

Med Tech Gurus
Tom Hickey
Med Tech Gurus is a podcast dedicated to helping medical device executives stay on the leading edge of their industry. Whether you're looking to grow your sales team, commercialize new devices, set up national accounts, or improve your clinical performances, this podcast is designed to help. Each episode features an interview with a thought leader or practitioner, discussing topics like: sales force, innovation, patient outcomes, emerging technologies, supply chain, group purchasing organizations, device launches, value analysis, biotech, and more.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 1, 2026 • 47min
From Data to Decisions: Powering Growth in MedTech
Mike Monovoukas, CEO and co-founder of AcuityMD, builds AI-driven healthcare data tools to help medtech teams find physicians, facilities, and patient groups. He discusses turning messy data into one-click outreach, adding VA and veteran targeting, using LLMs to clean and link records, and designing tools that make commercialization and scaling simpler for frontline teams.

Mar 25, 2026 • 36min
Why Patients Are Losing Trust in Healthcare | The MAHA Signal Explained
What if the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement isn't political noise—but a powerful signal that patient expectations are fundamentally changing? In this episode of Med Tech Gurus, we sit down with Noël Theodosiou, CEO of Luminous, to explore the growing trust gap between life sciences companies and the patients they serve. Noël challenges leaders to move beyond a traditional "we know best" mindset and embrace a biopsychosocial, patient-centered approach to innovation. From GLP-1 adoption trends to AI-driven health searches, we discuss why co-creation, prevention, and clearer separation between science and promotion are critical to rebuilding credibility. For founders, executives, and investors navigating today's shifting healthcare landscape, this conversation delivers practical insight into aligning innovation with modern patient expectations.

Mar 18, 2026 • 24min
The Future of Stroke Care Starts Here
In this episode of Med Tech Gurus, we sit down with Dr. Adam S. Arthur, Chief Medical Officer for Medtronic's Neurovascular business — and one of the most influential voices in modern stroke care. With more than 20 years as a practicing neurosurgeon, clinical researcher, and academic leader, Dr. Arthur has helped redefine standards of care for ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, carotid disease, and neurovascular innovation worldwide. Now at Medtronic, he's leading the charge to translate real-world clinical insight into breakthrough devices that scale — from next-generation thrombectomy tools to new applications for established technologies like Onyx, and a pipeline of neurostimulation, robotics, and endovascular therapies that promise to change what's possible for brain health. Dr. Arthur shares powerful lessons from decades of clinical trials, including why "the devil is in the details," how honest collaboration between physicians and industry accelerates innovation, and why failing fast is often the quickest path to breakthroughs. He also offers an exciting look at the future: remote robotics, closed-loop vagus nerve stimulation, and new ways to reach stroke patients with life-saving precision. If you care about the future of stroke care, neurovascular devices, or scaling innovation responsibly, this episode delivers a masterclass from one of the field's true thought leaders.

8 snips
Mar 11, 2026 • 52min
Engineering the Future of Wearables
Dr. Kevin Schwarz, a materials scientist blending organic chemistry and synthetic biology, and John Dugas, a global wearable technologies leader focused on scalability and patient-centered design. They discuss adhesives for multi-week wear, thin-film overlays that boost device survivability, skin-friendly materials and biomechanics, usability failures in real life, and translating clinical needs into manufacturable designs.

Mar 4, 2026 • 41min
Cracking the Code on Back Pain
In this episode of Med Tech Gurus, we welcome Neil Klompas, Chief Executive Officer of Augurex Life Sciences. With more than two decades of experience leading companies at the intersection of diagnostics, rheumatology, and translational medicine, Neil is pioneering a new era of autoimmune biomarker discovery. Under his leadership, Augurex developed SpineStat, the world's first blood test designed to identify axial spondyloarthritis (AxSpA)—a chronic inflammatory spinal disease that affects millions yet often goes undiagnosed for nearly a decade. By leveraging the anti-14-3-3η autoantibody in combination with CRP, SpineStat is helping clinicians detect disease earlier, prevent irreversible spinal damage, and even reduce opioid dependence through faster, targeted treatment. Neil shares how engaging early with regulators helped Augurex earn FDA Breakthrough Device Designation, why he believes rheumatology is poised for its "oncology moment," and how keeping his team centered on the patient journey drives innovation every day. If you're passionate about precision diagnostics, regulatory navigation, and building mission-driven teams, this episode is a masterclass in turning unmet medical need into measurable clinical impact.

