It is with both gratitude and admiration that we announce the retirement of Susan Paquette, our former VP/GM of SmartTRAK Wound Care, after nearly 15 years of dedicated service to SmartTRAK. 

Since joining the company, Susan has been instrumental in building SmartTRAK Wound Care into the industry’s most trusted source of real-time market intelligence. Under her leadership, the Wound Care business has grown from a promising vision into a powerhouse platform providing comprehensive data, news, and analysis on a range of Advanced Wound Care markets. Today, SmartTRAK Wound Care delivers deep coverage across nine distinct areas with broad global reach, relied upon daily by the world’s top wound and orthopedic companies.

Dr. Steve Sampson, founder of The Orthopedic Institute (TOBI) and the Orthohealing Center, discusses the evolution of orthobiologics, highlighting the integration of machine-based therapies like shockwave and a focus on patient safety, with patients traveling overseas for untested biologic treatments. 

In this interview with SmartTRAK, TOBI founder Steve Sampson, DO, discusses the development of orthobiologics, highlighting a key inflection point where technologies like shockwave and light therapy are used to boost the body's natural healing process. Dr. Sampson also mentions patients traveling abroad for treatments. He warns about the lack of regulatory oversight, potential complications and offers solutions through the Orthohealing Alliance.

Click on the following video (11:10 min) to learn more. A link to download a complete transcript of the interview is provided below.

SmartTRAK: My name is David Shepard. I'm with SmartTRAK, and I'm here at the 16th annual TOBI meeting. and it's my pleasure to be joined by Dr. Steve Sampson. Thanks so much for taking the time. I really appreciate it.

Steve Sampson, DO: Thanks for having me. Looking forward to chatting.

Absolutely. So, the agenda of this year's conference is... It's got a wide range of topics. What do you think is reflected in this year's agenda that really typifies the technologies that are happening out there in the field today?

SS: It's probably the most exciting time in my 20-year career that I feel like we're at this inflection point with new technologies, including machine-based therapies. So, the concept is the human body is remarkable, and we're made of 37 trillion cells, and we have our own drug store, our own ability to self-repair. Our role as physicians is to try to facilitate that. So, machine-based treatments are a big point of this conference where there's a session on shockwave therapy, photo-biomodulation light therapy, hyperbaric oxygen. They're all different machine-based treatments that are trying to boost our body's healing capacity. Then I also have a new session of mesenchymal stem cells or MSCs overseas.

SS: A lot of times, in clinic, we find patients are going to Mexico, Panama, Thailand, and some of them have unlimited resources, but they may not be getting the best level of care and bigger isn't always better.

Right.

SS: So, understanding what are some of the regulatory challenges here in the United States, why are patients going overseas ,,,

Click the button to get the full transcript of our exclusive interview with TOBI founder Steve Sampson, DO, conducted by David Shepard, SmartTRAK GM/Sr Analyst, Orthobio & Regen.

Are you passionate about healthcare and market research? SmartTRAK is looking for talented, self-motivated individuals to join our team. We're currently seeking a Junior Analyst for our Wound Market team and a part-time Compression Market Analyst. These are fantastic opportunities for skilled professionals to contribute to a leading provider of market data and business intelligence in the MedTech industry.

Junior Analyst, Wound Market 

The ideal candidate for this full-time remote role has strong analytical and writing skills and a keen interest in the wound care sector. As a Junior Analyst, you will be a key part of the Wound Market team, helping to track and analyze the latest developments in wound care.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Collecting and analyzing market data, clinical trial information, and regulatory filings.
• Drafting market updates, news briefs and insights for our subscribers.
• Assisting senior analysts with research and strategic reports.
• Maintaining SmartTRAK's content and databases for the wound market.

Compression Market Analyst 

We are also looking for a dedicated professional to fill a part-time remote position as a Compression Market Analyst. This role is perfect for someone with strong knowledge of the global Compression Therapy space, including bandaging, hosiery, and Lymphedema pumps. You will be responsible for providing expert insights and analysis on this dynamic market.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Maintaining and updating the Compression module, including market models and company profiles.
• Writing concise articles and market updates for subscribers.
• Supporting our sales and marketing teams with your expertise.
• Attending industry conferences to report on new trends and topics.

Why Join the SmartTRAK team?

At SmartTRAK, we value a strong work ethic and a collaborative spirit. If you're a self-starter with a passion for MedTech, we encourage you to apply. Don't miss out on these opportunities to grow your career with a leading name in the industry.

• Work remotely with flexible hours.
• Gain visibility in the MedTech community through published insights and event coverage.
• Join a collaborative team of analysts, marketers and data experts. 

To learn more and apply, visit the original job postings:

• Junior Analyst, Wound Market
• Compression Market Analyst

In an interview with SmartTRAK, TendoNova's National Sales Director, Ben Browne, discusses the TendoNova device, a minimally invasive percutaneous tool for treating refractory tendinopathy.

In this SmartTRAK interview, National Director of Sales Ben Browne shares his insights on the TendoNova device, a minimally invasive tool for treating refractory tendinopathy through soft tissue fragmentation and debridement that can also be combined with orthobiologics like platelet-rich plasma (PRP). Click on the following video to learn more (08:37 min). A link to download a transcript of the complete interview is also provided below.

