In this episode of the DeviceTalks Women in MedTech podcast, Host Kayleen Brown sits down with Gaele Lalahy, Chief Operating Officer at Plexāā, to discuss what it looks like to treat patients as true co-designers, not only in product development but across the entire pre-surgery experience.

Lalahy shares the clinical foundation behind BLOOM⁴³, Plexāā’s wearable, at-home device used the night before breast surgery to increase blood flow and support healing through supraphysiological preconditioning, and explains how Plexāā pairs the device with a holistic app that helps patients feel prepared, informed, and supported before and after surgery.

Kayleen also welcomes Tom Salemi, Editorial Director of DeviceTalks, for an in-studio conversation that connects the episode’s theme to the broader MedTech ecosystem, including a look ahead at DeviceTalks Minnesota, May 4 and DeviceTalks Boston, May 27–28. Together, they discuss how listening to the end user shapes better outcomes, better experiences, and better leadership.

* Mentioned in the interview * Check out this DeviceTalks Weekly episode featuring Samay's CEO Maria Artunduaga: https://www.devicetalks.com/how-samays-ceo-came-up-with-the-sound-idea-for-a-device-to-battle-copd-win-medtech-innovator/

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Enjoy this podcast? Follow Women in MedTech with Kayleen Brown on all major podcast players: https://women-in-medtech.castos.com/subscribe + Follow us on YouTube.com/@DeviceTalks to ensure you never miss an episode.

Want access to the complete DeviceTalks Podcast Network (DTPN)? Follow us today at https://devicetalks.castos.com/subscribe

In this episode of the DeviceTalks Weekly Podcast, OrthAlign CEO Eric Timko explains how he’s built two successful companies in the wake of surgical robotics’ rise in orthopedics. He also shares sage advice from his father—words that ultimately led him to a career in medical devices.

This episode is sponsored by DeviceTalks Minnesota. Register at Minnesota.DeviceTalks.com and use the code DTW25 to save 25% off registration.

In this week’s Newmarker’s Newsmakers, Host Tom Salemi shares his experience from MedTech Innovator’s Radar Forum. Then he and Chris Newmarker review the biggest news on MassDevice: Stryker, Johnson & Johnson MedTech, Intuitive, Baxter, and the Transcatheter Heart Valves Special Report.

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In this episode of the DeviceTalks Weekly podcast, Amaza Reitmeier shares with Host Tom Salemi why she left the company she never thought she’d leave — Medtronic — to lead Pharaoh Neuro, a company developing a novel approach to treating stroke patients by removing harmful blood from cerebrospinal fluid. Reitmeier shares lessons from her own career and her mentors on timing big moves, learning what you don’t know, and why some of MedTech’s biggest opportunities remain hidden in plain sight.

This episode is sponsored by DeviceTalks Minnesota. Register at Minnesota.DeviceTalks.com and use the code DTW25 to save 25% off the registration fee.

Salemi and MassDevice Editor Chris Newmarker offer encouragement to exercising listeners while delivering this week’s Newmarker’s Newsmakers — including updates on cardiology companies, HistoSonics, Boston Scientific, Johnson & Johnson MedTech, Abbott, the Mayo Clinic, and WHOOP.

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In the final episode of AbbottTalks season 3, hosts Tom Salemi and Kayleen Brown sit down with Rebecca Wilkins, divisional vice president of R&D for Abbott’s Neuromodulation business, to discuss the technologies Abbott is advancing for chronic pain and movement disorders.

Wilkins explains how Abbott’s spinal cord stimulation platforms, Proclaim™ DRG Neurostimulation System, and Infinity™ deep brain stimulation system are designed to interrupt errant nervous system signals, helping patients manage conditions ranging from chronic pain and Parkinson’s disease to, potentially, treatment-resistant depression.

The conversation also highlights the features shaping Abbott’s neuromodulation portfolio, including Bluetooth-enabled connectivity, the NeuroSphere™ Virtual Clinic for remote programming, improved MRI compatibility including prone MRI access, and device options that balance small size with low recharge demands.

