The Leading Difference

Katie Bochnowski is the Senior Vice President of Customer Success & Services at NowSecure. Katie shares her journey from studying cyber forensics at Purdue University to becoming an expert in mobile app security and forensics. She discusses the impactful work her team does in securing mobile apps, especially in the medtech industry. Katie also offers valuable advice on building relationships within organizations, the importance of security best practices, and staying curious as a professional. Guest links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiestrzempka/ | https://www.nowsecure.com/ Charity supported: Save the Children Interested in being a guest on the show or have feedback to share? Email us at theleadingdifference@velentium.com. PRODUCTION CREDITS Host & Editor: Lindsey Dinneen Producer: Velentium Medical EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Episode 070 - Katie Bochnowski [00:00:00] Lindsey Dinneen: Hi, I'm Lindsey and I'm talking with MedTech industry leaders on how they change lives for a better world. [00:00:09] Diane Bouis: The inventions and technologies are fascinating and so are the people who work with them. [00:00:15] Frank Jaskulke: There was a period of time where I realized, fundamentally, my job was to go hang out with really smart people that are saving lives and then do work that would help them save more lives. [00:00:28] Diane Bouis: I got into the business to save lives and it is incredibly motivating to work with people who are in that same business, saving or improving lives. [00:00:38] Duane Mancini: What better industry than where I get to wake up every day and just save people's lives. [00:00:42] Lindsey Dinneen: These are extraordinary people doing extraordinary work, and this is The Leading Difference. Hello, and welcome back to another episode of The Leading Difference podcast. I'm your host, Lindsey, and today I am absolutely delighted to introduce you to my guest, Katie Bochnowski. Katie is Senior Vice President of Customer Success and Services at NowSecure co-author of the book, "iPhone and iOS Forensics," and a recognized expert in mobile forensics and app security testing. Katie holds a master's in Cyber Forensics and Bachelor's of Science and Computer Technology from Purdue University. In her current role, Katie oversees customer support, onboarding and success departments, as well as the mobile AppSec Professional Services Organization that is responsible for pen testing, training, and consulting. All right. Well, welcome. Thank you so much for being here. I'm so delighted to speak with you today. [00:01:37] Katie Bochnowski: Awesome. I'm really happy to be here. [00:01:39] Lindsey Dinneen: Excellent. Well, I would love, if you wouldn't mind just starting off by telling us a little bit about yourself, your background, and what led you to medtech. [00:01:48] Katie Bochnowski: Awesome. Sure. So, I'm Katie Bochnowski. I work for a company called NowSecure. My background, dating back many years to school is in computer technology and more specifically cyber forensics. Where I am now is mobile app security. How I got into that industry is, is really from that forensic background. Our company used to do data recovery and forensic investigations on mobile devices, and we kind of quickly realized that mobile apps are storing a lot of data. So we shifted into proactively working with organizations to secure those apps that reside on devices. And in terms of medtech, obviously you can probably make that connection, but we began working closely with first, companies that really care about the data that's being stored, and transmitted on those apps, which absolutely includes medtech industry. [00:02:43] Lindsey Dinneen: Awesome. Okay, so going back a little bit. So when you were first deciding on college paths and career paths and all those lovely things, what drew you to where you ended up? [00:02:55] Katie Bochnowski: You know, I don't have a great, like "aha" moment for this question. It was just one...

Charu Roy, Chief Product Officer at Enlil, shares her extensive journey in the software industry, which began in the late 1980s and evolved into her leadership role in medtech. Charu discusses her role at Enlil, where she oversees the development of an AI-powered platform to enhance medical device lifecycle management. She emphasizes the importance of understanding customer needs, fostering team potential, and ensuring cybersecurity in medtech software solutions. With profound insights on her career growth, leadership style, and the technological advancements propelling the industry forward, Charu's story is an inspiring tale of innovation and dedication to improving lives. Guest links: https://enlil.com/ | https://www.linkedin.com/company/enlil-inc/ Charity supported: ASPCA Interested in being a guest on the show or have feedback to share? Email us at theleadingdifference@velentium.com. PRODUCTION CREDITS Host & Editor: Lindsey Dinneen Producer: Velentium Medical EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Episode 069 - Charu Roy [00:00:00] Lindsey Dinneen: Hi, I'm Lindsey and I'm talking with MedTech industry leaders on how they change lives for a better world. [00:00:09] Diane Bouis: The inventions and technologies are fascinating and so are the people who work with them. [00:00:15] Frank Jaskulke: There was a period of time where I realized, fundamentally, my job was to go hang out with really smart people that are saving lives and then do work that would help them save more lives. [00:00:28] Diane Bouis: I got into the business to save lives and it is incredibly motivating to work with people who are in that same business, saving or improving lives. [00:00:38] Duane Mancini: What better industry than where I get to wake up every day and just save people's lives. [00:00:42] Lindsey Dinneen: These are extraordinary people doing extraordinary work, and this is The Leading Difference. Hello and welcome back to another episode of The Leading Difference podcast. I'm your host Lindsey, and today I'm absolutely delighted to introduce you to Charu Roy. Charu is the Chief Product Officer at Enlil, where she leads product strategy, vision, and execution for the company's AI powered medtech development platform. With over two decades of experience building and scaling enterprise software products, Charu brings deep industry expertise in product management, user-centered design, and go to market leadership. Before Enlil, she held senior product roles at industry leaders, including Epicor, Oracle, I-2 Technologies slash Aspect Development, HP and Agile Software, where she drove software innovation across enterprise cloud SaaS and data driven solutions. Known for her ability to align customer needs with business strategy, she is passionate about delivering products that transform complex industries and enable measurable impact. Well, welcome, Charu, to the conversation today. I'm so excited to be speaking with you. [00:01:54] Charu Roy: Thank you so much for having me. I'm very really excited about being here on this podcast. [00:02:00] Lindsey Dinneen: Oh, awesome. Yeah. Well, I would love, if you wouldn't mind starting off by sharing a little bit about yourself, your background, and what led you to medtech. [00:02:10] Charu Roy: Sure. As every other sort of person who gets into the software world, I came in a while back in 1987 to 89, where I did Master's in Computer Science at University of Louisiana. That was my first introduction to America, really. And computer science brought me to the Bay Area where I worked at HP, Hewlett Packard. In those days, it was called Scientific Instruments Division in Palo Alto. And there I programmed robotic hands to, to sort of move that, the vial from samples, drug samples from athletes so that they could get tested for drugs. So, I didn't know the importance of all this. It was my first job. I enjoyed myself seven years, you know, software programming, really, and understood how a large company...

Garrett Schumacher is Business Unit Director of Product Security at Velentium Medical and the co-founder and CTO of GeneInfoSec. Garrett discusses his journey from medical student to cybersecurity expert and educator, dedicating his career to securing medical devices. He shares insights on the intersection of cybersecurity and healthcare, highlighting the challenges of protecting genetic data. Garrett gives honest advice about navigating cybersecurity and data privacy concerns, how to be a good leader, and what medtech startups should consider as they design and develop their devices. Guest links: https://velentiummedical.com/ | https://www.geneinfosec.com/ Charity supported: Save the Children Interested in being a guest on the show or have feedback to share? Email us at theleadingdifference@velentium.com. PRODUCTION CREDITS Host & Editor: Lindsey Dinneen Producer: Velentium Medical EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Episode 068 - Garrett Schumacher [00:00:00] Lindsey Dinneen: Hi, I'm Lindsey and I'm talking with MedTech industry leaders on how they change lives for a better world. [00:00:09] Diane Bouis: The inventions and technologies are fascinating and so are the people who work with them. [00:00:15] Frank Jaskulke: There was a period of time where I realized, fundamentally, my job was to go hang out with really smart people that are saving lives and then do work that would help them save more lives. [00:00:28] Diane Bouis: I got into the business to save lives and it is incredibly motivating to work with people who are in that same business, saving or improving lives. [00:00:38] Duane Mancini: What better industry than where I get to wake up every day and just save people's lives. [00:00:42] Lindsey Dinneen: These are extraordinary people doing extraordinary work, and this is The Leading Difference. Hello and welcome back to another episode of the Leading Difference Podcast. I'm your host, Lindsey, and today I am excited to introduce you to my guest, Garrett Schumacher. Garrett is the Business Unit Director of Product Security at Velentium Medical, where he has led the cybersecurity efforts on 200 plus medical device products and systems. He is the co-founder and CTO of GeneInfoSec, a startup focused on securing the world's most valuable and private data, our genetic information. In his work, Garrett has trained engineers, developers, manufacturers, healthcare delivery organizations, and laboratories across the globe in cybersecurity, and is an active member of several related industry working groups. He also teaches secure product development and medical device cybersecurity at the graduate level for the University of Colorado Boulder's Department of Computer Science as an adjunct professor in the little bit of time left in his days, Garrett is either rock climbing or spending time with family. Thank you so much for being here, Garrett. I'm so excited to speak with you today. [00:01:48] Garrett Schumacher: Yeah. Thank you for having me. [00:01:49] Lindsey Dinneen: Of course. Well, I'd love, if you wouldn't mind, by starting out and sharing a little bit about yourself and your background and what led you to medtech. [00:01:59] Garrett Schumacher: Yeah. So I guess my background, I mean, it started as I always thought I was gonna be a doctor. I did my undergrad in physiology, thought I was gonna do med school, the whole nine yards. And towards the end of my, let's say junior year, just started being like, "I don't think this is what I want to do." I always had a fascination with tech. I was really involved with a lot of the tech groups on campus at the University of Colorado Boulder, early days of Hack CU, one of the largest collegiate hackathons. And I really regretted not doing a computer science degree, but I was three quarters of the way done. So sometimes you just gotta finish it up, right? Get the degree, find out what's next. After that I went and did a master's in genetics. I wasn't sure exactly what I...

