Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Intro: Welcome to Stand Up. To Stand Out the podcast where we help you master clarity, confidence, and influence. Join over 10,000 listeners worldwide and unlock the power to turn your goals into reality.
[00:00:12] This podcast is designed to bring you insights from the industry and some inspiration to get it done.
[00:00:19] At DNA, we believe that better communication leads to better outcomes, so let's dive in.
[00:00:26] Stuart Paap: Dr. Karen Carrasquillo Miranda began her scientific journey in Puerto Rico where she earned a PhD in chemistry. Her path led to ophthalmology before she pursued her doctor of optometry. Today she's a senior leader at Boston Site and the founder of Fit Academy. Connecting her early passion for science with innovative approaches to eye treatment and education.
[00:00:49] Today we talk about purpose, connecting it with values. We talk about impact, and of course we get into the science of the eye. Join us for a [00:01:00] fascinating discussion where I hope you'll get some inspiration about aligning towards your purpose. First of all, Karen, I just wanna thank you for being on the show.
[00:01:09] I'm very excited to dive in. So why don't we start in the beginning. I'm interested in who or what drew you to science in the first place?
[00:01:21] Dr. Karen Carrasquillo: Well, first of all, Stuart, thank you for the opportunity. It's a pleasure to be here with you. Thank you for what you're doing with Dan, Nate, and congratulations. I love it that you're, thank you.
[00:01:29] Being a champion for so many professionals and potentiating our voices, so, so thank you. Science. I've been drawn to science. I. Literally, this may sound like a cliche, but since I was a kid, my dad, it also helped that my dad was or still is, uh, is a math professor. So sort of STEM was spoken about, you know, at the home front and I was always interested.
[00:01:53] And so with that frame chemistry really became very interesting to me after. [00:02:00] High school introduction. I said, you know, instead of pursuing some basic science that require more memorization, uh, leaning in into more of the analytical side of science, which chemistry afforded that? Mm-hmm. That seemed like a natural fit for me.
[00:02:14] Stuart Paap: So how did that lead you to Eyes and Ophthalmology?
[00:02:20] Dr. Karen Carrasquillo: That's a great question and I, I've been asked that before and even though it seems like it, it just doesn't mesh for me. It was a very natural progression. As much as I was interested in science and chemistry, I also had this unique interest in the eye.
[00:02:36] You know, I remember going with my parents to the ophthalmologist and just seeing how they, they would approach the care and the instrumentation. It seemed fascinating to me, and. As I learn a little bit more about the eye and, and knowing that it's the unique structure of our body that you can see through it, you know, through the pupil and see the vasculature without really having to, to cut through the skin.
[00:02:57] Right. It seemed fascinating [00:03:00] to me and um, I. I didn't really quite think of medicine to be honest, even though I was interested in the eye because to become a medical doctor you had to go through all the different disciplines in medicine, and for me it was the eye that I was uniquely interested. So I thought, well, you know, perhaps a career in research.
[00:03:20] In particular in eye research, I could mesh these two in particular, chemistry has some sub fields like biochemistry. And I thought, well, you know, maybe between these two biochemistry and then pursuing some form of research in the eye. And that's what ultimately I did. Did through my PhD developing drug delivery devices, and eventually it brought me here to Boston to pursue my postdoctoral research fellowship at Mass and Ear Infirmary, where I was able to work on creating drug delivery devices for ocular drug delivery.
[00:03:53] It wasn't until then. That I thought, well, you know, this is it. I'm pursuing my dreams. I was very [00:04:00] grateful for the opportunity to be here in Boston, but being with Cornea Fellows and researchers that were clinicians as well at Mass Air gave me a whole new insight. And once I started to become more familiarized with the fact that we, the impact that we could have with patients, I learned about an amazing program in Boston.
[00:04:24] That Stewart, to be honest, I, I just felt like it was meant to be for me because it allowed me to study optometry, become a clinician, but. It's the only program in the nation that has a program for folks like me. If you're a PhD or a medical doctor from another country, you could pursue this accelerated program and then become a clinician in a more concise manner.
[00:04:52] And I just felt, okay, this is for me. I'm in Boston. I have this interest. I felt like it was for me, so I pursued it.
[00:04:59] Stuart Paap: I love that. [00:05:00] There's so much I want to get to there, but I want to go back a little bit to understand the transition and learning about just the I in general, and I'm just gonna be a student here because I remember listening on a podcast recently about.
[00:05:14] That eyes are actually the only real interface between the brain and the outside world and, and that it's actually, you can intuit quite a bit and I never thought about it and I thought, well, here's someone who's has a deep expertise and a advanced degree and a PhD. I. So maybe you could just for our audience, and my sake frankly, what did you learn or what have you learned in your career and postdoc about the eye that many people may not know?
[00:05:42] And then of course we'll get to, you know, drug delivery and Boston site and all that. But just with some of the basics, because I find this a fascinating field that I know very little about.
[00:05:53] Dr. Karen Carrasquillo: Well, first of all, you just said it right there. The visual process is actually a neural process. It starts [00:06:00] with light.
