The Heart of Healthcare | A Digital Health Podcast

What is the world's most valuable company, best known for making computer chips, doing in healthcare? Quite a lot, it turns out. NVIDIA's technology is helping power everything from medical imaging and drug discovery to AI-powered hospitals and surgical robotics.This week, Michael Esquivel and guest co-host Megan Zweig sit down with Kimberly Powell, NVIDIA's Vice President of Healthcare, who has spent 18 years (!!!) building the company's healthcare business from the ground up. They discuss how NVIDIA became such an important player in healthcare, why AI adoption is accelerating faster than expected, and Powell's ambitious vision for a future where hospitals themselves operate like robots.We cover:Why 2026 was the year AI finally became useful in healthcareWhat's driving the surprisingly rapid adoption of AI by hospitals and cliniciansHow NVIDIA is helping advance drug discovery and clinical trialsWhy the hospital of the future could operate like a robotThe next frontier of physical AI, from autonomous wheelchairs to robotic surgery—About our guest:Kimberly Powell is the Vice President of Healthcare at NVIDIA where she spearheads the company's global healthcare product development initiatives in accelerated computing and generative AI platforms for the healthcare and life sciences sectors. Kimberly also leads go-to-market strategies and business development, collaborating and partnering with a global ecosystem to develop innovative applications in drug discovery, genomics, medical devices, and robotic surgery.Before her current position, Powell was Director of Business Development for AI at NVIDIA, where she led an international team focused on expanding into new markets in deep learning, data analytics, and artificial intelligence. She was responsible for identifying new revenue opportunities, defining product market requirements, and launching several strategic evangelism programs such as NVIDIA AI Labs and the NVIDIA Inception program, which now supports over 20,000 AI startup members.Powell's journey with NVIDIA began in 2008 when she took on the challenge of establishing NVIDIA GPUs as the leading accelerator platform for medical imaging instruments. Her early career involved hardware engineering and FPGA design and product management roles in medical imaging and diagnostic display systems at Planar Systems.Kimberly Powell holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Northeastern University.—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInYouTube See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hello November! AI is getting smarter, healthcare is getting more expensive, and the plot keeps thickening.In this month's Digital Health Download, Steve and Michael break down the month's biggest healthcare headlines, including surprising new evidence about the cost of clinical AI, a White House initiative for women's health, and proposed Medicare reimbursement changes that have digital health entrepreneurs on edge.We cover:Why AI-generated care recommendations could drive healthcare costs higher instead of lowerWhat's behind Trump's new women's health initiative and whether it will deliver meaningful progressHow personal AI agents could change the way patients book appointments, access care, and fight insurance billsWhy employer health insurance costs are rising faster than wages, and what might finally force reformWhy American cancer patients are traveling to China for treatment and what it signals about the global biotech raceHow proposed Medicare reimbursement changes could threaten remote patient monitoring and chronic care management startups📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInYouTube See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Speaking out against the healthcare system can cost you your job, your reputation, or even your business. So why do it?This week, Halle sits down with FIGS co-founder and CEO Trina Spear and Dr. Elisabeth Potter, the plastic surgeon who went viral after an insurance rep interrupted her during a breast cancer surgery to question the patient's hospital stay. They discuss the risks healthcare professionals face when speaking out, why a publicly traded scrubs company is investing in political advocacy, and whether businesses can help fill the advocacy gaps left by traditional medical organizations.We cover:The extraordinary fallout after Dr. Potter publicly called out UnitedHealthcareWhy FIGS is spending company resources lobbying Congress, and how its board and shareholders have respondedThe proposed Speak Free Act and why healthcare workers need stronger protections to speak out about patient safetyFIGS' push for a $6,000 annual tax credit for healthcare professionalsWhy traditional medical associations aren't always representing the interests of frontline cliniciansWhat YOU can do to build advocacy into your company and your work📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInYouTubeAbout our guests:Trina Spear is the CEO and Co-Founder of FIGS, Inc. (NYSE: FIGS), the global leading healthcare apparel company. FIGS creates technically advanced products to help healthcare professionals look good, feel good and perform at their best.FIGS revolutionized the healthcare apparel industry by branding a previously unbranded industry, de-commoditizing a previously commoditized product, and building a community around a profession. Trina is also a member of the board of directors of Amer Sports, Inc. (NYSE: AS), a global group of sports and outdoor brands, including Arcteryx, Salomon and Wilson.Trina’s accolades include being named in Fortune 40 Under 40, Goldman Sachs’ 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs, and E&Y’s Entrepreneur of the Year. Her article, “Transforming the Healthcare Experience: Doctors, Nurses, Patients, and Beyond,” was published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology.Prior to launching FIGS, Trina worked in Blackstone’s hedge fund group and in