From Design to AI/ML: Sarah Tully’s Journey as Senior Software Development Lead

Randy Horton

Published on: October 17th, 2025

At Orthogonal, we celebrate the diverse experiences and values that drive our work in MedTech. This month, we’re spotlighting Sarah Tully, a Senior Software Development Lead whose technical expertise and user-centered approach are shaping how we deliver innovative, compliant software. With a background spanning design, engineering, and consulting across multiple industries, Sarah brings a unique ability to translate complex needs into elegant, maintainable solutions. Her story highlights what we value most, curiosity, accountability, and a commitment to building technology that meaningfully improves patient care.

From Design to Development: Sarah’s Journey

Sarah Tully brings 15 years of experience in custom software development to Orthogonal, with a career that began at the intersection of design and code. She began as a web developer and designer drawn to the blend of aesthetics and functionality, then quickly committed to a full-time engineering career. Consulting across healthcare, life sciences, aviation, and manufacturing sharpened her ability to map business context to sound technical choices. She jumped at the chance to join Orthogonal after collaborating with Melissa Gill and Tanya Wojcik at a prior company, well aware of their high standards and the team’s commitment to building software that genuinely improves patient lives.

AI/ML Driving the Future of MedTech

Sarah sees AI and machine learning shifting from experiments to essentials. In stakeholder conversations, they’ve moved to the front of the agenda, especially as practical tools begin to streamline real workflows in healthcare. She stays current by prototyping with new frameworks, following trusted voices and blogs, and attending conferences and reading changelogs. Despite the promise of AI/ML, she highlights the growing data-security risks and the technical debt associated with legacy stacks. Her take: modernize with intention, pair new capabilities with rigorous security, and keep user needs at the center.

Outdoors, Sports & Life with Two Pups

When she’s not leading development, Sarah heads outdoors to enjoy activities such as camping, hiking, mountain biking, and snowboarding. She also plays softball and golf weekly in the warmer months. At home, Sarah brings nature inside with a thriving collection of houseplants, planted aquariums, and a saltwater reef tank. Her two dogs, a Mini Australian Shepherd and a mixed-breed rescue, are frequent trail companions and reliable office “coworkers.” These outlets help Sarah reset, avoid burnout, and return to work with fresh energy and perspective.

Building Reliable, Accessible Tech that Matters

What motivates Sarah is simple: quality work that improves care. She values agile and lean practices, holds herself to a high bar for accountability, and obsesses over elegant, maintainable, user-friendly code. Over the next five years, she aims to deepen her technical leadership and architectural responsibilities, particularly where AI/ML meets clinical applications. At Orthogonal, she seeks to accelerate compliant and innovative delivery while fostering a culture of collaboration and learning, building reliable, accessible systems, and advancing user-centered design across the MedTech industry.