[00:06:00] We need ray of lights in order to initiate the visual process, but you know, those ray of lights get straight back to the back of the eye. There's a structure called the optic nerve, and that is connected to an area of the brain. I don't mean to get too technical, but is. Called area 18. And that's how the visual process is.
[00:06:19] So that's one thing that many people do not realize. And it's just amazing, the intricacy and how, I mean, perfect nature is in, in, in my opinion. And the other thing that I think it's one thing that people don't realize what I just said, earlier's, the only structure in the body where you can look into through the pupil and.
[00:06:40] See the back of the eye and see the entire vasculature. And by looking and analyzing the vasculature, we can actually help diagnose, um, systemic conditions. For example, if I see plaques in the back, in some, uh, veins or [00:07:00] arteries, you know, there could be a sign that someone may have perhaps hypertension. Or perhaps that their diabetes is really out of control because of the signs that I'm looking at the back of the eye by looking at that vasculature.
[00:07:17] It's truly amazing. If, if anybody that is listening, you know, just has the opportunity to look at the back of the eye, I think everybody would be, would fall. Fall in love just like I did. It's just amazing.
[00:07:30] Stuart Paap: So let's get there. The vasculature. In the back of the eye, you can see if there's conditions of plaque that could indicate hypertension or others.
[00:07:41] How vast is your ability to, you know, see signals of various diseases and others, like how deep can it go?
[00:07:49] Dr. Karen Carrasquillo: It could, um, you can see sometimes, you know, leaky blood vessels, you know, some metabolic diseases. So it is possible by, and in fact, it's [00:08:00] not rare, it's not too common, but it's not rare at the same time that a patient will come to the eye doctor for the visual exam because they cannot see well, and they might think, you know, in, in our case, we specialize in the front of the eye and the cornea.
[00:08:18] But I've seen patients that come to me for scleral lenses. They're thinking front of the eye. And, um, when we look deeper and then we do the medical history and we know that there are systemic diseases that are concomitant for, for this patient, we realize that has nothing to do with front of the eye, that it's not really related to the scleral lens.
[00:08:40] But in fact, when we look at the back of the eye, there's. Some leaky blood vessels that were seen or some damage to the structure of the optic nerve, for example, that requires a referral to a glaucoma specialist because it might be something related to glaucoma, requires a referral to a retinal specialist, [00:09:00] or as we're talking about to their primary care provider because it could be.
[00:09:06] A sign that, hey, perhaps your metabolic disease is at disarray. Mm-hmm. And your diabetes is probably not well controlled. Mm-hmm. And so you need, you know, not only to take care of what's happening in the eye, so it requires a referral to a specialist there, but it's certainly requires a referral to the primary care physician.
[00:09:27] To titrate and better control those systemic, you know, the systemic disease itself.
[00:09:33] Stuart Paap: So I'm gonna pick up on that theme and, and talk about this element that I hear many of my guests and and clients talk about, which is just broadly teamwork between different specialists. You're talking about primary care physicians or other specialists.
[00:09:48] Tell me about your world at Boston site, and we'll get to Fit Academy soon too. How much of a team sport it is. How do you think about that with you and maybe your team [00:10:00] in terms of being, giving the best patient experience possible?
[00:10:05] Dr. Karen Carrasquillo: To be honest, we truly model that teamwork approach that you just mentioned.
[00:10:11] We focus particularly in the front of the eye, um, and the cornea and the surface of the eye. And so we have a corneal specialist in the office and in the organization. He's our Chief Medical officer. I have a group of optometrists that I lead, and so in total we're four. And in order to provide the best patient outcomes, we.
[00:10:34] Definitely is a collaborative approach. So if we speak about Boston site, about the clinical part, there's already a collaboration of between MDs and ods or medical doctors and optometry doctors, but in our organization, because of what we do, because we specialize in a particular medical device that is called a scleral lens.
[00:10:55] We have a manufacturing laboratory. So that means that we [00:11:00] have, uh, software engineers, we have lab. Technicians, manufacturing technicians, and a group of amazing skilled ophthalmic technicians that help us, uh, with our patients. So it's truly a collaborative approach outside of our walls. Then, you know, we collaborate with other specialists like glaucoma, bone marrow transplant, doctors, rheumatologists, uh, et cetera, and you do need that collaborative approach.
[00:11:29] To ensure that our patients are getting the best outcomes. For sure.
[00:11:33] Stuart Paap: So let me ask, what gets in the way of that? Maybe internally and externally, because in a perfect world, there is this collaborative approach because life is a team sport. Yeah. No matter what. So I'm curious though, because Yeah, just what gets in the way of that from your lens that's solvable because there's things that are systemic that maybe are not.
[00:11:55] Easily solvable, but do you see anything getting in the way of optimal [00:12:00] collaboration across different functions?
[00:12:01] Dr. Karen Carrasquillo: Yeah, yeah, yeah. What comes to mind, and I don't think this is the seniority of the cases, but I do know that in some cases, some clinicians don't refer out maybe for the fear of losing the patient, because if you refer out, maybe the patient won't come back to you.