Citigroup’s investment banking and private equity divisions. Trina is a member of the 2018 Class of Henry Crown Fellows at the Aspen Institute. Trina received her BA in Economics from Tufts University, graduating magna cum laude, and she completed her MBA at Harvard Business School.Dr. Elisabeth Potter is a board-certified plastic surgeon specializing in microsurgical reconstruction for breast cancer patients. After a coding change by federal regulators threatened access to advanced reconstructive microsurgeries, Dr. Potter formed a coalition of stakeholders that engaged relevant congressional committees and federal regulators, leading to a successful reversal of the decision. Through advancements in surgical technique and perioperative care, Dr. Potter is advancing flap reconstruction in ambulatory settings. She is the owner and founder of Redbud Surgery Center-- purposefully built, equipped and staffed to offer advanced surgeries in an ambulatory setting. Dr. Potter is passionate about the importance of independent physicians as voices in improving healthcare, and Redbud exemplifies the contributions independent doctors offer to address our cost and access challenges. When an interaction with a major health insurer around a surgical patient’s authorization process gained national attention, Dr. Potter focused the conversation on the impact of administrative and insurance processes on the care experienced by patients. She is the founder of the Bluebird Center for Health Education and Access, a nonprofit organization dedicated to highlighting the importance of independent voices in healthcare and fostering access to advanced treatments in communities. Dr. Potter received her undergraduate degree in Molecular Biology from Princeton University, and her medical degree from Emory University Medical School. She completed an integrated plastic surgery residence from UT Southwestern Medical Center, and a microsurgical fellowship from MD Anderson Cancer Center. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Speaking up at Theranos meant risking your career, your relationships, and your safety. Tyler Shultz did it anyway.With the release of You Can See Everything, Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s documentary about Elizabeth Holmes, we’re re-releasing our November 2025 conversation with the whistleblower who helped expose Theranos. Tyler has since criticized the film for leaving out important context and challenged Holmes’ account.Halle and Michael sit down with Tyler to discuss how a company built on faulty science won over some of the world’s most powerful people, and what it took to challenge it. Michael, Theranos’ first general counsel, also shares his experience being fired after trying to investigate wrongdoing.We cover:What it was like working inside TheranosThe one question he suggests job seekers ask potential employersWhat ethical leadership looks like when the pressure is onHis thoughts on Elizabeth Holmes’ new “blood testing” companyWhy rewarding whistleblowers might actually protect investors and patients —About our guest: Tyler Shultz is a scientist at heart, a founder by nature, a whistleblower by accident, a speaker by day, a venture partner by night, and a dad 24/7. His professional life began by exposing unethical practices at Theranos, a revelation that led to the collapse of the $9 billion company and the criminal convictions of its CEO and COO. Since then, he has co-founded two diagnostics companies: a deep tech spinout from Stanford’s Center for Magnetic Nanotechnology and a direct-to-consumer diagnostics and telehealth company. Beyond building companies, Tyler advises startups and venture funds, helping them navigate the technical, commercial, and ethical challenges of scaling groundbreaking ideas. As a speaker, he shares his experiences with audiences worldwide, addressing lawyers, founders, executives, employees, students, investors, board members, regulators, and compliance experts. He explores themes of truth, courage, and integrity, demonstrating how ethical decision-making can be a competitive advantage.—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInInstagramYoutube See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We pay close attention to what we eat and drink. But how much do we really know about the air we breathe inside our own homes?This week, Halle is live from the New York Stock Exchange, sitting down with three-time founder David Vivero for the launch of Lution. After discovering extensive mold contamination in his own home, David became obsessed with understanding the connection between our indoor environments and our health, and whether we could make the invisible things around us easier to see and understand.We cover:What a “nutrition label for air” could actually tell youHow David's cancer diagnosis and the discovery of mold in his home each changed the course of his lifeWhat we know, and still don’t know, about how our homes affect our healthWhy understanding what's in your home's air has traditionally required expensive professional testingHow AI is changing what a tiny startup team can buildShow notes:Lution (use code HALLE50 for $50 off the $299 starter kit*)EPA Environmental Relative Moldiness Index (ERMI)WHO Guidelines for Indoor Air Quality: Dampness and MouldAsthma Control Before and After Changing Gas Stoves to Electric Stoves*We do not get affiliate fees from sales; however, Halle is an investor in Lution.About our guest:David Vivero is co-founder of Lution, a serial entrepreneur in home and health, and a 2022 Fortune 40 Under 40 honoree. He founded RentJuice, acquired by Zillow, and Amino Health, a consumer healthcare-data navigation company acquired by Capital Rx in 2024. Lution turns in-home sensor data and lab analysis of the dust a home's HVAC filter has already collected into one daily score for the home's air, the Lution Level.—📍 Connect with us:Heart of Healthcare websiteLinkedInYouTube See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.