Sarah Ptach, President and CEO of Canyon Labs, discusses her journey from professional sports and advertising to leading Canyon Labs, a company specializing in medical device and pharmaceutical testing. Inspired by her father's Parkinson's diagnosis, Sarah transitioned to healthcare to make a meaningful impact. She delves into her leadership philosophy, emphasizing the importance of trust, transparency, and collaboration in building a strong company culture. Sarah also highlights Canyon Labs' dedication to elevating industry standards and ensuring patient safety. Guest links: https://canyonlabs.com/ | https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahptach/ Charity supported: The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research Interested in being a guest on the show or have feedback to share? Email us at theleadingdifference@velentium.com. PRODUCTION CREDITS Host & Editor: Lindsey Dinneen Producer: Velentium Medical EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Episode 067: Sarah Ptach [00:00:00] Lindsey Dinneen: Hi, I'm Lindsey and I'm talking with MedTech industry leaders on how they change lives for a better world. [00:00:09] Diane Bouis: The inventions and technologies are fascinating and so are the people who work with them. [00:00:15] Frank Jaskulke: There was a period of time where I realized, fundamentally, my job was to go hang out with really smart people that are saving lives and then do work that would help them save more lives. [00:00:28] Diane Bouis: I got into the business to save lives and it is incredibly motivating to work with people who are in that same business, saving or improving lives. [00:00:38] Duane Mancini: What better industry than where I get to wake up every day and just save people's lives. [00:00:42] Lindsey Dinneen: These are extraordinary people doing extraordinary work, and this is The Leading Difference. Hello, and welcome to another episode of The Leading Difference podcast. I'm your host, Lindsey, and today I am super excited to introduce you to my guest, Sarah Ptach. Sarah is the President and CEO of Canyon Labs, a leading provider of medical device and pharmaceutical testing, consulting, and sterilization services. She joined the company during a critical ownership transition with a clear goal in mind: to raise the standard of service in the industry and build a true end-to-end solutions partner. Drawing on her background in packaging engineering and testing, Sarah focused on expanding beyond packaging alone to create a more integrated, accessible, and expert driven experience for clients. Sarah began her career in professional sports and advertising, but a desire to create more meaningful impact led her to the healthcare space after her father was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. She went on to help grow and successfully exit a packaging firm before bringing her vision and leadership to Canyon Labs. In addition to her role at Canyon, she co-leads Kilmer Innovations and serves on the board of the Medical Device Packaging Technical Committee of the Institute of Packaging Professionals. She remains deeply committed to advancing healthcare through innovation, expertise, and strong partnerships. All right. Well, thank you so much for being here, Sarah. I'm so excited to welcome you to the show. [00:02:05] Sarah Ptach: Likewise. Thank you, Lindsey. I appreciate you having me. [00:02:08] Lindsey Dinneen: Of course. Well, I'd love if you would start off by telling us just a little bit about yourself, your background, and what led you to MedTech. [00:02:16] Sarah Ptach: Yeah. Thank you. So I'm Sarah Ptach. I'm the president of Canyon Labs. I have kind of an interesting story of getting into to medtech. I originally started my career actually in professional baseball. I was a contract negotiation person mainly for closing pitchers. And I ran track in college. I thought like, "oh, I wanna be in sports." And I like to say that's the most fun I never wanna have again. It was, it was a great start of a career. It...

Tyler O'Malley is the Vice President of Clinical Affairs, Bioinformatics, and Market Access at Exagen, Inc. Tyler shares his journey in the MedTech industry and discusses Exagen's innovative approaches to autoimmune testing solutions, including cutting-edge diagnostics for lupus and other diseases. With over a decade of experience, Tyler provides insights into the challenges and breakthroughs in the field, highlighting the significance of early diagnosis and personalized treatment, while also discussing the challenges and opportunities in effective leadership during different stages of company growth. Guest links: https://exagen.com/ Charity supported: Save the Children Interested in being a guest on the show or have feedback to share? Email us at theleadingdifference@velentium.com. PRODUCTION CREDITS Host & Editor: Lindsey Dinneen Producer: Velentium Medical EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Episode 066 - Tyler O'Malley [00:00:00] Lindsey Dinneen: Hi, I'm Lindsey and I'm talking with MedTech industry leaders on how they change lives for a better world. [00:00:09] Diane Bouis: The inventions and technologies are fascinating and so are the people who work with them. [00:00:15] Frank Jaskulke: There was a period of time where I realized, fundamentally, my job was to go hang out with really smart people that are saving lives and then do work that would help them save more lives. [00:00:28] Diane Bouis: I got into the business to save lives and it is incredibly motivating to work with people who are in that same business, saving or improving lives. [00:00:38] Duane Mancini: What better industry than where I get to wake up every day and just save people's lives. [00:00:42] Lindsey Dinneen: These are extraordinary people doing extraordinary work, and this is The Leading Difference. Hello, and welcome back to another episode of The Leading Difference podcast. I'm your host, Lindsey, and I am so excited to introduce you to my guest today, Tyler O'Malley. Tyler serves as Associate VP of Clinical Affairs and Market Access at Exagen, Inc., a leader in autoimmune testing solutions. In his role, he oversees clinical trials, bioinformatics, and medical policy development for Exagen's current diagnostic portfolio and pipeline of proprietary solutions. With more than a decade of experience, O'Malley has contributed to more than a dozen clinical trials focusing on clinical validity and utility evidence for autoimmune diagnostics. His expertise is widely recognized with numerous publications in esteemed peer reviewed journals, and notably, he's the first author of one of the largest clinical utility studies in lupus diagnostics. O'Malley graduated from Georgia Gwinnett College with a Bachelor of Science in biology, concentrating in biochemistry. His 11 year career in research and development and medical affairs encompass medical science, education, assay development, and clinical research coordination. Well, welcome to the show, Tyler. I'm so excited to have you here today. [00:02:01] Tyler O'Malley: Thanks, glad to be here. [00:02:02] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah, absolutely. Well, I would love just starting off by telling us a little bit about yourself, your background, and what led you to MedTech. [00:02:11] Tyler O'Malley: Sure. So, I'm the Vice President of Clinical Affairs, Bioinformatics, and Market Access at Exagen. We're a specialty diagnostics company focused on autoimmune rheumatic diseases. So we develop proprietary testing technology for conditions like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren's disease, as well as many others. And yeah, our focus is trying to find solutions for patients who are dealing with what are many times challenging chronic diseases that can present themselves in very mysterious ways oftentimes. And so, these are challenges that patients have that have, for the most part, gone unsolved for many decades, and so there's a lot of opportunity out there. In terms of, myself, my background, I've been with Exagen for...