[00:12:19] Right. In our case in particular. We are a specialist, so we do not take care of the primary care aspects of the patient, so we're always referring back. To their primary, either primary medical doctor for the eye, you know, it could be an optometrist or primary care ophthalmologist or to a specialist. And they always refer back to us because we're so specialized.
[00:12:47] But I've seen, uh, sometimes a lack of collaboration maybe for the fear of losing the patient. And again, I. Do not believe that this is in most cases, but I can see that sometimes not knowing what you [00:13:00] don't know, although I do believe that that is less and less these days.
[00:13:05] Stuart Paap: It's such a funny thing you mentioned that, because I often have referred to, you don't know what you don't know, which I always takes my brain an extra beat to consider what that is, but it just softens your.
[00:13:18] Position and to paraphrase, Paul SFA from Stanford, he has says you have to have strong convictions, but weak held to collaborate. So you believe what you believe. You've looked at the science, but you have to not hold on too tight. So I, I see that as someone holding on a bit. Tighter than they may need to because of incentives or, or fear.
[00:13:38] Who knows?
[00:13:39] Dr. Karen Carrasquillo: Absolutely. That's a great point. Absolutely.
[00:13:41] Stuart Paap: So let's just initiate me and hopefully most of my AU audience, unless they're experts here, can you explain in just simple language, I. What scleral lenses are, and just give us a primer on this, and then let's talk about your work at Boston site.
[00:13:57] Dr. Karen Carrasquillo: Yeah, so scleral [00:14:00] lenses are medical devices.
[00:14:01] Mm-hmm. You can think of them as a contact lens. Mm-hmm. But the word contact lens can be a misnomer. Because the word contact implies that it's contacting perhaps the cornea, right? Most contact lenses sit on the cornea or over the cornea. So a scleral lens is a plastic lens. It's rigid in nature. It's about a size of a quarter, but it sits in the white part of the eye.
[00:14:27] Which is called the sclera. It's a very robust tissue. It's made up of collagen. There's no nerve endings in, in the sclera. So when you have something that despite the fact it's rigid lenss there, it's pretty comfortable. The lens vaults over the cornea, the corneas, where we really have, uh, the nerve endings.
[00:14:47] It's actually one of the most sensitive, if not the most sensitive tissue organ of our body. So by vaulting the cornea and not. Contacting the cornea is actually a very comfortable lens, and in [00:15:00] addition, the lens is filled with preservative-free sterile saline, and we use it, uh, Stewart for permanently two.
[00:15:09] Pathways or two purposes or applications, if you will. One is to rehabilitate the vision in cases of extreme distorted corneas or irregular corneas that can render a patient legally blind so we can rehabilitate the vision in these cases. The other, because of this fluid reservoir that I mentioned to you.
[00:15:33] Is to treat ocular surface diseases, which in many cases, if you have never heard of this, uh, consider yourself a lucky and a blessed person because these are very debilitating and in many cases, blinding diseases. Uh, for example, one of the ones that we treat often is severe dry eye. You can think, oh, dryness, how debilitating it is.
[00:15:58] It's extremely [00:16:00] debilitating. And you know, just by putting that lens that it doesn't move, it just holds that reservoir. It implies immediate relief, immediate comfort, and. As a secondary, in many cases as a primary gain is rehabilitating your vision. We take you from a legally blind, like 2200 to 2020, so we are literally steward.
[00:16:25] Reclaiming, like changing patient's lives and reclaiming their lives. You know, that's part like a, a tagline that we use in, in our clinic. And it's really not a cliche. I mean, it's, it's, it's such a powerful, active verb, you know? 'cause we see it in, in the clinic, uh, every day. It's amazing.
[00:16:44] Stuart Paap: And so what is the tagline?
[00:16:45] I don't know if I heard it fully.
[00:16:47] Dr. Karen Carrasquillo: So it's restoring sight or restoring vision, reclaiming lives.
[00:16:52] Stuart Paap: That's powerful.
[00:16:53] Dr. Karen Carrasquillo: Yeah.
[00:16:54] Stuart Paap: Well, we all take vision for granted until it's no longer there. And [00:17:00] oftentimes I give my clients, because in my world is communication, and one of the things that I, I try to give as an analogy to my clients is.
[00:17:08] I said, okay, imagine you're in your bedroom or some room, you know well, and I ask you to close your eyes. Could you find your way through it? And they say, absolutely. I do it every night. I said, now imagine I dropped you in another room and your eyes are still closed, and I asked you to move with the same speed.
[00:17:23] You couldn't do it. You would find your way through it. And I used this as an analogy for explaining a domain. To someone who doesn't know, you have to go a bit slower and wayfind along the way. You have to put your hands and feet out metaphorically. But I think about that with vision that anytime anyone's vision has been compromised, it is the most disorienting, scary feeling.
[00:17:47] And people who lose vision, it's life changing. So reclaiming lives is right on. And I'm curious, I mean, in your career. You must have dozens if not hundreds. But are there [00:18:00] any patient stories that really stick out with you as just something special and of course, you know, for protecting their, their anonymity or privacy.
