エピソード

  • Catching Cancer Early: Susan Tousi's Quest to Save Lives with a Simple Blood Test || EP.208

    Catching Cancer Early: Susan Tousi's Quest to Save Lives with a Simple Blood Test || EP.208
    2025/07/22
    "I come from a long line of medical doctors... but I myself was driven by things that move fast in terms of technology." From a family of physicians, Susan Tousi chose a different path—one that would eventually revolutionize how we detect cancer. After decades building multi-hundred million dollar businesses at HP and Kodak, digitizing how the world captures and shares memories, she made a leap that surprised many: trading the consumer tech world for the promise of genomic medicine. "Healthcare was moving fairly slowly in terms of technology adoption," Susan recalls. But when Illumina came calling, she saw her chance to change that. As Chief Product Development Officer and later Chief Commercial Officer, she helped drive the cost of human genome sequencing from over $100,000 down to just $100—making the technology accessible in 155 countries worldwide. Now, as CEO of DELFI Diagnostics, Susan is tackling one of healthcare's deadliest challenges: lung cancer kills more people annually than breast, colorectal, and cervical cancers combined—yet 94% of those who should be screened never get tested. Her solution? A simple blood draw that can detect cancer at stage one, powered by AI and whole genome sequencing, at a cost of just a few hundred dollars. "If you can get blood drawn, you can get our test," Susan explains. "These tests should be in the few hundreds of dollars, easily covered by the healthcare system, available to patients without copay. Everyone's cancer should be caught early. It should be an annual process." In this powerful episode of Inspiring Women with Laurie McGraw, Susan also reveals: What happens when you reduce genome sequencing costs from $100,000 to $100 and why it matters for every patient Why blood-based testing will make cancer detection as routine as annual physicals—no radiation, no invasive procedures The surprising ways AI and machine learning are uncovering cancer signals in blood How to build diverse leadership teams naturally What really changes (and doesn't) when you become a biotech CEO Why the hardest CEO decisions are about people and focus, not technology From engineering at HP to revolutionizing digital photography at Kodak to detecting cancer at its earliest stages, Susan's journey proves that the fastest-moving technology innovations can transform the slowest-moving healthcare challenges—when you're willing to take the leap. "There's no greater mission than advancing the improvement of people's healthy lifespan," Susan reflects. "We need women at the table. These are long-term investments. We need to make sure that the diverse population of patients and clinicians who are going to use our tests are represented in the people who develop the tests. That diversity makes us better." A member of the National Academy of Engineering, Susan Tousi is reshaping how we think about cancer detection—making it accessible, affordable, and available anywhere you can have blood drawn. This is the future of healthcare, and it's happening now. Chapters 00:02:13 - From Engineering to Healthcare Leadership 00:05:31 - Digital Innovation to Genomic Revolution 00:09:05 - Transforming Lung Cancer Detection 00:13:39 - Women Leading in Biotech 00:16:54 - The Reality of Being CEO 00:20:05 - Advice for Aspiring Women Leaders Guest & Host Links Connect with Laurie McGraw on LinkedIn Connect with Susan Tousi on LinkedIn Connect with Inspiring Women Browse Episodes | LinkedIn | Instagram | Apple | Spotify
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    22 分
  • Why Do 80% of People Choose to Work Through Cancer? With Gina Jacobson || EP.207

    Why Do 80% of People Choose to Work Through Cancer? With Gina Jacobson || EP.207
    2025/07/15
    "You might not have been born for this, but you almost died for it." When Gina Jacobson's husband spoke those words, he captured the profound transformation that turned a stage 4 colon cancer diagnosis into a mission. Given just one to two years to live, Gina didn't just survive—she discovered why work matters so deeply when everything else falls apart. Now, as Program Director for Working with Cancer, she's tackling an uncomfortable truth: there's a massive gap between what well-meaning colleagues want to do and what actually helps. When people don't copy you on emails to "spare" you, when they assume you can't handle meetings, when they reduce you to your diagnosis—the isolation can be as devastating as the disease itself. In this episode of Inspiring Women with Laurie McGraw, Gina also speaks about: Why "Can I work?" is the second question cancer patients ask after "Will I live?" How manager training can build organizational empathy that extends far beyond cancer it means when 80% of Americans choose to work through cancer treatment Why creating confidence before diagnosis changes everything How simple accommodations can preserve identity during treatment What happens when your biggest pitch becomes helping others through their darkest hour Chapters 02:14 - From Potato Cravings to Stage 4 Diagnosis 03:43 - The Gap Between Intentions and Impact 05:20 - What Organizations Really Need to Do 07:39 - The Workforce Cancer Crisis 08:59 - "You Almost Died for This" 10:37 - Creating Confidence Before Crisis Guest & Host Links Connect with Laurie McGraw on LinkedIn Connect with Gina Jacobson on LinkedIn Connect with Inspiring Women Browse Episodes | LinkedIn | Instagram | Apple | Spotify
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    12 分
  • What Happens When a Cancer Diagnosis at 17 Shapes Your Entire Career? With Rae McMahan || EP.206

