Taking the Pulse: a Health Care and Life Sciences Podcast

Recorded at SCbio’s 2025 annual conference, Heather and Lauren welcome Dr. Ray DuBois, a physician and researcher who has dedicated his life to cancer research and patient-centered care. Dr. DuBois, Director of MUSC’s Hollings Cancer Center, shares groundbreaking insights into developing cancer drugs and therapies, including how CAR-T cell therapy is killing chemo-resistant cancers, his research o...

This week, our hosts Heather and Matthew welcome Dr. Edward Simmer, the Interim Director of the South Carolina Department of Public Health. After leading DHEC through the latter half of the COVID pandemic and its transition into two separate agencies, Dr. Simmer joins us to discuss South Carolina’s notably improved rankings in public health, including progress in chronic disease and life expectanc...

Recorded at SCbio’s 2025 annual conference, Heather and Matthew welcome back Kimberlee Steele of SHL Medical, a global leader in medical technology design and manufacturing. After first joining us six months ago, Kimberlee provides an update on the progress of SHL Medical’s $200 million investment in South Carolina to produce auto-injectors for home use. We get a firsthand look at how these medica...

Recorded at SCbio’s 2025 annual conference, Heather and Matthew welcome Arda Ural, who serves as the Americas Life Sciences Sector Leader for EY. Arda provides a rundown of his keynote, highlighting the key issues and trends shaping the life sciences sector today and offering insights into what the industry may look like over the next 20 years. We also dive into biotech venture capital investing,...

The 2025 annual SCbio meeting was packed full of exciting developments and collaborative innovations from South Carolina’s thriving life sciences industry. As the United State’s 6th fastest growing life sciences sector, SCbio President & CEO James Chappell joins us to share how the organization is helping move South Carolina forward as a hub for innovation. Be on the lookout for our upcoming S...

On episode 226, we welcome Thibaut van Marke and Amy Allen of Orlando Health, an award-winning network of community and specialty hospitals that recently expanded into Alabama. Thibaut and Amy discuss Orlando Health’s acquisition of Baptist Health, and how this move benefits both patients and providers in Alabama. We also explore Orlando Health’s pioneering research in pediatrics and adult trauma,...

Join hosts Heather, Lauren, and John as they sit down with Dr. Sengar, an accomplished oncologist from Alabama Cancer Care, a network committed to delivering quality cancer care to underserved communities. In this episode, we explore the unique challenges of accessing cancer care in rural areas, despite the higher incidence of the disease. We also dive into the rising trend of cancer diagnoses amo...

On episode 224, Lauren and Heather are joined by former Maynard Nexsen attorney Steve McPheeters, who now serves as EVP and Chief Legal Officer of HighFive Healthcare. Steve shares how HighFive Healthcare partners with physicians to oversee healthcare management, and we dive into operational pain points for providers. We also explore trends in the healthcare market, such as M&A, AI, and more....

This week, Heather and Lauren welcome back their colleague Brandon Robinson, head of Maynard Nexsen’s Data Privacy and Cybersecurity team. Following up on our discussion of data privacy risks for health care providers on episode 211, this episode we examine cybersecurity risks and risk mitigation strategies surrounding health care vendors and service providers. Tune in for another informative epis...

Last fall, Hurricane Helene devastated the western Appalachian region of North Carolina. Jay Kirby, the CEO of UNC Health Pardee, joins us on the podcast this week to discuss how the hospital responded to the challenges and influx of need created by the natural disaster. We explore stories of resilience, hope, and recovery in the face of adversity. Tune in to hear firsthand how healthcare provider...

This week, Heather and Lauren welcome Scott Davis, the Managing Director of Provident Healthcare Partners, one of the country’s leading healthcare investment banking firms. Scott and our hosts dive into the latest trends in healthcare investment, particularly the growing consolidation in orthopedic practices. What does this mean for both patients and providers? Tune in for an insightful conversati...

With President Trump’s 2nd term quickly approaching, Heather and Matthew sit down with Maynard Nexsen attorney Bob Coble to discuss what changes we can expect in healthcare over the next 4 years. As the former Mayor of Columbia, South Carolina, Bob shares his political insights on Trump’s plans for Medicare, the ACA, drug prices, RFK Jr’s role, and more. Tune in now for a glimpse into the coming r...