Sarah Aswegan, a seasoned biopharma leader and strategic advisor for global rare disease solutions, shares her journey from sales in pharma to her consulting work today. She discusses her experience in transitioning biopharma companies from clinical to commercial success, the evolution of medtech in diagnosing and managing rare diseases, and the collaborative efforts required to bring innovative treatments to market. She also shares insights on current trends in gene therapy, the dynamics of funding, and the importance of data in advancing care for rare disease patients. Guest links: www.saraaswegan.com Charity supported: Interested in being a guest on the show or have feedback to share? Email us at theleadingdifference@velentium.com. PRODUCTION CREDITS Host & Editor: Lindsey Dinneen Producer: Velentium Medical EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Episode 065 - Sara Aswegan [00:00:00] Lindsey Dinneen: Hi, I'm Lindsey and I'm talking with MedTech industry leaders on how they change lives for a better world. [00:00:09] Diane Bouis: The inventions and technologies are fascinating and so are the people who work with them. [00:00:15] Frank Jaskulke: There was a period of time where I realized, fundamentally, my job was to go hang out with really smart people that are saving lives and then do work that would help them save more lives. [00:00:28] Diane Bouis: I got into the business to save lives and it is incredibly motivating to work with people who are in that same business, saving or improving lives. [00:00:38] Duane Mancini: What better industry than where I get to wake up every day and just save people's lives. [00:00:42] Lindsey Dinneen: These are extraordinary people doing extraordinary work, and this is The Leading Difference. Hello and welcome back to another episode of The Leading Difference podcast. I'm your host Lindsey, and today I'm delighted to welcome to the show, Sarah Aswegan. Sarah is a seasoned biopharma leader helping organizations transition and grow from clinical to commercial success. She prides herself on the success of leading multiple global cross-functional teams and contributing to the success of the franchise areas she oversaw and served. Until recently, she's applied these experiences while serving in a consultancy capacity for many small to midsize biotechs entering or expanding in rare disease. She has also successfully helped organizations to start and scale adjacent spaces to biopharma, and most recently has been serving as a Global Head of Commercial Assets, Brands, and Care Solutions, and has led transformational change at UCP, having been part of the design and scale of the business unit for rare disease. She maintains a strong network among clinicians, access, bioethicists, and patient advocacy globally. Well, thank you so much for joining us today. I'm so excited to speak with you. [00:01:52] Sara Aswegan: Thanks, Lindsey. It's nice to be here. [00:01:54] Lindsey Dinneen: Wonderful. Well, I'd love, if you wouldn't mind, sharing a little bit about yourself and your background and what led you to medtech. [00:02:02] Sara Aswegan: Yeah, thanks Lindsey. You know, I, I started my career ages ago in the pharma side of things, and as my career has grown, so has the exposure across pharmaceuticals, into biotech and including aspects of medtech. As we look at some of the areas I've spent the last 18 years in rare disease, the medtech component is coming in largely around if we think about the diagnosis component and then the management of the different conditions over the lifespan of a child or adult affected by a rare condition. You can see things really evolving. I started my career on the sales side of things. My education is in business and communication, so anyone can learn the science if you have good mentors and people to help you along the way. And I was really, really fortunate to work amongst a team of amazing individuals, both in the US and then now having lived away for about 15 years...

Dr. Adam Power, co-founder and Chief Medical Officer at Front Line Medical Technologies, shares his fascinating journey from a background in vascular surgery to developing COBRA-OS, a groundbreaking device for hemorrhage control. He discusses the challenges and milestones in bringing this life-saving technology to market, the impact of the device in trauma and emergency care, and innovative future applications, including its unexpected use in non-traumatic cardiac arrest. Guest links: https://frontlinemedtech.com/ Charity supported: Canadian Cancer Society Interested in being a guest on the show or have feedback to share? Email us at theleadingdifference@velentium.com. PRODUCTION CREDITS Host & Editor: Lindsey Dinneen Producer: Velentium Medical EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Episode 064 - Dr. Adam Power [00:00:00] Lindsey Dinneen: Hi, I'm Lindsey and I'm talking with MedTech industry leaders on how they change lives for a better world. [00:00:09] Diane Bouis: The inventions and technologies are fascinating and so are the people who work with them. [00:00:15] Frank Jaskulke: There was a period of time where I realized, fundamentally, my job was to go hang out with really smart people that are saving lives and then do work that would help them save more lives. [00:00:28] Diane Bouis: I got into the business to save lives and it is incredibly motivating to work with people who are in that same business, saving or improving lives. [00:00:38] Duane Mancini: What better industry than where I get to wake up every day and just save people's lives. [00:00:42] Lindsey Dinneen: These are extraordinary people doing extraordinary work, and this is The Leading Difference. Hello, and welcome back to another episode of The Leading Difference podcast. I'm your host, Lindsey, and today I'm excited to introduce you to my guest, Dr. Adam Power. Dr. Power is a leader in innovative medical devices for trauma and emergency care that is committed to lowering the barriers and bleeding control and resuscitation. Dr. Power was instrumental in the development of COBRA-OS, drawing on his unique clinical viewpoint and expertise to ensure utmost patient safety and assist with the company's global expansion. In addition to his current role as co-founder and Chief Medical Officer at Front Line Medical Technologies Incorporated, Dr. Adam Power is a vascular surgeon in the division of vascular surgery at Western University, which he joined in the fall of 2012, and he is involved in all aspects of academics and clinical care. Also, Front Line was just named the 2025 Medical Device Technology Company of the Year, so I definitely wanted to highlight that too. All right. Well, thank you so much for being here today, Adam. I'm so delighted to speak with you. [00:01:55] Dr. Adam Power: Yes, it's a pleasure to be here. Thank you. [00:01:57] Lindsey Dinneen: Of course. Well, I'd love if you would start by sharing a little bit about yourself, your background, and what led you to what you're doing today. [00:02:05] Dr. Adam Power: Sure, I'd love to. So I'm a Canadian. I grew up on the east coast of Canada and was always interested in science and math and those types of things. I think, importantly, I grew up with an identical twin brother as well. So we really didn't know what we wanted to do with our lives, and ultimately we're good in science and math and ended up in medicine. And then both of us, when we got into medicine, we weren't sure exactly what we wanted to do in medicine, and ultimately both of us became surgeons. He became a urology surgeon, and I became a vascular surgeon, where we joke that we're both plumbers. I deal with the red stuff and he's the yellow stuff. But I did my initial medical school out on the east coast of Canada and then I did my general surgery training, which also involved trauma training, and then did a Master's of Bioscience Enterprise, which was basically biotech business from the University of Cambridge in the UK. When I...

Morgan Evans is a biomechanical engineer, serial medtech entrepreneur, and angel investor. She shares her journey from aspirations of becoming a doctor, to working in mergers and acquisitions at Medtronic, to co-founding/founding six companies, including Agitated Solutions and Avio Medtech Consulting. Morgan discusses the importance of supporting startups in accelerating market entry, the challenges and opportunities with innovative medtech development, and the value of servant leadership. Guest links: www.aviomedtech.com Charity supported: Polaris Project Interested in being a guest on the show or have feedback to share? Email us at theleadingdifference@velentium.com. PRODUCTION CREDITS Host & Editor: Lindsey Dinneen Producer: Velentium EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Episode 063 - Morgan Evans [00:00:00] Lindsey Dinneen: Hi, I'm Lindsey and I'm talking with MedTech industry leaders on how they change lives for a better world. [00:00:09] Diane Bouis: The inventions and technologies are fascinating and so are the people who work with them. [00:00:15] Frank Jaskulke: There was a period of time where I realized, fundamentally, my job was to go hang out with really smart people that are saving lives and then do work that would help them save more lives. [00:00:28] Diane Bouis: I got into the business to save lives and it is incredibly motivating to work with people who are in that same business, saving or improving lives. [00:00:38] Duane Mancini: What better industry than where I get to wake up every day and just save people's lives. [00:00:42] Lindsey Dinneen: These are extraordinary people doing extraordinary work, and this is The Leading Difference. Hello, and welcome back to another episode of The Leading Difference podcast. I'm your host, Lindsey, and today I'm excited to introduce you to my guest, Morgan Evans. Morgan is a serial medtech entrepreneur and investor, which means her passion is launching new businesses. She's a biomechanical engineer by training, went to business school and worked for Medtronic in corporate development before jumping fully into the world of startups. Over the past 10 years, she has founded or co-founded six companies: two medical device companies, two medtech accelerators, and two venture investing vehicles. She spends most of her time with Agitated Solutions, which is developing several innovations related to contrast and ultrasound, and Avio Medtech Consulting, which helps lower the barriers to entry for new ideas and new medtech companies. All right. Well thank you so much for joining us today, Morgan. I'm so excited to speak with you. [00:01:42] Morgan Evans: Thank you again for having me. Pleasure to be here. [00:01:45] Lindsey Dinneen: Of course. Well, I'd love if you wouldn't mind starting off by sharing just a little bit about yourself, your background, and maybe what led you to medtech. [00:01:53] Morgan Evans: Sure, of course. Originally from Houston, I went to school in the Bay Area and studied to be a biomechanical engineer. I originally thought that I was gonna be a doctor, and wanted to start in heart lung transplant of all things. Did an internship between my freshman and sophomore year and quickly learned two things. One is that I love people a bit too much to distance myself emotionally, so it would've really been a hard career for me, I think being on the front lines with that. But the second important thing I learned as well was there was a lot of technologies that existed in the medtech side of the world, just trying to buy people time and give options. And so I fell in love with medtech as a career relatively early. Started working for my first startup in the neuromodulation space before I even graduated undergrad, and loved that. Wore a ton of hats ranging from engineering, clinical commercial. I did some vertical line integrations in there and I started before we were even at 10 employees, left at 55. Thought it was massive 'cause we had middle...

