Episodes

  • How to get from Sick Care to Health Care and Rethinking Pharma’s Role with Paul Simms
    Jan 31 2025

    Paul Simms is the CEO of Impatient Health and a trailblazing voice in the life sciences industry. Paul is on a mission to push the boundaries of pharma. He works with innovators and early adopters to inject “mutation pressure” into the status quo, ensuring bold ideas and creative solutions make their way into the market. Drawing on his experience as a speaker, event organizer, and consultant, Paul discusses how pharma can evolve to truly align with patients’ needs. Together, with Maya they explore the intersection of innovation, behavioral science, and systemic transformation in healthcare.

    What You’ll Learn:
    - Why Paul believes the pharma industry is still in its infancy and how it can grow.
    - What “mutation pressure” means and how it can drive innovation in pharma.
    - The critical role of patient engagement and behavioral science in improving healthcare outcomes.
    - How Paul’s work with major pharma companies has shaped his views on the future of the industry.
    - Practical lessons from other industries, including fashion and tech, that pharma can adopt.

    Show More Show Less
    36 mins
  • Patient Engagement and Standard of Care in Rare Disease Trials with Orit Rindner
    Dec 10 2024

    In this episode of Trials with Maya Z, Maya and patient expert and advocate Orit Rindner discuss the intersection of patient needs and clinical trials, highlighting real-world challenges and insights from rare disease research:

    • The impact of standard of care on patient willingness to join clinical trials
    • Challenges in rare disease trials and patient recruitment
    • The importance of aligning clinical trials with patient realities

    Follow Maya Zlatanova: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayazlatanova/
    Follow Orit Rindner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oritrindner/

    • (00:00) - Chapter 1
    • (00:00) - Introduction to Clinical Research and Patient Advocacy
    • (02:28) - The Intersection of Patient Advocacy and Clinical Trials
    • (04:49) - Patient Perspectives on Clinical Trials
    • (06:47) - Engagement of Patients in Clinical Trial Design
    • (10:11) - Isolated vs multidisciplinary approach
    • (12:27) - The Role of Patient Advocates in Clinical Research
    • (16:12) - Impact of Current Events on Clinical Research in Israel
    Show More Show Less
    19 mins
  • Endometriosis: Why Standard Care Isn't Cutting It - Exploring the Gaps with Estelle Jobson
    Nov 26 2024

    "Only 1-4% of global healthcare R&D funding is dedicated to female-specific conditions beyond cancer, despite women representing 51% of the population.” Meet Estelle Jobson - an EUPATI Fellow and a patient advocate living with endometriosis. In this episode, Maya and Estelle discuss the limitations of standard care for this chronic condition and call for research that addresses its diverse symptoms.

    • Why Standard care for endometriosis fails to address patient needs?
    • What is wrong with the current definition of endometriosis?
    • What are the current treatment gaps?

    Follow Maya Zlatanova: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayazlatanova/
    Follow Estelle Jobson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/estelle-jobson-27389821/


    • (00:00) - Introduction and Background
    • (02:00) - Lack of Funding for Women's Health Research
    • (05:34) - Challenges in Diagnosing and Treating Endometriosis
    • (09:23) - Limitations of Current Clinical Trials
    • (15:57) - The Need for Fresh Perspectives in Endometriosis Research
    • (25:47) - Including a Wider Range of Patients in Clinical Trials
    • (30:15) - Addressing the Diverse Symptoms of Endometriosis
    • (36:29) - Summary and Conclusion
    Show More Show Less
    40 mins
  • RWD Data and Trust in Clinical Trials: Ritesh Patel’s Take
    Nov 19 2024

    Join Maya Zlatanova and Ritesh Patel from Finn Partners as they dive into the evolving world of real-world data in clinical trials. Discover the challenges of integrating diverse patient data, the role of social determinants in trial outcomes, and how emerging technologies like AI and digital biomarkers are set to revolutionize the industry. Packed with insights on collaboration and innovation, this episode is a must-listen for anyone passionate about transforming healthcare through data-driven strategies.


