MedTech Stories

Our final episode for Season 1 features Saumya Premachandra, Director of Medical Education at Penumbra. Saumya started her career at Cook Medical as a sales rep and transitioned into product management and eventually medical education. Tune in to hear Saumya’s story on growth through self awareness and continuous learning all the while being a global baby - living in  six countries, 10 cities, 20 homes throughout her life!

Resources: 

Books - 

Links - 

Leaders need “User Manuals” – and what I learned by writing mine

"Deep Dive into Medical Education Strategies - Engaging, Developing and Maintaining Collaborative Partnerships"Transparency, Aggregate Spend & HCP Engagement Conference

Michelle Obama Imposter Syndrome

Episode Summary: Vasey Hargreaves is the Senior Director of Commercial Marketing at Aerin Medical. She has worked in the cardiovascular and ENT space as well as received her MBA from Haas. In this episode, Vasey walks us through her unique career path, explains the differences in working for a startup versus large company and shares her unique superpower of staying calm under pressure--in a work setting and while skydiving.

Detailed Show Notes:

6:36 - Teaching in China + posting on Craigslist: Vasey’s beginnings

9:28 - Never want to be bored: Vasey’s career paths

16:04 - Going bigger for the rigor: Finding a full-time job out of business school

28:13 - Changing the lens: Where she’s at now

34:22 - Wearing all the hats: Success in a startup

39:22 - Dr. Google: Patient marketing in the digital age

42:22 - Women in the C-Suite: Mentors and leaders

44:22 - Knowing when to pull the ripcord: Vasey’s superpower

48:55 - Think beyond the parameters: Her advice for young professionals

50:06 - Listen to your gut: Vasey’s role model

Episode Summary: Pharoah Schnieber recently joined Cerepadics as the Vice President, International Regulatory & Global Compliance at Cerepadics. Previously she was the VP of Regulatory and R&D at PQ Bypass and although she’s very excited for her new role, she looks forward to watching PQ Bypass and Endologix continue their success from afar. Pharoah started her career as a reviewer at FDA and then transitioned into Industry. Tune in to hear Pharaoh’s story about growing up in a very tight knit Filipino family, bringing her background and culture into how she leads teams and how she has discovered and honed her leadership style.

Detailed Show Notes:

5:44 - Running towards something: Finding your calling

11: 37 - Loud leadership: Pharoah’s personal life

20:40 - “The Wolf:” Pharoah’s time as an FDA reviewer

26:08 - Tailoring for your audience: The switch to regulatory

30:34 - Straight, yet effective, shooter: Leadership styles (and socially acceptable styles)

42:01 - Brutal honesty: Pharaoh's “short list” of mentors

45:30 - “Go make friends:” They key to making mentors

53:58 - Catering leadership: Pharoah’s superpowers

55:55 - “Don’t forget the people:” Advice to young professionals

58:41 - Family sacrifices: Pharoah’s role models

Calls to action:

Follow MedTech Stories on LinkedIn

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts

Rate and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts

Music Credits - Scott Holmes Music

Episode Summary: Jessica Richter is the Chief Operating Officer and Head of Business Development at Experien Group. Jess started her medtech career in Sales at CR Bard and then grew into sales leadership positions at Medtronic. She then joined Experian group to expand the firm’s business development activities and to direct strategic growth initiatives. Tune in to hear Jessica’s story on her impact in cases as a sales rep, her influence on increasing diversity in the MedTech industry and her passion for animal rescue!

Detailed Show Notes:

Calls to action:

Follow MedTech Stories on LinkedIn

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts

Rate and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts

Music Credits - Scott Holmes Music

Episode Summary: Shreya Mehta is the Cofounder and CTO of Zenflow - medical device company developing a minimally invasive treatment for urinary obstruction caused by enlarged prostate, or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Previously she worked as a lead reviewer at the FDA. Tune in to hear Shreya’s story on starting a company, her long distance cycling adventures from SF to Santa Monica and her thoughts on authentic leadership!

Detailed Show Notes:

3:41 - Engineer at heart: Why MedTech

5:51  -  Looking “under the hood:” Shreya’s experience at the FDA

12:06 - New perspectives & new stakeholders: Her move to biodesign

16:52 - Finding the unmet need: The creation of Zenflow

23:55 - Moving past the bumps on the road: Shreya’s highs and lows

31:28 - Capitalizing your strengths: How to choose a cofounder

35:50 - Trust & transparency in a team: Shaping a self-motivated team

42:20 - From a device to a product: Zenflow’s next steps

48:32 - “I don’t carry all the knowledge:” Using humility in decision-making

52:09 - If you don’t know, you can’t change it: Steps to fight bias

58:17 - Authentic leadership: Shreya’s superpower

1:03:07 - “Do it, if you have the means:” Shreya’s advice to entrepreneurs

Calls to action:

Follow MedTech Stories on LinkedIn

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts

Rate and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts

Music Credits - Scott Holmes Music

Episode summary: Starting out in toxicology and moving to clinical research, Kate Rumrill never necessarily planned to be a CEO. With the help of strong “sound boards” and asking the right questions, her MedTech career landed her as the President and CEO of Ablative Solutions.

Highlights from the episode:

2:24 - “I never aspired to be a CEO:” Kate’s story

6:28 - The research bug: How Kate transitioned to clinical research

10:56 - Going small to go big: Moving from pharma to device

17:55 - The product and the people: The decision to be CEO

26:24 - Support systems: The difference between mentors and sponsors

34:40 - Not being afraid: Making decisions without 100% of the information

38:15 - Seeing around corners: Kate’s leadership superpowers

40:00 - No magical plan: Kate’s advice on career

42:57 - Confident but humble: Kate’s role model

Resources:

https://hbr.org/2018/01/the-fastest-path-to-the-ceo-job-according-to-a-10-year-study (12:14, 46:53)

Calls to action:

Follow MedTech Stories on LinkedIn

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts

Rate and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts

Neeta Sharma, MS, is the vice president of global regulatory affairs at Dexcom. She oversees all regulatory affairs activities for Dexcom’s continuous glucose sensing technology. She has over 15 years of strategic and executive regulatory leadership experience at leading medical device companies, including DJO, Philips, Edward Lifesciences, and Medtronic, and across multiple fields, such as diabetes management and cardiovascular and orthopedic devices. She graduated from the University of Southern California with a dual master’s degree in biomedical engineering and regulatory sciences.

Show Notes:

2:30 - Background: Why Biomedical engineering?

6:21 - Challenges and changes: Neeta talks on career hurdles and growth

15:34 - Breadth and depth: How Neeta gives projects her all

18:51 - “Always be ready to raise your hand:” Going the extra mile in your career

22:56 - Championing CGM: Neeta’s professional accomplishments

27:03 - Running a marathon: Prioritizing work-life balance

30:13 - “No management position scares me:” Neeta’s biggest career risks

37:14 - How can I help: Bringing mentorship to the workplace

41:48 - Decision-making: Neeta’s 3 biggest tips

47:47 - Risk-taking: Neeta’s leadership superpower

50:29 - Take the role: Neeta’s advice on not living with regret

51:29 - “Not one person:” Neeta’s biggest role models

Music Credits - Scott Holmes Music

Jacquie brings a unique background and has worked in healthcare for over 20 years, starting out by building clinical research departments at Johns Hopkins and Boston University before moving into MedTech. She and I met at Volcano where she led KOL engagement and innovation efforts and she’s now the VP of Marketing at Clearpoint Neuro. In this episode she teaches us to trust our gut and jump into new opportunities with both feet - listen in to see how she’s done it multiple times in her career!

Music Credits - Scott Holmes Music