Bethany Corbin, a nationally recognized healthcare innovation attorney and femtech entrepreneur, shares her inspiring journey into the medtech industry, driven by personal experiences and a passion for women's health. As the founder of Women's Health Innovation Consulting, Bethany discusses her new book, "The Femtech Revolution," which aims to educate and empower women in navigating the women’s healthcare space. She offers practical advice for self-advocacy in healthcare settings, emphasizes the importance of privacy and equity in digital health tools, and highlights her role in shaping the future of femtech through leadership, mentorship, and legal guidance for startups. Guest links: http://linkedin.com/in/bethanycorbin/ | https://femtechlawyer.com | https://www.amazon.com/Femtech-Revolution-Harnessing-Technology-Supercharge/dp/139433091X Charity supported: ASPCA Interested in being a guest on the show or have feedback to share? Email us at theleadingdifference@velentium.com. PRODUCTION CREDITS Host & Editing: Lindsey Dinneen Producer: Velentium Medical EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Episode 062 - Bethany Corbin [00:00:00] Lindsey Dinneen: Hi, I'm Lindsey and I'm talking with MedTech industry leaders on how they change lives for a better world. [00:00:09] Diane Bouis: The inventions and technologies are fascinating and so are the people who work with them. [00:00:15] Frank Jaskulke: There was a period of time where I realized, fundamentally, my job was to go hang out with really smart people that are saving lives and then do work that would help them save more lives. [00:00:28] Diane Bouis: I got into the business to save lives and it is incredibly motivating to work with people who are in that same business, saving or improving lives. [00:00:38] Duane Mancini: What better industry than where I get to wake up every day and just save people's lives. [00:00:42] Lindsey Dinneen: These are extraordinary people doing extraordinary work, and this is The Leading Difference. Hello, and welcome back to another episode of The Leading Difference podcast. I'm your host, Lindsey, and today I am so excited to introduce you to my guest, Bethany Corbin. Bethany Corbin, JD is a nationally recognized healthcare innovation attorney, femtech entrepreneur, and influential thought leader at the intersection of women's health and law. She's the founder of Women's Health Innovation Consulting and Fem Innovation Organizations Design, organizations dedicated to advancing equitable cutting edge solutions in women's health. Her book, "The Femtech Revolution," empowers every woman to confidently navigate the femtech space, equipping them with essential tools to protect themselves and advocate for their health needs. All right. Well, welcome to the show, Bethany. I'm so excited to be speaking with you today. [00:01:35] Bethany Corbin: Thank you so much for having me, Lindsey. I'm honored to be here. [00:01:39] Lindsey Dinneen: Awesome. Well, let me just start by asking you if you don't mind, to share a little bit about yourself, your background and what led you to MedTech. [00:01:48] Bethany Corbin: Absolutely. So I'm an attorney by background, which is not the traditional path that one would think of when we think of medtech. I actually, when I went to college, I wanted to be a doctor and get kind of into the biology and the sciences, and I realized I was actually really terrible at them. It was not where my skillset aligned at all and I had to do a bit of recalibrating ,realized that I loved kind of research, writing, learning about new things, and ended up going into law from there. When I first went into law, though, I was actually in financial services and litigation, so it was like the farthest thing ever from healthcare and medtech, and it was horrible. I actually hated it. And, from there, I ended up getting a clerkship in DC and that gave me time to really consider what I wanted to do after that clerkship ended, and really where I...

Dhruv Agrawal is CEO and president of Aether Biomedical. Discover Dhruv's unique journey from studying medicine in New Delhi to creating life-changing bionic limbs. Under his leadership, Aether Biomedical has achieved significant milestones, including CE certification and FDA registration for its Zeus V1 bionic limb. Dhruv shares his personal story of transitioning from medical school to MedTech innovation, the obstacles faced and lessons learned as a young entrepreneur, and the hope and inspiration of seeing Aether's prosthetics transform lives, especially in war-torn regions. Guest links: https://www.aetherbiomedical.com | https://www.linkedin.com/company/aether-biomedical | https://www.instagram.com/aether_biomedical/ Charity supported: ASPCA Interested in being a guest on the show or have feedback to share? Email us at theleadingdifference@velentium.com. PRODUCTION CREDITS Host & Editor: Lindsey Dinneen Producer: Velentium Medical EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Episode 061 - Dhruv Agrawal Dhruv Agrawal [00:00:00] Lindsey Dinneen: Hi, I'm Lindsey and I'm talking with MedTech industry leaders on how they change lives for a better world. [00:00:09] Diane Bouis: The inventions and technologies are fascinating and so are the people who work with them. [00:00:15] Frank Jaskulke: There was a period of time where I realized, fundamentally, my job was to go hang out with really smart people that are saving lives and then do work that would help them save more lives. [00:00:28] Diane Bouis: I got into the business to save lives and it is incredibly motivating to work with people who are in that same business, saving or improving lives. [00:00:38] Duane Mancini: What better industry than where I get to wake up every day and just save people's lives. [00:00:42] Lindsey Dinneen: These are extraordinary people doing extraordinary work, and this is The Leading Difference. Hello, and welcome back to another episode of The Leading Difference podcast. I'm your host, Lindsey, and today I'm excited to introduce you to my guest, Dhruv Agrawal. Dhruv is the CEO and president of the management board of Aither Biomedical. He studied medicine in New Delhi before dropping out to pursue a bachelor's in business management. He also has a postgraduate diploma in Medical Device Development Regulatory Affairs from University of California Irvine, and a Master's in Data Science from the University of London. Under his leadership, Aither Biomedical has achieved CE certification and FDA registration for the Zeus V1 bionic limb, and established distribution across nine European countries, the US, and India. Additionally, Aither has raised over 12.5 million US dollars in private capital from leading VCs and has been a part of multiple European grants and research programs for an additional 6.5 million US dollars in non-dilutive capital. All right. Well, thank you so much for being here. Welcome to the show. I'm so excited to speak with you today. [00:01:49] Dhruv Agrawal: it's a pleasure to be here, Lindsey. Thank you so much for inviting me. [00:01:52] Lindsey Dinneen: Of course, of course. Well, I would love, if you wouldn't mind just starting by sharing a little bit about yourself and your background and what led you to Med Tech. [00:02:02] Dhruv Agrawal: Yeah, absolutely. So I'm Dhruv Agrawal. I'm the CEO of Aither Biomedical. We are a company based out of Poznan in Poland, so on the western part of Poland. It's a little bit chilly here. As a company, we are a team of about 55 people right now, currently present in the US, Europe, Middle East, as well as India. And we focus on making bionic hands for upper limb amputees. [00:02:25] Lindsey Dinneen: Amazing. Yes. So I wanna get into everything amazing that your company does, but going back for just a little bit, in your own personal history, can you share a little bit about maybe growing up and what experiences led you to think, "Hey, in the future, maybe I wanna do X, Y, and Z." [00:02:43]...

