Taking the Pulse: a Health Care and Life Sciences Podcast

Hosts Heather and Leighton welcome Dr. Eric Poon, Chief Health Information Officer of Duke Health, to discuss the development of AI governance programs and the lessons healthcare leaders can apply as they evaluate new tools. Dr. Poon shares insight into Duke Health’s AI governance journey, including the importance of balancing innovation with oversight, measuring the value of AI investments, and a...

How are independent physician practices adapting as employers take a more active role in shaping healthcare decisions and costs? Hosts Heather and Matthew welcome AnnMargaret McCraw, CEO of Midlands Orthopaedics & Neurosurgery, to discuss her insights into the challenges facing independent practices, including declining reimbursement, rising costs, and increased organizational consolidation. W...

How can health systems cut through the noise of evolving AI tools to identify technology that truly improves operations and patient care? Hosts Heather, Matthew, and Leighton welcome Dr. Mark Sendak, Co-Founder and CEO of Vega Health, to discuss how he helps healthcare organizations navigate the artificial intelligence landscape and implementation process. Dr. Sendak shares insight into where AI a...

This episode,  Heather and Matthew welcome attorney John Erwin, the newest addition to Maynard Nexsen’s Health Care and Life Sciences team, to discuss the landscape of mergers and acquisitions in the life sciences industry. John shares insight from his decades of experience in complex healthcare and life sciences transactions, including how data considerations and emerging technologies are shaping...

Hosts Heather and Lauren are joined by Leslie Isenhour, Dean of Biotechnologies and North Carolina BioNetwork Capstone Center at Wake Tech Community College. With the growing demand for life sciences talent in North Carolina, Dean Isenhour shares how Wake Take is preparing the community through customized training programs, apprenticeships, and early exposure at the high school level. We discuss w...

Recorded at the SCbio Annual Conference, hosts Heather and Lauren welcome John Balchunas, Workforce Director at the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals, known as NIIMBL. John shares insight into how the life sciences industry is approaching workforce and talent development at a national level. The conversation explores challenges facing the biopharmaceutical manuf...

Recorded at the 2026 SCbio Annual Conference in Charleston, Heather and Matthew are joined by Dr. Besim Ogretmen, an internationally recognized cancer researcher at MUSC and Co-Founder and CEO of Lipo‑Immuno Tech. Dr. Ogretmen shares how his team is developing novel chemoimmunotherapy approaches designed to enhance immune cell function and improve outcomes for patients with advanced cancers. We al...

Heather and Matthew welcome Christin Carey, Maynard Nexsen’s newest FDA‑focused life sciences attorney, for a discussion on regulatory developments shaping the life sciences and digital health industries. Drawing on her extensive experience advising companies on FDA compliance and her recent in‑house role at Amazon Health Services, Christin shares insight on new tariffs affecting pharma and biotec...

Recorded at the 2026 SCbio Annual Conference, Heather and Matthew are joined by Dr. Joseph Scalea, a nationally recognized transplant surgeon, academic leader, and healthcare innovator. Dr. Scalea shares his perspective on caring for patients facing life‑altering transplants, including the development of his “Four Reasons to Live” framework, and how understanding a patient’s purpose influences out...

Recorded at the 2026 SCbio Annual Conference in Charleston, Heather and Matthew welcome Ken Webb, Professor of Bioengineering at Clemson University and Co‑Founder and President of NeuroHope Therapeutics. We have an exciting conversation about how Ken’s research team is developing and commercializing novel drug‑delivery technologies aimed at treating central nervous system trauma, including spinal...

Recorded live from the 2026 SCbio Annual Conference in Charleston, Heather and Lauren are joined by Daniel Grove, Director of Human Resources at Lonza, one of the world’s largest healthcare manufacturing organizations. Daniel offers insight into the unique workforce challenges facing life sciences manufacturing, from operating in a regulated environment to competing for top talent in a growing mar...

Filmed at the 2026 SCbio Annual Conference in Charleston, Heather and Matthew welcome Gordon Maner, Partner at Frontline Healthcare Partners and CEO of AMB Wealth, for a conversation on private equity’s growing role in healthcare. Gordon shares his unconventional path into investing, the strategy behind Frontline’s focus on lower‑middle‑market healthcare services, and why culture matters as much a...

In this episode, we welcome back Kelli Ferry, recently promoted to Chief Legal Officer and Executive Vice President of Novant Health. Kelli shares how her role has evolved as Novant expands across the Southeast, offering insight into her leadership approach, how the legal department is adapting to organizational growth, and the system’s responsible use of AI in both legal and clinical settings. Sh...

