The Health Technology Podcast

Troy Tazbaz, currently Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy & Operations at Oracle and formerly Director of Digital Health at the FDA, has a powerful vision: making healthcare human again digitally. Driven by a profound personal experience supporting his wife through complex medical decisions during her battle with cancer, Troy recognized the deep inefficiencies and overwhelming demands placed on patients and caregivers. His journey inspired him to challenge the status quo, transitioning from a corporate technology career into healthcare innovation.

In this deeply personal and insightful episode, Troy discusses key moments that fueled his commitment to humanizing healthcare...

What every healthcare leader should know is at the heart of this episode featuring Dr. Todd Brinton, Chief Scientific Officer at Edwards Lifesciences and a leading figure in medtech innovation. Dr. Brinton’s journey began in a sixth-grade classroom, where a fascination with the heart sparked a lifelong passion for both medicine and technology. That early curiosity led him to pursue engineering, medicine, and eventually leadership in heart health.

Before becoming a recognized leader, Dr. Brinton faced the same questions many young professionals do—wondering if he belonged, and whether he could move from engineering into medicine. Thro...

Covered California is leading the way in making healthcare more accessible and equitable. Under the leadership of Executive Director Jessica Altman, the state’s health insurance marketplace has reached nearly 2 million enrollees, setting new records for affordable health coverage in California. In this episode, Jessica dives into how Covered California’s innovative outreach, tailored language support, and affordability programs are closing the coverage gap, especially for freelancers, gig workers, and families who often fall through the cracks.

Jessica draws on her roots in healthcare policy, shaped by family and her work at the US Department of Health and...

Cardiac arrest remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide, striking without warning and demanding urgent emergency response. In this episode of The Health Technology Podcast, we spotlight cardiac arrest prevention, portable defibrillator innovation, and next-generation AED technology featuring Sameer Jafri, CEO and co-founder of Avive Solutions.

From his early days volunteering at cardiac screenings to founding a nonprofit focused on heart health at UCLA, Sameer’s dedication to life-saving innovation has always been personal. With Avive Solutions, he is pioneering the development of connected, portable AEDs, making advanced emergency response accessible in homes, schools, sports fi...

What happens when a heart surgeon sees too many patients discharged too soon, with no clear way to monitor their recovery? For Dr. James Mault, MD, it sparked a 25-year journey to reshape the future of healthcare. From operating rooms in Denver to boardrooms at Microsoft and Qualcomm, James’s mission has remained the same: bridge the gap between hospital care and home through continuous, remote patient monitoring.

Today, as Founder and Executive Chairman of BioIntelliSense, James is pioneering wearable technology that tracks vital signs in real-time, empowering clinicians and families to catch warning signs early, before th...

Picture a hospital room late at night, the soft hum of machines in the background. A family gathers quietly around their loved one, unsure how to navigate the complexities of end-of-life care. It’s a scene playing out every day across the country, highlighting a crucial yet often neglected part of healthcare—the way we care for people as their lives near an end.

Joining me today is Ira Byock, a renowned physician, author, and passionate advocate for palliative care, whose groundbreaking work has transformed how we think about living—and dying—well. As the Emeritus Professor of Medic...

Think of a mother living in a remote village in Alaska. It’s a cold morning, temperatures well below freezing, and she needs urgent medical care for her child—but there’s no road connecting her village to any hospital. Her only hope is a plane or a boat, neither of which might arrive in time. Across America, thousands of Native Americans face similar hurdles every day—lack of access to basic healthcare, clean water, and enough nutrition. This is not a challenge of the distant past; it’s happening today, in the wealthiest country in the world.

I first...

It’s late at night. You’re in a hospital room, holding the hand of a loved one just diagnosed with a serious illness. The doctor has explained the treatment options. However, the weight of the diagnosis still feels overwhelming.

You ask yourself: How do we make the most of the time we have? How do we ensure they’re comfortable, supported, and able to live well—despite what lies ahead?

This is where palliative care plays a vital role. It’s a medical specialty focused on improving quality of life for patients and families during som...