    What Happens When a Cancer Diagnosis at 17 Shapes Your Entire Career? With Rae McMahan || EP.206
    2025/07/08
    Standing at a hospital desk at 17, facing a Hodgkin's disease diagnosis, Rae McMahan heard words that would reshape her entire life: "We don't have your prior authorization on file." That broken moment in a broken system launched a career dedicated to fixing what fails patients every day. Now, as Senior Vice President of Payer Solutions at Prescriptive, Rae is revolutionizing how 260 million Americans access medications—because no one should discover what their life-saving prescription costs only when they reach the pharmacy counter. But her journey wasn't straightforward. Expected to "get married, have kids and stay home," Rae chose a different path—one that led from nearly becoming a physician to mastering the business of healthcare transformation. In this episode of Inspiring Women with Laurie McGraw, Rae also speaks about: Why pharmacy benefits are the number one utilized benefit and first indicator of health problems How text message prescriptions are disrupting decades of pharmacy confusion What happens when technology costs go down everywhere except healthcare Why connecting lab tests, AI, and genetics could eliminate medication guesswork How to choose your own journey when it doesn't match family expectations What it means to say "no" in a culture that expects women to say "yes" Chapters 04:02 - A Teenager's Cancer Diagnosis Meets a Broken System 06:33 - From Patient to Healthcare Revolutionary 08:22 - The Reverse Technology Paradigm in Healthcare 10:57 - The Magic Wand: Personalized Medicine Without the Guesswork 13:35 - Choosing Your Journey Over Others' Expectations 15:55 - Finding Your Village and Your Voice Guest & Host Links Laurie McGraw on LinkedIn Rae McMahan on LinkedIn Connect with Inspiring Women Browse Episodes | LinkedIn | Instagram | Apple | Spotify
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    17 分
  • How One Labor Leader Transformed 30,000 Lives Through the Power of Empowerment, with Brenda Munoz || EP.205

    How One Labor Leader Transformed 30,000 Lives Through the Power of Empowerment, with Brenda Munoz || EP.205
    2025/07/01
    What happens when you realize you've stopped caring about the very people you're meant to serve? For Brenda Munoz, that moment came when a laborer asked her to leave and find someone else to help him. "You're very nice," he said, "but I can tell you're trying to rush this." That wake-up call transformed not just Brenda's career, but how she thinks about leadership itself. Today, as Associate Benefits Director at the Laborers' Fund of Northern California, she oversees benefits for 30,000 workers who build America's infrastructure—and she's reimagining what it means to serve a workforce that's largely male, Hispanic, and often working far from home. In this episode of Inspiring Women with Laurie McGraw, Brenda also speaks about: Why language barriers and literacy challenges make benefits accessibility a social justice issue How empowering 53 employees (mostly women) creates ripple effects for thousands of families What it means to lead for both the laborers AND the women who serve them Why self-reliance and having a voice are the foundations of workplace empowerment How Hispanic women can transform from "doing the paperwork" to leading the organization What changes when you shift from "What do I want?" to "What will help us become better?" Chapter Markers 02:05 - An Accidental Benefits Career 04:09 - The Counter Call That Changed Everything 05:36 - Choosing Impact Over Comfort 07:21 - Understanding the Laborers: Who Builds America 10:59 - The Stress of Benefits Work 12:31 - Leading for Two Communities 14:19 - From Siloed to United: Creating Vision Together 19:21 - The Power Within: A Message to Hispanic Women Guest & Host Links Connect with Laurie McGraw on LinkedIn Connect with Brenda Munoz on LinkedIn Connect with Inspiring Women Browse Episodes | LinkedIn | Instagram | Apple | Spotify
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    20 分
  • Two Kenyans Unite to Bridge Medicine's Most Dangerous Gap With Amee Devani || EP.204

