Impact1 works to accelerate pediatric and maternal health technology to improve children’s lives from day one. In this podcast, co-hosts Janene Fuerch and Juliana Perl speak with leaders in healthcare innovation from around the globe to share insights on their challenges and successes in delivering new solutions. Impact1 is based at Stanford University’s Mussallem Center for Biodesign.
Disclaimer of Endorsement: All references to specific products, companies, or services are for educational purposes only and do not constitute or imply an endorsement by Stanford University or Biodesign.
3.1 Turning Pain Into Power: The Fight Against NEC with Jennifer Canvasser
Content note: This episode discusses infant loss, grief, necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), and the experiences of families in neonatal intensive care. Please take care whilst listening!
In this episode of Impact1 Voices, Jennifer Canvasser shares the deeply personal story behind the NEC Society and how the loss of her son Micah became a driving force for research, prevention, and change. She reflects on grief, trust, the urgent need for better diagnosis and preventative therapies, and why families must remain at the heart of NEC research.
Learn more: https://necsociety.org
Music licensed through Soundstripe.
Code: V65WSORJGVTEW5WV, 1OCJ3DJYGVW1DZZ9
1 Apr 2026
Pediatrics, Profit, and the Power of Thinking Differently
"We do these things because they're hard!"
Right after college, John Parker moved to Japan… with no plan, no experience in banking, and no idea what he was doing. Then the market collapsed.
Suddenly, he wasn’t learning anymore—he was leading. Turnarounds. Crisis situations. Even stepping in as an interim GM in Australia.
That mindset—running toward hard problems—never left.
Today, he’s building a new model at the intersection of philanthropy and venture—because the system forces a false choice:
Either give money away…Or make money.
But what if you could do both?
7 Mar 2026
Alison Curfman: From ER Physician to Series B: Building Value in Pediatric Medicaid
“You know where we need to put funding? Pediatrics.” Dr. Alison Curfman has spent her career proving it. After a defining moment in a rural ER, she moved beyond clinical care to build solutions—from shaping pediatric telehealth policy to founding Startup Physicians and launching a value-based Medicaid model serving tens of thousands of children nationwide. In this episode, Alison shares how physicians can turn problems they see every day into meaningful innovation.
30 Jan 2026
Paul Hooper: investing in peds, waves of tech hypes, and miniaturization as a strategic advantage
“We should be investing in the children and we're not! Instead, we're investing in [someone like] me from a medical perspective.”
We enormously enjoyed catching up with none other than @ Paul Hooper, a longtime supporter of Impact1. Paul's wealth of knowledge, insights, and also humility made him a fantastic guest and we could have chatted forever, but here are few topics that stuck with us:
Pediatric innovation is still massively under-capitalized - When capital gets “sucked out” by outsized AI valuations, it leaves less room for health tech—especially pediatric health tech.
Miniaturization isn’t just a constraint—it’s a strategic advantage - Innovating for smaller patients can create a “knock-on” value proposition that later scales to adults.
AI: hype cycles vs. real clinical value (first wave / second wave) - The “AI on every slide” moment is real—but the second wave is about where AI is actually powerful and additive in medtech.
Sign up to present https://biodesign.stanford.edu/programs/impact1.html (https://biodesign.stanford.edu/programs/impact1.html)
1 Jan 2026
Medical innovation rooted in real world evidence with Alyssa Abo
In this episode of Impact1 Voices, we are chatting with our very own Alyssa Abo, MD, MBA, FAIUM (https://www.linkedin.com/in/alyssa-abo-md-mba/), Real-World Evidence Lead here at Impact1 and VP of Clinical Innovation at DeepSight Technology (https://www.linkedin.com/company/deepsight-technology/). Hear Alyssa's thoughts on how to increase data access, reduce data silos, and her work with DeepSight Technology, which makes a sensor that uses ultrasound for needle guidance.
2 Dec 2025
Scale and sustainability in pediatric devices with David Bailey, CEO of Orthopediatrics
In this episode, Dave discusses why they deliberately avoided traditional VC funding at first to protect their cause and the strategy behind their chosen business model of driving profitability that can ultimately fund multi-year innovations. This is an excellent case study to demonstrate that business sustainability and growth in the pediatric innovation industry is very possible. You can't miss this story!
