Ashley McEvoy has been at the helm of J&J’s medtech practice for over two decades. Throughout her expansive career, she’s played an integral role in fighting to improve inequities in health care and seeks to inspire women in the industry.

McEvoy joined Scott Whitaker on the Medtech POV podcast  to discuss her experience at one of the world’s top medtech companies, her views on leadership, her work with the Trevor Project, and her role as chair of the AdvaMed committee tasked with addressing head-on the issue of racial disparities in health care access and outcomes.

Creating a Space for Professional and Personal Development

For McEvoy, her time in medtech has illustrated the importance of having a mindset of: “Yes, you can.” While she admits there’s no formula for a perfect balance of personal and professional time, she emphasized the importance of creating opportunities for employees based on their passions.

“We want to create the right pathways where folks feel like they can contribute professionally as well as feel personally fulfilled.”

A passion for helping patients has been a leading factor throughout McEvoy’s career. She considers the impact of providing quality care to patients her “north star” and a driving force in her work in medtech.

“I know the impact, I care about the impact, and I’m so proud of the impact we do every day.”

Host Scott Whitaker agreed, “Healthcare is the ultimate service industry. Everything we do is about serving others.”

Addressing Disparities in Health as an Industry

Beyond her professional interests, McEvoy is also passionate about improving healthcare for disadvantaged communities. She discussed her work with the Trevor Project, a non-profit focused on supporting LGBTQ+ youth, as well as her role as chair of the AdvaMed committee tasked with addressing racial disparities in health care access and outcomes.

McEvoy recalled, “I was really pleased with how the medtech industry came together to collaborate throughout COVID and take a stand collectively to [improve] the inequities in health care. Part of that is a science- and data-based understanding of the root causes of those discrepancies, and then starting to deploy some of the smarts, the guts, and the resources we all collectively have to effect change.”

“There are so many companies in our space that I think can learn from you and J&J and what you’ve done and why it really matters to the health care system. And the example that you all are setting can help be transformative for the industry.” 

––Scott Whitaker, President & CEO, AdvaMed

Listen to the full conversation, including J&J’s ongoing equity initiatives, how the work environment has shifted since the coronavirus pandemic, and more on the latest episode of The Medtech POV podcast, and learn more about the podcast.