Taking the Pulse: a Health Care and Life Sciences Podcast

This week, Matthew and Lindsay welcome Maynard Nexsen attorney James Childs, who leads the firm’s private markets and private equity practice as well as the venture capital and emerging growth practice. In one of our most content-rich episodes to date, James offers a comprehensive look at the legal foundations every life sciences startup needs to understand, from formation to funding. With decades...

This week on Taking The Pulse, Heather and Lauren record at the NCLifeSci 2025 Annual Meeting with Dr. Justin Collier, Chief Technology Officer for Healthcare at Lenovo North America. A practicing physician turned tech leader, Dr. Collier shares how AI is transforming the health care industry, from medical imaging and ambient documentation to administrative workflows and clinical efficiency. We ex...

This week, hosts Heather and Matthew are joined by Mark Wainner, President of the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA), to explore how ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are transforming the health care landscape. With over 6,400 Medicare-certified ASCs nationwide, these facilities are delivering high-quality, cost-effective care while saving Medicare billions. Mark shares insights on the l...

This week on Taking The Pulse, Heather and Seth record at the NCLifeSci 2025 Annual Meeting with Bobby Patrick, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs at AdvaMed. Bobby shares how the world’s largest medical technology association is advocating for expanded Medicare coverage of breakthrough devices, navigating the evolving role of AI in diagnostics, and addressing supply chain and tariff chal...

This week on Taking The Pulse, Heather and Matthew are joined by one of the nation's leading voices in public health: Dr. Georges Benjamin, Executive Director of the American Public Health Association (APHA). With over two decades of leadership at the APHA, Dr. Benjamin shares how the organization is advocating for Medicaid access, preparing for future health emergencies, and working to rebuil...

This week on the podcast, Heather and Matthew are joined by Gil Roth, President of the Pharma & Biopharma Outsourcing Association (PBOA), which represents the regulatory, legislative, and general business interests of Contract Development and Manufacturing Organizations (CDMOs) in the bio/pharma space. Gil shares how CDMOs are navigating regulatory uncertainty, the potential impact of tariffs...

Heather and Lauren are joined by Andy Willis, Executive Chief Planning and Development Officer of North Carolina Children’s, a new freestanding children’s hospital being developed through a historic partnership between UNC Health and Duke Health. Andy shares how this $3 billion project will transform pediatric care across the state and beyond, as we dive into workforce development, economic impact...

This week on the podcast, Lynnsey and Lauren are joined by Sara Howe and Morgan Coyner of Addiction Professionals of North Carolina (APNC) for a powerful conversation about substance use treatment, patient brokering, and the importance of ethical care. We also dive into how APNC’s North Carolina Treatment Connection campaign is helping individuals and families identify reputable providers and avoi...

Ming-Wei Chen and Fangheng Zhou, the scientists behind RephImmune, join hosts Lynnsey and Matthew to discuss how their biotech startup is developing a next-generation cell therapy platform designed to overcome the limitations of CAR-T.  With a focus on ovarian cancer, RephImmune’s RACE-T technology targets solid tumors by re-engineering immune cells to better locate, penetrate, and survive in the...

Lynnsey and Matthew are joined by Neal Goodwin and Pawel Krysiak of Jaya Bio, a preclinical life sciences company developing gene therapies for genetically defined neurodegenerative diseases. They share how their team is using precision medicine to target specific mutations linked to Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and frontotemporal dementia, aiming to arrest disease progression with a single dose. Our...

This week, Lynnsey and Lauren are joined by Angela Adams, a leading voice in healthcare technology and the CEO of Inflo Health. Angela shares how Inflo Health is using AI to solve a critical gap in care: missed radiology follow-ups. With 60% of recommended additional imaging going unaddressed, Angela explains the financial, legal, and emotional costs of these missed opportunities and how Inflo’s a...

On episode 244, Lynnsey and Matthew are joined by Ray Waldrup, Co-Founder and CEO of The Leaders Rheum, a national network of leading rheumatology practices. Drawing on 3 decades of experience in healthcare leadership, Ray shares his insights on the challenges and opportunities facing independent physician practices today. From the impact of hospital and private equity ownership to the growing inf...

This week on the podcast, Lynnsey and Lauren are joined by their colleague, Maynard Nexsen attorney Shannon Lipham, who helps healthcare providers and practices navigate complex federal and state regulations. Shannon breaks down the essentials of HIPAA and explains why compliance is more important than ever. The conversation covers the latest proposed rulemaking from HHS, including key changes tha...

