The 2026 Fierce 50 brings together scientists, physicians, public health leaders, patient advocates and organizations working in very different ways to move healthcare and the life sciences forward. This year’s honorees are developing new medicines, closing gaps in access and representation, tackling health literacy and misinformation, rethinking disease prevention and finding new ways to bring public health information into the communities that need it.

In this episode of "Podnosis," Fierce Healthcare and Life Sciences Editor-in-Chief Ayla Ellison looks at some of the stories that stood out from this year’s honorees, from Revolution Medicines’ bet on the once “undruggable” RAS cancer target and the protein-design work of David Baker, Ph.D., to Michael Osterholm, Ph.D., and his decision to delay stepping back from public health. The episode also explores how honorees including Lisa Fitzpatrick, M.D., Hip Hop Public Health, Eric Topol, M.D., and Mary Owen, M.D., are rethinking trust, communication, prevention and health equity.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• Fierce 50 of 2026

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The U.S. is facing a rapidly aging population alongside a dearth of primary care physicians, who play a crucial role in catching health issues early and keeping costs low. Everyone agrees technology should play a role in filling care gaps, but where its value truly lies is up for debate.

Senior Writer Anastassia Gliadkovskaya talks to David Carmouche, M.D., chief medical and commercial officer of Lumeris, a health tech company that supports providers. Carmouche shares creative ways providers can use technology more effectively and the payment models needed to support those efforts long term. He also discusses lessons learned from leading Walmart Health centers, which shuttered in 2024, and his current work on a federal healthcare advisory committee to the Department of Health and Human Services.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• Walmart Health's shutdown underscores major challenges for retail health 'disruptors'
• Weekly Rundown: Lumeris adds symptom-checking tool to AI platform; DeepIntent rolls out agentic AI t… 
• Primary care is in trouble. So doctors band together to boost their market power 

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This podcast episode is sponsored by Johnson & Johnson and Legend Biotech. Dr. Paresh Patel and multiple myeloma patient Julia P. have been compensated by Johnson & Johnson and Legend Biotech for their time to participate in this podcast.

In this episode of Podnosis: The Pulse of the Healthcare Industry, listeners hear a candid conversation about multiple myeloma from the patient and physician perspectives. A patient who underwent CAR-T therapy and her community oncologist, Dr. Paresh Patel, share how early education, trust and collaboration shaped her treatment journey.

The patient walks through her experience from diagnosis to CAR-T, describing how informed decision-making and self-advocacy helped her navigate an evolving treatment landscape. She reflects on the emotional and practical challenges of multiple myeloma therapies, the importance of caregiver support and what the possibility of a treatment-free interval meant to her.

Dr. Patel discusses the role of community oncologists in managing complex diseases like multiple myeloma, emphasizing why CAR-T should remain part of the treatment conversation early on. He explores timing, referral considerations and the value of clear communication as patients move between local care and specialized centers. At its core, this episode is about partnership and what is possible when patients and care teams navigate complexity together.

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Consumer wearables are popular for a reason. People like to have their health data on demand. These insights can encourage healthy habits and may flag early signals of an underlying illness.

The problem is interpretability. Without a doctor’s input, many people are left to puzzle over their results and what they imply. Timely medical advice is important, yet often missing.

Reperio Health aims to address that gap. It combines at-home health screenings, an app and virtual clinical visits to help patients make sense of it all. Senior Writer Anastassia Gliadkovskaya sits down with Reperio’s co-founder and CEO, Travis Rush, to explain.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• At-home testing company Reperio teams up with Amazon One Medical on preventive care
• Doctronic, Simple HealthKit partner to connect at-home screening with AI-powered clinical care
• Noom launches at-home biomarker test kit for metabolic health monitoring 

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Elevated medical costs and policy turmoil continued to affect the financial performance of payers and providers in the second quarter. Providers are still feeling the sting of fluctuations in ACA plan enrollment, while payers pointed to the No Surprises Act’s arbitration process as a major challenge.

Fierce Healthcare editor Dave Muoio and senior writer Paige Minemyer sit down for another deep dive into the biggest trends emerging from second-quarter earnings calls.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• Insurers see positive results in managing health costs in Q2
• Ardent Health offsets Q2 volume stumble by tightening costs, renegotiating contracts
• CVS enhances supports for patients taking GLP-1s
• Universal Health Services tops Q2 expectations, but dials back full-year earnings
• Tenet Healthcare shrugs off ACA headwinds with sweeping Q2 outperformance, boosts 2026 guidance
• HCA Healthcare's H1 ACA volume dropoffs 'almost one for one' shifted to uninsurance
• UnitedHealthcare exec says 'ineffective' No Surprises Act IDR process demands reform

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Multiple sclerosis is a chronic autoimmune disease that requires proactive early intervention and treatment to achieve the best long-term outcomes. But recommendations for MS patients who are pregnant can be murky.

