The MedtronicTalks Podcast Series brings insights, observation and lessons from the leaders of the medtech industry’s single, largest leader. Episodes will center around one of Medtronic’s business units ranging from cardiac care to surgical robotics. We’ll talk with decision-makers who keep Medtronic at the forefront of Medtech. We’ll also speak with regulatory, financial and other operational leaders including the CEO about how Medtronic is preparing for the future.
In this episode of MedtronicTalks, Que Dallara, EVP and President of the Diabetes Business at Medtronic, discusses the company's recent advancements in diabetes management. Dallara, transitioning from the software and technology industry to the medical device industry, draws parallels between control systems in different fields and their application to diabetes management, particularly in the development of closed-loop algorithms for insulin dosing. She also highlights the FDA-approved MiniMed 780G system, which simplifies diabetes management with automatic adjustments for insulin dosing and carbohydrate counting. Finally, Dallara addresses Medtronic's ongoing engagement with the FDA and news of the launch of the MiniMed 780G system in the U.S., sharing more about its meal detection technology and benefits. Thank you to GlobalMed-MDI for sponsoring this episode. To learn more about how GlobalMed-MDI works with medical device companies, visit www.moldeddevices.com. Thank you for listening to the Medtronic Podcast. Subscribe to this podcast on every major podcast platform.
Unlike other businesses at Medtronic, the Mechanical Circulatory Support group isn't measured by the number of new patients receiving medical devices. Instead, MCS is charged with caring for the nearly 3,000 patients who have already been implanted with Medtronic's Heartware Ventricular Assist Device (HVAD.) In 2021, Medtronic stopped distributing the HVADs following studies that showed recipients had a higher risk of suffering strokes than those who were implanted with another company's VAD. But Medtronic's mission didn't end with the suspension. In this episode, Raj Thomas, vice president and general manager of MCS, explains how his team continues to support recipients, their caregivers and clinicians to help ensure those heart failure patients can live the fullest lives possible. Thomas details MCS's steps toward providing support including the organization of a global meeting and the establishment of a patient advisory board. Thank you to Resonant Link for sponsoring this episode. Thank you for listening to this episode of the MedtronicTalks Podcast. Subscribe to this podcast on any major podcast application.
Karen Parkhill assumed the role of chief financial officer at Medtronic six years ago, making her first move into the medical device industry. Over that time, Parkhill has helped oversee many transformations at Medtronic including the reorganization into 20 business units. As CFO, Parkhill also has had a hand in establishing gender equity pay at Medtronic and serves as the Executive Sponsor of the Medtronic PRIDE Employee Resource Group. She's also active in cultivating and developing a rising number of women executives. In this interview we'll talk with Karen Parkhill about the progress Medtronic has made in all those efforts and what she expects from the future. Thank you for listening to the MedtronicTalks Podcast. Subscribe to this podcast channel on any major podcast player.
Karen Parkhill assumed the role of chief financial officer at Medtronic six years ago, making her first move into the medical device industry. Over that time, Parkhill has helped oversee many transformations at Medtronic including the reorganization into 20 business units. As CFO, Parkhill also has had a hand in establishing gender equity pay at Medtronic and serves as the Executive Sponsor of the Medtronic PRIDE Employee Resource Group. She's also active in cultivating and developing a rising number of women executives. In this interview, we'll talk with Karen Parkhill about the progress Medtronic has made in all those efforts and what she expects from the future. Thank you for listening to the MedtronicTalks Podcast. Subscribe to this podcast channel on any major podcast application.
Technologies including AI, robotics and customized implants creates new opportunities for Medtronic's growing Cranial and Spinal Technologies business. In this episode, Skip Kiil, president of the business unit, explains how his group is deploying technology to drive future growth. Kiil, a former professional baseball player before turning to medtech, also shares critical advice to young medical device executives who are looking to gain relevant experience rapidly. This episode is sponsored by Allied Motion Technologies. Thank you for listening to the MedtronicTalks Podcast. You can subscribe to this podcast on any major podcast application.
