Episodes

Today’s guest is Ross O. Youngs, Founder and CEO, with over 35 years of experience inventing products, technologies, and processes across multiple industries. He holds more than 75 patents worldwide and is driven by a passion for creating innovations that are better, faster, and more cost-effective.  His recent accomplishments include winning an R&D 100 Award for his work in biopolymer technologies. In 2009, his company Biosortia was awarded a $6 million ARPA-E grant from the U.S. Department of Energy for its algal harvesting technology—work that paved the way for Biosortia’s cutting-edge drug discovery platform.  Throughout his career, Ross has been widely recognized for his entrepreneurial leadership, including being named Ernst & Young Ohio Entrepreneur of the Year and receiving the U.S. Small Business Administration’s “Business Person of the Year” award, presented to him by then-Vice President Al Gore.

Today we’re joined by Gianluca Fontana, CEO and Co-Founder of Prova Health—the London-based advisory firm helping digital health and life sciences innovators prove their value with rock-solid clinical and economic evidence. With a background as a McKinsey consultant and Deputy Director at Imperial College London’s Institute of Global Health Innovation, Gianluca has led billion-pound research programs like the NHS Digital Academy and the REACT COVID-19 study. His published work on digital health evaluation has been cited hundreds of times, and through Prova Health he now works with global pharma and AI-medtech scale-ups to accelerate evidence generation and build lasting capabilities. Fluent in four languages and trained in both economics and marketing at Bocconi University, Gianluca brings a rare mix of scientific rigor and commercial insight—making him an invaluable voice in the race to deliver safer, smarter healthcare at scale.

This week, Justin Chickles — CEO and co-founder of Glycyx Therapeutics — explains how his team is tackling this overlooked challenge with axelopran, a breakthrough therapy now advancing to Phase 2 trials. From his early career at Johnson & Johnson to leading multiple startups, Justin offers a rare, insider’s perspective on driving biotech innovation from concept to clinic. If you’re interested in cutting-edge oncology, translational science, and biotech entrepreneurship, you won’t want to miss this episode.

Today’s guest is Dr. Sarfaraz K. Niazi, a globally recognized biopharmaceutical scientist, regulatory advisor, prolific author, and inventor. Dr. Niazi works closely with regulatory authorities to streamline guidelines and help companies comply in bringing biotherapeutic products to market—including biosimilars, gene therapies, mRNA vaccines, and advanced protein delivery systems. He has published hundreds of books and scientific papers, sharing both the science and the a...

In this episode, we sit down with Steve Duddy, a powerhouse executive with over 20 years of experience leading high-impact transformations across startups and Fortune 500 companies like 3M and Johnson & Johnson. Steve shares his unique approach to uncovering hidden opportunities, turning ambiguity into actionable strategy, and executing bold roadmaps that drive outsized results. We dive into how he’s helped scale companies from near-zero to over $35M in ARR in under two years, his success acc...

Andrés Herrero is a dynamic entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience in the healthcare and medical device industries. Andrés has founded his company “i 2 medi” ten years ago with the purpose to gain market access for innovative medical device companies in Latin America. Today the company has evolved from consultancy company to a full fledge medical device and health IT-distributor with its in house hard- and software service teams and regulatory services. i2medi is focused...

Javier Handal is a Medical Doctor with expertise in clinical research and pharmaceutical industry operations. As the leader of MRx Solution, a Site Management Organization (SMO), he is driving the development of a robust network of research sites across Central America. Javier excels in building strategic partnerships, optimizing operations, and ensuring adherence to international research standards. His proactive mindset, attention to detail, and commitment to excellence enable him to deliver i...

Today, we have the privilege of speaking with Andrew, a distinguished leader with over 15 years of international experience in marketing, commercial excellence, and business strategy. Throughout his career, he has led large teams at top pharmaceutical and medical device companies, including Novartis, Terumo, and Penumbra Inc. Andrew is a proud graduate of the IGNITE Program at Stanford Graduate School of Business and has also studied at several other prestigious international business schools. H...

In this episode of LATAM Medtech Leaders, we sit down with Daniel Estay, a seasoned medical technology executive with a wealth of global experience. Daniel shares insights from his journey leading and developing fully integrated businesses across small, mid-sized, and large companies. With extensive expertise in general management, commercial operations, and business development, he offers a unique perspective on navigating the complexities of the medtech industry. We delve into his deep unders...

Paulo Fernandes is a distinguished clinical research executive with extensive experience in international clinical trials across various phases and therapeutic areas. With a solid foundation in the CRO industry, he has successfully held roles in project management, start-up, operations management, and business development. Paulo has worked at renowned CROs such as PPD, Covance, and IQVIA. Recently, he structured a healthcare sector start-up for a group of investors, showcasing his entrepreneuria...

Miriam is a seasoned professional in Health and Law, specializing in Sanitary Regulation and Clinical Research. With over 20 years of experience, she has a track record in planning and executing global, regional, and local clinical development programs, including Bioequivalence studies and Phase I-IV clinical trials. Her expertise spans Clinical Monitoring, Quality Assurance, Budgeting, Contracts & Payments Control, Clinical Trial Supplies, Master File, Pharmacovigilance, and Regulatory Affairs ...

