In this Nurses’ Month special episode, Tech It to the Limit co-hosts Sarah Harper and Elliott Wilson honor nurses for their dedication and pivotal role in healthcare innovation. This episode explores the ongoing challenges in digital healthcare technology, the mistakes made by overlooking nurses in tech design, and offers a behind-the-scenes look at how we can create nurse-centered designs to improve healthcare systems. They also interview Dr. Katie Boston-Leary, Senior VP of Equity and Engagement at the American Nurses Association, who brings over 30 years of leadership experience to discuss how health tech can better serve nurses and patients alike.

Key Takeaways

• The importance of nurse-centered design in healthcare tech and why it’s essential for designers to involve nurses throughout the entire product lifecycle
• How AI and automation in healthcare tools are often ineffective without input from nurses, leading to errors and inefficiencies
• The impact of gender bias and misogyny in technology development, contributing to the underrepresentation of nurses in health tech decision-making
• The need for empathy in leadership, where healthcare leaders must engage with their teams, understand their challenges, and adapt technology to support—not replace—human connection
• Dr. Katie Boston Leary’s insights into diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in healthcare, and how healthcare leaders should be responsible for both the intent and impact of their decisions

In this episode:

• [00:00:00] Introduction to Nurses Month & Why It’s Important to Highlight Nurses in Tech
• [00:02:05] New Segment: Tech That Didn’t Ask a Nurse, Highlighting Tech Blunders
• [00:17:00] Why nurse-centered design matters and how it benefits patient outcomes
• [00:20:00] Interview with Dr. Katie Boston Leary: Nurses Leading the Charge for Change in Health Tech
• [00:23:30] The Role of DEI in healthcare leadership and tech development
• [00:27:00] How to approach repairing trust in technology and healthcare
• [00:30:30] Empathy, collaboration, and leadership: Building a better tech ecosystem for healthcare
• [00:38:00] Wrapping up Nurses Month & Honoring Healthcare Workers
• [00:40:30] Closing Remarks: Stay Tuned for Next Month’s Episode

Notable Quotes:

[03:40 - 03:59] “If you’re building healthcare technology without involving nurses, you’re doing it wrong. You can’t create something that works for them if you don’t ask them what they need.” – Elliott Wilson

[12:14 - 12:30] “Technology is meant to support nurses, not to make their jobs harder. We’ve got to get it right from the start.” – Sarah Harper

[34:01 - 34:15] “You can’t fix healthcare with just a product. You need the right people at the table, and that includes the nurses who are on the front lines every day.” – Dr. Katie Boston-Leary

Resources and Links

Dr. Katie Boston-Leary

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiebostonleary

Sarah Harper

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahbethharper/

Elliott Wilson

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewelliottwilson/

In this first-ever video episode of Tech It to the Limit, co-hosts Sarah Harper and Elliott Wilson welcome special guests Leo Chen, U.S. lead at Engineered Arts, and Ameca, one of the world’s most advanced humanoid robots.

Together, they dive into how humanoid robots might augment care delivery, bring joy to elder communities, and redefine digital companionship. The conversation blends deep tech insights with punchy humor, live impressions, and even a robotic roast.

From rethinking patient intake to the ethics of AI in medicine, this episode explores the frontier of human-machine collaboration in healthcare with some unforgettable voice cloning and dance moves from Ameca along the way.

If you’re a healthcare innovator, technologist, or just curious about where robots fit into your hospital system (or podcast), this is one not to miss.

Key Takeaways

• How humanoid robots like Ameca can support—but not replace—human healthcare workers
• The role of facial expressions and physical presence in building trust with patients
• Why latency matters more than perfect accuracy in real-time robot interactions
• How Engineered Arts uses “personality prompting” instead of separate AI models
• The potential of humanoids in elder care, education, and medical simulation
• Why training LLMs locally is crucial to responsible healthcare AI adoption
• The sticky ethics of decision-making, bias, and liability in AI-driven care
• “Digital diplomats,” not bouncers—how robots can help de-escalate tense clinical moments
• Behind the scenes of Ameca’s voice cloning, personality shifts, and dance demo
• Why “bringing joy” is a valid mission statement for human-centric robotics

In this episode:

• [00:00:00] First video episode – why Ameca had to be on camera
• [00:02:27] Sarah & Elliott’s favorite “tweezer nuggets” from the interview
• [00:05:04] Meet Leo Chen and Ameca, the humanoid robot
• [00:08:22] Ameca’s dad joke debut and bedside ambitions
• [00:09:06] How humanoids can support eldercare, simulation, and intake
• [00:11:33] The power of facial expressions in human-robot connection
• [00:15:40] Where automation ends and empathy begins
• [00:18:36] Ameca’s multilingual skills and patient-facing roles
• [00:21:00] Under the hood: prompting LLMs and voice cloning
• [00:25:00] Bias, liability, and the ethics of decision-making
• [00:30:05] Emotional intelligence: simulated or sincere?
• [00:34:57] Why Ameca is a “digital diplomat,” not a robot bouncer
• [00:38:00] Funding and scaling humanoids in healthcare
• [00:41:06] Elliott gets roasted—and secretly loves it
• [00:43:00] What keeps Leo up at night about robotics
• [00:46:08] Final thoughts: accountability, humanity, and being excellent

Notable quotes:

[03:31 - 03:58] “Ethical balancing acts? That’s a human specialty… I leave the life or death calls to the flesh and blood experts.”– Ameca

[33:10 - 33:20] “We’re never going to claim Ameca is sentient. This is all meant to engage people—not pretend it has a soul.” – Leo Chen

[46:08 - 46:24] “It’s important to remember the humans. I hope we can be excellent to one another.” – Leo Chen

Dr. Aditi Joshi of Telehealth.org joins Sarah and Elliott for a riveting play-by-play of the all-too-familiar faceoff between federal budget negotiations (again…) and healthcare providers about permanent reimbursement for telemedicine. Dr. Joshi also shares advice from her book, Telehealth Success: How to Thrive in the New Age of Remote Care, for healthcare organizations across the globe who are just beginning to dip their toes in the vast waters of creative use cases for virtual care. Be there, or be square!

Original music by: Evan O’Donovan