Guest Title - Megan Scherer, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Worth the WaitCOVID turned the world upside down for all of us, but not all of us decided during COVID to turn our personal experience into a business. But that’s exactly what Megan Scherer and her husband, Mike, did when they leveraged their experience of infertility following Mike’s testicular cancer into the basis of a new non-profit organization, Worth the Wait (https://worththewaitcharity.com/).  Megan Scherer is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Worth the Wait. Megan advocates for patients and oncofertility nationally as a speaker and patient advocate. She enjoys the personal relationships she forms with young patients Worth the Wait assists and loves providing hope and inspiring others with her story as a caregiver, infertility patient, and mom to son Elliott. Before co-founding Worth the Wait in 2021, Megan held marketing communication leadership roles in the health insurance industry. On today’s episode, Megan shares what it was like to move from the corporate world to her own non-profit and some critical advice she learned along the way. She also talks about the “ugly” of working with her husband, a new venture for both of them.

Guest Title - Barbara Zehentner, COO, Molecular Testing LabsWhen you start your career with a “No” in the 4th grade, what do you do with that? If you’re Barbara Zehentner, you turn all of the No’s in to one big fat “Yes” and bet on yourself.  Dr. Barbara Zehentner is the COO of Molecular Testing Labs, with over 25 years experience in molecular diagnostics and clinical laboratory management. She holds a PhD in Molecular Biology and an MBA, and is a certified high-complexity clinical laboratory director. Her leadership experience includes roles at Roche, GSK, HematoLogics and Adaptive Biotechnologies, and she’s come a long way from that dairy farm in Germany.On today’s episode, Barbara shares why it's so important for us to take gender out of science and math, to pay attention to the little things we say and do that communicate to our next generation of women that they can’t or shouldn’t. Barbara also takes us through her own journey of “No’s” and how she broke through that to become the scientist and leader she is today.  

Guest Title - Desiree Hollemon, Vice President of Clinical Affairs, Aerin MedicalWhat lessons would you share with your 25-year old self? How do you pick a company? What are your non-starters? When do you let go? These are all the lessons our guest this week appreciates being able to share with her own daughters and her younger colleagues. A self-declared “innovation addict”, Desiree Hollemon is a seasoned Clinical Affairs leader with over 20 years of experience developing novel medical devices, diagnostics and therapeutics. She started her career as a critical care nurse and sees herself as always working at the intersection of the product and the patient. Desiree is currently the VP of Clinical Affairs for Aerin Medical. On today’s episode, Desiree shares how she made the leap from clinical care to clinical research and why she values the wisdom she’s gained and the position she’s in to share it. She talks about the price women pay during their career when they are denied direct feedback, and why the companies she chooses to work for have to have the sweet spot of innovative science and transparent people and nothing less. 

Guest Title - Susan Tousi, CEO, DELFI DiagnosticsWhat advice does a woman whose professional pedigree includes leadership roles at three of the most dominant companies in their respective markets? “Enjoy the journey. Don’t rush.” Susan Tousi started her career in engineering with Hewlett-Packard. As a technologist, she worked her way up into management positions there and at Eastman Kodak before making the leap to the life sciences. In her decade-long tenure at Illumina, Inc. Susan spearheaded the engineering and launch of several of Illumina’s most impactful and well-recognized products, and served as Chief Commercial Officer before joining DELFI Diagnostics as their CEO in 2024. On today’s episode, Susan shares what it was like rising through the ranks at her first two companies and how she grew by building relationships and establishing a community. She shares how she made the transition to life sciences, even taking a step back on her career journey in order to learn the technology and lexicon so she could be more adept at the business. Susan’s optimism and insatiable desire for betterment are the cornerstone of her career…and her approach to life.

Guest Title - Dina Greene, PhD, DABCC, Founder, Evergreene LabsDina Greene navigates difficult spaces by being relatable. It’s what’s allowed her to become a pioneer in her work in gender inclusive laboratory medicine. She’s also a powerhouse in the clinical laboratory medicine space, having published over 140 scientific papers. Her clinical research studies explore the application and effects of laboratory diagnostics, with an emphasis on how social demographics impact clinical outcomes.  In line with her clinical focus, Dr Greene is passionate about designing operational strategies for more inclusive laboratory medicine. On today’s episode, Dina shares how she got involved in her work with the LGBTQ+ community, and why she is constantly asking herself, “What is my privilege here?” any time she encounters oppression. Dina’s passion is obvious, but so is her authenticity and her genuine likeability. This is the kind of DG you want to have in your corner.