    Follow Maya Zlatanova: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayazlatanova/
    Follow Ritesh Patel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/riteshpatel/


    Show More Show Less
    30 mins
  • The patient journey in US vs EU and how involving patients early on can help with Ella Balasa
    Nov 14 2024

    Ella Balasa has experience on both sides of the research spectrum - as a patient with cystic fibrosis and as a scientist examining antibiotic-resistant bacteria. She is on a mission to amplify patient voices in drug development. In this episode Ella and Maya discuss:

    • Ella’s journey and advising experience
    • The difference in the patient journey in US vs. Europe
    • The often overlooked challenges in patient access to care

    Follow Maya Zlatanova: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayazlatanova/
    Follow Ella Balasa: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ella-balasa/

    Show More Show Less
    26 mins
  • Real-world data: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly with Jan Poleszczuk from CliniNote
    Oct 29 2024

    Meet Jan Poleszczuk, a mathematician turned healthcare innovator and a CTO of CliniNote. In this episode Maya and Jan talk about:
    - The top 3 challenges hindering the quality of RWD
    - How CliniNote is helping doctors generate quality data while simplifying their workflow
    - The potential of RWD in clinical trials


    Tune in to explore the good, the bad, and the ugly of Real-World Data and how innovators like Jan Poleszczuk are working to unlock its full potential to improve patient care and drive healthcare innovation.


    Follow Maya on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayazlatanova/
    Follow Jan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jan-poleszczuk-70200117/

    Learn more about CliniNote: https://clininote.com/

    • (00:00) - Introduction and Background
    • (02:58) - The issues with RWD
    • (06:47) - The Importance of Medical Notes in Real-World Data
    • (11:34) - Automating Transcription of Doctors' Notes
    • (17:09) - Empowering Doctors to Generate High-Quality Data
    • (19:28) - Focusing on Doctors' Jobs to Improve Real-World Data
    • (21:26) - Conclusion and Future of Real-World Data
    Show More Show Less
    22 mins
  • Understanding the Patient Journey is Our Duty as Researchers: Esther Howard's Insights from Two Decades in Clinical Research
    Oct 22 2024

    Meet Esther Howard, Mental Health Advocate, Researcher and CEO of Bezyl. In this conversation, Esther shares her unique perspective on the importance of understanding patient journey, not just as a scientific necessity, but as a fundamental human duty for researchers. Esther explores the three critical prongs of patient journey: standard of care, the specifics of the patient's disease, and the often-overlooked aspects of their daily lives. She emphasizes the need for researchers to look beyond the protocol and embrace a more holistic view of patients' experiences, arguing that by embracing our human duty to understand and empathize with patients' experiences, we can not only advance scientific knowledge but also create a more compassionate and patient-centric approach to clinical research.


    Follow Maya Zlatanova: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayazlatanova/
    Follow Esther Howard: https://www.linkedin.com/in/esther-howard-7352b3b3/
    Learn more about Bezyl: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bezyl/


    • (00:00) - Introduction and Background
    • (03:22) - Understanding the Patient Journey
    • (11:38) - The Importance of the Patient Journey
    • (18:42) - Patient Needs and Perception
    • (22:22) - The Role of Real-World Data
    • (28:57) - Implications for Clinical Trials
    Show More Show Less
    34 mins
  • Connecting the Dots in The Patient Journey - The Importance Of Patient Trust with Heidi Floyd
    Oct 15 2024


    Meet Heidi Floyd, a breast cancer survivor, patient advocate, and champion for transforming clinical trials through authentic patient engagement. In this powerful episode, Heidi shares her remarkable journey of navigating cancer treatment while pregnant.Heidi emphasizes the critical importance of building meaningful relationships between patients, healthcare providers, and clinical trial teams. She discusses the common reasons patients may choose to quit clinical trials and the need for greater understanding and support of patient circumstances.


    Follow Maya Zlatanova: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayazlatanova/
    Follow Heidi Floyd: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidi-floyd-b89b179/


    • (00:00) - Introduction and Heidi's Breast Cancer Journey
    • (04:06) - Becoming a Patient Advocate
    • (06:36) - The Importance of Patient Engagement
    • (10:27) - Addressing Financial and Logistical Barriers
    • (15:28) - The Role of Technology in Patient Engagement
    • (19:28) - The Choice for Pregnant Women in Clinical Research
    Show More Show Less
    21 mins