Managing medications shouldn’t be this hard. For millions of people, it’s a daily struggle—juggling prescriptions from multiple doctors, refilling at different pharmacies, and trying to keep track of what to take and when. Copays are confusing, refill schedules don’t align, and the stress of managing it all often falls on caregivers. This isn’t just an inconvenience—it’s a crisis. Missed doses, medication errors, and the sheer administrative burden can lead to worse health outcomes and unnecessary stress for families.

This is the problem Laura Jensen has spent her career tackling. Laura is the Directo...

Imagine this: a patient arrives in the ER, their life hanging in the balance. The clock is ticking, and the pressure is overwhelming. But here’s the thing—it’s not just about having the right knowledge or tools. It’s about how a team, often strangers to each other, can come together in seconds to deliver the right care at the right moment. This “last mile” problem—getting critical care to the patient when and where it’s needed—is one of the most urgent challenges in healthcare.

This is where Dr. Dan Dworkis comes in. Dan is an emergenc...

Every day, in many communities without enough resources, millions suffer from blindness that could be prevented. A lack of proper eye care, old training methods, and few modern tools leave many in the dark. In places where a simple cataract surgery could bring back both sight and hope, big challenges and a shortage of new ideas block the way.

Inspired by these problems, an amazing journey spans continents and changes lives. Born in a small town in Virginia, Dr. Hunter Cherwek—Vice President, Clinical Services and Technologies at Orbis International—took a path from the halls of Duke...

When patients leave the hospital, they often face a dangerous gap in care—a system where outdated methods and heavy paperwork leave them at risk for complications, repeat visits, and needless stress. Every day, many worry about returning home without the clear, compassionate support they need, and the burden falls on both patients and overworked care teams.

In this episode, we highlight a leader who turned personal loss into a mission for change. Yoni Shtein, the CEO and co-founder of Laguna Health, brings a blend of technical skill and business insight—from his early days in software engi...

Meeting Jason McKeown was like watching someone quietly change the future of healthcare. I first met him through the Rosenman Innovators program—where his company, Neurovalens, was honored in 2022—and it quickly became clear that his vision goes beyond ordinary medicine. A UK-trained doctor with a PhD in non-invasive neurostimulation, Jason is not only a doctor or a researcher; he’s a forward-thinking leader who has spent more than a decade combining brain science with technology to help people manage anxiety, insomnia, and metabolic disorders.

As the founder and CEO of Neurovalens, Jason has developed devices like Modius...

Note: This episode was recorded on December 17, 2024, and reflects the policy landscape and political context of that time.

When Krista Drobac arrived in Washington, D.C., fresh out of college, she had no car, no connections, and no clear path—just a determination to make a difference in politics. What began as a leap of faith quickly turned into a lifelong mission to transform healthcare policy. Today, as a founding partner of Sirona Strategies, Krista is a driving force behind some of the most innovative approaches to care delivery—from telehealth to home-based models.

Her care...

When I first spoke with Dr. BJ Miller, I felt the weight of his experiences transform into something unexpectedly hopeful. BJ is a palliative care physician and he’s also a storyteller of life’s hardest truths, a triple amputee who turned personal tragedy into a mission to redefine how we approach suffering, dignity, and mortality. Years ago, I watched BJ Miller’s TED Talk on What Really Matters at the End of Life, I was struck by his bold challenge to healthcare’s design—how it was built around diseases rather than people. He spoke with a clarity that cut t...

The obesity epidemic demands solutions that go beyond temporary fixes or single-medication approaches. While drugs like GLP-1 agonists dominate headlines, lasting change requires reimagining care delivery, addressing systemic inefficiencies, and tackling root causes. Enter Sloan Saunders, a former investment banker turned healthcare innovator, whose company FlyteHealth is pioneering a holistic model for obesity treatment—one that merges financial strategy, advanced technology, and patient-centered care.

After a 15-year career in banking and private equity, Sloan co-founded FlyteHealth to confront the gaps he saw in obesity care: outdated clinical practices, fragmented insurance coverage, and an over-reliance on short-term interventions. Selec...