Dan Volz, president of the neurovascular business at Medtronic, lays out the dire facts regarding stroke. Less than 10 percent of the 15 million strokes that occur each year worldwide are treated, and the number of strokes grows by 10% each year. In this episode, we'll explore Medtronic's new agreement with Avail Medsystems, which sells access to a network of communication devices that provide audio and video connection to operating rooms. Avail CEO Daniel Hawkins joins in on the conversation explaining how Avail can facilitation collaboration between surgeons, speed training on new life-saving devices, and even help engineers observe procedures so they can develop new critical tools. The pair will discuss how Medtronic is using Avail's products day-to-day as well as part of the company's new Co-Lab Platform to help those developing new neurovascular products outside of Medtronic. Thank you to Cretex Medical for sponsoring this episode. Thank you for listening to the MedtronicTalks Podcast. You can subscribe to this podcast on any major podcast player.
In this episode, Krista Sugerman, vice President, global marketing & communications at Medtronic's diabetes business, shares how diabetes has impacted people close to her and why the company is keeping focused on how a diabetes diagnosis can take over someone's life. The company is developing tools to help patients monitor their disease and developing longer-lasting equipment that could make managing the disease less of a burden for people with diabetes. This episode is sponsored by BMP Medical. Thanks for listening to the MedtronicTalks podcast. You can subscribe to this podcast on any major podcast player.
In this episode, Mira Sahney, president of the Pelvic Health business at Medtronic, explains how incontinence is a debilitating condition that needs more attention and treatment. The company's implantable sacral neuromodulation therapy system, InterStim, gives people more control over their condition, enabling them to engage in regular daily activities. Sahney discusses this and the ongoing testing of an implantable tibial neuromodulation device that could strengthen bladder control. Sahney also shares details on her engineering career, which has led her to start two medtech companies. She also recently received the Ferolyn Powell Leadership Award from Medtech Women. Thank you for listening to the MedtronicTalks podcast. Subscribe to this podcast on any major podcast application.
This episode shines a light on lung cancer, a deadly killer that isn't getting the attention it deserves. Dr. William Mayfield, WellStar Health System medical director and former chief surgical officer, says lung cancer kills thousands of people every day – more than most other cancers combined – but isn't screened for as aggressively. Drawing motivation from a personal loss to lung cancer, Emily Elswick, vice president in the Office of the CEO and former vice president and general manager of Lung Health and Visualization, says we currently have the tools necessary to expand screening, but we need to find the will.
In this episode, George Murgatroyd, vice president and general manager of digital surgery, explains how the Touch Surgery is deploying the first AI-powered surgical video and analytics platform to help surgeons learn and perfect new techniques. Murgatroyd, who joined Medtronic in 2020 when it acquired the maker of Touch Surgery, explains why the system can be the missing link to improve surgeon performance and patient outcomes. This episode is sponsored by Dassault Systèmes. Thank you for listening to the MedtronicTalks podcast. This podcast is available on any major podcast app.
In this episode of MedtronicTalks we'll explore the potential behind the Respiratory Intervention's group McGrath Mac Video Laryngoscope. The device – which is designed to simplify the arduous procedure of intubating a critically ill patient – proved invaluable during the pandemic when hospitals faced a crush of respiratory patients. We'll speak with Quan Golomb, senior director of global marketing, and Peter Inglis, engineering director, about the devices growing importance in providing critical airflow to critically ill patients in the ICU. Medtronic is advancing the design – which was the first portable video laryngoscope – and finding support from providers and even payers for the device. This podcast episode was sponsored by Freudenberg. Thanks for listening to the MedtronicTalks Podcast. Subscribe on all major podcast players.
In this episode, Jason Fontana, vice president coronary and renal denervation marketing and strategy at Medtronic, will walk us through Medtronic's successful entry into the drug-eluting stent market over a decade ago with the Endeavor DES, the first modular drug-eluting stent. With a focus on healing and deliverability, Medtronic overcome a late-start to become a leader of the pack following the approval of the Resolute Integrity DES. We'll review Medtronic's current coronary portfolio including Onyx Frontier DES with a dual flex balloon. Fontana will also explain how new technologies and diagnostic techniques will help it set the pace in the coronary space in the future. Thanks to Delve for sponsoring! Thank you for listening to the MedtronicTalks Podcast.
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 infrequent – but important - cardiac events. But the company sees an opportunity to employ these tiny implantable data-collection devices to provide data that might enable doctors to predict problems before they come, both in cardiac care and other areas as part of a broader disease management strategy. This episode was sponsored by Isometric. To listen to the earlier episode featuring Julie Brewer, president, Cardiovascular Diagnostics and Services go here. https://news.medtronic.com/medtronictalks-podcast-julie-brewer Thank you for listening to the MedtronicTalks Podcast. Subscribe on all major podcast applications.
In this 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 benefits of new technologies. This interest in new devices drew her to join Medtronic in 2018. This year, she was named senior vice president and chief scientific, medical and regulatory officer. We'll talk with her about the “good surprises' she encountered at Medtronic as well as the impact that the pandemic's fallout will have on clinical trials and clinical workflow going forward. This episode is sponsored by Medmarc insurance Group.
In this episode of the MedtronicTalks Podcast, Mike Hess, vice president of corporate technology and innovation at Medtronic, will introduce listeners to Design for Reliability & Manufacturability, a design framework that equips engineers, designers and others with a set of standards that ensure new devices are designed right from the start. The DRM program has taken on increased importance as Medtronic moved into a new corporate structure with 20 individual business units. In this discussion, Hess will explain how the DRM program instills uniformity across the world's largest medical device company. This episode is sponsored by Performance Motion Devices.
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'll learn how Medtronic is working to build a stronger supply chain that will allow it to build an inventory capable of keeping critical medical devices flowing to customers. This podcast is sponsored by Donatelle.
Ruchika Singhal, president of Medtronic Labs, says she grew up in Medtronic, starting her career as an engineer. But her professional life really began when she took over Medtronic Labs, a non-profit quasi-independent arm with a mission of bringing better healthcare to more people worldwide. In this podcast, Singhal shares her story and identifies the one thing that will help more people living away from big cities and healthcare hubs. “We're never going to have enough doctors and we're never going to have enough infrastructure,” Singhal says. “Technology is the solution.” Medtronic Labs is working to leverage technology to help people battle the biggest threat – non communicable diseases like diabetes which can be managed with proper care. This episode is sponsored by AcuityMD. Go to AcuityMD.com for more information.
This episode of MedtronicTalks explores the company's efforts to flag the multiple sources of healthcare inequity wrought by racial, geographic or economic differences in the U.S. Among the topics discussed, Karen Shehade of Medtronic Americas Region Medical Affairs organization explains how Medtronic leadership is seeking a sustainable and scalable way to make a difference in how people receive correct care more easily. Dr. John de Csepel, Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Medical Affairs, Americas Region, discusses possible solutions. This episode is sponsored by MTD Micro Molding.
In this episode, Jennifer McVean, MD, medical affairs director at Medtronic's diabetes business, shares how a devastating childhood diagnosis started her on her mission to help people with diabetes. McVean used that inspiration to push her through medical school and a career in treating children. Now, she's taking her skills and experience to Medtronic. Hear why she's excited about the move and grateful to Medtronic technology. SPONSORED BY SUNRISE LABS.
In this episode, Austin L. Chiang, MD, explains why he brought his sizable social media following to Medtronic, where he serves as chief medical officer of the Gastrointestinal business. Chiang says his decision is directly tied to his excitement about Medtronic's growing suite of GI products including the AI-powered GI Genius and the swallowable PillCam. Chiang explains why he chose to couple the company's broad platform with his own social media presence to reach more patients who may need treatment of gastrointestinal care. He also gives advice to other physicians who may want to amplify their own voices through social media.
