In our new blog series, Meet Castlight Tech, we’re featuring some of the brilliant minds on our R&D and Engineering team. In this Q&A, we learn more about Mukul Mittal, an engineering manager at Castlight India.

Describe your position, including how your work helps Castlight be a leader in health navigation.

As an engineering manager at Castlight, my team and I are constantly working to ensure our best-in-class medical provider data is updated with the latest search and quality information to empower our members to make informed healthcare decisions for themselves and their families. We strive to make sure they see high-quality providers and accurate prices in their searches.

Recently, we had the opportunity to work on the VaccineFinder project, which now powers Vaccines.gov. The timelines for this project were very short, but with support from our amazing colleagues at Castlight, we were able to deliver a solution that helped millions of people across the U.S. navigate their COVID-19 vaccination journey.

What led to your decision to accept the full-time offer with Castlight earlier this year?

I have been working with Castlight since 2013. The culture that has been developed here is really amazing. We have great work-life balance and flexibility, and the way people care for each other here is truly heart-warming. This was even more evident during the pandemic. Everyone came together to help their colleagues in times of need, be it by assisting them with their work, monetarily, or simply being there for them. This, along with the great work and growth opportunity, made it a very simple decision to accept the full-time offer at Castlight this past summer.

What’s your favorite part about being an engineer at Castlight?

For me, the best part about being an engineer at Castlight is the way innovation is valued and nurtured. The usual topic of conversation between engineering managers is how we can best support the engineers in pursuing their passions—and how we can help them do that at Castlight. One of the ways we do this is with our regular Hackathons. The kinds of projects showcased during these days speak for themselves. For example, the latest Hackathon winner feels really passionate about producing meaningful outcomes and helping members gain access to top-notch affordable healthcare. So, their project focused on maximizing members’ savings even further by redirecting them to better-priced options for purchasing high-quality medications. The projected savings were huge!

What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on at Castlight? 

So far, my favorite project would have to be VaccineFinder. This project had—and continues to have—a far-reaching impact at a time when it was most needed. The deadlines were very tight, so the team had to work on a couple of weekends and put in some really late nights (for which we got extra time off after), but the energy was always high and everyone was happy to do it. The recognition and appreciation the team and Castlight received was well worth it.

What do you like most about working in digital health?

Everyone needs healthcare—and technology has the power to positively transform healthcare in a plethora of ways. Working in this domain allows us to impact people’s lives in very meaningful ways. Hearing stories of people who have benefited from initiatives like our Care Guides makes me really appreciate the positive effects our work is having on the world.

What are you passionate about outside of work?

I love traveling and long road trips. I always try to plan trips that are off the beaten path and take in the local experiences of any place I visit. It has been especially tough staying indoors over the last couple of years, and I really want to visit the beautiful mountains and icy lakes of Ladakh—a region in northern India on the western edge of the Himalayan Mountains—as soon as it is safe to travel. In the meantime, I have found some solace in books and am living vicariously through the characters’ adventures. Most recently, I’ve been enjoying a couple of books by Dan Brown.