    Two Kenyans Unite to Bridge Medicine's Most Dangerous Gap With Amee Devani || EP.204
    2025/06/24
    When Amee Devani watched her mother battle colorectal cancer in Kenya, she witnessed firsthand the stark reality of healthcare inequity. That experience would reshape her entire career trajectory—from investment banking at UBS to founding a digital health startup that's revolutionizing how hospitals manage post-acute care. "I faint when they take my blood," Amee admits with characteristic candor. Yet today, as CEO and Co-founder of WellBeam, she's tackling one of healthcare's most persistent problems: the black box of care that swallows patients after hospital discharge. This conversation with host Laurie McGraw reveals how a chance meeting on a Stanford cycling training ride led to a partnership that's now bridging the dangerous gap between acute and post-acute care. Amee and her co-founder Pascal—both Kenyans who met thousands of miles from home—shared more than a homeland. They shared mothers fighting cancer and a determination to fix a broken system. What started as rejected startup ideas in Stanford surgeons' offices evolved into WellBeam after one crucial conversation with pancreatic surgeon Dr. Brendan Visser. His frustration was clear: exceptional inpatient care followed by total blindness once patients left the hospital. Fax machines. Phone tag. Patients bouncing back to the ER before anyone knew there was a problem. Now, WellBeam serves as the critical infrastructure connecting hospital EMRs with home health, hospice, and skilled nursing facilities. The result? A 20-30% reduction in readmissions and millions in recovered revenue for physicians doing work they couldn't previously bill. In this episode of Inspiring Women with Laurie McGraw, Amee also discusses: The unexpected value of "having too much fun" at Cambridge and how it shaped her leadership approach Why she left the prestige of investment banking and consulting to work out of a shoebox office in London How catching the "startup bug" at Pavegen prepared her for the healthcare innovation journey The importance of building a village of mentors, especially as a female founder in healthcare Why healthcare's biggest problems aren't glamorous—and why that's exactly where innovation is needed Navigating slow healthcare sales cycles while maintaining startup momentum Leading as a new mother and CEO: ruthless prioritization and trusting your team Chapter Markers 00:54 - Introduction & Background 04:17 - The Stanford Connection & Finding a Co-founder 07:13 - WellBeam's Origin & Solution 11:28 - Business Model & Market Approach 14:06 - Leadership as a Female CEO & New Mother 21:39 - Advice for Aspiring Female Founders Guest & Host Links Connect with Laurie McGraw on LinkedIn Connect with Amee Devani on LinkedIn Connect with Inspiring Women Browse Episodes | LinkedIn | Instagram | Apple | Spotify
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    24 分
  • From Polarization to Grievance: Why Trust in Healthcare Is At a Breaking Point - Courtney Gray Haupt || EP.203

    From Polarization to Grievance: Why Trust in Healthcare Is At a Breaking Point - Courtney Gray Haupt || EP.203
    2025/06/17
    What makes this conversation urgent is what's at stake. When people with lower trust in healthcare turn to friends and family instead of medical professionals, when young adults say they'd leave their doctor over political beliefs, when misinformation spreads faster than facts—we're not just facing a communications challenge. We're facing a health crisis. But Courtney, who's spent 15 years bridging policy, advocacy, and communications, sees opportunity in the challenge. Organizations that share accurate information, take visible action on problems, and paint an optimistic future can still build trust. The question is: will they act fast enough? In this episode of Inspiring Women with Laurie McGraw, Courtney also speaks about: Why your employer might be your most trusted source of health information (especially if you're a woman) How political polarization is breaking the doctor-patient relationship What the shift from polarization to "grievance" means for healthcare Why women care about healthcare affordability 20 points more than men How to communicate health information when no one trusts the media What leaders must do now to rebuild trust before it's too late Chapter Markers 04:05 - From Policy to Trust: A Career Arc 05:32 - The Misinformation Crisis 08:18 - High Trust vs. Low Trust 10:30 - From Polarization to Grievance 12:11 - Building Trust in a Zero-Sum World 14:27 - Women, Employers, and the Trust Gap 16:12 - A Path Forward for Leaders Guest & Host Links Connect with Laurie McGraw on LinkedIn Connect with Courtney Gray Haupt on LinkedIn Connect with Inspiring Women Browse Episodes | LinkedIn | Instagram | Apple | Spotify
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    18 分
  • Why Your Biggest "Failure" Might Be Your Greatest Career Catalyst with Colleen Bowman || EP.202

