Better MedTech requires more than one perspective.
In this episode of the DeviceTalks Women in MedTech podcast, Host Kayleen Brown talks with Deanna Harshbarger, CEO of Cala Health, about designing for the whole picture, from patients’ everyday needs to the people, evidence, and business decisions that bring a technology to market.
A chemical engineer turned business leader, Harshbarger shares lessons from her career at Johnson & Johnson, Boston Scientific, and Medtronic, including helping build Boston Scientific’s deep brain stimulation franchise and gaining experience with connected devices and direct-to-patient care at Medtronic.
Now leading Cala Health, Harshbarger explains how those experiences inform the company’s noninvasive, wrist-worn therapy for action hand tremor in people with essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease. She discusses why clinical effectiveness and usability must go hand in hand, how regulation and reimbursement shape access, and why no single person holds the answer to building a product that works for patients and can scale sustainably. That philosophy also shapes her leadership: removing hurdles, welcoming different perspectives, and ensuring every person knows their voice matters.
Kayleen also welcomes Yvonne Bokelman, Executive Director of MedtechWOMEN, for an in-studio conversation about highlights from MedtechVISION 2026, the organization’s growing mentorship and community programs, and why diverse perspectives are essential to better medical device development.
Thank you to MedtechWOMEN for sponsoring this episode of the Women in MedTech podcast! To learn more about the organization, please visit: https://medtechwomen.org/
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Chapters
- (00:00:00) - Introduction: Designing for the Whole Picture & Cala Health Milestones
- (00:03:11) - Interview with In-Studio Guest, Yvonne Bokelman (MedtechWOMEN)
- (00:16:58) - Start of Keynote Interview with Deanna Harshbarger
- (00:17:30) - First Job Lessons: From a Bakery to the Chemical Manufacturing Floor
- (00:22:53) - Finding MedTech: Johnson & Johnson, Cordis & Balanced Regulation
- (00:30:56) - Boston Scientific: Building Deep Brain Stimulation from the Ground Up
- (00:39:14) - Medtronic & Connected Health: Serving Patients Directly
- (00:41:38) - Cala Health: Revolutionizing Tremor Treatment Noninvasively
- (00:47:13) - From VP to CEO: Scaling Leadership, Team Culture & Mentorship
- (00:53:58) - Outro: The Whole Picture, MedtechWOMEN & Connected Health Preview