Joanna Strober, Founder & CEO of MIDI Health, is a trailblazer in women’s health innovation. With a career marked by resilience and vision, Joanna has consistently driven meaningful change across industries. From her early days in venture capital to founding Kurbo Health—a digital therapeutic for childhood obesity that served tens of thousands of adolescents worldwide before being acquired by Weight Watchers in 2018—Joanna has always sought to make a lasting impact.

Today, she leads MIDI Health, a groundbreaking platform dedicated to transforming women’s midlife health. Selected as a Rosenman ADAPT finalist, MIDI Health joined the prestigi...

Dr. Matthew Lungren’s journey is a testament to the transformative power of empathy, curiosity, and innovation. Starting as an English major, his career took a pivotal turn while volunteering at a Kosovo refugee camp, where he discovered the profound impact of combining knowledge, data, and compassion to address healthcare challenges—particularly in underserved communities.

Dr. Lungren earned his MD and MPH, practiced as an interventional radiologist, and became a prominent leader in medical AI. At Stanford, he directed the Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine and Imaging (AIMI), contributing to over 200 publications on groundbreaking research in mult...

Dr. Sanjeev Arora’s quiet determination and profound sense of purpose shine through in everything he does. A renowned liver disease specialist and visionary social entrepreneur, Dr. Arora has spent over 30 years creating innovative solutions to address some of the most critical gaps in healthcare.

As the Founder and Executive Director of Project ECHO, he has transformed healthcare equity with a revolutionary vision: democratizing specialized medical knowledge so no one, regardless of their location, is left behind. What began in 2003 as a small effort to address hepatitis C in underserved areas has grown into a global movement sp...

Imagine a healthcare experience where doctors spend less time on hold with insurance companies and more time connecting with their patients. In “How AI is Freeing Up Your Doctor,” we sit down with Ankit Jain—founder of Infinitus—to explore how advanced AI automation is streamlining the communication channels that underpin our healthcare system.

Ankit’s story reflects a career defined by innovation. He drew on his engineering expertise at Google, where he played a pivotal role in launching Google Play, before striking out on his own. After founding Quettra—acquired by SimilarWeb—Ankit set his sights on one of heal...

What does it take to transform an entire industry? Dr. Vin Gupta, a distinguished leader in public health and healthtech, shares his remarkable journey from medical training at Columbia and Harvard to his impactful service in the United States Air Force Medical Reserve Corps. As the Chief Medical Officer of Amazon Pharmacy, Dr. Gupta spearheads clinical strategy and innovation, leveraging technology to redefine pharmacy services and enhance consumer experiences.

In this episode, delve into Dr. Gupta’s groundbreaking work in healthcare policy, clinical research, and the seamless integration of technology in patient care. Gain exclusive insights into th...

Our guest today is Dr. Diana Thiara, the medical director of the UCSF Weight Management Program. She also serves as an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at UCSF, and the Program Director of the UCSF Obesity Medicine Fellowship. Dr. Thiara specializes in internal medicine, focusing on obesity and weight management. Her work integrates innovative patient programming, culinary medicine, and virtual curriculums for obesity patients.

Dr. Thiara's journey from a small town in Illinois to leading obesity medicine on the West Coast is nothing short of inspiring. Her passion for community and medicine, influenced by her father's role...

Roni Zeiger is a distinguished physician and technologist with a profound impact on digital health. With a medical degree and a master’s in biomedical informatics, Roni has seamlessly integrated technology and healthcare throughout his career.

He served as the Chief Health Strategist at Google, leading transformative projects like Google Health and Google Flu Trends, which revolutionized global access to health information.

Roni also co-founded Smart Patients, a platform fostering patient support and learning through shared experiences. Currently, at GirlTrek, he exemplifies his commitment to community health and social justice, focusing on increasing life expectancy for...

Our guest today is Gloria Lau, co-founder and CEO of Hello Alpha. With a mission to improve access to women's healthcare, Gloria brings over a decade of experience in data science, machine learning, and AI from her time at LinkedIn, Google, and Stanford University, where she serves as consulting faculty. 

Gloria's unique perspective stems from her personal challenge in navigating the complex US healthcare system, which inspired her to create Hello Alpha. Her work is transforming women's health by providing affordable and comprehensive virtual primary care.

In this episode, we discuss Gloria’s journey from tec...