SmartTRAK reports from Boston, where discussions about the future of wound care were distracted by significant changes to reimbursement.

We are pleased to announce that Thom Clark has joined the SmartTRAK team as Senior Director, Enterprise Strategy + Solutions. Thom Clark joins us after successful positions in Medtech, Life Science and SaaS enterprise strategy, marketing and customer success.

Thom started his career in the diabetes care industry before being hired by Synthes USA. After a successful stint as both a trauma consultant, then regional manager, Thom moved into solutions and services (consulting) first within the Depuy-Synthes Advantage franchise, then Solutions Innovation,  and finally with JNJ's umbrella Medtech Strategic Customer Group (SCG). Working with the Top 150 health systems, Thom and his team of Directors delivered a broad suite of solutions including operative efficiency, clinical pathway improvement, clinician wellbeing, supply chain management, and patient navigation. After leaving JNJ in 2020, Thom moved to running US Orthopedic Marketing + Solutions at Pacira, then as chief strategy and customer officer for Elation, a human performance and coaching SaaS startup based in Wyoming. Thom and his family reside in the greater Philadelphia area.

Meet Thom Clark:

What is your role with SmartTRAK? As Senior Director, Enterprise Strategy + Solutions, my role as I initially see it is to help both product and commercial strategy in the core ortho solutions portfolio while contributing to SmartTRAK’s overall go-to-market success. As I become more familiar with the people, culture and solutions, I plan to be a catalyst working cross-functionally to help different teams across the organization, including marketing, messaging, contracting, content, research, and consulting – having some experience in each of these functions. Ultimately, it's all about our customers.

What do you like about SmartTRAK? I would have to say the amazing People and the concept of Insights-as-a-Service vs the normal SaaS offering. During the interview process, all my questions were focused on people, culture, innovation, and marketplace. I am also super stoked to begin working with many of my former colleagues in Medtech and Life Science.

What is something special or unique that you bring to SmartTRAK subscribers? I have a unique history, having moved from sales and sales management to health system consulting in the orthopedic market, focused on TJA and Trauma. Starting with clinical pathway improvement and moving to operational efficiency, supply chain improvement, clinician wellbeing and burnout, patient navigation, and digital surgery, our team under the umbrella of JNJ’s Strategic Customer Group had the privilege of working with the top 100 health systems across the US and even OUS. I also worked in Life Sciences at Pacira and then a human and team performance and coaching SaaS startup business called Elation. I believe I bring a very different view on how unique and powerful data and insights can be leveraged for success. It's also fun to understand both industries from a data and insights perspective.

How/why did you get into the life sciences industry? After college, I was blessed to get into the diabetes market and then hired by Synthes as a trauma rep, then regional manager, health system consulting director, and finally running a national consulting team. I learned very early in my career at Synthes the huge impact you can make on patient outcomes and health system efficiency. I was hooked! I have always been fascinated by how things work and being in orthopedics was a dream come true! Now I get to see the entire industry through a different lens.

What are your favorite online websites or resources that you check every day? Well, I know I need to say SmartTRAK first! As I move back into MedTech and Life Science, my focus will be on connecting (and reconnecting) with my network to conduct research on all the market and product channels we now cover. So many blogs, posts, websites, interviews and industry publications fill my day it would be impossible to list them all. 
 
How do you stay current on what’s going on in the industry? There is absolutely nothing that compares to talking to real humans working on real products, marketing plans, and strategy across the industry. As stated, I am really excited to begin my outreach to “interview” as many people as I can virtually or at shows as part of my enterprise role. Combining this with the amazing amount of experience across our team of analysts at SmartTRAK should be more than adequate.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be? I try to live in “reality” as much as possible, so this one is difficult. I would say the ability to sustain a positive and optimistic mindset, regardless of what life throws at me. I know people who possess this trait and am in awe of their ability to weather hardships and remain cheerful and supportive with a growth mindset.

What was the last show you binge-watched? Wow, probably The Office with my 20 year old during his summer break from the University of Scranton (of all places!).

What is your life like outside of SmartTRAK? Married for 25 years to my best friend, supporter, and confidant. We have two boys, Ben (22) and Harrison (20) and two crazy labradoodles, Bentley and Scarlett, who pretty much run the household. I am a human performance nerd who focuses a lot of time on movement, nutrition, healthspan, and ways to optimize physical and mental well-being. I also love to fly-fish, cycle, and work in the yard.  I am a certified financial and retirement coach and in the process of obtaining personal training and nutritional coach certifications to help others reach their goals and redefine what the term "wealthy" means.

What are you most excited about for your upcoming year at SmartTRAK? The ability to get back to my roots in MedTech and Life Science while quickly learning our product and process to make a noticeable impact on our client's market success in the shortest time possible. Always up for a challenge!

If you'd like to learn more about SmartTRAK and how it can increase proficiency, improve productivity and reduce costs for your company, or if you would like to meet with Thom, just click the button below.