9 Jul 2025
Accelerating Pediatric Medtech Innovation with CobiCure's Emma Moran
Emma Moran, Head of CobiCure Medtech, shares insights into the pediatric medtech ecosystem and the mission of CobiCure—a nonprofit focused on bringing innovative devices to pediatric patients. With a background in biomedical engineering and strategy at Cook Medical, Emma has become a key leader in the space. She discusses the challenges the ecosystem faced prior to CobiCure, the organization’s initial and evolving strategies, and the strengths of her team. The conversation also explores persistent barriers in pediatric medtech, innovative business models, and the structural changes needed to ensure impactful solutions reach patients. Emma offers practical advice for entrepreneurs seeking funding from impact investors, including where to find them and what alternative funding opportunities exist beyond traditional venture capital.
1 May 2025
Pathways for Small Patient Populations with Andre Bessette
Andre Bessette is the CEO of Eclipse Regenesis, a company developing a mechanical solution to short bowel syndrome. In this episode, Andre highlights the regulatory pathways available to solutions addressing needs in small patient populations. He also discusses clinical study site selection, payor engagement, and the current challenges of short bowel syndrome and necrotizing enterocolitis care.
5 Feb 2025
Supporting Underinsured Patients with Pedram Afshar
Pedram Afshar is the CEO of Sage Health, a platform to streamline enrollment in public benefits for underinsured patients and improve accessibility, affordability, and efficacy of care. Pedram is a physician with a PhD in medical robotics, an alum of the Biodesign Innovation Fellowship, and has experience working with medical device companies of all sizes. In this episode, Pedram explores the opportunities for innovation that support Medicaid beneficiaries.
9 Jan 2025
Innovation for Global Health with Krista Donaldson
Krista Donaldson, Director of Innovation to Impact at Stanford Biodesign, shares insights on user involvement in design, metrics, and global health innovation initiatives.
27 Nov 2024
Building in Europe with i4KIDS' Sofía Ferreira
i4Kids' Sofía Ferreira shares key differences between product commercialization in the US and Europe, offering valuable insights for innovators looking to expand their reach.
6 Nov 2024
Developing a Portfolio of Products with Starlight's Beverly Tang
Beverly Tang is the CEO of Starlight Cardiovascular, a company developing a portfolio of devices to address congenital heart defects. In this episode, Beverly discusses the synergies involved in building a multi-product company, creative methods for fundraising, and how to conduct needs finding without formal ties to a health system.
16 Oct 2024
Platform Technology in Pediatrics with Rhaeos’ Anna Lisa Somera
Anna Lisa Somera is the CEO of Rhaeos, a company developing the FlowSense device to assess hydrocephalus shunt flow in pediatric and adult patients. In this episode, Anna Lisa discusses how her team chose to use their platform sensor technology to meet the needs of hydrocephalus patients and clinicians. She also addresses the benefits of family involvement in clinical trials, opportunities for non-dilutive funding, and resources outside of Silicon Valley.
4 Oct 2024
Clinical Evidence Generation with LifeBubble's Eric Chehab
Eric Chehab co-invented a device called the LifeBubble for protecting and securing umbilical cord catheters in neonates. In this episode, Eric discusses how his team developed the product's value proposition and the associated clinical evidence generation strategy while staying financially lean.
Eric's company, Novonate, spun out of the Stanford Biodesign graduate student course and in 2023 was acquired by Laborie, where Eric now works as the Director of Business Development and Upstream Marketing for obstetrics, gynecology & neonatal health.
2 Oct 2024
Trailer
Welcome to Impact1 Voices! At Impact1, our team is working to improve children’s lives from day one through innovative health technology that solves the most impactful problems in pediatric healthcare.
Our team is based at Stanford University’s Mussallem Center for Biodesign, which teaches a repeatable need-based innovation process for developing new technologies to advance health outcomes and health equity.
In this podcast we will be bringing on leaders from around the globe to share insights on their challenges and successes in delivering new solutions to patients.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 12 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
12
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
32
Contact Impact1 Voices
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of Impact1 Voices?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