Ringing in the New Year, hosts Heather and Matthew welcome Terry McDonnell, SVP and Chief Nursing Executive for Duke University Health System. The group discusses leadership and developing the next generation of nurses, including how to foster a positive workplace culture in a stressful profession. Terry also shares her perspective on the current state of nursing and what the future holds for one...

Recorded at NC Life Sciences Organization’s Annual Meeting, Heather and Matthew are joined by John Van Hoy, Executive Director of Data Science & Advanced Analytics at PPD, a subsidiary of Thermo Fisher. John is an innovator in advanced analytics for the healthcare and life sciences industries and discusses how PPD is leveraging AI to enhance clinical research. Tune in for an insightful convers...

Recorded at NC Life Sciences Organization’s Annual Meeting, Heather and Lauren welcome David Robinson, an attorney at Maynard Nexsen, who also serves as the Honorary Consul for Japan in North Carolina and Chairman of the NC Consular Corps. David joins us to share his unique insights on Japanese companies doing business in North Carolina and trends in international investment in the state's life sc...

Recorded at NC Life Sciences Organization’s Annual Meeting, Heather and Lauren welcome Melissa Horn, the Director of State Legislative Affairs at the Arthritis Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to finding a cure for America’s leading cause of disability. A three-time cancer survivor, Melissa shares her passion for patient advocacy and healthcare policy. She discusses issues such as re...

Recorded at NC Life Sciences Organization’s Annual Meeting, Heather and Lauren chat with Jan-Willem van Klinken, Senior VP of Brightseed, a biotech company using AI to develop natural, plant-based compounds to improve human health. Jan-Willem, an expert in nutritional sciences, shares how Brightseed takes a different approach to the traditional pharmaceutical research and development process by us...

Recorded at the NC Life Sciences Organization’s Annual Meeting, Heather and Matthew welcome Ed Hernandez, who oversees drug product manufacturing at Eli Lilly, an international pharmaceutical company. Ed discusses how Eli Lilly develops vital treatments for cancer, diabetes, and other diseases, as well as the company’s significant expansion into North Carolina and what it means for both the compan...

Recorded at NC Life Sciences Organization’s Annual Meeting, Heather and Matthew welcome Igor Jablokov, an entrepreneur, former IBM director, and pioneer of the artificial intelligence industry who has been involved in several transformative inventions such as Alexa, Echo, and Fire TV. Igor shares his futuristic insights on how life sciences companies are implementing AI, the positive impacts of AI...

Recorded at NC Life Sciences Organization’s Annual Meeting, Heather and Matthew welcome back Christine Vannais from Fujifilm and her new colleague, Laurie Braxton. They dive into Fujifilm’s billion-dollar expansion in North Carolina, discussing their innovative manufacturing plans, partnerships, and workforce development initiatives. Tune in now!

For episode 211, Heather and Lauren are joined by their colleague Brandon Robinson, who heads up Maynard Nexsen’s Data Privacy and Cybersecurity team. Brandon shares his wealth of knowledge on cybersecurity best practices for the healthcare industry, including risk mitigation strategies and vendor management. Listen now!

This week, Heather and Matthew welcome their colleagues Mark Moore and Michael Parente, attorneys in Maynard Nexsen’s Government Investigations and White Collar Defense practice. We sit down to discuss their insights on the recent US Supreme Court ruling impacting the Chevron doctrine and the ramifications in the healthcare industry. Tune in now!

Recorded at NC Life Sciences Organization’s Annual Meeting, Heather and Matthew welcome back a favorite friend of the podcast, Laura Gunter, President of NCLifeSci. We discuss the highlights of the 2024 Annual Meeting such as conversations around best practices and lessons in AI, patient advocacy, and future technology. Laura also shares the impressive work of NCLifeSci, including their facilitati...

Recorded at NC Life Sciences Organization’s Annual Meeting, Heather and Lauren are joined by Mattney Beck of Lenovo, a well-known multinational technology company, to discuss their innovations in XR or Extended Reality technology. Mattney shares how they developed both the hardware and software for their ThinkReality VRX headset and how it benefits the healthcare and life sciences industries, from...

This episode, we welcome back one of our favorite guests, Dr. Kashyap Patel, a renowned practicing physician, author, and healthcare thought leader. Dr. Patel has been dedicating much of his attention to analyzing long COVID and joins us to discuss the impact of the disease, recent research findings, and evolving treatments. Dr. Patel also shares his insights on cancer care access and more, so tun...