Leap Together

About Leap Together

This is Impactful Breakthroughs, the podcast where we highlight top leaders driving breakthroughs in clinical research and life sciences. Each episode features candid and inspiring conversations with the people who have dedicated their lives to shaping the future of healthcare. You'll hear stories from the physicians who've run hundreds of clinical trials, biotech founders chasing the next cure, surgeons pioneering new techniques, and patient advocates who turned their own diagnoses into a mission to help others. Hosted by Zach Gobst, who has spent his career working alongside clinical trial teams and patient communities, be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you listen.

Publisher

Impactful Breakthroughs

Category

health & fitness · science

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

30 May 2025

Latest episode

19 Aug 2026

Latest episodes

22 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   19 Aug 2026

   Becky Weber - EVP of Sales, Lunit

   What happens when a career built on the cutting edge of health technology suddenly extends to become deeply personal? On this episode of Impactful Breakthroughs, Zach Gobst (https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachary-gobst-bb781110) is joined by longtime friend Becky Weber (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-l-weber/), the EVP of Sales at Lunit Cancer Screening (https://www.lunit.io/en/). Lunit, formerly Volpara Health, provides AI-powered software for breast cancer screening and early detection, supporting over one million screenings annually. With 20 years working at the intersection of health and technology, Becky walks through her journey from shadowing surgeries as a teenager, to helping build HealthKit at Apple, to ultimately joining the team at Lunit following her own breast cancer diagnosis. You’ll hear her share why mission alignment has proven to be the secret in Lunit’s successful merger with Volpara, what she believes it’ll take to navigate regulatory hurdles safely in the AI era, and how her perspective on life and career has completely pivoted. Equal parts personal story and industry insight, this conversation serves as a reminder that the most powerful driver in health technology is the reason behind it. Timestamps 00:00 Episode Start 01:35 Becky's journey in health tech 04:05 A breast cancer diagnosis which changed it all 08:45 Following your passions 12:09 Prioritizing team impact over personal politics 13:45 Why startups beat big companies for the puzzle-solvers 14:45 Lunit's two-sided platform and the AI difference 17:10 The interval cancer study proving their work 20:25 Hiring for personal connection to the mission 22:10 Mentors who made a difference 22:50 The convergence of research, product, and diagnosis 25:00 AI, regulation, and the rocket ship problem Key Takeaways Personal connection drives performance. Just like in her own story, Becky has found that the candidates with personal ties to breast cancer consistently outperform those who don’t. Data is already changing what's possible. Lunit's AI would have reduced confirmed interval cancers by a third in a study out of Mass General Brigham, meaning women who would have faced late-stage diagnoses could have been found earlier. That's not a future promise, it's happening now. Drop the politics, focus on the outcome. Becky is candid about how her perspective on work shifted after her diagnosis. Empire building, org size, and resume padding simply stopped mattering. What replaced it was something much simpler and more freeing – to get the best result for the patient. The guidelines were built for a train, not a rocket ship. As Becky put it, the regulatory frameworks governing AI in medicine were designed for a different era. Figuring out how to move fast responsibly is the real challenge ahead. Guest Shoutouts Dr. Manisha Bahl (https://www.linkedin.com/in/manisha-bahl-a44a92a1/), Radiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital Teri Thomas (https://www.linkedin.com/in/teri-thomas-3102522/), CEO of Mach7 Technologies & Former CEO of Volpara Health / Lunit Cancer Screening Resources Connect with guest Becky Weber on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-l-weber/) Check out Lunit Cancer Screening (https://www.lunit.io/en/) Connect with host Zach Gobst on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachary-gobst-bb781110) Check out Leapcure (https://leapcure.com/en/)

2. 