Nidhi Oberoi is a dedicated medtech executive with over 17 years of experience. She discusses her journey from India to the heart of the medtech industry, her impactful work on innovative heart valve treatments at Medtronic, and her advocacy for women's health. Nidhi shares her leadership philosophy centered on empowerment, the importance of mindfulness in business, and her vision for a future in cardiology and women's health. Guest links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nidhi-oberoi-278a111/ Charity supported: Save the Children Interested in being a guest on the show or have feedback to share? Email us at theleadingdifference@velentium.com. PRODUCTION CREDITS Host: Lindsey Dinneen Editing: Marketing Wise Producer: Velentium EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Episode 060 - Nidhi Oberoi [00:00:00] Lindsey Dinneen: Hi, I'm Lindsey and I'm talking with MedTech industry leaders on how they change lives for a better world. [00:00:09] Diane Bouis: The inventions and technologies are fascinating and so are the people who work with them. [00:00:15] Frank Jaskulke: There was a period of time where I realized, fundamentally, my job was to go hang out with really smart people that are saving lives and then do work that would help them save more lives. [00:00:28] Diane Bouis: I got into the business to save lives and it is incredibly motivating to work with people who are in that same business, saving or improving lives. [00:00:38] Duane Mancini: What better industry than where I get to wake up every day and just save people's lives. [00:00:42] Lindsey Dinneen: These are extraordinary people doing extraordinary work, and this is The Leading Difference. Hello, and welcome back to another episode of The Leading Difference podcast. I'm your host, Lindsey, and today I'm excited to introduce you to my guest, Nidhi Oberoi. Nidhi is a seasoned MedTech executive dedicated to the mission of serving clinicians and patients. With over 17 years of experience working on commercialization of innovative technologies, She has led various strategic and operational initiatives that have transformed standard of care. Her bold, collaborative, and empathetic leadership style allows her to push boundaries and inspire teams to create durable value. She currently leads business initiatives for the structural heart business in Medtronic, which serves patients with heart valve disease. She's also an advocate for evidence based care for women's health. Nidhi has an undergraduate degree in economics from India and an MBA in marketing and entrepreneurship from Syracuse University. Thank you so much for being here, Nidhi, I'm so excited to speak with you. [00:01:44] Nidhi Oberoi: Yeah, thanks for having me. [00:01:46] Lindsey Dinneen: Of course. Well, I would love, if you don't mind just starting off by sharing a little bit about yourself and your background and what led you to MedTech. [00:01:56] Nidhi Oberoi: Yeah, absolutely. I was born and raised in India, and just like any typical Asian Indian household in those days, if you were a bright student, you were generally expected to pursue a track in sciences, medicine or engineering, or maybe a second option in accounting and finance. Predictably, after I completed my high school, I was on my path to pursue a career in sciences. But then I changed courses and ended up pursuing an undergraduate degree in economics, and eventually an MBA in marketing and entrepreneurship from upstate New York. Now, as I reflect back and realize that what attracted me to business eventually, it was this realization that it's both in art and a science. The science aspect helps to ensure that the business can financially run smoothly with a strong P&L, while the art side of the business is the ability to set the vision, the direction, inspiring people, innovating, connecting with people. So what I really was interested was in a career in marketing and general management. You asked me what led me to medtech, I'd say my entry into the...

Jessica Richter is a medtech executive and a board member with MedtechWOMEN. Jessica shares her inspiring journey from B2B sales to becoming a leader in the medtech industry, including overseeing a wide range of vital functions such as clinical trial strategy, regulatory affairs, and market access. Jessica provides insightful advice on overcoming common industry challenges, and underscores the value of quality systems, expert team-building, and fostering a supportive network for women through MedtechWOMEN. Guest links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-richter-5aa43517/ | https://medtechwomen.org/ Charity supported: Save the Children Interested in being a guest on the show or have feedback to share? Email us at theleadingdifference@velentium.com. PRODUCTION CREDITS Host: Lindsey Dinneen Editing: Marketing Wise Producer: Velentium EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Episode 059 - Jessica Richter [00:00:00] Lindsey Dinneen: Hi, I'm Lindsey and I'm talking with MedTech industry leaders on how they change lives for a better world. [00:00:09] Diane Bouis: The inventions and technologies are fascinating and so are the people who work with them. [00:00:15] Frank Jaskulke: There was a period of time where I realized, fundamentally, my job was to go hang out with really smart people that are saving lives and then do work that would help them save more lives. [00:00:28] Diane Bouis: I got into the business to save lives and it is incredibly motivating to work with people who are in that same business, saving or improving lives. [00:00:38] Duane Mancini: What better industry than where I get to wake up every day and just save people's lives. [00:00:42] Lindsey Dinneen: These are extraordinary people doing extraordinary work, and this is The Leading Difference. Hello and welcome back to another episode of The Leading Difference podcast. I'm your host, Lindsey, and today I'm excited to introduce you to my guest, Jessica Richter. Jessica is the Executive Vice President and General Manager at Veranex, a global provider of end-to-end solutions that accelerate MedTech innovation through deep expertise and integrated resources. As the leader of Veranex's contract research organization and consulting services business unit, she oversees clinical trial strategy and execution, clinical data services, regulatory affairs, quality and compliance, market access and reimbursement. She also manages operations, client engagement, business development and performance tracking. A seasoned leader in medical devices and diagnostics, Jessica has extensive experience in software as a medical device, surgical innovation, oncology, aesthetics, cardiology and gastroenterology. Her tenure at Medtronic and Becton Dickinson shaped her expertise in commercialization, sales strategy, physician education, patient advocacy, and change management. Beyond her current role, Jessica serves on the boards of medtech, women and UCLA's technology development group. She actively advises startups, accelerators, and universities, including medtech innovator UC Berkeley's Master of Translational Medicine Program, the Mayo Clinic's Executive Steering Committee for the Surgical Innovation Summit, and UCLA BioDesign. Thank you so much for being here, Jessica. I'm so excited to speak with you. [00:02:15] Jessica Richter: Likewise, Lindsey, thank you so much for having me. [00:02:18] Lindsey Dinneen: Of course. Well, I'd love if you wouldn't mind sharing a little bit about yourself and your background and what led you to medtech. [00:02:26] Jessica Richter: Awesome. Yeah, happy to. So, I was born and raised in California. I am the youngest of three girls and my entire family is really in the healthcare delivery field. So both my grandfathers were surgeons. My mother is a nurse. Both my sisters are clinical psychologists. And so when I went to school, I had aspirations at one point to get into medicine, and then through a really challenging organic chemistry class, kind of...