[00:18:10] But I'm just curious if you have any, um, personal stories that hit you particularly close to home.
[00:18:16] Dr. Karen Carrasquillo: There are many. Thankfully I have many, and which is one of the reasons why I really love working at Boston Side because it affords me an opportunity for me to be grateful. I mean, I feel grateful for working where I work, right?
[00:18:32] And I, I think it's an immense privilege, but. Two that I can think of right out of the bad one in particular was a kid from Puerto Rico. The fact that not only I have the the fortune to have the skillset that I have and the training that I have, but also the fact that I'm bilingual, I'm able to impact lives.
[00:18:55] Even further by being able to understand the [00:19:00] idiosyncrasy and, you know, the, the cultural competence of some of our patients by also being Hispanic. And this kid struggled through many different doctors, was, had a diagnosis of A DHD hyperactivity issues with learning quote unquote learning disabilities in school and.
[00:19:22] This kid had extremely, was legally blind when the kid came, uh, to see me. And not only was I able to connect on a cultural lev, uh, level, uh, you know, the language because English, English was a barrier, uh, for the patient and, and the parents. But when we fit or I was able to fit, uh, this patient with this customized devices, and I brought this patient back from legal blindness.
[00:19:50] To 2030, which is close to uh, 2020, which is the gold standard. The patient's lives change dramatically. This diagnosis [00:20:00] of hyperactivity was no longer, this kid was highly medicated, no longer the kid was hyperactive because the kid. Could not focus because the kid could not see. How do you want someone to focus if they cannot see, it's the same thing.
[00:20:17] And, and, and we, when I work with students, you know, and something that I was taught in school is you should not diagnose hyperactivity disorders or learning disabilities if you have not ruled out two things. Uh, visual problems and auditory problems because. How can someone focus if they are not listening properly or they cannot see?
[00:20:39] Well, and I remember this kid came with a social worker. It was a very high involved kid, super hyperactive. The, the mother was, she felt bad because the kid was sort of pretty jumpy. And I said, you know, let him let him, as long as I'm able to do what I need to do, just let him And three months [00:21:00] after the kid returned to Puerto Rico.
[00:21:02] I heard, I got a letter from a social worker saying, it's amazing what these devices are doing for this kid no longer in medication, and just the whole outlook for this child. Change and improved and now not a learning disability. Now the kid can see, so now he can focus and he can properly study. So that's one case in particular that I can tell you that it was so moving, touching that I felt, you know, what a privilege I have to do what I do.
[00:21:33] Stuart Paap: Yeah, I, it not only hits me emotionally, but also how often does this happen where we're just looking at the problem the wrong way. And I love that principle that, can we just write off the, you know, the first box is the ability, do we have the ability to hear or see or participate? And then let's talk about skills and behaviors.
[00:21:56] But let's not do that until we're clear that someone has the. [00:22:00] Ability. So you bringing back that ability changed this young person's life. So it's absolutely, it's moving.
[00:22:06] Dr. Karen Carrasquillo: Yeah, absolutely.
[00:22:08] Stuart Paap: So one more question at Boston site, but I really am excited to get into Fit Academy and you know, this is a naive question, so if it doesn't work, it doesn't work.
[00:22:18] But if you could wave your magic wand and fix one challenge with the eye or with vision, what would that be?
[00:22:27] Dr. Karen Carrasquillo: That's a very good question, and I would define it with one word. Stuart, I can talk to you about so many conditions that are lining conditions, et cetera, right? But at the heart of it, it all comes down to axis.
[00:22:39] That's how I would define it if I would have a magic wand to address. A particular challenge with vision would be axis, so that regardless of what condition it is that you have, you know, it could be the front of the eye, back of the eye, but as you said it earlier. You know, the vision is the window to the world.
[00:22:58] So if [00:23:00] we can address axis so that axi is not the rate limiting step or the barrier to entry for patients to receive either the treatments or innovations that they require to restore the vision as, as we said, to reclaim their lives. That's what I would do. That's what I would use that magic wand for.
[00:23:22] Remove all barriers to access.
[00:23:24] Stuart Paap: So let's talk Fit Academy, because to me, when I, especially when I see, you know, posts online and stuff, it just fills me with joy to see you're in all parts of the world sharing. What this is. So let's just get the audience on board. What is Fit Academy? Where did it start?
[00:23:44] And let's just go from there.
[00:23:45] Dr. Karen Carrasquillo: Thank you for following the journey. I, I follow yours and it's truly amazing to see what you guys are doing as well. So Fit Academy is an educational program. That hits at the core of what Boston side is. So [00:24:00] Boston Side is a nonprofit organization founded over 35 plus years ago.
[00:24:05] Um, and because we are pioneers in what we do, which is scleral lens design, we have patent, we're patent holders. We have done so many breakthroughs and pioneers into this technology. There's so much collective knowledge in this particular area and the way we approach patient care, uh, which is a, in a patient-centered manner and this collaborative approach, there's so much collective knowledge and at the heart of the nonprofit mission for Boston side, there, there are two core principles.
