Designing for the Whole Picture — Cala Health’s Deanna Harshbarger
Better MedTech requires more than one perspective.
In this episode of the DeviceTalks Women in MedTech podcast, Host Kayleen Brown talks with Deanna Harshbarger, CEO of Cala Health, about designing for the whole picture, from patients’ everyday needs to the people, evidence, and business decisions that bring a technology to market.
A chemical engineer turned business leader, Harshbarger shares lessons from her career at Johnson & Johnson, Boston Scientific, and Medtronic, including helping build Boston Scientific’s deep brain stimulation franchise and gaining experience with connected devices and direct-to-patient care at Medtronic.
Now leading Cala Health, Harshbarger explains how those experiences inform the company’s noninvasive, wrist-worn therapy for action hand tremor in people with essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease. She discusses why clinical effectiveness and usability must go hand in hand, how regulation and reimbursement shape access, and why no single person holds the answer to building a product that works for patients and can scale sustainably. That philosophy also shapes her leadership: removing hurdles, welcoming different perspectives, and ensuring every person knows their voice matters.
Press Release: Cala announced the national launch and availability of the Cala kIQ Plus
Kayleen also welcomes Yvonne Bokelman, Executive Director of MedtechWOMEN, for an in-studio conversation about highlights from MedtechVISION 2026, the organization’s growing mentorship and community programs, and why diverse perspectives are essential to better medical device development.
Thank you to MedtechWOMEN for sponsoring this episode of the Women in MedTech podcast! To learn more about the organization, please visit: https://medtechwomen.org/
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