Ryan Phelan is a partner and patent attorney at Marshall Gerstein. He discusses his journey from a background in computer science and fintech to becoming a prominent IP attorney serving clients in the MedTech industry and beyond. He shares insights on the importance of protecting intellectual property, especially for startups, and the burgeoning role of AI in medical technology. This succinct yet fascinating conversation highlights the critical intersection of law, technology, and medical innovation. Guest links: https://www.marshallip.com | https://www.patentnext.com/ Charity supported: Sleep in Heavenly Peace Interested in being a guest on the show or have feedback to share? Email us at theleadingdifference@velentium.com. PRODUCTION CREDITS Host: Lindsey Dinneen Editing: Marketing Wise Producer: Velentium EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Episode 058 - Ryan Phelan [00:00:00] Lindsey Dinneen: Hi, I'm Lindsey and I'm talking with MedTech industry leaders on how they change lives for a better world. [00:00:09] Diane Bouis: The inventions and technologies are fascinating and so are the people who work with them. [00:00:15] Frank Jaskulke: There was a period of time where I realized, fundamentally, my job was to go hang out with really smart people that are saving lives and then do work that would help them save more lives. [00:00:28] Diane Bouis: I got into the business to save lives and it is incredibly motivating to work with people who are in that same business, saving or improving lives. [00:00:38] Duane Mancini: What better industry than where I get to wake up every day and just save people's lives. [00:00:42] Lindsey Dinneen: These are extraordinary people doing extraordinary work, and this is The Leading Difference. Hello, and welcome back to another episode of The Leading Difference podcast. I'm your host, Lindsey, and I am so looking forward to my conversation today with Ryan Phelan. Ryan is a partner and patent attorney at the Chicago based intellectual property law firm, Marshall Gerstein, where he counsels medtech companies on protecting their valuable IP. Ryan ultimately believes that AI is an important technology to embrace, but cautions medical device and related companies to approach it pragmatically, developing a policy to govern and protect intangible assets and innovation. All right. Well, thank you so much for being here, Ryan. I'm so excited to speak with you today. [00:01:29] Ryan Phelan: Yeah. Thank you for having me. Thank you, Lindsey. [00:01:31] Lindsey Dinneen: Of course. Well, I'd love if you'd start off by sharing a little bit about your background and what led you to medtech. [00:01:39] Ryan Phelan: Sure, absolutely. So I'm an attorney by trade. And I started off in probably a different place than most people in MedTech, but I have a computer science degree and I worked in industry first for Accenture, doing a lot of programming and consulting in the FinTech world. So, high frequency trading and programming some pretty complicated data algorithms in order to trade stocks and bonds and securities, and things like this. That let me see aspects of intellectual property that people were doing with respect to the code I was writing. So I got curious with IP and law, and that led me to law school, Northwestern Law, in pursuing a joint JD, MBA program, which I finished in 2010. And I went into IP law with a passion for technology, pretty much in the computing space. And then in the last decade or so, IP practitioners, not unlike doctors, like to practice in specific areas and one of the ones that I focused on is software medical devices. And so that, that kind of led me into the realm of medtech. [00:02:48] Lindsey Dinneen: Very nice. Okay. So you have had such an interesting career trajectory and I'm wondering, back in the day, say you're a six year old Ryan, could six year old Ryan have predicted that you would be a lawyer and particularly intellectual property? [00:03:04] Ryan Phelan: Absolutely...

Maria Artunduaga is the founder & CEO of Samay, the winner of the 2024 MedTech Innovator accelerator, as well as a groundbreaking physician, scientist, and inventor. Maria discusses her inspiring journey from a small town in Columbia to leading a top MedTech company in the US. After pivoting away from plastic surgery training, she channeled her efforts into creating Sylvee, an AI wearable sensor for COPD patients. Maria shares her relentless determination, innovative problem-solving strategies, and the creation of a company culture that emphasizes learning and diversity. Guest links: https://www.samayhealth.com/home | https://www.linkedin.com/in/drartunduaga/ Charity supported: ASPCA Interested in being a guest on the show or have feedback to share? Email us at theleadingdifference@velentium.com. PRODUCTION CREDITS Host: Lindsey Dinneen Editing: Marketing Wise Producer: Velentium EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Episode 057 - Maria Artunduaga [00:00:00] Lindsey Dinneen: Hi, I'm Lindsey and I'm talking with MedTech industry leaders on how they change lives for a better world. [00:00:09] Diane Bouis: The inventions and technologies are fascinating and so are the people who work with them. [00:00:15] Frank Jaskulke: There was a period of time where I realized, fundamentally, my job was to go hang out with really smart people that are saving lives and then do work that would help them save more lives. [00:00:28] Diane Bouis: I got into the business to save lives and it is incredibly motivating to work with people who are in that same business, saving or improving lives. [00:00:38] Duane Mancini: What better industry than where I get to wake up every day and just save people's lives. [00:00:42] Lindsey Dinneen: These are extraordinary people doing extraordinary work, and this is The Leading Difference. Hello, and welcome back to another episode of The Leading Difference podcast. I'm your host Lindsey, and I am delighted to welcome as my guest today, Maria Artunduaga. Maria is a physician, scientist, and inventor with 60 plus prizes, including becoming the first woman to lead a US LATAM company to win MedTech Innovator, the world's most competitive accelerator for medical technology surpassing over 1300 global companies. A top 1% student in Columbia, her country of birth, she relocated to the US to pursue plastic surgery training, but abandoned it to dedicate herself to solve the problem that killed her grandmother-- a lack of home technologies that can detect COPD exasperations early. Maria has raised 5.2 million, almost 60% in non-dilutive capital from NSF and NIH to build Sylvee, an AI wearable sensor that can provide COPD patients with continuous data on pulmonary functions similar to what continuous glucose monitoring sensors do for diabetic patients. Her invention has been featured by a hundred plus media outlets, including Forbes, TechCrunch, Bloomberg, Fierce Healthcare, and more. Before Samay, Maria completed postdoctoral studies in human genetics at Harvard Medical School, started a plastic surgery residency at the University of Chicago, and completed two master's degrees, one in global public health at the University of Washington, and another in translational medicine at the University of California at Berkeley and San Francisco. She lives in Mountain View, California with her husband, 2-year-old daughter, and four pets. In her free time, she enjoys flamenco dancing, bolero singing, traveling the world, and fostering diversity in and outside the workplace by mentoring underrepresented scientists and entrepreneurs. All right. Well, thank you so much for being here, Maria. I'm so excited to finally get a chance to speak with you. I'd love if you would share a little bit about your background and your career trajectory. What led you to MedTech? [00:02:40] Maria Artunduaga: Sure. So it's gonna be a little long and I'm gonna tell you everything about my life because the personal history is very important to me and for my...

Dr. Shalabh Gupta, founder and CEO of Unicycive Therapeutics, shares his inspiring journey from practicing medicine to leading groundbreaking innovations in kidney disease treatment. Dr. Gupta discusses his comprehensive framework for identifying and developing medical solutions, his vision for Unicycive's future, and the importance of focus and execution in medical startups. He reveals the challenges and triumphs of bringing life-changing products to market and offers profound advice for new entrepreneurs in the industry. Guest links: https://unicycive.com/ Charity supported: Feeding America Interested in being a guest on the show or have feedback to share? Email us at theleadingdifference@velentium.com. PRODUCTION CREDITS Host: Lindsey Dinneen Editing: Marketing Wise Producer: Velentium EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Episode 056 - Dr. Shalabh Gupta [00:00:00] Lindsey Dinneen: Hi, I'm Lindsey and I'm talking with MedTech industry leaders on how they change lives for a better world. [00:00:09] Diane Bouis: The inventions and technologies are fascinating and so are the people who work with them. [00:00:15] Frank Jaskulke: There was a period of time where I realized, fundamentally, my job was to go hang out with really smart people that are saving lives and then do work that would help them save more lives. [00:00:28] Diane Bouis: I got into the business to save lives and it is incredibly motivating to work with people who are in that same business, saving or improving lives. [00:00:38] Duane Mancini: What better industry than where I get to wake up every day and just save people's lives. [00:00:42] Lindsey Dinneen: These are extraordinary people doing extraordinary work, and this is The Leading Difference. Hello, and welcome back to another episode of The Leading Difference podcast. I'm your host, Lindsey, and today I am so excited to introduce you to my guest, Dr. Shalabh Gupta. Dr. Gupta is the founder and CEO of Unicycive Therapeutics. He is a visionary in healthcare, leading groundbreaking efforts to design innovative therapies and reimagine how we approach unmet medical needs. His work goes beyond the lab as he's driving a healthcare revolution by developing innovative therapies addressing critical gaps in treatment. His perspective combines decades of experience and expertise in drug design with a deep commitment to equity in health care. Well, welcome to the show, Shalabh. I'm so excited that you're here with me today. [00:01:35] Dr. Shalabh Gupta: Thank you. Thank you for hosting me. [00:01:36] Lindsey Dinneen: Of course. I'd love if you wouldn't mind just telling us a little bit about yourself, your background, and what led you to MedTech. [00:01:45] Dr. Shalabh Gupta: By way of background, I'm a physician, trained, practiced, did my medical training in internal medicine, residency in physical medicine and rehab, research fellowship in cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation, board certified physician, practice in New York at NYU hospital, NYU Medical Center. This is where I did my medical training for roughly decade after finishing medical school. I also have a graduate degree in finance management from NYU. While I was doing my residency training, I realized that I wanted to find a way to have a broader impact on society as well as what we were working on in learning medicine. So, I started my career working initially with a biotechnology company at the time to help them get their drug with FDA through a regulatory approval process. The beginning of the process is called IND following a investigation new drug application, IND application. I actually visited FDA on their behalf, met with FDA back in the time when everything used to be in person. Built from there onward, joined Wall Street from working as a stock analyst. So I covered biotech companies as a stock analyst, and the weekend and holidays that were available, I worked to continue to practice the medicine at NYU as an attending physician, and then...