In this episode of the MedtronicTalks Podcast, Frank Chan, president of patient monitoring, explains how the pressures of the pandemic accelerated Medtronic's development of patient monitoring systems that allowed for remote connection between caregiver in patient. Chan says Medtronic isn't losing any momentum in rolling out new approaches to tracking patient health, projecting that the next five to 10 years promises “significant changes” to how vital signs and other critical measures will be reported.
In this episode of MedtronicTalks, Dan Wolf, vice president and general manager of Intelligent Data Solutions, sits alongside Thomas Mosnier, research director, iDS, to detail Medtronic's continued build out of its cranial and spine business. The iDS business, which includes Medicrea, brings applications of artificial intelligence and predictive modeling to spine surgery as well as patient-specific implants. How is the spinal surgery community responding and where does Medtronic see this technology moving forward?
In this opening episode of Season 2 of MedtronicTalks, Dr. Sally Saba, MD, details her work as the company's first Chief Inclusion & Diversity Officer. Saba joined Medtronic in March 2020, two months before the murder of George Floyd emphasized the importance of building a more accepting culture. Saba recalls her own journey toward feeling accepted and details her transition from physician to healthcare executive to DE&I champion. She also reviews Medtronic internal report on its how well it's doing to build a stronger culture.
In this episode of MedtronicTalks, John Mack, president of cardiac surgery, reflects on his 26-year career at the company and reviews the technologies that support and repair damaged hearts. Mack discusses advances in CABG, ablation and extracorporeal life support as well as his work in the heart patient community.
In this episode, Jason Weidman, SVP and President of Coronary & Renal Denervation at Medtronic, says he's doing exactly what he set out to do when he became an engineer over 20 years ago, creating lifesaving medical devices. Weidman is leading Medtronic's push to secure FDA approval for Medtronic Symplicity Spyral™ RDN system, which uses renal denervation to reduce hypertension. Medtronic's clinical trials of Symplicity have been among the most closely watched - and most difficult to execute - in the industry. Weidman will discuss the challenges while also sharing his reasons for optimism.
A life-saving intervention for his newborn son convinced David Moeller to steer his career into Medtech. Now, as senior vice president and president of Peripheral Vascular Health, he oversees Medtronic's peripheral vascular group which helps keep blood flowing to the body's vital organs. In this episode, Moeller lays out the health crisis brought on by poor vasculature and how Medtronic is targeting five critical areas to help people live fuller lives.
In this episode, Nina Goodheart, president of Medtronic's Structural Heart and Aortic Operating Unit, takes listeners – valve by valve – through Medtronic's growing toolkit of replacement heart valves, an increasingly competitive space in medtech. Goodheart also talks to the company's commitment to ensure greater access to better healthcare. Goodheart, so-chair of the Medtronic Women's Network, also speaks to the importance of opening doors for female executives.
Following the company-wide reorganization, Surgical Innovation emerged as Medtronic's large operating unit. In this episode, Matt Perry, president of the group, explains where the business will find future growth. At least some of that will come through digital effort like the GoFurther app, which connects bariatric surgeons with their patients. Dr. Marina Kurian joins the interview to explain how the app is streamlining the process patients must go through undergo the life-changing procedure.
In this episode, Vince Racano, president of Medtronic's Ear, Nose and Throat business, lays out the growth plan for this burgeoning business. Racano updates listeners on the announced acquisition of publicly traded Intersect ENT. He explains how the company will fit into Medtronic's ENT franchise.
Julie Brewer, president of the Cardiovascular Diagnostics and Services, explains why Medtronic carved out a data-oriented business to form tighter connections with patients. Brewer explains how advances in manufacturing and data-collection can position the business at the center of the digital health space.
Mike Marinaro, president of the cardiac rhythm management business, explains why CRM employees feel a special connection to Medtronic's core mission. He also details how the big revenue business is developing new technologies in pacemakers, defibrillators and connectivity to help the business grab market share.
