Diagnostic Guru

Guest Title - Stephanie Espy, Writer and Executive Director, STEM Gems Book

Astronaut? Doctor? Engineer? These are the generalized career paths we often hear about when programs are pushing young girls to consider a STEM path, but what about a Social Robotics Engineer or an Atmospheric Scientist? Real jobs held by real women. That is one of the goals of our guest today, to highlight the full range of roles that are available to women through the STEM path and to represent all of the many different women who fill those roles. 

Stephanie Espy is the originator and writer of the STEM Gems book. A Chemical Engineer herself, and graduate of MIT, UC Berkeley, and Emory University, Stephanie’s approach with this book is to share the inspiring and diverse stories of 44 women in STEM, the challenges these women faced, their tremendous accomplishments, and actionable steps that girls and young women can take to set themselves up for success. She believes that STEM isn’t a special brain, and it doesn’t come from a life of privilege. STEM is simply an exposure to what is possible and an internal belief that anyone can be a STEM Gem. 

Stephanie Espy is the Founder and CEO of MathSP as well as Founder, Writer, and Executive Director of STEM Gem. Through her work, she aims to empower the next generation of STEM leaders. Her for-profit company, MathSP, transforms the lives of its students by unlocking their potential, imparting a methodology that centralizes problem solving and critical thinking. STEM Gems is a nonprofit organization committed to excellence in STEM education by building a stronger, more inclusive STEM pipeline where girls and young women of all backgrounds are empowered to explore, pursue, and excel in STEM. Core programs include the STEM Gems Club, STEM Gems Summit: Women Empowering Girls, and the STEM Gems Summer Camp. 

To find out more, visit www.MathSP.com and www.STEMGemsBook.com

Guest Title - Megan Scherer, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Worth the Wait

COVID turned the world upside down for all of us, but not all of us decided during COVID to turn our personal experience into a business. But that’s exactly what Megan Scherer and her husband, Mike, did when they leveraged their experience of infertility following Mike’s testicular cancer into the basis of a new non-profit organization, Worth the Wait.  

Megan Scherer is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Worth the Wait. Megan advocates for patients and oncofertility nationally as a speaker and patient advocate. She enjoys the personal relationships she forms with young patients Worth the Wait assists and loves providing hope and inspiring others with her story as a caregiver, infertility patient, and mom to son Elliott. Before co-founding Worth the Wait in 2021, Megan held marketing communication leadership roles in the health insurance industry. 

On today’s episode, Megan shares what it was like to move from the corporate world to her own non-profit and some critical advice she learned along the way. She also talks about the “ugly” of working with her husband, a new venture for both of them.

Guest Title - Barbara Zehentner, COO, Molecular Testing Labs

When you start your career with a “No” in the 4th grade, what do you do with that? If you’re Barbara Zehentner, you turn all of the No’s in to one big fat “Yes” and bet on yourself.  

Dr. Barbara Zehentner is the COO of Molecular Testing Labs, with over 25 years experience in molecular diagnostics and clinical laboratory management. She holds a PhD in Molecular Biology and an MBA, and is a certified high-complexity clinical laboratory director. Her leadership experience includes roles at Roche, GSK, HematoLogics and Adaptive Biotechnologies, and she’s come a long way from that dairy farm in Germany.

On today’s episode, Barbara shares why it's so important for us to take gender out of science and math, to pay attention to the little things we say and do that communicate to our next generation of women that they can’t or shouldn’t. Barbara also takes us through her own journey of “No’s” and how she broke through that to become the scientist and leader she is today.  

Guest Title - Desiree Hollemon, Vice President of Clinical Affairs, Aerin Medical

What lessons would you share with your 25-year old self? How do you pick a company? What are your non-starters? When do you let go? These are all the lessons our guest this week appreciates being able to share with her own daughters and her younger colleagues. 

A self-declared “innovation addict”, Desiree Hollemon is a seasoned Clinical Affairs leader with over 20 years of experience developing novel medical devices, diagnostics and therapeutics. She started her career as a critical care nurse and sees herself as always working at the intersection of the product and the patient. Desiree is currently the VP of Clinical Affairs for Aerin Medical. 

On today’s episode, Desiree shares how she made the leap from clinical care to clinical research and why she values the wisdom she’s gained and the position she’s in to share it. She talks about the price women pay during their career when they are denied direct feedback, and why the companies she chooses to work for have to have the sweet spot of innovative science and transparent people and nothing less. 

Guest Title - Susan Tousi, CEO, DELFI Diagnostics

What advice does a woman whose professional pedigree includes leadership roles at three of the most dominant companies in their respective markets? “Enjoy the journey. Don’t rush.” 