Zed Williamson is the founder and CEO of TrackableMed. He explores his transition from the advertising world to the medtech industry, where he applies neuroscience and behavior change principles to optimize medical systems. Zed discusses the importance of bridging the gap between clinical information and human connections in healthcare, and shares insights from his two podcasts aimed at medical sales and private practice growth. This discussion is packed full of practical advice for leaders in all industries. Guest links: https://www.trackablemed.com/ | https://www.linkedin.com/in/zedwilliamson/ Charity supported: Polaris Project Interested in being a guest on the show or have feedback to share? Email us at theleadingdifference@velentium.com. PRODUCTION CREDITS Host: Lindsey Dinneen Editing: Marketing Wise Producer: Velentium EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Episode 055 - Zed Williamson [00:00:00] Lindsey Dinneen: Hi, I'm Lindsey and I'm talking with MedTech industry leaders on how they change lives for a better world. [00:00:09] Diane Bouis: The inventions and technologies are fascinating and so are the people who work with them. [00:00:15] Frank Jaskulke: There was a period of time where I realized, fundamentally, my job was to go hang out with really smart people that are saving lives and then do work that would help them save more lives. [00:00:28] Diane Bouis: I got into the business to save lives and it is incredibly motivating to work with people who are in that same business, saving or improving lives. [00:00:38] Duane Mancini: What better industry than where I get to wake up every day and just save people's lives. [00:00:42] Lindsey Dinneen: These are extraordinary people doing extraordinary work, and this is The Leading Difference. Hello, and welcome back to another episode of The Leading Difference podcast. My name is Lindsey, and I am so excited to introduce you to my guest today, Zed Williamson. Zed is the founder and CEO of TrackableMed, a medical growth platform established in 2011 focused on delivering tangible results for healthcare professionals. He emphasizes that every system is perfectly designed to achieve its current results, and believes that by identifying and addressing system constraints, meaningful change can be achieved. Through TrackableMed, Zed applies neuroscience and behavior change principles to help private medical practices and medtech companies optimize their systems. He also shares actionable insights as the host of two podcasts, The Medical Sales Accelerator podcast, providing tips and secrets from the industry's top performers, and The Physician Growth Accelerator podcast, aiming to assist private practice physicians in balancing excellent patient care with successful practice management. All right. Well, welcome, Zed. It's so nice to speak with you today. [00:01:50] Zed Williamson: Thanks for having me. Appreciate it. [00:01:52] Lindsey Dinneen: Absolutely. Well, would you mind sharing a little bit about yourself and your background and what led you to MedTech? [00:01:59] Zed Williamson: Sure. So actually I come from the advertising world, which maybe seems strange. I thought it my life plan was climbing the corporate ladder, and I thought it was a really good idea, and then I realized I despised the industry. I just thought it was totally riddled with a complete lack of accountability to actual results. And it wasn't feeding my soul to, to be working in that space. And so I started a company called TrackableMed back in 2011 with the idea that we all are, we're working with humans have brains and brains are pretty predictable because of the understanding of neuroscience and cognitive behavior, bias and heuristics, and that we could create a company that would help medical practices grow by bringing in very specific patients. And that's when I was introduced to the medical device industry because the people and the organizations that witnessed the work we did for private...

Mildred Zayas, a global supply chain executive with over 25 years of experience in the medical technology industry, shares her transformative journey from her early career in Puerto Rico to leading strategic initiatives at Johnson & Johnson. She emphasizes operational excellence, supply chain optimization, and mentoring emerging leaders. She discusses the importance of continuous learning, servant leadership, and the exciting future of MedTech with advancements in robotics and AI. Mildred also highlights her passion for empowering underserved communities and her involvement in nonprofit organizations like America Needs You. Guest links: www.linkedin.com/in/mildred-zayas/ Charity supported: Feeding America Interested in being a guest on the show or have feedback to share? Email us at theleadingdifference@velentium.com. PRODUCTION CREDITS Host: Lindsey Dinneen Editing: Marketing Wise Producer: Velentium EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Episode 054 - Mildred Zayas [00:00:00] Lindsey Dinneen: Hi, I'm Lindsey and I'm talking with MedTech industry leaders on how they change lives for a better world. [00:00:09] Diane Bouis: The inventions and technologies are fascinating and so are the people who work with them. [00:00:15] Frank Jaskulke: There was a period of time where I realized, fundamentally, my job was to go hang out with really smart people that are saving lives and then do work that would help them save more lives. [00:00:28] Diane Bouis: I got into the business to save lives and it is incredibly motivating to work with people who are in that same business, saving or improving lives. [00:00:38] Duane Mancini: What better industry than where I get to wake up every day and just save people's lives. [00:00:42] Lindsey Dinneen: These are extraordinary people doing extraordinary work, and this is The Leading Difference. Hello, and welcome back to another episode of The Leading Difference podcast. I'm your host, Lindsey, and today I'm delighted to welcome Mildred Zayas. Mildred is an accomplished leader with extensive and global expertise in strategic planning, operational excellence, and supply chain optimization within medical technology and life sciences. Well, thank you so much for being here today, Mildred. I'm so excited to talk with you. [00:01:15] Mildred Zayas: Thank you for the invitation, Lindsey. [00:01:17] Lindsey Dinneen: Of course. Well, I would love it if you would start off by sharing a little bit about yourself and your background and what led you to MedTech. [00:01:25] Mildred Zayas: Of course. I'm a global supply chain executive with over 25 years of experience in the medical technology industry. I have had the privilege of leading transformative initiatives at Johnson and Johnson, where I optimize manufacturing network, particularly in Asia Pacific, resulting in cost savings, inventory improvements, improved customer service levels as well. We also have introduced what I call the manufacturing ecosystems, which is instead of focusing on the product design on the customer only, which is important-- I'm not saying that it isn't-- but we also want to introduce a product that, of course, is high quality and dependable, but we also enhancing the efficiency and manufacturability is what is called designing for manufacturability. Product design and manufacturing don't have to be mutually exclusive, and that is something that I definitely learned through my career. I was born and raised in Puerto Rico. I'm particularly dedicated to empowering underserved communities to achieve greater economic and career advancement. My career is driven by a commitment to operational excellence, strategic innovation, and mentoring emerging leaders to achieve their full potential. [00:02:43] Lindsey Dinneen: That's amazing. Thank you so much for sharing a little bit about that. So I would love to go back a little bit further and start. When you were young, did you have any idea that something like this was something you...

Rick Sherak, CEO of Exokinetics, shares his incredible journey from serving as an Air Force officer to leading a company that develops transformative mobility devices. He discusses the importance of leadership, sales psychology, and creating compassionate company culture. Rick's passion shines through as he recounts heartwarming stories of how Exokinetics' Zeen device has profoundly improved the lives of people with mobility challenges, including children with cerebral palsy. Guest links: https://gozeen.com/ | https://vimeo.com/1011399920 | https://vimeo.com/856975581/9994ad1cb8?share=copy Charity supported: Project ELEVATE Mobility Interested in being a guest on the show or have feedback to share? Email us at theleadingdifference@velentium.com. PRODUCTION CREDITS Host: Lindsey Dinneen Editing: Marketing Wise Producer: Velentium EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Episode 053 - Rick Sherak [00:00:00] Lindsey Dinneen: Hi, I'm Lindsey and I'm talking with MedTech industry leaders on how they change lives for a better world. [00:00:09] Diane Bouis: The inventions and technologies are fascinating and so are the people who work with them. [00:00:15] Frank Jaskulke: There was a period of time where I realized, fundamentally, my job was to go hang out with really smart people that are saving lives and then do work that would help them save more lives. [00:00:28] Diane Bouis: I got into the business to save lives and it is incredibly motivating to work with people who are in that same business, saving or improving lives. [00:00:38] Duane Mancini: What better industry than where I get to wake up every day and just save people's lives. [00:00:42] Lindsey Dinneen: These are extraordinary people doing extraordinary work, and this is The Leading Difference. Hello and welcome back to another episode of The Leading Difference podcast. I'm your host, Lindsey, and I am so excited to introduce you to my guest today, Rick Sherak. After serving as an Air Force officer, Rick spent over 25 years in the medical diagnostic industry as a commercial and product development executive. Leveraging his broad leadership and medical domain experience, he became CEO of Exokinetics in March 2024 to lead the company into its next expansion phase of market awareness and revenue growth. Alrighty. Well, welcome, Rick, to the show. Thank you so much for joining me today. I'm so excited to speak with you. [00:01:30] Rick Sherak: Well, it's nice to meet you, Lindsey, and I'm glad to speak with you today as well. Should be fun. [00:01:36] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. Excellent. Well, I would love if you would start by sharing a little bit about yourself and your background and what led you to MedTech. [00:01:45] Rick Sherak: Sure. Well, so I currently live just outside of Philadelphia with my wife and our four dogs. We just recently moved here from Boston, so we've had to quickly become Philadelphia Eagles fans. Go birds. We love it here. And my background is kind of interesting, a little bit diverse. I started off my career as an Air Force officer. I tried to follow my dad in his fighter pilot footsteps. Got almost there, but I had a medical disqualification, so I had to do a land based job, but really enjoyed the Air Force. It was a great way to pay for my college and to serve my country and also to learn leadership. It was like a masterclass in leadership. Talking about getting thrown into the leadership fire, and as a young 22 year old, lead a group of people on a mission, motivate everyone, and get everyone producing at their highest capacity. So that was a great way to start. But after I got out of the Air Force, I really wanted to go back to my roots, and that's in the sciences. I've always loved the sciences, especially the biological sciences. I have a degree in biological science from Baylor University. So out of the military, I was looking for an opportunity to use my interest in something that would support my family. So I started with Abbott...