Guest Title - Carrie Haverty, Vice President of Product, MirvieDon’t let perfect get in the way of good. That’s the motto Carrie Haverty learned when she pivoted her career from clinical genetic counseling to Product Management and took a job she really didn’t know how to do. Having faith in herself and her transferable skills, Carrie has built a successful second half of her career in Product Management and currently serves as the Vice President of Product at Mirvie, where she directs the development of the company’s product portfolio focused on driving biological insights in pregnancy to advance the delivery of predictive maternal care. As the recently named President-Elect of the National Society of Genetic Counselors, Carrie shares her perspective on women in leadership and why, on occasion, she likes being the “dumbest person in the room.”

Guest Title - Marcy Ewald, COO, ThinkNimbleMarcy Ewald is a master at seeing patterns and applying those patterns to new problems. It’s been the superpower fueling the success of this multi-time founder. However…its also her nemesis.Marcy is the co-founder of ThinkNimble, a product and engineering studio that helps early-stage and mission-driven startups build with speed and intention. Lately, her work has been centered on expanding access to entrepreneurship and demystifying tech for people who’ve historically been left out of the room. She’s especially interested in how we build tools, companies, and work structures that let more people get a real shot at building something of their own.On today’s episode, Marcy shares the good, the bad, and the ugly of her career but also of tech in general and why she sees tech as being the key facilitator to helping women consolidate their power.

Did you have a favorite episode from Season 1? How about a knowledge bomb that stuck with you from a particular guest? We certainly did!On today’s bonus episode of Diagnostic Guru, Host, Lesley Northrop, and Producer, Jess Greenwood, hop on the show to debrief all of Season 1. The biggest takeaways, the funniest one liners, and the nuggets we didn’t catch the first time but are certainly glad we caught the second go ‘round.

Guest Title - Andrea Mohamed, CoFounder, QuantumBloomWomen are clearly limitless, so how do we nurture their confidence, intellect, and self-assurance to prepare them for a career in STEM so the industry itself doesn’t spit them out? That’s the premise behind QuantumBloom (https://quantumbloom.com/), the company our guest today co-founded to create environments where women early in their STEM-careers can authentically thrive. Andrea Mohamed is a transformative leader and courageous disruptor with over two decades of experience driving organizational growth and systemic change. Drawing from her own journey as a first-generation college graduate who rose through corporate America, Andrea brings a unique perspective on breaking barriers and building belonging. She knows that as women, we have to stop waiting to be chosen and instead go out in the world and just take it.In this episode, Andrea shares her own experience of floundering early including quitting her PhD program and then stumbling her way into the corporate world. Her success there is evident, but it wasn’t an easy path, and as she and her Co-Founder began to understand the reasons why women are leaving STEM careers in droves, she knew she was capable of building something better to address that. Andrea talks openly about the good, the bad, and the ugly both in her corporate career and in the start-up world and why she thinks modeling courage is so important. SPECIAL ADDITION - Stay tuned for the outtakes at the end. The conversation after the official recording ended was so good, our Producer just had to share some of it with you. Be warned, though, there is some explicit language so cover any ears that need covering.

Guest Title - Jodi Neuhauser, Founder & CEO, In Women’s HealthWhat happens when we work together to create cultures and organizations where women don’t have to shrink to survive?Jodi Neuhauser is a visionary executive and women's health leader with 19+ years of experience building and scaling B2B and B2C consumer healthcare brands. As a leader, she has scaled and managed teams of 2 to 200+ and generated over $1B+ in new business. She is passionate about fixing consumer healthcare one day at a time and empowering women to live healthier lives. A 3x, VC-backed founder in women's health, Jodi is currently building In Women's Health (https://www.inwomenshealth.com/), the first careers platform for women's health. She is also a board member, angel investor, public speaker, and community leader in the women's health and consumer health space, and was recognized as a "Top 10 Inspiring Healthcare Entrepreneur to Watch in 2023" by Entrepreneur.Even Jodi’s intro makes me tired! She is all energy, but that go-go power is fueled by self care. In this episode, she talks about what happened when she didn’t take the time to take care of herself and how that hurt her personally and professionally. Jodi is an ecosystem builder, and there’s nothing she’s more excited about than harnessing the power of women to push their agenda forward. In this episode, we talk about her groundbreaking work with the Women’s Health PAC (https://womenshealthpac.us/), and why she feels it's time for us to lean into our collective political power. 

