DeviceTalks Podcast Network

In this episode we’ll talk with Kathryn Rieger, PhD, senior director, human factors and user research at Intuitive, about how the surgical robotics leader is working with surgeons to understand how to make its surgical systems easier to use or, for lack of a better word, intuitive. Where should buttons go. What does the blue blinking light mean? And should surgical robotics systems follow a simila...

Editorial Director Tom Salemi provides a sneak peek (listen?) into next week’s DeviceTalks West conference which will be held Oct. 19-20 at the Santa Clara Convention Center. Tom will run through some of the highlights of the agenda which can be viewed at west.devicetalks.com. We also include snippets of past interviews of two keynotes – Gary Guthart, CEO of Intuitive, and Leslie Trigg, CEO of Out...

In this episode, we’ll first hear from Swarna Alcorn, business unit vice president, Olympus America, about that company’s long held – and growing -position in respiratory tools. We’ll weight the value between reusable and single-use bronchoscopes as well as the dire need for more awareness of lung cancer. Then we’ll connect with Rebecca Whitney, global spine president at ZimVie, the recent spinout...

In this week’s episode, we’ll talk with leaders from Zimmer Biomet and Vicarious Surgical about the new partners they’ve entered into with national hospital companies in a bid to further their digital and robotics surgery offerings. Guests include Robert Kraal, Vice President and General Manager, Connected Health at Zimmer Biomet, and Adam Sachs, co-founder and CEO of Vicarious Surgical. You’ll ge...

This episode of the DeviceTalks Weekly podcast features a panel discussion I led at Medmarc’s Annual Broker meeting. There are enormous insights on how investors and start-up executives see the opportunities and challenging facing the sector today. Below, you can see time stamps for each of the major topics we covered. We suggest sitting back and listening to the entire podcast – long, but not cra...

The medical device industry obviously isn’t immune to the challenges posed by a shaky supply chain. But OEM leaders like Boston Scientific need to work doubly hard to ensure they have the supplies needed to provide devices for patient care. In this episode, we’ll talk with Brad Sorenson, executive vice president, Global Operations, and Paudie O’Connor, senior vice president of supply chain, to lea...

Not sure why but last week's podcasts didn't immediately find their way to some podcast players. They are there now, so enjoy! And thanks for listening.

Nearly 700,000 people die from heart disease, that’s one out of every five deaths, a startling number that could be curtailed with better predictive tools. In this episode, we’ll talk with two medical device companies employing new analytical tools to get a clearer picture of heart health. We’ll first connect with Campbell Rogers, MD, executive vice president and chief medical officer of HeartFlow...

In this episode, Eileen Buckley, vice president, corporate responsibility, unpacks how Stryker is following its environmental, social and governance strategies to encourage its employees, suppliers and even customers to meet increased demands for greater healthcare access and a smaller environmental impact. In a time where employees look to work with companies that carry a broader social mission,...

In this episode, two senior leaders from Medtronic’s Cardiovascular Diagnostics & Services group share the group’s vision of “turning data into the right therapy.” Sanjiv Arora, vice president of business development and strategy, and Leo Rapallini, vice president of research & development, explain how trail-blazing technologies like the LINQ family of ICMs are a great tool in measuring in...

In this episode, two newer players to the surgical robotics space explain how they’re planning to grab their appropriate slice of the growing market. First, we’ll talk with Kurt Azarbarzin, CEO of EndoQuest Robotics, which is developing the world’s first endoluminal robotic surgical system that can access the body through the mouth or anus. In our second interview, Dvir Cohen, CEO of Momentis Surg...

In this episode, Mike Panos, president of the trauma and extremities division, explains how Stryker built a powerhouse in their shoulder and foot and ankle businesses through internal development and the acquisition of Wright Medical. The purchase brought Stryker a new line of products and a virtual planning tool called Blueprint. We also explore the trauma business, including where Stryker sees o...

In this episode of the DeviceTalks Weekly Podcast, we collect three very different perspectives on what it takes to find jobs/employees in this current labor market. First, we connect with Joe McClung, president of Floodgate Medical, an executive search firm focused on the medical device industry, for an overview of the current market and some tips for job seekers. (Floodgate also sponsored this e...