Wilkins also shares new data presented at NANS showing significant reductions in pain-related healthcare encounters for patients using Abbott’s spinal cord stimulation and DRG therapies.

This episode is brought to you by Confluent Medical Technologies. To learn more about Confluent, visit: https://confluentmedical.com/. Make sure to catch Confluent's March DeviceTalks Tuesdays webinar highlighting its new technology, Filmcast Select™: https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/5241831/7E70E13249532E05CA8FB3D51421AD71?partnerref=confluent

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In this episode of DeviceTalks Weekly, Medtronic’s Blake Tatum, Vice President of U.S. Commercial for Acute Care & Monitoring, joins Host Tom Salemi to unpack the evolving patient monitoring landscape. Tatum shares how Medtronic is integrating sensors, data, and digital health to support clinicians from the ICU to the home, why partnerships are reshaping the competitive playbook, and how lessons from the pandemic are driving a new focus on accuracy, equity, and connectivity in care delivery.

This episode is sponsored by DeviceTalks Minnesota. Go to Minnesota.Devicetalks.com to check out the amazing agenda!

Then Salemi and MassDevice editor Chris Newmarker review this week’s MedTech newsmakers including surgical robotics, Abbott, Stryker, Boston Scientific, and Medtronic.

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In this episode of DeviceTalks Weekly, Distalmotion CEO Greg Roche updates Host Tom Salemi on the surgical robotics company’s commercial roll out of Dexter, a robotic system designed for ambulatory surgery centers. Roche shares the lessons he’s learned after a decade in surgical robotics and why he’s particularly optimistic about his company’s outcome.

You can hear Greg Roche’s first appearance on the podcast right here: https://www.devicetalks.com/why-distalmotions-roche-sees-dexters-small-size-as-big-advantage-in-the-robotics-surgical-market/ 

This episode is sponsored by DeviceTalks Boston. Register at Boston.DeviceTalks.com. Use the code DTW25 to save 25% off the registration price.

Rachel Robinson, COO of MassMEDIC, joins the MassDevice Newmarker’s Newsmakers with Salemi and Editor Chris Newmarker – Stryker, CMR Surgical, Revolve Surgical, JenaValve, and MassDevice’s Surgical Robotics Special Report for 2026. You can download the report with 70+ profiles of surgical robotics companies here - https://www.massdevice.com/surgical-robotics-special-report-2026/

Robinson also welcomes listeners to attend MassMEDIC’s Symposium & Gala on April 2. Go to MassMEDIC.com to see the agenda and to register.

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In this episode of the DeviceTalks Weekly podcast, Stephen From, the new CEO of Vicarious Surgical, explains why he jumped the chasm from biotech to lead surgical robotics company Vicarious Surgical. From brings years of experience bringing products to market and he lays out the plan for Vicarious’s single-incision robot to Host Tom Salemi.

Next, Salemi interviews Bill Frey, Regional Sales Engineer, Harmonic Drive, about the unique challenges of surgical robotics. For more information about Harmonic Drive, go to www.harmonicdrive.net.

But we’ll start off with Salemi and MassDevice Editor Chris Newmarker discussing this week’s Newmarker’s Newsmakers – Petal Surgical, Abbott, Stryker, and Medtronic.

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In this episode of the DeviceTalks Weekly podcast, Jessica Mathieson, president of Stryker’s medical business, takes Host Tom Salemi to the frontlines of healthcare, where hospitals are seeking support for healthcare professionals. Mathieson will explain how the acquisitions of Vocera and Care AI have enabled Stryker to build a comprehensive communications and monitoring tool that can keep nurses safe while improving patient care.

Find Mathieson’s first visit to DeviceTalks here: https://www.stryker.com/us/en/about/news/2022/acute-care-s-mathieson-explains-how-vocera-fits-into-stryker-s-g.html

And as an added bonus, on Monday, March 9th, Stryker announced that it launched its new SmartHospital platform. Learn more here: https://www.massdevice.com/stryker-launches-smarthospital-platform-care-delivery/

In this week’s FOMO, Ignacio Pedrosa, Advanced Solutions Engineer at Novanta, talks with Kayleen Brown about the company’s work to make surgical robotic systems smaller, smarter and more capable. For more information, go to https://novanta.com.

