In this powerful episode of Patient Innovations, co-hosts Mary MacCarthy and Rashmi Kandwal go beyond stats and symptoms to explore the lived experience of spinal cord injury—and the groundbreaking technologies transforming recovery.

Nearly 18,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with a spinal cord injury each year. Today’s episode features two voices at the forefront: a hockey player's unshakable will and a scientist's drive to innovate.

Featured guests:

Jack Jablonski – Former Minnesota hockey standout and current LA Kings digital media specialist. Jack shares how his life changed after a 2011 spinal cord injury—and how he’s advancing recovery through his personal journey and the Jack Jablonski Foundation.

Dr. Parag Gad – CEO and Co-Founder of SpineX, Dr. Gad explains how his team’s non-invasive neuromodulation therapies (like SCONE™) are helping patients regain function—and what FDA Breakthrough Device designation means for the future of care.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• Living with and training through paralysis
• How neuromodulation is redefining recovery
• Jack’s mission to help others BEL13VE
• The hope that drives patients and innovators forward

Want to collaborate or sponsor? Email rashmi@healthcare.mn.

Next up: Multiple Sclerosis—closing the gap in care.

Support spinal cord injury research through the Jack Jablonski Foundation. Every donation fuels progress toward life-changing breakthroughs.

#SpinalCordInjury #Neurotech #JackJablonski #PatientStories #ParalysisRecovery #HealthcareInnovation #SCI #SpineX #PatientInnovations #HealthcareMN #BEL13VE

In this spring episode of Patient Innovations, co-hosts Mary MacCarthy and Rashmi Kandwal explore the vital role heart valves play in keeping us alive—and what happens when they don’t work as they should. With 2.5% of the U.S. population affected by heart valve disease and 40,000 babies born each year with congenital heart defects, the need for innovation is more urgent than ever.

Featured guests:

• Kris Bauerschmidt, entrepreneur and medical device leader, shares his journey receiving a mechanical heart valve and what life is like post-surgery.
• Dr. Maan Jokhadar, Cardiologist at Mayo Clinic, explains how heart valve care has evolved, when to repair vs. replace, and why anticoagulants like Warfarin are still necessary.
• Dr. Mayra Guerrero, Mayo Clinic Interventional Cardiologist and board member of the Heart Valve Society, discusses global collaboration in research and what innovations give her hope.

In this episode you will hear about:

• Living with a mechanical valve
• Evolving heart valve treatments
• Research priorities and future tech
• Why heart health starts with awareness

Have ideas on collaboration or want to sponsor Patient Innovations? Reach out to rashmi@healthcare.mn.

Next up: spinal cord injuries—featuring a Minnesota hockey legend's powerful recovery story.

#HeartValveHealth #Cardiology #PatientStories #HealthcareInnovation #MayoClinic #HeartValveSociety #PatientInnovations #HealthcareMN

In this episode of Patient Innovations, we hear from Robert J. Proulx, who is receiving care for sleep apnea. Then Dr. Runji Varghese, a sleep medicine physician at Hennepin Healthcare and Medical Director at the Minnesota Regional Sleep Disorders Center, and Sarah Chiapetta, head of product at GEM Health in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, share clinical information and innovation from their organizations.

For resources and support, check out the American Sleep Apnea Foundation at https://www.sleephealth.org/. You can learn more about Dr. Varghese's center at https://www.hennepinhealthcare.org/specialty/minnesota-regional-sleep-disorders-center/. To learn more about the GEM Health solution go to https://www.mygemsleep.com/.

#sleepapnea #PatientAdvocacy #PatientInnovationsPodcast