In this replay of our most recent MedtronicTalks episode, Dr. Laura Mauri shares the career path that started with an early interest in medicine brought, at least partly, by her mother’s cancer diagnosis. Mauri directed that interest in caring for patients – and an innate ability to keep cool under pressure – to become an interventional cardiologist, a career that led her to appreciate the benefit...

In this replay of the popular MedtronicTalks podcast episode, Greg Smith brought decades of supply chain experience with him when he joined Medtronic last year during the throes of pandemic-induced pressures on supply chain. Over that time, Smith has been working with company leaders and outside suppliers to mitigate the challenges being wrought by the string of global crises. In this episode, we’...

In this episode, Tom O’Brien, Ethicon’s worldwide president of endomechanical, gives a detailed lesson on the design of its Echelon 3000 surgical stapler, from recognizing the huge problem of surgical complications and identifying how to build a stapler that’s more suited to ALL surgeons. The Echelon 3000 is designed with 39% greater jaw aperture and a 27% greater articulation span, as well as sof...

In this episode, Camille Chang Gilmore, vice president, human resources and global chief diversity officer, explains why she accepted Boston Scientific CEO Mike Mahoney’s offer to help lead the company’s diversity and inclusion efforts. This company’s work led to the creation of multiple programs promoting equity and combatting racism, earning Boston Scientific multiple awards and recognition from...

In this episode of IntuitiveTalks, Jonathan Conta, vice president of product management, shares Intuitive’s vision for its da Vinci SP system, a single-port system. Rather than using four arms outside the body that require multiple ports, da Vinci SP can create triangulation inside the body. Intuitive has secured broad approval for the system in Korea, but broader US approval has been coming slowl...

In this episode, Boston Scientific CEO Michael Mahoney makes his DeviceTalks Weekly Podcast debut. In this jam-packed interview, Mahoney walks us through the cultural changes Boston Scientific has made since he joined the company a decade ago. He explains how restructuring has helped to identify leaders rather than managers. How Boston Scientific encourages people to take risks. Where does Boston...

In this week’s episode, Cala Health CEO Renee Ryan joins us in the Newmarker’s Newsmaker’s booth to share her insights on the news of the week including an interesting meeting with Mike Mahoney before he become CEO of Boston Scientific. Ryan also shares details on the growing success of the Cala Trio, a device worn on the wrist to help control essential tremors. We dive deep into Cala’s story, tal...

In this episode, Michael Matson, analyst at Needham, explains his thoughts behind a possible J&J acquisition of Boston Scientific. He also explains why he downgraded Medtronic and his take on supply chain issues. The rest of the episode will focus on Moon Surgical, which recently closed on a $31 million Series A to build a new robot that could lend critical assistance to surgeons. We speak wit...

This week listeners will get to hear how Stryker is incorporating Vocera, Gauss and other tech into its DRE strategy. We’ll get a visit from fellow podcaster Keith Figlioli of LRV Health to talk about Oracle’s acquisition of Cerner. And Chris “WorkLord” Newmarker brings a star-studded Newmarker’s Newsmakers feature Smith & Nephew, GE Healthcare, Ethicon, Medtronic, and Moon Surgical. Thank you...

In this episode, we’ll take a deeper look into our Newmarker’s Newsmakers with Andrew Jay, general partner at the Borna Health Fund, a hedge fund that invests in medical technology companies. We’ll take about Stryker’s recent regulatory success; Quidel’s game-changing acquisition; Medtronic’s dialysis deal with DaVita and shareholder votes against executive pay at Masimo. We’ll also take a deeper...

Parenthood changes everyone, but Mark Paul’s life took a drastically different turn the moment his oldest child was born. Paul discovered he had a passion for the OR and patient treatment, a realization that convinced him to switch careers to the medical device industry. Today, Paul leads Stryker’s neurovascular business which, he says, contains the origins of the stroke treatment industry. In thi...

Message from co-host Tom Salemi, editorial director of DeviceTalks. Check out MedtronicTalks and StrykerTalks at DeviceTalks.com. You can also subscribe to MedtronicTalks on any podcast player.