In this week’s Newmarker’s Newsmakers, MassDevice Editor Chris Newmarker and Salemi talk about their favorite flavor of Girl Scout cookie. (Buy yours in the link below) before talking about the top stories of the week – Smith & Nephew, Science Corp., Boston Scientific, Medtronic and, in a bit of Meta-ness – an article about Jenny Barba’s appearance on the podcast two weeks ago!

Go here to buy cookies from Chris’s daughter! - https://digitalcookie.girlscouts.org/scout/stella590572

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In this episode, Armor Medical Co-founder and CEO Kelsey Mayo shares her ultimate entrepreneurial journey. Mayo recognized early on that her career needed to make an impact, but the focus of her passion became clear after a frightening experience of her own. Today, she’s CEO of a startup building a wearable device that can serve as an early warning system for hemorrhaging. This could immediately protect the lives of women giving birth and ultimately replace guesswork with irrefutable data. Armor Medical won MedTech Innovator’s top award at AdvaMed in the fall.

This episode is sponsored by DeviceTalks Minnesota.

Speaking of MedTech Innovator, CEO Paul Grand joins Tom Salemi and Chris Newmarker to analyze this week’s top Newsmakers from MassDevice — DePuy Synthes, Medtronic, Pharaoh Neuro, Stryker, and Boston Scientific.

Grand also introduced MedTech Innovator’s Radar Forum:
https://medtechinnovator.org/radarforum2026/

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In this episode of DeviceTalks Weekly, Managing Editor Kayleen Brown takes the helm, leading a keynote interview with Jenny Barba, co-founder of Features Capital. Barba shares her path into venture capital, identifies winning strategies for start-ups, and highlights some of the more exciting companies in the Features Capital portfolio.

A special thanks to this episode’s sponsor, SHL Healthcare, for supporting DeviceTalks! Go to www.shl-healthcare.com for more information. As a special bonus, download SHL Healthcare's complimentary white paper highlighting the outcomes of using the combination of advanced sewing, welding, and electromechanical assembly here: https://www.devicetalks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/SHL-Healthcare_Whitepaper_Integrated-Approach.pdf

Kayleen Brown also leads our FOMO interview with Nick West, MD, chief medical officer of Shockwave Medical, part of Johnson & Johnson MedTech. They talk about the future calcium modification, intravascular lithotripsy, and the evolving treatment of vascular disease.

We’ll start things off with Host Tom Salemi and Chris Newmarker of MassDevice reviewing the newsmakers of the week - BioVentrix, Medical 21, VB Spine, Augmedics, Medtronic, Danaher, and Masimo.

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In this episode of DeviceTalks Weekly, Host Tom Salemi speaks with MedTech veteran Darrin Uecker about a career shaped by some of the industry’s most notable innovations and acquisitions.

Uecker’s journey begins at Computer Motion, where he served as CTO through its historic acquisition by Intuitive Surgical. He recounts how that deal came together and traces the path that led him to senior leadership roles at multiple startups that ultimately achieved successful exits.

Today, Uecker is chief technology officer at Pulse Biosciences, a small publicly traded company developing a next generation of pulsed-field ablation technology. He discusses the unconventional steps Pulse has taken to build its business, reviews the company’s latest clinical data, and shares his perspective on the future of the fast-moving PFA market.

In our FOMO Interview, Ralph Kern, MD, chief medical officer of neuro startup Cognito Therapeutics, explains why he’s excited about technical advances in the field. He’s interviewed by Jim Hammerand, managing editor at Medical Design & Outsourcing magazine.

As always we start the episode with MassDevice Editor Chris Newmarker and his top 5 stories of the week….aka Newmarker’s Newsmakers.

Thank you for listening to DeviceTalks Weekly!

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