What happens when a genetic counselor takes those skills to industry, nerds out on billing and reimbursement, and then starts a podcast about genetics? Kate Wilson is what happens.Kate Wilson is a podcaster, educator and consultant. She specializes in oncology genomics and has over 15 years' experience in product management, laboratory genetic testing, and clinical genetic counseling. She is a nerd about billing and reimbursement and loves science communication. Kate is passionate about access to genetic healthcare and precision medicine for all. She serves as adjunct faculty for the Emory University Genetic Counseling Program and currently hosts and produces the All Access DNA podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-access-dna/id1781307861) and DNA Dialogues podcast (https://dnadialogues.podbean.com/).Today, we talk with Kate about her earliest career successes and why she left the clinical world to pursue a career in industry. We drilled in on her good, bad, and ugly and found out more about the origin of her podcasting career. And given Kate’s background and her work with genetic testing, we asked her opinion about the recent funding cuts to work that supports genomic research as well as her perspective following one of her own recent podcasts on the 23andMe data privacy scandal. We could talk to Kate forever, and you will want to as well after hearing this episode. 

“If you show up as an engineer, people will treat you that way.”What a powerful lesson from our guest this week - aerospace engineer, corporate trainer, motivational speaker, and comedian, Shayla Rivera. Starting her career at NASA as an aerospace engineer (who does that?!?), Shayla spent five years working on the space shuttle and space station programs. She left to pursue psychology, trying to understand what makes people tick, first working in environmental systems sales and then moving on to corporate training. She found her niche as a motivational speaker. Her love of words and natural ability to not take herself or the world too seriously finally led her to comedy. Currently, Shayla serves as Director of ENGR[x] at Texas A&M University, her alma mater. This new program is designed to provide undergraduate engineering students with professional skills and experiences beyond their engineering degree requirements, making them more attractive to employers.Shayla is one fascinating woman with a down-to-earth attitude and infectious enthusiasm for life. In this episode, she offers sound advice for how to avoid the common pitfalls that plague some women going into science and technical fields and how to follow your curiosity. The question, she says, is not “What do you want to be when you grow up?” but “What do you want to be first?”

Is taking a career detour the same as failure? Our guest today certainly doesn’t think so.Lena is a physician-turned-marketer with over 20 years of leadership experience across startups and established health-tech companies. She has a proven track record of scaling successful brands and defining new categories that set disruptive companies apart from the healthcare status quo. She’s currently the co-founder of Best Friend Jack (https://www.bestfriendjack.com/), a boutique marketing and branding agency serving health-tech companies.Lena’s transition from clinical medicine to marketing serves as the backdrop for a bold career, one that has allowed her to serve healthcare in a much bigger way than one patient at a time. In this conversation, she talks about how she decided to make this shift, what she thinks are still challenges for women in leadership, and how she got involved in investing in women-led businesses herself.

Throughout her career, Courtney Tate has often had to deal with being the “only” in the room, but that has never stopped her. She is a proven healthcare leader with more than 20 years experience in the diagnostic laboratory industry. Following completion of the Masters in Genetic Counseling Program at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Courtney initially accepted a clinical based genetic counseling position but quickly stepped out of the traditional 'box', and took a new role in sales with Myriad Genetics, becoming one of the first genetic counselors to work in an industry setting. Later, Courtney continued to expand the box, pursuing an MBA from the Executive MBA program at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Courtney's functional roles have included Sales, Medical Affairs/Clinical Specialist, Marketing and Managed Care/Payor Access. For those who may be familiar with the series, "Scandal", Courtney is often thought of as the "Olivia Pope" within organizations because of her ability to assess a situation, understand the contributing factors, work cross-functionally to develop solutions, and execute and produce results.In this interview, we dive into how this Diagnostic Guru made the jump from Clinical Genetic Counseling to Sales to Marketing, the “good and bad” of her experiences in leadership roles, and what advice she has for the next generation of women in science. Courtney leaves us with her superpower, a unique skill that is a lot harder than it sounds.

In our inaugural episode, we are joined today by Dorottya Nagy-Szakal, MD, PhD, the Chief Medical Officer at Biotia. In her current role, she is responsible for implementing novel genomic-based technologies, providing clinical implementation of microbiome and virome data, and engaging healthcare leaders using novel sequencing-based and AI-driven technology in infectious disease diagnostics. During the COVID-19 pandemic response efforts, she drove strategy and communication with the FDA, CDC, NYS DOH, and NYC Health and Hospitals and currently works to support the adaptation of novel diagnostic tools for global pandemic preparedness. Dr. Nagy-Szakal is the President of the New York Hungarian Scientific Society and passionate about mentoring women and minorities in the scientific field and startup world.On the show today, we talk with Dr. Nagy-Szakal, “Dora”, about what it’s like to lead a team during a crisis like COVID-19, how her work has impacted public health, and how she personally has struggled both as an immigrant and a woman in a field dominated by men. Dora emphasizes the importance of teamwork, emotional intelligence, and what she sees as her super power. Listen in now!