Susan Tousi started her career in engineering with Hewlett-Packard. As a technologist, she worked her way up into management positions there and at Eastman Kodak before making the leap to the life sciences. In her decade-long tenure at Illumina, Inc. Susan spearheaded the engineering and launch of several of Illumina’s most impactful and well-recognized products, and served as Chief Commercial Officer before joining DELFI Diagnostics as their CEO in 2024. 

On today’s episode, Susan shares what it was like rising through the ranks at her first two companies and how she grew by building relationships and establishing a community. She shares how she made the transition to life sciences, even taking a step back on her career journey in order to learn the technology and lexicon so she could be more adept at the business. Susan’s optimism and insatiable desire for betterment are the cornerstone of her career…and her approach to life.

Guest Title - Dina Greene, PhD, DABCC, Founder, Evergreene Labs

Dina Greene navigates difficult spaces by being relatable. It’s what’s allowed her to become a pioneer in her work in gender inclusive laboratory medicine. 

She’s also a powerhouse in the clinical laboratory medicine space, having published over 140 scientific papers. Her clinical research studies explore the application and effects of laboratory diagnostics, with an emphasis on how social demographics impact clinical outcomes.  In line with her clinical focus, Dr Greene is passionate about designing operational strategies for more inclusive laboratory medicine. 

On today’s episode, Dina shares how she got involved in her work with the LGBTQ+ community, and why she is constantly asking herself, “What is my privilege here?” any time she encounters oppression. Dina’s passion is obvious, but so is her authenticity and her genuine likeability. This is the kind of DG you want to have in your corner.

Guest Title - Carrie Haverty, Vice President of Product, Mirvie

Don’t let perfect get in the way of good. 

That’s the motto Carrie Haverty learned when she pivoted her career from clinical genetic counseling to Product Management and took a job she really didn’t know how to do. Having faith in herself and her transferable skills, Carrie has built a successful second half of her career in Product Management and currently serves as the Vice President of Product at Mirvie, where she directs the development of the company’s product portfolio focused on driving biological insights in pregnancy to advance the delivery of predictive maternal care. 

As the recently named President-Elect of the National Society of Genetic Counselors, Carrie shares her perspective on women in leadership and why, on occasion, she likes being the “dumbest person in the room.”

Guest Title - Marcy Ewald, COO, ThinkNimble

Marcy Ewald is a master at seeing patterns and applying those patterns to new problems. It’s been the superpower fueling the success of this multi-time founder. However…its also her nemesis.

Marcy is the co-founder of ThinkNimble, a product and engineering studio that helps early-stage and mission-driven startups build with speed and intention. Lately, her work has been centered on expanding access to entrepreneurship and demystifying tech for people who’ve historically been left out of the room. She’s especially interested in how we build tools, companies, and work structures that let more people get a real shot at building something of their own.

On today’s episode, Marcy shares the good, the bad, and the ugly of her career but also of tech in general and why she sees tech as being the key facilitator to helping women consolidate their power.

Did you have a favorite episode from Season 1? How about a knowledge bomb that stuck with you from a particular guest? We certainly did!

On today’s bonus episode of Diagnostic Guru, Host, Lesley Northrop, and Producer, Jess Greenwood, hop on the show to debrief all of Season 1. The biggest takeaways, the funniest one liners, and the nuggets we didn’t catch the first time but are certainly glad we caught the second go ‘round.

Guest Title - Andrea Mohamed, CoFounder, QuantumBloom

Women are clearly limitless, so how do we nurture their confidence, intellect, and self-assurance to prepare them for a career in STEM so the industry itself doesn’t spit them out? 

That’s the premise behind QuantumBloom, the company our guest today co-founded to create environments where women early in their STEM-careers can authentically thrive. Andrea Mohamed is a transformative leader and courageous disruptor with over two decades of experience driving organizational growth and systemic change. Drawing from her own journey as a first-generation college graduate who rose through corporate America, Andrea brings a unique perspective on breaking barriers and building belonging. She knows that as women, we have to stop waiting to be chosen and instead go out in the world and just take it.

In this episode, Andrea shares her own experience of floundering early including quitting her PhD program and then stumbling her way into the corporate world. Her success there is evident, but it wasn’t an easy path, and as she and her Co-Founder began to understand the reasons why women are leaving STEM careers in droves, she knew she was capable of building something better to address that. Andrea talks openly about the good, the bad, and the ugly both in her corporate career and in the start-up world and why she thinks modeling courage is so important. 

SPECIAL ADDITION - Stay tuned for the outtakes at the end. The conversation after the official recording ended was so good, our Producer just had to share some of it with you. Be warned, though, there is some explicit language so cover any ears that need covering.