most of all, she sees potential. A project manager specializing in complex MEP systems across core markets, Bhadkamkar’s passion is figuring out ways to make these labs, data centers and hospitals smarter and more efficient for the people who will eventually occupy them.

Since she joined DPR in 2005 as an intern, she has been continuously learning and honing her skills, as MEP systems and the ways to manage them are ever-changing. Bhadkamkar has worked on several large-scale projects throughout her career, including:

• UCSF Ray and Dagmar Dolby Regeneration Medicine Building, the $123 million home of one of the largest and most comprehensive stem cell research programs of its kind in the U.S.
• UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay, an award-winning 878,000-sq.ft. ground-up hospital complex renowned for its integrated project delivery (IPD) approach and state-of-the-art patient care.

She is currently working on Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, where she is managing MEP systems for the entire hospital. The expansion project will more than double the size of the current facility, adding 521,000 sq. ft. and allowing the hospital to meet increased demand for pediatric and obstetric care as the Bay Area population grows.

Early in her career as a project engineer, Bhadkamkar struggled with people initially not taking her seriously. She made sure she always did her research ahead of time so she could speak with complete certainty about complex MEP systems to people who sometimes had double the experience that she did. Over time, as she built her technical expertise, this confidence came more naturally. She never hesitates to ask questions, rely on resources or step out of her comfort zone to learn something new in the field.

“Everyone has insecurities or biases, but whatever it is, just focus on what you love to do, and give your 100 percent full commitment to it,” she said. “Don’t get too bogged down with perceptions because ultimately, they are yours. I always treat myself as a leader and an engineer, and so does everyone else.”

The proudest moment of her career happened when a superintendent she has worked closely with on a few big projects pointed to her and told an engineer, “You have to be like her.”

As a member of the Bay Area’s Project Engineer (PE) leadership group, as well as the MEP leadership group, Bhadkamkar helps mentor and develop curriculum that over 100 PEs in the Bay Area and over 50 MEP experts around the country can benefit from as they learn, develop and grow.

“I personally wanted to share with them the experiences I had, and offer them the same insights that I have learned over time,” she said. “I want to teach them something that will have an impact on them, and I learn so many things from them as well. Working with our next generation of builders gives me such a great energy to keep going.”

Bhadkamkar is passionate about anything that makes a difference in somebody’s life–whether it is mentorship or building highly integrated smart buildings that enhance the human experience. It’s not just the structures that Bhadkamkar builds that create ripple effects of positive impacts on countless people over time–she does, too.