MedTech Stories

Our final episode for Season 1 features Saumya Premachandra, Director of Medical Education at Penumbra. Saumya started her career at Cook Medical as a sales rep and transitioned into product management and eventually medical education. Tune in to hear Saumya’s story on growth through self awareness and continuous learning all the while being a global baby - living in  six countries, 10 cities, 20 homes throughout her life!

Resources: 

Books - 

1. Code of Trust  Robin Dreeke
2. "Unlocking Us" Brené Brown
3. The First 90 Days Michael D. Watkins

Links - 

Episode Summary: Pharoah Schnieber recently joined Cerepadics as the Vice President, International Regulatory & Global Compliance at Cerepadics. Previously she was the VP of Regulatory and R&D at PQ Bypass and although she’s very excited for her new role, she looks forward to watching PQ Bypass and Endologix continue their success from afar. Pharoah started her career as a reviewer at FDA and then transitioned into Industry. Tune in to hear Pharaoh’s story about growing up in a very tight knit Filipino family, bringing her background and culture into how she leads teams and how she has discovered and honed her leadership style.

Detailed Show Notes:

5:44 - Running towards something: Finding your calling

11: 37 - Loud leadership: Pharoah’s personal life

20:40 - “The Wolf:” Pharoah’s time as an FDA reviewer

26:08 - Tailoring for your audience: The switch to regulatory

30:34 - Straight, yet effective, shooter: Leadership styles (and socially acceptable styles)

42:01 - Brutal honesty: Pharaoh's “short list” of mentors

45:30 - “Go make friends:” They key to making mentors

53:58 - Catering leadership: Pharoah’s superpowers

55:55 - “Don’t forget the people:” Advice to young professionals

58:41 - Family sacrifices: Pharoah’s role models

Calls to action:

Episode Summary: Jessica Richter is the Chief Operating Officer and Head of Business Development at Experien Group. Jess started her medtech career in Sales at CR Bard and then grew into sales leadership positions at Medtronic. She then joined Experian group to expand the firm’s business development activities and to direct strategic growth initiatives. Tune in to hear Jessica’s story on her impact in cases as a sales rep, her influence on increasing diversity in the MedTech industry and her passion for animal rescue!

Detailed Show Notes:

• 0:53 - “A career in communications:” How Jess got involved in MedTech
• 6:53 - Outside the comfort zone: Taking a big career leap
• 14:36 - Philanthropy and pets: Jessica's personal life
• 19:07 - Competition and contributions: A glimpse into sales
• 22:30 - Broadening the lens: Jessica's collaborative leadership style
• 28:25 - Ongoing education: Involvement in other organizations
• 32:46 - Taking risks (on yourself and others): Personal and professional accomplishments
• 38:16 - Increasing diversity within the industry: MedTech Women
• 48:56 - Evening out your pie chart: Managing risk
• 54:33 - Glass half-full: Jess’s resilience
• 56:20 - Put your hat in the ring: Jessica's advice to young professionals

Calls to action:

Episode Summary: Shreya Mehta is the Cofounder and CTO of Zenflow - medical device company developing a minimally invasive treatment for urinary obstruction caused by enlarged prostate, or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Previously she worked as a lead reviewer at the FDA. Tune in to hear Shreya’s story on starting a company, her long distance cycling adventures from SF to Santa Monica and her thoughts on authentic leadership!

Detailed Show Notes:

3:41 - Engineer at heart: Why MedTech

5:51  -  Looking “under the hood:” Shreya’s experience at the FDA

12:06 - New perspectives & new stakeholders: Her move to biodesign

16:52 - Finding the unmet need: The creation of Zenflow

23:55 - Moving past the bumps on the road: Shreya’s highs and lows

31:28 - Capitalizing your strengths: How to choose a cofounder

35:50 - Trust & transparency in a team: Shaping a self-motivated team

42:20 - From a device to a product: Zenflow’s next steps

48:32 - “I don’t carry all the knowledge:” Using humility in decision-making

52:09 - If you don’t know, you can’t change it: Steps to fight bias

58:17 - Authentic leadership: Shreya’s superpower

1:03:07 - “Do it, if you have the means:” Shreya’s advice to entrepreneurs

Calls to action: