In this episode of the Medtech Business Academy, host Scott Alexander sits down with Skender Daerti, Barbara Strain, and Mike Sperduti to go deeper on voice of customer by focusing on one of the most underused tools in medtech: advisory boards.

They unpack what a modern advisory board really is, how it differs from one-off focus groups, and why the best boards are “snowflakes” that look different for each product, market, and objective. Skender introduces the idea of “closing the circuit” across all personas who touch a product, from physicians and nurses to EVS, biomed, IT, and quality leaders.

The group explores how to avoid the trap of getting “say” data that never turns into “do,” why you should pay advisors to tell you what you do not want to hear, and how to balance gray-bearded experts with emerging clinicians who understand today’s channels and behaviors. They wrap with practical steps for building your first advisory board, setting objectives, holding advisors accountable, and knowing when the right move is to kill a project.

If you are in medtech leadership, product management, marketing, or sales, this episode will give you a concrete playbook to design advisory boards that create a real unfair advantage in your market.

In Episode 7 of the Value Analysis Expert Series, Skender Daerti sits down with Barbara Strain, Terri Nelson, and Jenell Robinson to unpack indirect spend and why it belongs inside the value analysis conversation. From rentals and courier services to waste, valet, instrument repair, and placement agreements, the panel shows how these choices shape patient flow, compliance, budgets, and outcomes. Learn the questions value analysis teams ask, the metrics that matter, and how to engage supply chain early so departments avoid hidden costs and lost leverage.

The team unpacks a practical playbook for voice of customer in medtech. Learn how to recruit across the real buying committee, ask intent questions that forecast adoption, and focus on operational ease so your product clears the bandwidth barrier inside hospitals. Walk away with first steps to build buyer personas, create an internal champion, and keep a non-sales conversation running in the market.

Key takeaways:

• Do not generalize one cohort’s feedback across the committee
• Test intent with do oriented questions instead of nice to hear statements
• Operational simplicity is a decision driver when staffing is thin
• Build a champion and arm them to speak for finance and operations
• Keep VOC continuous to prevent point in time blind spots
• Use associations and local chapters to reach hard to access roles

In this episode of the Women in Medtech series, host Colleen Patterson is joined by Linda Lybert, founder and executive director of the Healthcare Surfaces Institute, for an eye-opening conversation about the unseen role that materials and cleaning practices play in patient safety.

Linda shares how a simple sales visit led to a decade-long mission to improve the way hospitals think about surface disinfection and design. From launching global task forces to breaking down silos between infection prevention, facilities, and manufacturers, she explains how collaboration and persistence are essential to driving change in healthcare environments.

Listeners will gain practical insight into how surface selection, training, and communication across departments can reduce healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), extend product life, and protect brand reputation.

Key Topics:

• Why surfaces matter for infection prevention and patient outcomes
• The hidden costs of material damage and improper disinfection
• How collaboration between clinicians and manufacturers creates safer environments
• Strategies for overcoming “no” and building momentum for change
• The global effort to standardize cleaning, testing, and education

In this episode of the Value Analysis Expert Series, Jenell Robinson, Terri Nelson, and Barbara Strain discuss how Unique Device Identifiers (UDIs) are transforming value analysis. From recall management to data-driven product evaluations, UDIs provide a common language that helps hospitals and suppliers align on outcomes, cost, and operational impact.

Learn how UDIs:

• Improve traceability and safety during recalls
• Enable more accurate product comparisons and evaluations
• Connect clinical, financial, and operational data for better decisions
• Support retrospective reviews and continuous improvement

Whether you are a medtech supplier preparing for product evaluations or a healthcare leader working to streamline decisions, this episode shows why UDIs are more than codes — they are a foundation for credible, patient-centered decision making.

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Our 100th episode is a look back and a look ahead. Skender Daerti is joined by Barbara Strain, Colleen Patterson, Scott Alexander, and Mike Spurduti to reflect on how the show began during the Great Isolation and what four years of industry change have taught us.

In this episode you will hear:

• How inside sales, digital marketing, and virtual education reshaped commercial models in medtech
• Why listening to the real world through voice of customer, human factors, and market research beats build it and they will come
• Provider side realities from supply shortages to today’s financial pressures and operational efficiency needs
• The rise of Women in Medtech and why representation changes how decisions get made
• What is next for the industry, including data and AI in outcomes and sales, private equity’s growing influence, rural health challenges, and the impact of policy and tariffs

Takeaways: change is constant, execution matters, and the companies that adapt with clear value and real customer insight will win the next four years.

Featuring

Skender Daerti

Barbara Strain

Colleen Patterson

Scott Alexander

Mike Spurduti

If this conversation helps you see the forest and not just the tree, subscribe for the next 100.

Host Scott Alexander sits down with Barbara Strain and Mike Sperduti to cut through the AI noise and focus on where it truly delivers value in the medical device world. Rather than debating models, the panel shares real use cases that speed decisions, strengthen commercial execution, and reduce costs.

What you’ll learn:

How AI shifts us from data rich and information poor to faster, better decisions for providers and suppliers

Practical sales applications like customer prep, role play, and building sharper decks without sounding generic

Using AI for innovation and IP work alongside expert legal review

Why prompt “chunking” beats all-in-one asks, and how to validate sources before acting

Provider-side examples including RFP review in minutes and cleaning surgical preference cards

When not to use AI for content creation, and how to keep originality and copyright control

The real advantage in the AI era: curiosity, judgment, and assembling the pieces into something new

In this episode of the Women in Medtech series from the Medtech Business Academy podcast, host Colleen Patterson sits down with Tiffany Wilson, President and CEO of the Science Center in Philadelphia.

With over 20 years of experience bringing healthcare technology from bench to bedside, Tiffany shares what it really takes to transform innovation into impact. She breaks down the key risks every startup must overcome, why leadership development is just as critical as funding, and how health systems can create clearer pathways for startups to engage.

Topics covered include:

• The difference between innovation and measurable impact
• Technology, regulatory, and commercialization risk
• Why there is no consistent “front door” for startups in healthcare
• The people factor behind successful companies
• Global innovators entering the U.S. market
• Why speed is not a strategy in medtech

Whether you are a founder, investor, or healthcare leader, Tiffany’s insights provide a clear-eyed look at what drives success in today’s medtech ecosystem.