Driven by knowledge gaps and concerns about the effects of disease-modifying therapies on the fetus, providers have often advised MS patients not to become pregnant. However, emerging research shows that patients can safely continue certain MS medications during pregnancy.

Katrina Bawden, a family nurse practitioner and MS-certified nurse at Rocky Mountain MS Clinic, is working to fill the research gap by tracking pregnancies among women with MS. She discusses the outcomes she is seeing with Senior Writer Anastassia Gliadkovskaya.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• 'We want to feel heard': Jamie-Lynn Sigler on how pharmas can better serve patients
• As Roche eyes busy 2026, Vabysmo undershoots targets and Tecentriq fails early lung cancer study 
• Fewer than 1% of clinical trials in the US include pregnant patients, study finds

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It’s no secret that healthcare is complicated. Patients face escalating costs and significant complexity as they try to navigate their own health journeys.

That’s why CVS Health is making significant investments to improve the consumer experience and simplify patients’ interactions with the healthcare system. Amy Compton-Phillips, M.D., the company’s chief medical officer, joins senior writer Paige Minemyer to unpack initiatives such as CVS Health 100 and discuss what the ideal patient experience might look like.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• CVS unveils Health 100, its new Google-powered consumer engagement platform
• A look at how CVS is leaning on 'agentic twins' in developing consumer tech
• Inside Aetna's investments to build provider trust
• Consumers' satisfaction with health plan apps improves with familiarity: JD Power

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In this sponsored episode of Podnosis, host Irena Luo speaks with Patrick Velliky, chief external affairs officer at HaloMD, about the No Surprises Act and the ongoing challenges surrounding the independent dispute resolution process.

Velliky reflects on the original expectations behind the legislation, including the goal of creating a fair arbitration framework where insurers and providers could resolve payment disputes in good faith. He discusses concerns that have emerged around arbitration award payments, highlighting how delayed or missing payments can affect providers despite favorable rulings.

The conversation examines potential enforcement pathways, including regulatory oversight and bipartisan legislative proposals intended to address compliance gaps and establish clearer penalties. Velliky also shares his perspective on the financial pressures facing physician practices and how reimbursement challenges may influence healthcare consolidation trends.

Listen in for an expert discussion on the evolving implementation of the No Surprises Act, the future of IDR enforcement and what these developments could mean for providers, payers and patients.

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Despite the importance of prenatal care, recent CDC data show that access is declining. Fewer women are beginning prenatal care in the first trimester, while the share starting later in pregnancy or receiving no prenatal care is rising.

Unified Women’s Healthcare supports women’s health practices and provides fertility services, maternity analytics, care coordination and other technology-enabled services. The company is exploring how those tools can help patients enter care earlier and receive more tailored support throughout pregnancy.

Unified Chief Medical Officer Elizabeth Cherot, M.D., joins Senior Writer Anastassia Gliadkovskaya to discuss the company’s approach, the barriers keeping patients from prenatal care and the role technology can play in expanding access.

To learn more about the topics in this episode: 

• Family health provider Nest Health launches in-home prenatal services 
• Why UnitedHealth Group is betting big on doulas
• Wavelet Medical, Aegis Ventures partner on first AI non-invasive fetal EEG monitoring platform
• New Medicaid-focused doula provider Malama launches with $9.2M 

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As healthcare organizations look to ease clinician burden and improve care delivery, health IT is becoming a strategic lever, not just an operational tool. In this episode of Podnosis, Chad Dodd, vice president of product management at Athenahealth, shares a practical perspective on how technology can address some of the industry’s most persistent workflow challenges.

Dodd explains how AI-powered documentation, automated insights and emerging agent-based tools can help reduce administrative friction while giving clinicians more time to focus on patients. He also outlines where technology has limits, including workforce shortages, reimbursement pressures and other systemic issues that require broader industry action.

A central theme is the importance of clinician-led innovation. Athenahealth’s development model brings clinicians, engineers and data scientists together to build tools that reflect real workflows rather than adding complexity to them.

The conversation also explores why trust, transparency and optionality are essential to AI adoption. For healthcare leaders, technology stakeholders and anyone shaping the future of care delivery, this episode offers a grounded look at how health IT can move from promise to practical impact. Click play to hear how clinician collaboration is redefining the next era of healthcare technology.

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