DGTL Voices with Ed Marx

Episode: Virtual Care Revolution: Bridging Distances in Healthcare

Guest: Gemma Lowery
Date: September 24, 2025

Episode Overview

In this engaging episode of DGTL Voices, host Ed Marx sits down with digital health leader Gemma Lowery to discuss her journey and the ongoing revolution in virtual care. Together they explore Gemma's personal background, her professional path through various sectors of healthcare, her advocacy for equity and digital transformation, and the opportunities and challenges that come with scaling virtual care models such as hospital-at-home. The conversation is filled with insights on leadership, resilience, and the importance of keeping joy and curiosity at the center of one’s career.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Personal Backstory and Early Influences ([02:31 – 05:33])

• Gemma’s Childhood:

  • Born in Allentown, PA, raised in Delaware, adopted into a white family as a biracial child.
  • Early experiences with family and community shaped her empathy, resilience, and career interests.
  • Key formative moments: helping a neighbor who’d fallen and supporting her mother during a medical emergency. Both events “triggered me for healthcare, for thinking that I wanted to be somebody that could help.” — Gemma Lowery [04:20]

• Navigating Identity:

  • Being biracial and adopted led to developing “a really tough skin” and a philosophy of kindness in difficult situations.

    “If you don't know what to say, just don't make up anything. Just be nice.”
    — Gemma Lowery [05:11]

2. Entering Healthcare and Discovering Virtual Care ([06:03 – 08:37])

• Career Transition:

  • Varied professional start: finance, quality improvement, manufacturing.
  • Pivoted into healthcare via a part-time hospital administrative role after time at home with her child.

• Discovery of eICU & Virtual Care:

  • First real exposure to virtual care through a new eICU program.

  • Personal connection: Both her children had severe asthma, requiring creative, home-based solutions which mirrored later advancements in virtual care.

    “We can do the amazing things at a distance in places where patients would just die. And that really resonated with me.”
    — Gemma Lowery [08:32]

3. Leadership and Industry Engagement ([08:37 – 10:11])

• Influence of HIMSS:

  • HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society) provided a platform for professional growth and a voice for diversity.

    “Let me try to get inside and see if I can have some influence on diversifying some of what HIMSS is presenting.”
    — Gemma Lowery [09:36]

• The Role of Change Making:

  • Repeated theme: Gemma’s life and career are marked by her willingness to act as a change agent and advocate, particularly for virtual care and equity.

4. Virtual Care Milestones: “Hospital at Home” and Beyond ([10:11 – 11:18])

• Pioneering Projects:

  • Led a variety of impactful initiatives including mobile health vans and virtual nursing.

  • Most proud of the “hospital at home” program, which brings modern advancements to the age-old idea of home-based care.

    “It's a new way of bringing about the old... I just love the idea that we can bring the care to the home and really allow people to keep their humanity.”
    — Gemma Lowery [10:38]

5. Telehealth, Policy, and the Future ([11:18 – 12:45])

• Advocacy for Telehealth:

  • Emphasized bipartisan support for telehealth because of specialist scarcity and aging populations.

  • Predicts continued innovation and integration, shifting telehealth from optional to essential.

    “Without tech and telehealth, I don't really know how we would be able to manage this.”
    — Gemma Lowery [11:56]

• Virtual Work:

  • Foresees virtual opportunities expanding in healthcare, fundamentally changing the workforce.

6. Leadership Philosophy ([13:30 – 15:19])

• Defining Leadership:

  • Leadership first surfaced in her role as an older sibling and through overcoming academic and personal challenges.

  • Key values: protection of others, resilience, and a focus on team goals.

    “If you're a good leader, being protective is a really big part of that because you're protecting your team, but you're also protecting the goals you're trying to achieve.”
    — Gemma Lowery [13:38]

• Pivoting and Resilience:

  • Personal story of changing majors and leveraging setbacks as learning experiences—“it's who you are, it's not what you do.”

7. Advice for All Career Stages

For Young Professionals ([15:38 – 16:28])

• Be Adaptable:
  • Flexibility is key—be like a palm tree, not an oak, to withstand life’s storms.
• Stay Curious:

  • Lifelong learning and curiosity fuel growth.

    “Curiosity will keep you moving forward.”
    — Gemma Lowery [16:17]

For Mid-Career Listeners ([17:41 – 18:42])

• Assess Your Direction:
  • “You can focus heavily on the pothole in front of you or you can look down the road and see the bridge you need to build.” — Gemma Lowery [17:56]
• Find Fulfillment, On or Off the Job:
  • Engage in passion projects outside of work if necessary to maintain a sense of accomplishment and joy.

8. Self-Care and Recharge ([16:28 – 17:17])

• Gemma’s Outlets:
  • Baking, reading (“crazy fantasy, sci fi, whatever, just for a break”), and community service.
• Helping Others as Self-Care:
  • Solving problems in the community brings her energy and satisfaction.

9. Parting Thoughts: Mantra, Resilience, & Joy ([19:39 – 20:03])

• Personal Mantra:
  • “Why not?” as a call to action and openness.
• Legacy Themes:

  • Resilience, advocacy, love, and adaptability.

    “When times are really crazy and no matter where you fall on any side of any issue, trying to be joyful is just as good for you as it is to put out in the universe. … Connect with Joy whenever you can.”
    — Gemma Lowery [19:43]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “We can do the amazing things at a distance in places where patients would just die. And that really resonated with me.”
  — Gemma Lowery [08:32]

• “If you don't know what to say, just don't make up anything. Just be nice.”
  — Gemma Lowery [05:11]

• “It's a new way of bringing about the old... I just love the idea that we can bring the care to the home and really allow people to keep their humanity.”
  — Gemma Lowery [10:38]

• “If you're a good leader, being protective is a really big part of that because you're protecting your team, but you're also protecting the goals you're trying to achieve.”
  — Gemma Lowery [13:38]

• “Curiosity will keep you moving forward.”
  — Gemma Lowery [16:17]

• “You can focus heavily on the pothole in front of you or you can look down the road and see the bridge you need to build.”
  — Gemma Lowery [17:56]

• “Why not?”
  — Gemma Lowery [01:58] & [19:43]

• “Connect with Joy whenever you can.”
  — Gemma Lowery [19:43]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:31] Gemma’s early life and family background
• [04:20] Influential experiences that shaped her path toward healthcare
• [06:03] Transition into healthcare and discovery of eICU/virtual care
• [09:36] Role of HIMSS and advocacy for diversity
• [10:38] “Hospital at home” and innovation in virtual care
• [11:56] Telehealth’s bipartisan support and the future of virtual care
• [13:38] Defining leadership and personal growth
• [16:17] Importance of curiosity and lifelong learning
• [17:56] Advice for those feeling stuck mid-career
• [19:43] Final words: resilience, joy, and openness

Final Thoughts

The episode offers a candid, inspiring look into Gemma Lowery’s life and impact on virtual care. Through resilience, practical leadership, advocacy, and a message of hope and adaptability, Gemma illustrates how digital transformation in healthcare requires both technological and human change. Her advice—stay flexible, curious, and always seek joy—resonates for professionals at every stage.