What did you do before working at AcuityMD?
I graduated with a biology degree with an emphasis on Neurobiology from UW-Madison. I had originally intended to go to medical school, but I changed my mind after shadowing doctors a few times. However, I loved the way that nurses were able to connect with their patients.
So, I got my Masters in Nursing from Rush University in Chicago, I worked as a Nurse Assistant during school, and after graduation went to work at Northwestern in their Medical Intensive Care Unit. It was a very rewarding job but also often intense and high-pressure. I took great pride in being a nurse. It definitely gave me a new perspective on life. Nurses deserve more appreciation for their work. They’re a very critical piece of the healthcare team.
After a year and a half working at patients’ bedsides, I decided I wanted to do something a little different and began networking in the medical device industry. I stumbled upon the Clinical Specialist Role at Boston Scientific in their Neuromodulation division, and the job was a perfect mix of business, sales, and patient care. I ended up working at Boston Scientific for 6 years—3 as a Clinical Specialist and another 3 as a Territory Manager.
As a Territory Manager, I worked on growing sales (for both current and new customers), customer success, and training physicians on how to use the medical device. I really enjoyed working in the field! Every day was different and you got to interact with so many different physicians and patients. I learned so much. And definitely put some miles on my car! I have a lot of respect for device reps and the blood, sweat, and tears they put into their territory.
What does a typical day look like in your role as a Customer Engagement Lead?
I have the pleasure of working with our customers day-to-day! I kick off their relationship with AcuityMD and make sure we’re aligned so that I fully understand their needs and vision of how they’ll use the platform. It’s fun learning about different companies, the products they sell, and the markets on which they focus.
Another big part of my job is conducting training sessions, both for big groups and also 1-on-1. It’s really awesome getting to know the managers and sales representatives and hearing about the wild successes they’re having in the field.
How have your previous experiences helped you at AcuityMD?
My nursing and medical device experiences have helped me so much. From my communication skills, attention to detail, problem solving, and empathy, I have a good understanding not only of who’s using our platform but also the patient and physician who are ultimately helped by having access and knowledge about all the devices out there!
As a Clinical Specialist, I spent most of my time in the operating room supporting the physicians who used our product, offering education and customer support (to both the physician and patient). I also hosted educational events for both physicians and patients, as well as labs. As someone who would’ve loved having AcuityMD’s platform in my old job in medical device sales, I feel like I know exactly what our users want.
How did you land at AcuityMD?
I took a pause from work after I welcomed my second baby girl in December 2020. I spent some great quality time with my family, and in the summer I started networking with friends and was vocal to anyone who would listen about what I was looking for. A friend of mine who works at an investing firm knew Mike and connected me to AcuityMD.
Upon talking with Mike, it sounded like a great company with a great mission and team. Shortly after our introduction, I saw they were hiring for their commercial team and knew pretty immediately that this was the perfect fit for me.
What is your favorite thing about AcuityMD?
I can't say enough about how incredible it is to work for AcuityMD. One of the first things that drew me to the company was obviously the product they're building. I truly believe it's a game changer in the industry. But the second was the people. They're incredibly talented, smart, diverse, and fun and have true respect for one another. As a working parent of 2 this is so important to me.
I love to work hard play hard and I've really found that here at AcuityMD. I've loved working from home and the flexibility that provides me and my family. I have the ability to drop off my daughter at school, which is so special to me. We meet once a quarter for our off-sites to re-group, connect, brainstorm, and get reenergized about the next steps for the company. It’s the perfect balance!
Ultimately, we are helping physicians and their patients gain access and knowledge to the best products in the market. My hope is this will improve healthcare outcomes for many patients. While working at Boston Scientific, I’ll never forget when I would educate pain patients on neurostimulation and they’d always ask “Why didn’t I know about this sooner? I’ve been in pain for more than 10 years and I’ve finally found something that truly helps me.”
Any ideas on how AcuityMD in particular, and MedTech in general, can do more to improve health outcomes?
It would be really nice if there was more visibility on physician and facility outcomes in healthcare more generally. I think the medical device industry could partner and work with doctors and hospitals to improve patient outcomes by assisting with physician education or introducing them to a new product.
I also believe patients are taking on a larger responsibility for their own health. They want to be educated on the device that’s being implanted in them and the options that are available. I think more visibility for patients into their treatment options would improve outcomes.
What’s been your biggest challenge at AcuityMD?
We have so many incredible ideas, so being patient while the engineers execute on them is the toughest! There are so many good things coming to the platform. Also—not a challenge—but I’ve really enjoyed learning something new to me: software!
The software is something that doesn’t exist in the market, and, having been an end-user at Boston Scientific, I know it’s something reps would get excited about. It feels great to expand my knowledge into a new domain.
Working in tech for the first time has been great. I know the medical device industry, so that has given me a really great backbone to understand what a Medical Device rep is looking for and what type of software they will they find value in. It’s been fun learning something new and challenging myself in a different way. I'm lucky to be learning from some of the smartest people I know!
The team recently had our quarterly off-site in Santa Monica. What was your favorite part?
We’re on a nice cadence of working from home and then getting together as a team once a quarter. Seeing all the teammates is great, but also our brainstorming sessions are super fun. It gets me excited and motivated!
If you had to sum yourself up in one song, what would it be?
“Days Like Today” by Van Morrison is such a classic and a good reminder to be appreciative of the good days and moments. I pause often to be grateful for all the good in my life.