Dr. Graham Gardner is a visionary in healthcare innovation. He is the co-founder and CEO of Kyruus Health, leading the development of a platform that revolutionizes patient access and provider data management, now serving over 425 thousand providers and 1,000 hospitals.

Dr. Gardner’s unique perspective is shaped by his background in cardiology and his entrepreneurial journey, which includes co-founding Generation Health, a genetic benefit management company that was acquired by CVS Caremark. His work with Kyruus has set new standards for patient-provider matching, significantly enhancing healthcare access and efficiency.

In this episode, we discuss Dr. Gardner’s tr...

Our guest today is our very own, Dr. Monica Gandhi, a distinguished expert in HIV and infectious diseases. She is a Professor of Medicine at UCSF and the Associate Division Chief of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, overseeing significant research and clinical operations.

Dr. Gandhi’s unique perspective is shaped by her extensive work in HIV research and her pivotal role in public health education. Through her groundbreaking efforts, she has pioneered low-cost solutions for antiretroviral measurements and advanced treatment strategies for women with HIV. She plays a crucial ro...

Our guest today is Drew Hobby, the Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer of Blue Cross of Idaho. Drew has spearheaded the transition from fee-for-service to value-based payments, making healthcare more affordable for members and clients. He now oversees the Healthcare Economics, IT, and Strategy teams pushing for innovation in healthcare delivery and affordability.

Drew's deep understanding of healthcare dynamics and commitment to value-based care emphasizes the significance of innovative strategies in enhancing patient outcomes and controlling costs. His work has not only transformed healthcare economics at Blue Cross of Idaho but also improved access to...

After leading finance and development functions and multi-national teams at KFC, Gap, and Electronic Arts, Sharon Knight joined One Medical Group, growing the clinic nationwide. With deep experience in finance and operations, Sharon is now improving wellness and advancing the human health span as a Partner at JAZZ Venture Partners, where she focuses on building consumer-centric healthcare brands and supporting innovative healthtech startups.

In this episode, we discuss Sharon’s advice for building consumer-centric healthcare brands, approach to treating patients as customers, and her insight on leading teams through significant industry changes. She also shares her strategies fo...

Our guest today is Frank Cheung, Co-Founder and CEO of Accorded. Frank has held pivotal roles at Blue Shield of California, Deloitte, and Collective Health, leading efforts in risk management and value-based care.

Frank’s unique perspective is shaped by his extensive experience in both payer and provider settings. He has been recognized as one of the Top 50 Value-Based Care Thinkers of 2024, highlighting his significant contributions to advancing healthcare analytics and supporting innovative care models.

In this episode, we discuss the critical role of actuarial science in value-based care, Frank’s journey founding Accorded, the chal...

Dr. Diana Bianchi is a renowned leader in maternal and child health. She is the Director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and manages a significant annual budget dedicated to pioneering research in human development and reproductive health.

Dr. Bianchi’s unique perspective is shaped by her dual focus on obstetrics and pediatrics. As part of her remarkable work in prenatal genomics has set new standards for diagnosing and treating genetic disorders. Her efforts have impacted countless lives and significantly advanced the understanding of maternal and child health.

In...

Within 840 miles of coastline, forests, mountains, and valleys, reside over 39 million people and the fifth largest economy in the world. California is almost more like a country than it is a state, and with these colossal proportions come many responsibilities—most importantly of all, public health.

Our guest is the remarkable Dr. Diana Ramos, California Surgeon General. Dr. Ramos was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom in August of 2022. She brings over three decades of experience in public health, with a strong focus on health equity and reproductive health, and is the first Latina to hold this position.

When Austin Chiang joined Medtronic as the Chief Medical Officer for the Gastrointestinal business, he brought with him a remarkable blend of clinical expertise and a visionary approach to health communication. As a triple board-certified physician in Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology, and Obesity Medicine, Austin has always been at the forefront of medical innovation and patient care.

Since stepping into his role, Dr. Chiang has leveraged his unique position to bridge the gap between complex medical practices and public understanding, utilizing social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram to engage and educate a global audience. His efforts go...