[00:24:37] It is innovation. Education. To me that was a perfect organization also to work with or for, especially given my background as a scientist where, you know, in the science world, in academia, if you pursue academia, what do you, you know, one of the main goals is to. Follow the evidence or learn a particular, you know, [00:25:00] research a particular subject and pass it forward.
[00:25:02] You know, you, you really wanna share what you've learned, what you investigated, what you found, you share it. That's, that's what moves you. And so we talked about how my initial career was, or my background is, is a science background. So I come to Boston site. As a court, um, mission is education. So around 2019, it was a pie in the sky for me.
[00:25:25] We were at a position where we had also, we have our own designs and we have a network of doctors in the United States, in India, but we wanted to create a new design so that. Again, access was not a limiting, uh, factor for patients to benefit from our technology. So on the technology side, we were doing great strides with.
[00:25:47] One thing that I approached, uh, my CEO with is like, you know how amazing it would be if we can gather. I started with cornea and contact lens residents and fellows from all over the United States [00:26:00] and Canada, and I told her how amazing it would be if we could gather all of these residents from all the states.
[00:26:07] And Canada bring them to Boston site and provide them with education so that all this conflictive know-how that we've gathered over 30 plus five years is not just kept within our walls or our own network so that we can potentiate our impact downstream. What is at the heart of it is patience. So I said, wouldn't that be amazing?
[00:26:34] But for that, you know, we, we knew that because of, you know, uh, salaries of residents and fellows, it's, it's not a lot when you're in training. So ideally, we wanted to do this in a way that we could cover their expenses, and we knew that for that we needed to lean in on industry and to the generosity of donors.
[00:26:54] For example, the John Henry Family Foundation was from the get go, one of our. Primary [00:27:00] donors and who supported us to launch this initiative. And so that's how it started. We've been doing this for seven years now altogether, but it has since branched from Corning contact lens residents taking it to establish.
[00:27:16] Practitioners through immersive education in our clinic, but also internationally. We've been to Columbia in 2024 and this year we, I just came back from India and we have, um, many other countries that were slated and at the heart of it, steward is passing it forward. You know, it's potentiating, the impact and the knowledge that you have accumulated and empowering others so that downstream, which is patients benefit from what we've learned, and so others can learn that as well and patients can benefit.
[00:27:52] Stuart Paap: You know what resonates for me, Karen, is accelerating and amplifying access. [00:28:00]
[00:28:00] Dr. Karen Carrasquillo: That's it.
[00:28:01] Stuart Paap: Because that theme of access, this is that. But amplified and sped up to get everyone to be that agent of access. And that's absolutely
[00:28:11] Dr. Karen Carrasquillo: right.
[00:28:12] Stuart Paap: Yeah. And, and it's such a special thing. You've talked about potentiating that knowledge base that, you know, this is to be shared and curated globally.
[00:28:23] That globally this is something that is, is a, a source of intellectual property for all to benefit from.
[00:28:30] Dr. Karen Carrasquillo: Absolutely. Yeah. So very, very privileged.
[00:28:33] Stuart Paap: Well, I love that because it's a fascinating career that you're having because for me, from the outside, it seems from the deepest research in chemistry to connecting globally, you really in such an elegant and powerful way go between, you know, deep science, but also global outreach, and it just seems very.
[00:28:58] Uniquely [00:29:00] suited to you as you evolve and grow with it as well.
[00:29:03] Dr. Karen Carrasquillo: Absolutely. Absolutely. And again, you know, you might think, you know, these two careers may seem completely opposite, but for me it was my journey. I, I think it's a meant to be journey because, you know, if we think about what science affords you, you know, as.
[00:29:20] Just that critical thinking allow, you know, leads you to ask questions, you know, interpret data, learn how to interpret data, follow the evidence, right? That helps provide you the framework, not only how you approach patient care, but you say globally, you know, one step that I left in, in between, you know, at the end is the education piece, but.
[00:29:44] To potentiate that global impact. One of the things that, um, I was very fortunate to be part of is to lead around 2014. We started the journey, but we launched in 2017. We launched a new [00:30:00] scleral lens design that could be commercially available worldwide, globally, again, to promote that axis, and at the time.
[00:30:08] I could have taken the approach to lead the team and just like any other, uh, manufacturer in the industry would approach, uh, product development or at least their lenses. And so maybe reach out to do a focus group of experts starting with our own and then beyond perhaps leaning to our network of providers and say, Hey, what does a good scleral lens sign?
[00:30:31] You know, and your opinion might look like and let's, you know, get those ingredients and craft a design. I could have done that, but because of the science background and that approach to let's lean on data, interpret data, and follow the evidence, I knew that I was in a unique position to leverage a unique organization.
[00:30:57] We have a clinic. As [00:31:00] we mentioned before, we have a laboratory, and I know from working in the clinic in this nonprofit organization having this patient-centered approach that. We are not volume-based driven, we are focused on patient outcomes. So I knew that the way we train our doctors, which we provide a standardized training so that, um, everybody approaches the patient in a similar manners when it comes to the mechanic of the fit.