Daniel Volz, the newly named head of Medtronic's neurovascular group, explains how the company is developing game-changing technologies into devices that will help people who have suffered a stroke or aneurysm. Volz reviews the newest addition to Medtronic's pipeline as well as its innovative deal with Viz.ai, an artificial intelligence provider.
Geoff Martha, chairman and CEO of Medtronic, updates us on Medtronic's first-quarter performance. Martha reports the Delta variant has had an impact on revenue, but Medtronic forecasts a return to normal soon. This episode also discusses the Intersect ENT acquisition, the source of future growth and the company's new metrics on patient safety.
Jacob Paul, senior vice president and president of Medtronic's cranial and spinal technologies group, explains how the company doubled down on the spinal surgery space by committing to significant acquisitions of robotics and artificial technologies that it believes will advance the level of care for spinal surgery patients.
In this episode, Rebecca Seidel, president of cardiac ablation solutions, and Dr. Robert Kowal, vice president, medical affairs and CMO of cardiac rhythm and heart failure, detail how Medtronic is targeting atrial fibrillation, a deadly and far-ranging disease, with Artic Front, a delivery of cryoablation therapies. Medtronic secured a first-time FDA approval, which agrees cryoablation should be offered as an initial treatment for people suffering with atrial fibrillation. Medtronic is moving forward with a unique direct-to-consumer approach and bringing insurance companies in on the conversation. The conversation also hits upon the company's emerging pulse field ablation therapy.
Two decades ago, Ann Sheldon was drawn to Medtronic by its mission to create devices that people. Today, Sheldon, vice president of security, heads a team that assumes an increasingly essential mission of protecting those devices – and the patient they help – from outsiders that might want to disrupt their performance. In this episode, Sheldon explains what Medtronic is doing to ensure the many benefits of connected devices aren't impeded by hackers and other outside forces. The company is drawing on many employees and partners from outside the company to create a safe connection between its medical devices and the patients who rely on their optimal performance. Subscribe to this podcast on Amazon, Apple, Spotify and Google podcast channels.
Dave Anderson, president of the neuromodulation business unit, reports on the advances in neuromodulation technologies including deep brain and spinal cord stimulation. He also updates on the CareGuidePro, a new app developed in partnership with Higgs Boson Health, a physician-led digital health group. Anderson also shed light on the breaking news about Vanta.
In this podcast, Brett Wall, executive vice president and president of Medtronic's neuroscience portfolio, shares the experiences he's had working at medtech companies in transformation. Each change brings new lessons that Wall will bring to bear as he leads the company's neuroscience business. Wall shares the advice given to him from former CEO Omar Ishrak and current CEO Geoff Martha. He also explains how Medtronic will work to instill an innovative spirit in employees without sacrificing the power that comes with being a big company.
Sean Salmon, Executive Vice President and President, Diabetes Operating Unit, says Medtronic's diabetes unit is reinvigorated by acquisitions, new internally developed products and a partnership with a private equity giant. In this MedtronicTalks podcast episode, Salmon explains why the diabetes community is excited about Medtronic's pipeline and what the company is doing to meet those higher expectations.
CEO and Chairman Geoff Martha took the helm at Medtronic just as the world was entering the epic pandemic. But the lockdown didn't slow down Medtronic's reorganization, a seismic change that Martha and the management team felt was necessary to instill a new “Medtronic Mindset.” Now one year in, Martha shares his thoughts on the past year. What's gone well? What could go better? And where is Medtronic looking for growth? He also speaks to the decision to pull] Medtronic's HeartWare HVAD off the market.
In this interview, Bob White, executive vice President and president of Medtronic's Medical Surgical Portfolio, explains the importance of corporate culture. He also shares his “Big 5” list of qualities he likes to see in potential hires. We also hear from our sponsor, Foster.
