MTC Presents, A Black History Month Conversation: The Innovative Leaders of MTC Membership and Collaborative Community

Paying tribute to the generations of Black professionals who have contributed to the unique advancement of medical technology, especially for diverse patients, MedTech Color Presents, A Black History Month Conversation: The Innovative Leaders of MTC Membership and Collaborative Community. We invite you to a virtual discussion where a few of our esteemed members will discuss their journey in medtech, contributions to DEIB advancement, and their hopes for the future of the industry. Newly appointed Executive Director, Katrina Holland, leads this conversation between diverse individuals in the indusrty from both MedTech Color's Collaborative Community and Professional Membership programs. 

Speakers:

Katrina Holland, MedTech Color Executive Director, Moderator

Katrina H. Holland brings more than 25 years of experience in executive leadership in association management. Her twenty-five year career has spanned multiple professions including legal, medicine, scientific, tax and nursing. In all her roles, she has led teams that grew and diversified revenue, strengthened the organization and advanced meaningful missions. Prior to this role, Katrina was the Chief Executive Officer of the American College of Nurse-Midwives, a $5M professional membership organization serving more than 6,000 certified nurse midwives and certified midwives. Here she spearheaded major strategic shifts focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion as a key business enabler of innovation. Her work at ACNM, during a financial turnaround, brought in over a million dollars and helped to fund critical research that focused on health equity, reducing health disparities and growing and diversifying the midwifery workforce. A dynamic public speaker, Katrina represented the organization externally and presented on Capitol Hill as well as participating in Congressional Black Caucus Healthcare Roundtables. She brings expertise in developing and implementing strategies that grow dues and non-dues revenue with a focus on missions that have the capacity to make a positive impact on the lives of others.

Deidre V. Washington, PhD Director, Health Equity, AdvaMed, Panelist, Collaborative Community Member

Deidre currently serves as Director, Health Equity, at AdvaMed (Advanced Medical Technology Association), the association representing the medical device industry. In this role she works to ensure that all patients, regardless of background or ability to pay, have access to innovative and life-saving technology. Prior to joining AdvaMed, Deidre held positions at various organizations with an emphasis on equity in health care, including NCQA, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of American, and Adventist HealthCare. Deidre resides in Maryland and in her spare time enjoys reading, Zumba and travel. She earned her B.S. from Florida A&M University and her PhD from the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill.

Nina Clarke-Walker, Director, Clinical Research, Mentor Clinical Franchise, Johnson and Johnson, Panelist, Collaborative Community Member

Nina has been a part of Johnson and Johnson MedTech for two years. She has over 20 years in the industry with prior experience at PRA Health Sciences, PPD, and Unites BioSource Corporation . She is passionate about providing patients with an opportunity to participate in research and removing potential barriers to participation. She earned her BA from the University of Pennsylvania.

Sasha Padilla-Coley, PhD, Staff Engineer, TLDP: UXD Center of Excellence, BD, Panelist, MTC Professional Member

Dr. Sasha Padilla-Coley joined BD in 2021 as a Technology Leadership Development Program (TLDP) Associate. Prior to coming to BD, Sasha completed her doctorate in Biochemistry at the University of Notre Dame generating novel supramolecular method research findings with applications in drug delivery and disease diagnostics. In their first rotation at BD, Sasha served as a Program Manager in Specimen Management in Franklin Lakes, NJ. Currently, Sasha is a Staff Engineer in the User Experience Design (UXD) Center of Excellence working remotely in San Diego, CA, where she helps supports user-centric design thinking across the entirety of a product’s lifecycle. Sasha is a team-oriented leader with a passion for program management, accessibility of healthcare, and outreach mentoring. Dr. Padilla-Coley holds a B.S and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from SUNY Oswego and University of Notre Dame, respectively.

Bisrat Woldemichael, Principal Marketing Strategy & Analysis Manager, Neuromodulation, Boston Scientific, Panelist, MTC Professional Member

Bisrat is a commercial strategy leader in Neuromodulation at Boston Scientific. He is responsible for driving the development and execution of key divisional strategy priorities, spearheading competitive intelligence and market research, and fostering new business development efforts. His professional journey before joining Boston Scientific includes a tenure at McKinsey & Co as a consultant, where he advised leading Life Sciences companies in strategy and operational challenges. Prior to that, Bisrat was trained as a neuroscientist, dedicating several years in academia to exploring the epigenetic connections between environmental experiences and their profound effects on brain biology and behavior. Bisrat holds a PhD in Neuroscience from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. Bisrat is a first-generation immigrant from Ethiopia, where he was raised and started his career in healthcare, and currently resides in New York City.