Luis is the CEO and Founder of Theradaptive and developed the concept for targeted therapeutic delivery during and following a combat tour in Iraq where several of his soldiers suffered severe extremity injuries. Previously, Luis was the co-founding Deputy Director of the Department of Defense Regenerative Medicine Program and led the department's largest recombinant biologics program through Phase II. Luis was a DARPA Service Chief Fellow and Academy Professor at the United States Military Acad...

Etienne Nichols is a Medical Device Guru and Mechanical Engineer who loves learning and teaching how systems work together. He has manufacturing and product development experience, even aiding in developing combination drug-delivery devices, from startups to Fortune 500 companies, and holds a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. Etienne has managed cross-functional teams for updating legacy products as well as developing new medical devices. His expansive knowledge, experience, a...

Ruben is the CEO of Alandra Medical. He has dual qualifications in engineering and technology entrepreneurship combined with 16 years of experience in medical device development. Self-motivation, adaptability, trainability, and entrepreneurial drive are his key tools for achieving personal and business goals. Ruben started his career developing hardware and software for medical devices, spending countless hours reading scientific papers, twitching circuits, refining algorithms, and preparing tec...

Ernesto has 27 years of experience leading healthcare strategies to drive access and expansion for new products, developing value propositions for public and private stakeholders, and assessing global market opportunities for healthcare companies. He has worked for both government agencies and global healthcare companies in roles ranging from strategic marketing and new product development to health economics and reimbursement. Also, Ernesto led several Market Access projects across the US, Euro...

Dr. Antonio Trujillo is an Associate Professor in the Department of International Health with expertise in health economics, the economics of aging, and applied econometrics. Antonio is the co-director of the Master of Health Science (MHS) in Global Health Economics degree program. He teaches an advanced econometrics course on program impact evaluation using observational data and a course on behavioral economics and public health.

Carlos Medina is a Medical Doctor who works with health technology professionals to help them make the best technology for patient care available across Latin America. Carlos has witnessed the many benefits and risks that come with applying technology to solve health problems and is dedicated to helping others follow the best practices available and avoid the missteps that can derail their health technology problems. He has had the privilege to work with local and international companies across ...

Yoku Sashida is the CEO & Co-Founder at Kenko Solutions, a company dedicated to managing and developing biomedical projects based on technology. He is responsible for opening economic relationships, capturing technology-based projects, forming work teams to carry out technological development, and administrative and financial accounting. The first product of its own is ecglove, the wearable able to determine the state of the heart in less than 60 seconds.

Luis Santiago is PEGASI's CEO and CTO. By training, he is a social communicator and marketing and public relations professor. By profession, he is a self-taught programmer, technology project manager, and Product Owner, with more than 14 years of experience in the area. He has ventured into banking, IT, and Digital Health. Luis was recognized in 2016 as one of the Young Leaders of the Americas by the American State Department, and in 2020 as one of the 35 Innovators under 35 in Latin America by ...

Dave is the Co-Founder & Executive Chairman at MultiFunctional Imaging, a University of Utah startup company that provides software solutions for improving the efficiency and accessibility of multi-tracer imaging with PET, PET/CT, and PET/MRI scanners. Dolan’s career has been built on successes centering around the commercialization and customer adoption of innovative MedTech products/services. Spanning from Fortune 500 corporations through startups, businesses have benefitted from his track rec...

Josh Cohn has 15 years of experience in the medical device field, rising to National Sales Director of PENTAX Medical, a major endoscope provider. He has a strong history of leading successful sales organizations, building winning strategies, and launching disruptive programs aimed at changing marketplace conventions. As product champion and strategist for all EUS sales, he has attended hundreds of procedures and has established relationships with key opinion leaders, hospital and ASC administra...

Mr. Bigio is a professor in the biomedical engineering department, responsible for the Senior Capstone Design project. Currently, he is also serving as the department head. He comes to the university after having spent 30 years of professional experience working for large multinationals in different parts of the world, including the development of high technology start-ups in Silicon Valley, commercialization of technology used in large infrastructure projects, and coordinating strategic project...

Widy is the Co-Founder and CEO of two technology companies with vast experience ranging from robotics, product design, fabrication, and automation to the electronic assembly of consumer products, food and beverage tech, biotech, medical devices, and pharmaceutical industries. Widy spent 40+ years living in Puerto Rico, and 20+ supporting pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies with a presence in multiple Latin American locations. He led an automation firm that exposed him to ...

Mauricio A. Berdugo, MD, MPH, is currently the Director of Medical Affairs at Humacyte, Inc. Mauricio has worked in different capacities within the CRO, pharma, diagnostics, and biotech industries in the USA and globally, including Latin America, Europe, and Asia over the past 9 years. His clinical and academic research stems from HIV/AIDS, cardiovascular disease, pulmonary disease, renal disease, and orthopedic spine surgery. Mauricio graduated from medical school at the Universidad Evangelica ...