[00:31:28] I knew that the data that we were harvesting and keeping in this powerful database in the lab would be good data. And so. At a time where AI was not, not even talked about, at least not in most circuits, definitely. I lean in on data and we were able to develop the first data-driven scleral lens design, and we kept feeding.
[00:31:54] We have kept feeding that lens design based on data. You know, at the time, maybe the iPhone was sort of [00:32:00] the innovation that was using data to come up with innovations, and because of that science background. I was able to go the different way and come up with something completely novel in 2017. So much so that today in the industry.
[00:32:17] Many others are following suit, and even in their branding, they claim and highlight the data-driven benefits of their lenses. But Boston Site was, again, one more, once more a pioneer and I, I really think that that science background is what you know, helps potentiate these outcomes. So everything is meant to be.
[00:32:40] Everything is meant to be.
[00:32:41] Stuart Paap: So you're looking at it with the right lens. You had that background and that data lens perspective on that, that you saw potential to, to leverage that and to, to turn that into unique innovations.
[00:32:53] Dr. Karen Carrasquillo: Right? Not knowing what we were gonna find.
[00:32:56] Stuart Paap: Right.
[00:32:56] Dr. Karen Carrasquillo: But it was an approach that I thought it was worth [00:33:00] taking and let's just follow the evidence, right and see what we find.
[00:33:04] And long and behold, we were amazingly surprised led to, uh, patents and, you know, but the most important thing is the development of something novel that empowers practitioners because it's data-driven. Your starting point is so much closer to the endpoint. So you're, you're helping practitioners adapt the technology sooner, but ultimately.
[00:33:28] The patient benefits because again, you're backed up by science, by evidence, it's evidence-based, um, innovation. So it's, it's really, really fascinating.
[00:33:39] Stuart Paap: So when you look at all of this, and I'm thinking of the ecosystem that you're in at Boston site, and of course amplified by Fit Academy, but Boston Site.
[00:33:50] What do you think allows for this sense of accelerated purpose at at Boston site? Is it the fact that people are there [00:34:00] because they want to be there? Is it everyone's a great team player? Egos checked at the door. What do you think is part of the secret sauce that makes this organization work so well?
[00:34:11] Dr. Karen Carrasquillo: Honestly, believe is that we are very mission driven. The folks that are in that organization, they are motivated by the mission. You know, we, we go to our goals, strategic initiatives. We go back to our mission. You know, obviously you wanna generate revenue. Obviously there there's some, uh, secondary, tertiary benefits that we all look to strive for and, and to achieve, right?
[00:34:43] But I truly believe that these innovations, this research initiatives, the way we approach patients, the outcomes that we. Achieve is because the individuals and the organization at large is [00:35:00] extremely mission driven. And so if you go back to your mission, I think it's a win because if, if it's so rooted in the mission, innovation, education, research, patient-centered care, if everything that you do and you're moving along and you go back to the mission.
[00:35:18] You stay the course, you stay the course. I mean, don't get me wrong, there are challenges with a small organization, especially nonprofit organization. We have to be very savvy about, uh, budgets and, and, and resource utilization, right? I. Again, we go back to the mission, and so far we create magic. If so, I must say, I mean, in my opinion at least,
[00:35:42] Stuart Paap: well, it's a shortcut to purpose around why are we here, and if everyone is there for more the same reason than not, then you're gonna get alignment and, and you don't have to work.
[00:35:56] So hard to get everyone around the campfire because we're already [00:36:00] there because we're drawn to the mission.
[00:36:02] Dr. Karen Carrasquillo: Right.
[00:36:02] Stuart Paap: And it seems like that's just a, a performance advantage for Boston site is that, you know, if you chose to be here, if, if you followed, if you were the moth, that that came to the flame, you've selected yourself, you've left.
[00:36:17] You know, ego and all of that at the door. It doesn't mean you don't have a sense of ego, but
[00:36:21] Dr. Karen Carrasquillo: Right.
[00:36:21] Stuart Paap: You're not gonna let it get in the way of mission, or at least that's what I'm intuiting from what you're saying.
[00:36:26] Dr. Karen Carrasquillo: Absolutely.
[00:36:27] Stuart Paap: So my domain is communication. A lot of times I share with people or, or a pain point for a lot of my clients and biotech, life sciences and healthcare is how do I get attention for this initiative in a way that's appropriate to the level of urgency?
[00:36:44] So if it's a. Project XI need to frame it for leadership in the sense, in the right way, with the right data. I'm wondering about the value of communication at Boston site because you have, like any organization, many competing priorities. You're managing budgets and you know, [00:37:00] and, and patient needs, and I.
[00:37:01] You know, the lab and the clinic and all of that. How important is communication in terms of your leadership and, and connecting your team to the mission and purpose? And I'd love to know what you do or how you think about it as an organization or as an individual.
[00:37:18] Dr. Karen Carrasquillo: Absolutely. I couldn't agree with you more.