This week, Lynnsey and Lauren are joined by Maynard Nexsen attorney Jennifer McEwen, who helps clients with business planning, estate and trust planning, and tax planning. Jennifer shares essential business strategies for physicians and life sciences entrepreneurs, from succession planning and shareholder agreements to navigating ownership restrictions and tax-smart business structures. Whether yo...

In this episode, hosts Lynnsey and Lauren are joined by Dr. Ecoee Rooney, Chief Nursing Officer at Indicator Sciences and a nationally recognized leader in nursing innovation. Dr. Rooney shares how her team is tackling nurse burnout, turnover, and workload imbalance through CareEffects, their precision analytics platform that empowers nurse leaders with actionable insights. We also discuss how the...

The heat wave is here - is your skin ready? This week on the podcast, Heather and Matthew are joined by Dr. Charles Darragh and Dr. Marshall Shuler of Carolina Dermatology, one of the largest dermatology practices in upstate South Carolina. They share tips for keeping your skin safe in the summer and how their practice is integrating AI to enhance patient care. The doctors also discuss their bold...

Heather and Matthew welcome Chuck Melendi, a seasoned healthcare consultant and former executive with decades of experience in pharmaceuticals, biotech, and medical devices. Chuck joins us to examine the complexities of the federal 340B pricing program, which provides discounted outpatient drugs to eligible health care providers. From ongoing litigation and proposed legislative reform to the role...

This week, Heather and Matthew are joined by their colleague Bryan Baysinger, Maynard Nexsen attorney and leader of the firm’s Intellectual Property practice group. We dive into the evolving challenges life sciences companies face in protecting intellectual property in a time when artificial intelligence is reshaping research and innovation. From securing patents and trade secrets to navigating in...

In this episode, Heather and Matthew welcome Dr. Leonardo Ferreira, Assistant Professor at the Medical University of South Carolina and cofounder of Torpedo Bio. Leo shares how his team at Torpedo Bio  is working to develop safe and effective cellular immunotherapy for solid tumors. We have an exciting conversation on the promise of CAR-T therapy, the challenges life sciences startups face, and ho...

In this powerful episode, hosts Heather and Matthew are joined by Sydney Severance, a young woman and former competitive athlete whose life changed dramatically when she unexpectedly became wheelchair-bound. After a painstaking journey to her diagnosis of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Craniocervical Instability, Sydney partnered with the Medical University of South Carolina and Dr. Sunil Patel to hel...

Recorded at SCbio’s 2025 annual conference, Heather and Lauren welcome Eric Perrault, the CEO of Kiyatec, a company focused on functional precision oncology. Eric discusses their exciting process, which aims to predict how individual cancer patients will respond to tailored therapies before treatment even begins. We dive into their live cell therapy, partnerships with surgeons, and much more. Tune...

Recorded at SCBio’s 2025 annual conference, hosts Heather and Matthew welcome keynote speaker John Crowley, President and CEO of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), the world’s leading advocacy group for the life sciences industry. In this inspiring episode, John shares his personal journey in biotech, including his fight to improve his children’s lives after a rare disease diagnosis...

Recorded at SCbio’s 2025 annual conference, hosts Heather and Lauren are joined by Lindsey Calcutt, an award-winning entrepreneur and the CEO and Co-Founder of Incora Health. Lindsey shares how the gap in women’s health inspired her to launch Incora Health, which offers smart earrings that help women monitor and manage their health and fertility. We explore the benefits of tracking heart rate, sle...

Recorded at SCbio’s 2025 annual conference, Heather and Matthew welcome Vinnie Durand of Savills, one of the world’s leading property advisors. They discuss the exponential growth of the life sciences real estate market, driven by rising demand for lab and manufacturing space. Vinnie shares key considerations for life sciences companies when selecting real estate, along with insights into South Ca...

Recorded at SCbio’s 2025 annual conference, Matthew and Lauren welcome Kendalle O’Connell, President & CEO of MassBio, a powerhouse life sciences organization and the driving force behind Massachusetts’ thriving life sciences ecosystem. Representing one of the strongest life sciences industries in the U.S., Kendalle shares how MassBio fosters industry success through initiatives such as their...