   5 Aug 2026

   Jennifer Good - President & CEO, Trevi Therapeutics

   When all of the experts around you say it’s impossible to move the needle forward, how do you still maintain commitment to your research and patients? On the very first episode of Impactful Breakthroughs, Zach Gobst (https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachary-gobst-bb781110) is joined by Jennifer Good (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-l-good), the President & CEO of Trevi Therapeutics (https://www.trevitherapeutics.com/), to explore why she has dedicated the past fifteen years to tackling one of medicine’s most overlooked conditions: chronic cough. Jennifer traces her path from running Pennwest Pharmaceuticals to negotiating a promising compound out of an acquisition and building Trevi from her kitchen table into the $2B public company it is today. She shares how a background in chronic pain research gave her and Co-Founder Dr. Thomas Sciascia a uniquely brain-centered lens on cough, and why listening closely to patients led them to double down on IPF when key opinion leaders told them to walk away. Equal parts science story and entrepreneurial journey, this conversation is a candid look at what perseverance, patient focus, and the willingness to evolve really look like in biotech. Timestamps 00:00 Episode Start 03:00 Starting Trevi Therapeutics from the kitchen table 05:45 Advice for early entrepreneurs 07:30 Setting checkpoints and sticking to them 08:45 What was missing on chronic cough and IPF 12:45 How chronic pain research unlocked a new view of cough 18:45 Where Trevi fits into the patient experience 22:45 Reflections on her 15-year journey 25:30 Evolving the team as the company grows 32:00 Giving back through rare disease boards and community 34:45 Mentorship shoutouts Key Takeaways The brain matters in cough. While the broader industry was targeting peripheral receptors in the lung, Trevi's neurology-rooted perspective led them to the brain, setting their data apart when everything else failed. Stay close to the patient. Jennifer's most powerful moment came from a patient advisory board member who couldn't finish her grocery shopping because of a coughing attack. That story is what drives the work and keeps the north star clear. Give yourself a checkpoint, not a cliff. As Jennifer put it, setting a defined window to test your idea, with real deliverables, takes the daily anxiety out of entrepreneurship. You're not on a never-ending rolling stone, you're running an experiment. Roles change, people change, and that’s okay. One of Jennifer's hardest and most important leadership lessons: the person who was right for the company at three people may not be the right person at forty-five. Honest self-reflection applies to the whole team, including the CEO. Guest Shoutouts David Meeker MD (https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-meeker-md-06210212/), Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Rhythm Pharmaceuticals Stuart Falber (https://www.linkedin.com/in/stuartmfalber/), Partner and Co-Chair of WilmerHale's Life Sciences Practice Paul Freiman (https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-freiman-50678015/), Former Chairman of the Board of Penwest Resources Connect with guest Jennifer Good on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-l-good) Check out Trevi Therapeutics (https://www.trevitherapeutics.com/) Connect with host Zach Gobst on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachary-gobst-bb781110) Check out Leapcure (https://leapcure.com/en/)

3. 

   24 Jun 2026

   Dan Ignaszewski - Executive Director, National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research

   What does it take to protect the research that could one day save your sight? On this episode of Leap Together, Zach Gobst is joined by Dan Igniewski (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-ignaszewski-6a43b71a), Executive Director of the National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (https://eyeresearch.org/) (NAEVR) and the Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (https://eyeresearch.org/) (AEVR). With over 20 years in government affairs and patient advocacy, Dan has become one of Washington's most persistent voices for vision research funding, and today's conversation shows exactly why that work matters. Dan traces his path from early healthcare policy work to championing the National Eye Institute's independence on Capitol Hill, sharing how vision science is quietly leading some of medicine's most exciting frontiers, from the first FDA-approved gene therapy to AI-powered diagnostics and stem cell breakthroughs. He also unpacks NAEVR's “See What Matters” (https://www.seewhatmatters.org/) campaign, the mechanics of effective coalition building, and what it really takes to align patients, providers, researchers, and industry around a single message when federal funding is on the line. Timestamps 00:00  Episode start 01:45  Dan's background and path to advocacy 03:55  What makes vision research unique 05:45  Parallels between policy and clinical research 06:55  Bipartisan support for NIH and the National Eye Institute 08:00  Career inflection points and advocacy wins 11:00  The See What Matters campaign 14:50  Shared challenges in patient engagement 16:55  What makes advocacy most effective 19:40  Mentorship and career guidance 23:15  The power of persistence and confidence 25:30  Closing thoughts Key Takeaways Coalition is everything. When patients, providers, researchers, and industry align around a shared message, Congress listens. No single organization can move policy alone. Vision research punches above its weight. From the first FDA-approved gene therapy to stem cell and AI advances, vision scientists have quietly been leading the broader medical research field for decades. Don't wait to be taken seriously. As Dan once heard from a colleague: "You've been in the decision-making rooms for years, why do you think suddenly at 30 it's gonna change?" Show up, know your value, and make your point. Vigilance is ongoing. Even with recent wins protecting NIH funding, Dan reminds us that staying engaged and vocal is a continuous responsibility, not a one-time effort. Resources Connect with Dan Igniewski on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-ignaszewski-6a43b71a) Check out the See What Matters Campaign (https://www.seewhatmatters.org/) Check out the National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (https://eyeresearch.org/) Connect with Zach Gobst on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachary-gobst-bb781110) Check out Leapcure (https://leapcure.com/en/)

Who has been a guest on Leap Together

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Zach Gobst
• Taleena Koch
• Christine Gustafson

Podcast Authority Score: 43 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

86

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

0

Contact Leap Together

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.