Podcast Summary: Marketing Beyond with Alan B. Hart

Episode 34: Reaching patients directly in medtech: Insights from Medtronic's Senior Director of Global Integrated Communications, Neuromodulation, Naomi Rodiles
Release Date: February 18, 2026
Host: Alan B. Hart
Guest: Naomi Rodiles, Senior Director of Global Integrated Communications, Neuromodulation, Medtronic

Episode Overview

In this episode, Alan B. Hart sits down with Naomi Rodiles, who leads global integrated communications for the Neuromodulation business at Medtronic. The conversation explores Naomi’s journey from broadcasting and pop culture to medtech, the unique challenges of marketing advanced therapies like deep brain stimulation (DBS), the complex digital transformation toward patient-centered communication, and the evolving role of AI in content and equity within the healthcare sector.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Naomi’s Background and Path to Medtronic

• From BET’s Rap City to Medtronic: Naomi reflects on her decade-long broadcasting career and how storytelling and pop culture shaped her perspective on communication and influence.

  “Pop culture has been...a big driver interest for me. Who gets hurt, who doesn’t, what influences people, what doesn’t.” (Naomi Rodiles, 01:19)

• She describes her career journey as consistently being at the intersection of brand, communications, and serving as a voice for underrepresented communities (02:20).

The Neuromodulation Business and DBS Technology

• What is Neuromodulation? Medtronic’s neuromodulation therapies address neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s, epilepsy, and chronic pain (02:55).
• Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS): Explained as “a pacemaker for your brain,” DBS has been safely used for over 30 years but suffers from low public awareness, which Naomi calls “a key opportunity.”

  “Patients...almost always universally tell me...they wish they would have done it sooner, they wish they would have known about it.” (Naomi Rodiles, 04:07)

Marketing Medtech: Evolving from B2B to Patient-Centric Approaches

• Medtronic has always emphasized patient-centricity but historically marketed primarily to healthcare professionals (HCPs) (06:09).
• Naomi stresses the need to directly engage and educate patients and caregivers, given the modern, increasingly health-savvy consumer.

  “Consumers are much more savvy about their health and health care and have taken a very invested role in driving their health care choices more than ever before.” (Naomi Rodiles, 06:09)

• The strategy involves shifting from pure clinical promotion to educational, informational, and relationship-driven storytelling (07:52):

  “It's not the clinical efficacy that we're up against...it's that people literally don't know our therapies exist. So we need a multichannel approach.” (Naomi Rodiles, 07:52)

The Role of Digital Transformation

• Multichannel Engagement: Naomi outlines the shift to digital-first, multichannel outreach that targets both traditional (HCPs) and new (patients, caregivers, multi-generational families) audiences (07:52).
• Success relies on empowering patients with information before they even enter the provider’s office, enhancing the patient-provider dynamic (11:40).

Building Provider Partnerships

• Naomi highlights the ongoing value of collaborations with HCPs, describing it as “a beautiful marriage,” and notes clinicians’ desire for the industry to do even more to educate patients directly (12:06):

  “They feel very strongly industry has a role in doing that beyond...what we do through them or with them, in partnership with them.” (12:06)

Naomi’s Personal Motivation & Advice

• Naomi’s early desire to be a journalist stemmed from wanting to be a visible advocate for underrepresented voices (13:16).
• She’s motivated by being “an advocate for patients who often lost their voice or...didn’t even know our therapies were an option” (13:16).
• Advice to Younger Self: Prioritize personal health and boundaries—“hard work pays off, but not at the expense of your...mental health” (14:45).

Innovations and Trends: AI and Health Equity

• Naomi is immersed in, and optimistic about, the role of AI in content creation and scaling effective messaging, but underscores regulatory complexities (15:10):

  “It’s 100% going to be a game changer for content at scale...in a very highly regulated environment.” (Naomi Rodiles, 15:10)

• She is also curious about AI’s potential for promoting equity in healthcare and education, referencing startups leveraging large language models (16:04):

  “If they can unlock that...we’re going to have a really much better world.” (16:04)

Threats and Opportunities in Marketing

• Naomi cites resistance to change as the biggest threat facing marketers, especially in complex, matrixed organizations (16:56).

  “Change is growth, change is power, change is transformation. Change is good...being at the forefront...that’s exciting. That is opportunity.” (Naomi Rodiles, 16:56)

• She advocates for embracing rather than fearing technological transformation, especially around AI.

Future Trends: Consumer AI at CES 2026

• Naomi predicts that 2026 will be the year AI “transitions to being helpful in everyday life,” moving from flashy prototypes to real-world benefits (18:25):

  “AI finally transitioning to being helpful in everyday life. So from tools or flashy demos to actual useful behavior, change driving AI use cases.” (Naomi Rodiles, 18:25)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Rap City, the basement takes me way back...pop culture has been...a big driver interest for me.” (Naomi Rodiles, 01:19)
• “DBS uses electrical stimulation to support management of...diseases like Parkinson’s...a pacemaker for your brain.” (Naomi Rodiles, 04:07)
• “It's not the clinical efficacy that we're up against...it's that people literally don't know our therapies exist.” (Naomi Rodiles, 07:52)
• “I could be a voice of a community that didn’t have one. And that really, really interested me.” (Naomi Rodiles, 13:16)
• “AI...is absolutely, especially in the work that I do, an asset...a game changer for content at scale.” (Naomi Rodiles, 15:10)
• “Change is growth...being at the forefront...that’s exciting. That is opportunity.” (Naomi Rodiles, 16:56)
• “AI finally transitioning to being helpful in everyday life.” (Naomi Rodiles, 18:25)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Naomi’s Broadcasting Beginnings & Pop Culture: 01:00–02:10
• Overview of Neuromodulation & DBS Therapies: 02:43–05:42
• Marketing Challenges in Medtech: 05:42–07:47
• Digital Transformation & Patient-centric Marketing: 07:47–11:40
• Provider Partnerships & Industry Roles: 12:06–13:01
• Personal Motivations & Advice: 13:16–14:45
• AI in Content & Health Equity: 15:10–16:41
• Future Trends & Behavior Change at CES: 18:09–18:48

Episode Wrap-Up

Alan thanks Naomi for her insights, noting the importance of direct, candid conversations about innovation, patient engagement, and the future of healthcare marketing. Naomi’s journey and perspective offer a roadmap for medtech marketers seeking to drive both organizational transformation and tangible patient impact.

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Explore more conversations with industry visionaries on the Marketing Beyond podcast at Deloitte Digital.