Feb 25, 2026 • 30min
The Human Side of MedTech Security
Christian Espinosa, CEO of Blue Goat Cyber and former Air Force/DOD operator, turned a personal device scare into a mission to secure medical technology. He talks about designing cybersecurity for patient safety from day one. He warns about late-stage bolt-on fixes, AI risks in devices, FDA submission pitfalls, and the importance of organizational ownership and emotional intelligence in high-stakes work.

Feb 18, 2026 • 41min
Predicting the Unseen: AI That Saves Lives
What if artificial intelligence could spot hospital-acquired infections days before symptoms appear? In this episode of Med Tech Gurus, we sit down with Benedikt von Thüngen, CEO and Co-Founder of Sanome, a company redefining hospital care through AI-powered clinical decision support. After enduring profound personal and professional loss, including the collapse of his seed round and the death of loved ones, Benedikt rebuilt his company around one mission—helping clinicians understand patients earlier and intervene faster Under his leadership, Sanome became the first UK-based AI company to earn Class IIb certification for HAI prediciton. Its Memory Platform predicting infections up to 72 hours sooner than conventional methods with the potential to save each NHS Trust over £1.1 million per year. Benedikt shares a powerful story of resilience, transparency, and innovation—proving that when data, determination, and purpose align, technology can truly save lives.

Feb 11, 2026 • 40min
Connected Care, Safer Births
What if the key to saving lives in maternal health wasn't more hospital visits—but smarter, connected care at home? In this episode of Med Tech Gurus, we sit down with Anish Sebastian, Co-Founder and CEO of BabyScripts, the leading virtual care platform transforming how mothers and providers navigate pregnancy. Built from both analytics and empathy, BabyScripts bridges one of healthcare's most critical gaps—access to consistent, quality prenatal and postpartum care Under Anish's leadership, BabyScripts has raised over $30 million in funding from partners like Philips and Cigna, now managing over 300,000 pregnancies across more than 70 health systems. From detecting preeclampsia early to supporting mental health and postpartum recovery, the platform delivers measurable results—proving that technology and teamwork can make pregnancy safer for every mother. Anish shares his insights on scaling digital health, building strategic partnerships, and leveraging AI to expand maternal care equity. Whether you're an entrepreneur, innovator, or clinician, this episode reveals how connected technology can deliver life-changing outcomes at scale.

Feb 4, 2026 • 41min
Beating Cancer with Precision
What if we could take the guesswork out of cancer treatment—and move from try and hope to test and know? In this episode of Med Tech Gurus, we sit down with Jim Foote, CEO and Founder of First Ascent Biomedical, whose mission began after losing his son to cancer. That experience became the driving force behind Functional Precision Medicine (FPM)—a groundbreaking approach that combines tumor testing, genomics, and AI to rank the most effective drugs for each patient in just ten days Backed by a Nature Medicine study showing an 83% patient benefit rate, First Ascent is proving that personalization saves lives. With automation reducing lab times from hours to minutes and new CLIA-certified labs accelerating access, Jim and his team are reshaping how cancer care is delivered. From building trust with clinicians to leading through loss, Jim shares a powerful story of innovation, resilience, and purpose that every medtech leader can learn from.

Jan 28, 2026 • 37min
Saving Lives with Simpler Trauma Care
What if trauma care didn't require a full surgical team or a giant toolbox to save lives in critical moments? In this episode of Med Tech Gurus, Dr. Adam Power, vascular surgeon and co-founder of Frontline Medical Technologies, takes us inside the development of the COBRA-OS—an ultra-simplified REBOA device that's transforming trauma care. From war zones to rural communities, Dr. Power explains how miniaturization and smart design make this innovation faster, safer, and more accessible—without sacrificing patient outcomes. We discuss the challenges of commercialization, academic innovation, and the evolving role of physicians as entrepreneurs. Gurus, this episode is a masterclass in turning front-line insight into global impact. Don't miss it!