[00:37:21] It starts very, very high level. We are very fortunate to have a, a great team, a business development team, uh, communications marketing. So from the very, very top, you know, distributing the message internally, outside, we have an amazing team and it's extremely important. But, you know, then boiling down more into the smaller groups, a small organization also allows you flexibility.
[00:37:47] There's not a lot of bureaucracy in a smaller organization, so you're, you're more malleable, more, more flexible to adjust. So we can meet and we do meet as a team pretty [00:38:00] regularly. For example, with my reports, I meet with them every two weeks. I. Just on one-on-one meetings. I meet with my CEO every two weeks and, and like that all of the teams across the organizations have this culture of this biweekly meetings on a one-on-one.
[00:38:17] So I. You keep that, you know, other than the day-to-day, um, communications. But by having that, uh, model of, you know, every two weeks, you know, meeting and having that one-on-one engagement, not only can you help potentiate each other, like the goals that you may set. Not only for that particular month or quarter or year, et cetera, long-term projects, but also one-on-one checkings.
[00:38:43] How are you doing? Are, are there things that we can do to course correct, improve, et cetera. So it keeps you. In check. And so I believe that that is a benefit of a small organization. Sometimes with bureaucracy or larger teams, [00:39:00] you may not be able to have, for example, with your CEO, the time to meet every two weeks because the CEO is busy doing so many other things.
[00:39:09] Right. And so again, there's pros and cons, but communication, to your point, we do. Belief is extremely important. And so we implement it like that in in our teams just to keep our initiatives moving forward and just to keep a check-in with ourselves to make sure that things are okay and, and when things are not that great, allow ourselves to course correct.
[00:39:32] Stuart Paap: So talk to me about that for a minute, because we all know that life is about getting honest and transparent. Messages from people who care about us and can also show us the path forward. So I remember, you know, Adam Grant, the organizational psychologist, said that before you get any feedback from anybody, you have to ask if they are an expert in the area.
[00:39:56] If they care about you and they [00:40:00] have actionable steps forward, is there a clear path forward? And so I'm curious how you think about that because. Whether it's reporting up to your CEO or your team reporting to you or or, or peers or colleagues, how do you think about, and I don't wanna say critical, but giving the right message so that they understand how to course correct, because we can't just assume it will happen.
[00:40:24] Dr. Karen Carrasquillo: You mean the course correction?
[00:40:26] Stuart Paap: Yeah, sure. So when there's good news is always great to hear, right? Bad news, we, we have to be transparent and upfront, but then there's somewhere in the middle, there's, you can, we can do this better? Or how do we improve? How do you think about that in terms of, you know, coaching others or giving feedback in a meaningful way to ensure that the mission.
[00:40:47] Is on track and, and you're being the best you can be because that's, that's all we can do.
[00:40:52] Dr. Karen Carrasquillo: Absolutely. And you're right. You have to find sort of a balance, but you need to be as transparent as possible. Yeah. You know, it's, you [00:41:00] can say the same thing that is truthful mm-hmm. In nature. Mm-hmm. But your delivery matters.
[00:41:07] So it's not, it's like they say, it's not necessarily only what you say, but how you say it. But it's important to still say it in order to either course correct or, or get the best out of people. I believe, um, you know, for myself and, and for my reports, I, I always try to see the best in what each of the individuals in my team brings.
[00:41:31] As a collective, I believe we have an amazing team, but each of the individual reports, you know, that's, there's a reason why we hire them and, and, um, I always go back to, you know. What is the good in them? I mean, nobody's perfect. I, for, for God's sake. I'm not perfect. Nobody's perfect. So, but just being genuine with your report or up with my, my CEO, just being very genuine, being [00:42:00] transparent.
[00:42:00] I do believe that that is important and I've gone through. Episodes and moments where we have had to do course correction of, of different types with my reports. And it starts, you know, even though I'm a supervisory, in a supervisory role, I don't lead with. Power that you know, I'm here and you're there.
[00:42:23] I'd like to see them, you know, right where they are. I'd like to meet them where they are, but also it's a matter of understanding. I also, I strive to hopefully make them understand either I. What is the issue that needs the course correction or what's the matter that we should shift or recalibrate? You know, we're probably digressing.
[00:42:47] Let, let's come back and, and regroup. So trying to make them understand, usually that has worked for me and I. I don't need to tell them exactly what they need to do, but if I [00:43:00] make them or help them understand what is the issue at hand, usually they course correct on their own. And I believe that's the same for me when I have had to course correct myself.
[00:43:11] Stuart Paap: Yeah, I love that. And what resonates for me is you say what needs to be said, but you're careful with how you do that.
[00:43:19] Dr. Karen Carrasquillo: Yeah, yeah.
[00:43:20] Stuart Paap: To care for somebody. Yeah. And um, I often. I give advice to my clients at times where I say, you know, you might be fearful or nervous to deliver this news, but if you aren't delivering it and you were counseling other people to do it, what would you tell them?