When Dr. Monika Roots joined Bend Health as co-founder and President, she set out to revolutionize mental health care with innovative practices. A seasoned psychiatrist with a focus on child and adolescent care, Monika has consistently challenged the conventional limits of mental health services.

In this second part of our series, we focus on a pervasive issue that touches everyone: the pursuit of perfection. Dr. Roots discusses how this relentless pursuit impacts mental well-being, especially in the digital age where the drive for perfection is often fueled by unrealistic comparisons. She offers practical strategies for balancing high...

Welcome to Our Special Two-Part Series with Dr. Monika Roots

In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, we are excited to bring you a special two-part interview series with Dr. Monika Roots, a leader in mental health innovation. As the co-founder and President of Bend Health, Dr. Roots applies her extensive 16-year background in psychiatry, focusing on child and adolescent care, to revolutionize mental health services with innovative technology and strong partnerships.

Having grown up with firsthand experience of bipolar disorder in her family, Dr. Roots commits herself to ensuring emotional safety for vulnerable children...

As we explore the story of a leader who combines caring and business smarts to achieve success in the medical technology world, today we are excited to feature, a standout figure in medtech. Since 2014, Leslie Trigg has led Outset Medical as CEO and became Chair in 2022. Her impressive career began at Guidant Corporation and included key roles at several leading companies, placing her at the heart of innovation in healthcare.

Leslie's career highlights include steering Outset Medical through key changes and innovations that have significantly improved patient care. Her early work in communications, rather than following a...

Margo Georgiadis is an accomplished leader in business and technology. She is currently the CEO of Montai Health and a CEO partner at Flagship Pioneering. Margo brings a rich tapestry of experiences, from her transformative leadership at Ancestry.com to influential roles at Google and McKinsey.

Margo is an innovator and fearless leader. Embracing change, Margo transitioned from conventional business roles to the vibrant world of health technology. She focuses on using data and AI to reshape patient care, especially in managing chronic diseases. Margo blends computational power with healthcare to revolutionize disease prediction and treatment.

Join Dr. Ari Hoffman, an influential figure in healthcare and technology, as he shares his expertise and insights on improving healthcare systems and advancing technology in the field. Dr. Hoffman is the Chief Clinical Officer and Vice President at Collective Health. He also held pivotal roles at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), including the UCSF Division of Hospital Medicine, and as medical director of the UCSF hospital medicine service at St. Mary's Medical Center.  

With a background in biological sciences and medicine, Dr. Hoffman brings a unique blend of clinical expertise and technological innovation to th...

In a world where technology and healthcare converge, Munjal Shah, Co-Founder and CEO of Hippocratic AI, stands as a beacon of innovation and resilience. His journey began in the heart of Silicon Valley, where an early exposure to technology seeded a lifelong passion. From founding companies that caught the eye of tech giants like Google and Alibaba to a personal health scare that pivoted his focus towards AI in healthcare, Munjal’s story is a testament to adaptability and vision.

Today, as the leader of Hippocratic AI, Munjal is pioneering a new era where technology doesn’t just...

Our guest Vivien Ho, a dynamic partner at Pear VC, a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage healthcare and life sciences companies. Vivien leads Pear's Healthcare practice, dedicating her expertise to human and planet health. She has founded the Pear's Female Technical Founders Circle and co-hosts the Healthcare Playbook Podcast.

Vivien's achievement lies in her instrumental role in guiding Pear VC's investments in groundbreaking healthcare startups, shaping the future of healthcare technology. She brings a unique perspective to the table, combining her background in engineering with a deep understanding of healthcare dynamics. Vivien's impact and contributions...

As Found's Chief Operating Officer, Sarah Jones Simmer brings a wealth of experience in shifting social norms to foster positive change. Drawing from this background, Sarah approached the complexities of diabetes with empathy, crafting an evidence-based weight care platform that harmonizes cutting-edge medicine with personalized coaching.

Under Sarah's visionary leadership, the company has pioneered transformative initiatives within the weight loss community. By integrating personalized medicine and prescribed treatments from board-certified clinicians, they've harnessed the potent potential for sustainable change in the weight loss journey.

In this episode, Sarah shines light on a new perspective on...