    Why Your Biggest "Failure" Might Be Your Greatest Career Catalyst with Colleen Bowman || EP.202
    2025/06/10
    When Colleen Bowman didn't get into her dietetics internship—twice—she thought her career was over before it began. Instead, that rejection became the catalyst that launched her into becoming a transformative HR leader at one of the most unique companies in America. "I had a little too much fun in college," Colleen admits with a laugh. But that social experience—building networks, connecting with people—turned out to be the foundation of everything that followed. Today, as VP of Human Resources at IAC, she oversees benefits for a portfolio of brands you know and use every day: Angie's List, People Magazine, Food & Wine, and dozens more. This conversation with host Laurie McGraw isn't just about climbing the corporate ladder—it's about how the detours define us. For Colleen, those detours included a boss who told her she wasn't ready for a promotion (spoiler: she was), mentors who took chances on her, and the realization that sometimes you have to stop waiting for opportunities and start creating them. What makes Colleen's leadership philosophy unique? "Empathetic with expectations." She leads with understanding but refuses to treat her team "too preciously." She believes in them too much for that. She sets high standards because she knows they can meet them. Now, as healthcare costs explode and benefits become the single largest line item on corporate balance sheets, Colleen is tackling one of business's biggest challenges: How do you get employees to care about their health before it's a crisis? How do you communicate complex benefits to diverse populations—from magazine editors to home repair professionals? And how do you treat a benefits program like the multi-million dollar business it actually is? In this episode of Inspiring Women with Laurie McGraw, Colleen also speaks about: Why saying "yes" to everything early in your career is essential—and when you need to start saying "no" How to build trust and partnerships that actually move the needle in organizations What happens when benefits become too big for leadership to ignore Why HR's "seat at the table" debate misses the real point How to navigate the coming healthcare crisis with transparency and trust What "fake it till you make it" really means for women leaders Chapter Markers 03:37 From Nutrition Dreams to Benefits Reality 08:17 When Your Boss Says You're Not Ready 10:51 Building Relationships as a Leadership Superpower 14:49 Raising Your Hand vs. Reaching for Opportunities 16:24 Empathetic with Expectations: A New Leadership Model 19:38 The Business of Benefits in Divisive Times Guest & Host Links Connect with Laurie McGraw on LinkedIn Connect with Colleen Bowman on LinkedIn Connect with Inspiring Women Browse Episodes | LinkedIn | Instagram | Apple | Spotify
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    23 分
  • How Does Personal Tragedy Shape One Of The Most Powerful Women In Healthcare? w/Karen Lynch || EP. 201

    How Does Personal Tragedy Shape One Of The Most Powerful Women In Healthcare? w/Karen Lynch || EP. 201
    2025/06/03
    When Karen Lynch became CEO of CVS Health, it was more than a milestone, it was a signal. Millions were watching. She led through the pandemic. She raised wages. She centered the patient. She broke glass ceilings again and again. “I remember the day Karen became CEO,” says host Laurie McGraw. “I think the world stood still for a minute. I smiled. I took notice. And so did everyone else.” The accolades poured in: Forbes Most Powerful Women, Fortune’s Most Admired. But the impact went far beyond headlines. This conversation isn’t just about what Karen accomplished at the top—it’s about the experiences that shaped her long before she got there, and the values driving how she leads today. Like many leaders, Karen’s path was forged in her beginnings. For her, those beginnings were marked by unimaginable loss: losing her mother to suicide at age 12, and just a decade later, losing the aunt who raised her. That grief left an indelible mark—a sense of urgency to fix a healthcare system she had experienced not as a leader, but as someone failed by it. That lived experience has been her North Star. From her early days in finance to leading one of the largest healthcare organizations in the world, Karen has consistently asked: What does the patient need? And how can we make it simpler? As a leader, she learned that courage isn’t a talking point, it’s a practice. And sometimes, it means making a hard decision that costs you. When her tenure at CVS ended, it wasn’t scandal. It wasn't a failure. It was a choice, grounded in accountability. Because real leadership isn’t just about celebrating the wins—it’s about owning the moments that hurt. Now in a chapter of reinvention, Karen is clear: she’s not stepping back, she’s stepping into purpose. From helping future CEOs find their voice, to launching a women’s leadership institute, to urging healthcare leaders to rebuild public trust before it's too late, she is focused on impact over position. The title may be different. The mission is not. In this episode of Inspiring Women with Laurie McGraw, Karen also speaks about: What would healthcare look like if we designed it around the patient? Can simplicity heal what complexity has broken? How do we rebuild public trust in healthcare—and what happens if we don’t? How can we better prepare the next generation of women leaders? Is technology the single most powerful lever for healthcare transformation? What does it take to navigate reinvention with optimism, purpose, and grace? Thank you Karen Lynch. You are an Inspiring Woman. Chapters 03:11 - From Tragedy to Healthcare Leadership 05:42 - Patient-Centered Philosophy 08:46 - Pandemic Response and Transformational Change 10:02 - Mentorship and Women's Leadership 14:57 - Accountability and Resilience in Leadership 22:53 - Technology Revolution and Giving Back Guest & Host Links Connect with Laurie McGraw on LinkedIn About Karen Lynch Connect with Inspiring Women Browse Episodes | LinkedIn | Instagram | Apple | Spotify This episode of Inspiring Women was recorded at the WBL Summit, a leadership, networking, and professional development conference for WBL members that takes place each spring. WBL is a network of 1500+ senior executive women in healthcare who convene to share ideas, make valuable connections, and solve business challenges. WBL’s mission is to connect and support our members in advancing their careers and impact on our industry.
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    31 分