For episode 266, we welcome Leighton Roper, the newest member of Maynard Nexsen’s healthcare and life sciences team. After nearly 20 years at Duke University Health System, Leighton brings experience in academic medicine, government affairs, and complex corporate, transactional and regulatory healthcare matters. He joins us to discuss the biggest challenges facing providers today, from financial p...

Filmed at the 2026 SCbio Annual Conference in Charleston, Matthew and Heather welcome  back James Chappell, President and CEO of SCbio, to discuss the organization’s newly released economic impact report and the explosive growth of South Carolina’s life sciences sector. James shares what’s driving the nearly $20 billion annual economic impact, why companies are choosing to expand in the state, and...

Hosts Heather and Lauren sit down with Patrick McCarthy, CEO of Validcare, to discuss how technology is reshaping the future of clinical research. Patrick shares how Validcare is re‑engineering the traditional CRO model, known for its complexity, by creating a unified, tech-enabled approach that simplifies workflows, increases data quality, reduces costs, and expands access for patients and invest...

To kick off the new year, Heather, Lauren, and Matthew offer a high-level overview of what’s shaping the healthcare and life sciences industries in 2026. From cybersecurity threats and physician employment risks to the growing role of AI, Lauren and Matthew share insights from recent conversations with hospital general counsel and industry leaders. They also look ahead to key policy issues like HI...

Recorded live at the NCLifeSci 2025 Annual Meeting, Heather and Lauren sit down with Andrea Conner, Ecosystem Development Director for First Flight Venture Center, North Carolina’s original science-based technology incubator. Andrea shares how First Flight helps high-science, deep-tech startups take flight through wraparound programs, lab space, and commercialization support. We also get insight i...

Recorded live at the NCLifeSci 2025 Annual Meeting, Marcel Frenkel, co-founder and CEO of Ten63 Therapeutics, joins hosts Heather Matthews and Lauren DeMoss for an exciting conversation about the future of drug discovery. Marcel shares how Ten63 is using advanced AI and computational tools to take on one of the hardest problems in medicine: the 80% of the human genome considered “undruggable.” By...

Recorded live at the NCLifeSci 2025 Annual Meeting, hosts Heather Matthews and Lauren DeMoss chat with Dr. Juliana Blum, CEO of BioAesthetics, a biomaterials company pioneering next-generation acellular grafts for tissue regeneration. Dr. Blum shares how her team is developing grafts that not only integrate into damaged tissue but also deliver embedded therapeutics to improve healing, reduce infec...

Recorded live at the NCLifeSci 2025 Annual Meeting, hosts Heather Matthews and Seth Hudson welcome episode guest Ron Phillips, Senior Vice President of Policy for the Animal Health Institute. Representing companies that develop medicines for pets and livestock, Ron shares insights on the similarities and differences between human and animal drug development as well as why innovation and regulatory...

This episode, Heather and Seth record at the NCLifeSci 2025 Annual Meeting with Tom Croce, Vice President of Global Patient Advocacy and Engagement at Jazz Pharmaceuticals. Tom shares how his team integrates patient perspectives across the entire drug development and commercialization process, and why “patient centricity” is transforming the pharmaceutical industry. We explore the growing role of...

Former UofSC Gamecock quarterback Connor Shaw joins us to share his powerful story of surviving sudden cardiac arrest and how that life-changing moment inspired him to launch Heart Huddle, a nonprofit dedicated to CPR training and AED access. Connor opens up about the shock of his medical emergency at just 34 years old, his renewed sense of purpose, and why less than 10% of people survive cardiac...

This episode, hosts Heather and Matthew sit down with Nicole Murphy, Executive Vice President and Head of Pharmaceutical Operations and Technology at Biogen. Nicole shares why Biogen is growing in North Carolina with a $2 billion investment in Research Triangle Park, how the region’s talent and infrastructure have fueled decades of innovation, and what’s next for the company’s late-stage clinical...

This week on Taking The Pulse, Heather and Seth record at the NCLifeSci 2025 Annual Meeting with Sophia McLeod, Advocacy Advisor at ACRO, or the Association of Clinical Research Organizations. Sophia shares how ACRO is working with Congress and the FDA to shape the future of clinical trials, advocating for safe, ethical, and high-quality research so patients can benefit from new treatment and ther...