DeviceTalks Boston speakers include Meghan Scanlon, senior vice president at Boston Scientific and president of its urology and pelvic health business. [Photo courtesy of Boston Scientific]
A few months back, I wrote what was best described by a colleague as a “salty” column in which I demanded conference organizers like myself step up our game if we expect to bring back attendees.
“For too long, conference organizers have relied upon a potent cocktail of FOMO and habit,” I wrote in one particularly briny portion. “Sure, organizers try to amp up content, introduce cool partnering apps and a few gimmicks. (One recent healthcare meeting had puppies, actual puppies … gimmicky, but intriguing.)”
Here I am, four months later, and I still agree with me!
We’ve been working harder — and smarter — to assemble the agenda of DeviceTalks Boston, coming up May 10-11 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. And while I can’t deliver puppies, I can promise you this unique approach will maximize your opportunity to build your knowledge and your networks.
Before I explain the new approach, let me reintroduce you to our DeviceTalks in-person meetings. We meet three times a year: first in Boston, then in Minnesota and finally in Santa Clara, California. Each of our meetings will create opportunities for engineers, innovators, manufacturing professionals and everyone else who touches a medical device in the product development process.
While we cover a wide range of medical device development issues, our events are targeted. Attendees won’t need to navigate a maze of booths or hallways to make the right connections on-site. Our agenda will be equally disciplined. Our keynotes and conversations will fall into tight tracks: Product Development, Manufacturing and Supply Chain, Regulatory and Reimbursement, Digital Tools and Technology, and Innovation and Investment.
Now, back to the agenda. In crafting our upcoming DeviceTalks conference agendas, we’re building discussions that will help medical device professionals at leading medical device companies hone their own skills. To bring real-workplace discussion to our stage, we partnered with leading medical device companies to develop Professional Development programs in each of our agenda tracks.
These are just some of the conversations we’ll have at DeviceTalks Boston:
Kevin Bourque, Abbott division VP of research and development [Photo courtesy of Abbott]
Product Development
Abbott – Where is Heartmate headed in the future?
A team of engineers led by Kevin Bourque, division VP of research and development, will examine the extraordinary success of the HeartMate 3 left ventricular assist device (LVAD) and explore what’s next for this life-prolonging device.
Boston Scientific – How Boston Scientific uses clinical feedback to advance innovation
In this session, Meghan Scanlon, SVP and president, urology and pelvic health, will sit down with Jenny Lee, VP, corporate digital and patient and referrer marketing, to break down how company engineers leverage voice of the customers to advance meaningful innovation.
Medtronic – The road to the robot
Medtronic moves closer to bringing the Hugo robotic-assisted-surgery system to the U.S. In this conversation, Tracy Accardi, VP of R&D, surgical robotics, and Mike Stow, VP of marketing, surgical robotics, will examine Hugo’s past and lay out its future path.
Rajit Kamal, DePuy Synthes worldwide president of sports medicine and shoulder reconstruction [Photo courtesy of DePuy Synthes]
Manufacturing and Supply Chain
DePuy Synthes – Journey from a medical device to medtech organization
Senior leaders from DePuy Synthes will discuss how the company is changing its product development process, setting up the supply chain for a medtech organization, learning about regulatory and access requirements for a digital solution, evolving our commercialization plans and using technology to amplify the effectiveness and reach of our education solutions. Rajit Kamal, worldwide president of DePuy Synthes sports medicine and shoulder reconstruction, will lead the discussion.
Spencer Stiles, Stryker group president of orthopedics and spine [Photo courtesy of Stryker]
Digital Tools and Technology
Stryker – How Stryker is building out a digital surgery strategy
Stryker jolted the medical device industry in 2013 with its acquisition of Mako, giving needed validation to the nascent surgical robotics space. In this panel, the company’s senior leaders — led by Spencer Stiles, group president of orthopedics and spine — will reveal its data-centric digital surgery strategy to ensure that robotic surgery fulfills its promise.
Paul Grand, MedTech Innovator founder and CEO [Photo courtesy of MedTech Innovator]
Innovation and Investment
MedTech Innovator
The largest life sciences incubator in the world brings its road show to DeviceTalks Boston. Over two dozen mid- to late-stage privately held medical device companies will share their stories in hopes of finding investors and partners who will enable them to get their products to market. Conference favorites will compete in a pitch contest on May 11 with the winners chosen by attendees. MedTech Innovator founder and CEO Paul Grand will lead the presentations. If you’re a company that has raised a Series B or Series C round, apply to present at medtechinnovator.org.
I’m grateful to these companies for agreeing to use our community platform to connect with others in the medical device industry. If you’re eager to understand how these medtech leaders get the job done, I would love to see you in Boston!
FOR MORE: Join me for a short webinar to preview DeviceTalks Boston. The webinar airs live at 2 p.m. Eastern March 15 and will be available for on-demand replay after.