In this episode of the MedtronicTalks podcast, Martha Ha, chief privacy officer and chief counsel of corporate governance, and John de Csepel, CMO, vice president, medical affairs of the Americas, explain how the company is reaching out to employees of Asia and Pacific Island and helping them to understand how to better work within the corporate culture. Both come to the conversation bringing direct experiences. Ha, who is Korean descent, shares some troubling experiences from her young life and some challenges she's had to overcome and some realizations that she's had. Dr. de Csepel is married to a woman of Chinese descent and he's raising two biracial children. Ha gives high praise to Medtronic leadership. She also shares that the company also has won external recognition in the form of several awards.
Giovanni Di Napoli, president of Medtronic's gastrointestinal business, walks us through his path from the basketball court to the medtech industry. In this discussion he shares the company's vision for delivering less invasive diagnostic and treatment tools to make diagnosis and treatment much easier for patients.
In this episode, two of the executives leading Medtronic's push into robotics surgery update listeners on the progress and potential of Medtronic's MAZOR X Stealth and Hugo RAS system platforms. Megan Rosengarten, president of surgical robotics, says HUGO is poised to deliver surgeons newfound capabilities and options. The company hopes to begin selling the system later this year after filing for a CE Mark in Europe and an IDE with the US Food and Drug Administration. We also speak with Linnea Burman, vice president and general manager, enabling technologies, about Medtronic's cranial and spinal offerings including the spine surgical robot, Mazor.
Less than a year into his role as CEO, Geoff Martha and the Medtronic leadership has overseen a significant overhaul of medtech's largest player. Martha says the company is clearing minor COVID-19 bump and sees an open road for the company to continue to grab share from competitors. Martha details what products are gaining the most traction while also identifying those that still have some ground to gain. We also discuss: -When it may bring its renal denervation project to the FDA -Why the surgical robotic Hugo system will be worth the wait (and why development has taken more than a decade) -Whether or not Medtronic will collaborate more with private equity firms, early-stage incubators and maybe even SPACs? -What will the company's acquisition strategy look like in 2021. And why. Why the price-cutting for drug-eluting stents may represent an opportunity for Medtronic's more innovative products.
In this episode of the MedtronicTalks Podcast, host Tom Salemi speaks with two of the principal architects of Medtronic's move to reduce i's impact on the globe. Ginny Cassidy, director of the Enterprise Sustainability Program at the company, explains why executives and investors at companies need to understand their TOTAL impact on the environment. She also shares ways Medtronic devices can help others reduce their own impacts. Nate Pommier, senior environmental, health and safety manager for the EHS Services department, details how changes in packaging and other efforts are making a difference. He also explains why environmental awareness can help draw better talent to the company. Subscribe to this podcast on major podcast applications.
A year ago, the emerging pandemic brought Medtronic's respiratory business front-and-center as demands for ventilators shot up to save the lives of thousands of people hit with COVID-19. In this interview, the first of the MedtronicTalks Podcast Series, Medtronic's Ariel Mactavish and Dr. John de Csepel detail how Medtronic answered the call in many ways. MacTavish, president of the company's Respiratory Interventions Operating Unit at Medtronic, said Medtronic quickly realize they couldn't work alone. “We scaled as rapidly as possible internally with our own manufacturing facilities, but we also worked with partners to try to expand different areas of by sharing our ventilation IP, allowing others to manufacture it, giving good advice to others, to try to ramp that up,” she says in this interview. Meanwhile, Dr. Csepel, chief medical officer and vice president of medical affairs of Medtronic's Americas region, recalled his own experiences in the New York City hospital where he serves as a general surgeon on weekends. “What I saw there was a transformation like I hope I never see again for the rest of my life,” de Csepel said, recalling that the hospital had to set up several ICUs that he had a hand in running. de Csepel drew on that experience to help formulate Medtronic's response to the pandemic, including developing a plan to care for employees. Hear how Medtronic is taking lessons learned from last year to guide respiratory interventions going forward.