Mike Knox is a standup comedian and the author of "Vivien's Rain." In this unique episode that reveals the perspective of a device end-user, Mike shares his personal journey into the MedTech field through the lens of his daughter's epilepsy and the life-saving (and life-giving!) impact of a vagus nerve stimulator. He discusses the challenges faced before discovering the device, the transformation in his daughter's life post-surgery, and his advocacy work. Mike also touches on the stigma surrounding epilepsy, the importance of compassion, and his career shift from law enforcement to comedy, using humor to inform and inspire others. Guest links: www.MikeKnox.com Charity supported: Save the Children Interested in being a guest on the show or have feedback to share? Email us at theleadingdifference@velentium.com. PRODUCTION CREDITS Host: Lindsey Dinneen Editing: Marketing Wise Producer: Velentium EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Episode 052 - Mike Knox [00:00:00] Lindsey Dinneen: Hi, I'm Lindsey and I'm talking with MedTech industry leaders on how they change lives for a better world. [00:00:09] Diane Bouis: The inventions and technologies are fascinating and so are the people who work with them. [00:00:15] Frank Jaskulke: There was a period of time where I realized, fundamentally, my job was to go hang out with really smart people that are saving lives and then do work that would help them save more lives. [00:00:28] Diane Bouis: I got into the business to save lives and it is incredibly motivating to work with people who are in that same business, saving or improving lives. [00:00:38] Duane Mancini: What better industry than where I get to wake up every day and just save people's lives. [00:00:42] Lindsey Dinneen: These are extraordinary people doing extraordinary work, and this is The Leading Difference. Hello, and welcome back to another episode of The Leading Difference podcast. I'm your host, Lindsey, and I am so excited to introduce you to my guest today, Mike Knox. Mike is a standup comedian and author of the book, "Vivien's Rain," about his daughter's epilepsy and the medical device that saved her life. He is a retired parole agent, and I am so excited that he is joining us today because he has a very unique take on the medical device field from a personal encounter. All right. Well, welcome, Mike. Thank you so much for being here. I'm so excited to speak with you. [00:01:27] Mike Knox: Thank you for having me. [00:01:29] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah, of course. Well, you come to the medtech field and to medical devices in a very kind of unique pathway, and I'm very excited to dive into that. But before we do, would you mind just sharing a little bit about yourself, your background, and what you're doing today, what led you to today? [00:01:48] Mike Knox: Sure. I'm retired law enforcement and now I'm full time stand up comedian and an actor, much better than law enforcement. And I have a daughter who has epilepsy. She's 17 now. She started having seizures at the age of two. And by the age of eight, she got a vagus nerve stimulator, which basically saved her life. So it's a small implant that's like a -- I'm not supposed to say this-- but it's basically like a pacemaker, but for your brain. So it's a small generator that attaches onto your vagus nerve and sends impulses to interrupt your seizure. So she's now been seizure free for eight years. And I go basically go and I'm an ambassador for the company that makes this product. And I go and talk about this product, which is basically, I mean, it has saved my daughter's life. And not only that, but beyond that, it's allowed her to be get her life back basically because she was pretty much just a little zombie cause she was on so much medication at the time. So really for the past 15 years, it was just my wife and I living day to day as parents just trying, you know, in and out of the hospital with my daughter. So now she's in a great place and that affords me the time to...

Kelley Satoski is the co-founder and CEO of Pelva Health, a pelvic health startup dedicated to making intimacy pain-free for women suffering from chronic vaginal and vulvar pain. Kelley shares her personal journey with vaginismus, which led her and her husband to seek innovative solutions where none existed. They discuss the staggering statistics of women affected by this pain, Pelva Health’s progress, and the significance of addressing women's health issues head-on. Listen as Kelley talks about the challenges and triumphs of starting a medtech company, the importance of curiosity and bravery in leadership, and the profound impact Pelva Health aims to make. Guest links: https://www.pelvahealth.com | https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelleysatoski/; | https://www.linkedin.com/in/douglassatoski/ Charity supported: https://www.savethechildren.org/ Interested in being a guest on the show or have feedback to share? Email us at theleadingdifference@velentium.com. PRODUCTION CREDITS Host: Lindsey Dinneen Editing: Marketing Wise Producer: Velentium EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Episode 051 - Kelley Satoski [00:00:00] Lindsey Dinneen: Hi, I'm Lindsey and I'm talking with MedTech industry leaders on how they change lives for a better world. [00:00:09] Diane Bouis: The inventions and technologies are fascinating and so are the people who work with them. [00:00:15] Frank Jaskulke: There was a period of time where I realized, fundamentally, my job was to go hang out with really smart people that are saving lives and then do work that would help them save more lives. [00:00:28] Diane Bouis: I got into the business to save lives and it is incredibly motivating to work with people who are in that same business, saving or improving lives. [00:00:38] Duane Mancini: What better industry than where I get to wake up every day and just save people's lives. [00:00:42] Lindsey Dinneen: These are extraordinary people doing extraordinary work, and this is The Leading Difference. Hello, and welcome back to another episode of The Leading Difference podcast. I'm your host, Lindsey. And I am so excited to introduce you to my guest today, Kelley Satoski. Kelley is the co founder and CEO of Pelva Health, a pelvic health startup on a mission to make intimacy pain free for women with chronic vaginal and vulvar pain. All right. Well, welcome, Kelley, to the show. I'm so excited that you are here today. [00:01:18] Kelley Satoski: Yeah, this is amazing. I'm excited to chat. [00:01:21] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. Wonderful. Well, would you mind just starting by telling us a little bit about yourself and your background and what led you to MedTech? [00:01:29] Kelley Satoski: Yeah. So, we were talking before the show about you being in dance and all your different ventures. I also have a similar background in the arts, so I didn't really anticipate starting a medtech company. That was probably the furthest thing from my mind. But I did grow up in a very entrepreneurial family. So I went to school for art and design, wanted to do my own thing, wanted to start my own startup. So I feel like that was always something in the back of my mind. But we started this pelvic health company because me and my husband, Doug, had a condition called vaginismus, which basically is a problem that keeps people from being able to have sex due to chronic vaginal and vulvar pain. And so we struggled with that for about 10 years and then after seeking treatment for five years, not seeing any relief, we decided, "Okay. There has to be a better solution." And so that was really the catalyst for starting Pelva Health and for getting into medtech. And we're the perfect duo for it. My husband's a biomedical engineer, has worked in many companies, has worked at biomaterials before, and then me with my background in art design, entrepreneurial spirit, and really fits us really well. So we're excited to be a part of the community. [00:02:57] Lindsey Dinneen: Oh, that is exciting. Wonderful....