[00:43:35] And they usually say something like, I would say that this must be shared. I'm like, that's right. That's the truth. And so you have to find a way to share what is true, but also keep, be respectful and, and keep those relationships.
[00:43:50] Dr. Karen Carrasquillo: The way I see it is that, and that's just how I, uh, function. Um, I act with conviction.
[00:43:58] So conviction is, is my [00:44:00] north. So if there's a conviction, either of what is the goal for the organization or conviction about, you know, certain attitudes or behaviors, I act with conviction. But you don't need to put anybody down. Uh, conviction can be your north. You can deliver the message and you need to have courage to deliver the message, but conviction will allow you, in my opinion, to have that courage.
[00:44:28] Mm-hmm. To deliver the message in the way, in the best way possible to get the outcomes that you need. Mm-hmm. Because in the end, everybody's here for for the same reason. You know, if we need to course correct, just say it in a way that they understand you'll get the outcomes that you want. Yeah, I'm pretty sure
[00:44:46] Stuart Paap: belief is not binary.
[00:44:48] It's not. You believe or you don't. You can find more ways to believe that conviction drives it.
[00:44:53] Dr. Karen Carrasquillo: Absolutely.
[00:44:54] Stuart Paap: All right. Two more questions for you. This is. Phenomenal. When you look at the next [00:45:00] chapter in Boston site in Fit Academy, what gets you most excited for this next phase coming up
[00:45:05] Dr. Karen Carrasquillo: for me is potentiating.
[00:45:08] Potentiating, the impact, you know, growing the program so that more people can benefit. It moves me. Creating impact moves me, and ultimately, I said before this opportunity to pass it forward to me. It's just amazing. So when I think about Fit Academy and the plans that we have at the core of it is this notion of passing it forward.
[00:45:38] It goes back to that conviction that I just mentioned, you know, 'cause I have this conviction that in doing so, empowering others is going to downstream help so many more patients. And at the end of the day, it all. Starts and ends with patients at the heart of it. And [00:46:00] so I'm just excited to see where we're gonna take this program, grow it, take it globally.
[00:46:06] We partner with, uh, our global partners and distributors, uh, to help, uh, bring this program to more countries and. If at the end of it, if nothing else, steward, I have this sense or realization that I contributed creating impact by helping patients globally. I'm just a privilege and lucky person, and so I'm just gonna strive to do that.
[00:46:37] Stuart Paap: Well. It's not only inspiring, but you said passing it forward. And I think about the multiplier effect because if you go from three and you pass, everyone passes it to one, we're quickly at nine and then 27 and it just goes. And how many more? People like that young boy from Puerto Rico whose life changed, will this [00:47:00] affect globally?
[00:47:00] And that, that sense of impact, that sense of purpose, you are an inspiration here and I, I love what you're doing and Oh,
[00:47:08] Dr. Karen Carrasquillo: thank you.
[00:47:08] Stuart Paap: I think every day must be an exciting different adventure. Not easy, no, nothing simple but worth doing. Um, absolutely. So my last question is an open one because I want to ask you, is there anything I did not ask you about that you wanted to mention or touch on or share with the audience?
[00:47:27] Dr. Karen Carrasquillo: Again, thank you for, for the opportunity, you know, since our theme has revolved, um, around creating impact. Acting with conviction straight true to your core values. I'd say that for someone who might be listening that is struggling with what they're going through at their careers and may find or think that, um.
[00:47:52] Maybe they've lost meaning in what they they're doing for work. Just know that you're not alone, and many, many [00:48:00] professionals at some point in their careers may have felt this way, but see it as an opportunity. Um, be grateful for it because sometimes you can harness that feeling and use it as a turning point and, you know, be grateful that you're perhaps listening to a whisper.
[00:48:18] Something is telling you, um, that perhaps. You're losing meaning and work because you're going away from your core values or what gives you sense and purpose. Maybe you started there, but now not anymore. This could be an opportunity not just to, not to feel down, but perhaps how can I use this as a turning point to then see what is it that I really.
[00:48:44] One, what is my sense of purpose? What are my core values? And yet again, course correct. Use it as an opportunity to, to go back to your roots and then do better. So that's what I would end with and go back to [00:49:00] hopefully creating impact. I think that's, uh, very moving and creating impact is very broad. It could be in any field.
[00:49:08] So hopefully everybody has a sense of, um, purpose in creating impact in what they do.
[00:49:13] Stuart Paap: Yeah, I love that. And it's such an elegant way you said that. And what I get from that is that if your light has dimmed, find the purpose and get back to creating an impact in the way you see it. Because you are aligned with your purpose.
[00:49:28] It is clear. And if people feel less than that. The answer's probably within, and so it uses that information
[00:49:35] Dr. Karen Carrasquillo: absolutely.
[00:49:36] Stuart Paap: All right, well, Dr. Karen Carillo, Miranda, if I pronounce that correctly, you can laugh at me. You did. But it's just been a pleasure to speak with you and, uh, I've just learned so much and I'm also being extra cautious, protecting my eyes as I go through life and age.
[00:49:54] And I really wanna hold onto my vision so I can enjoy all parts of it. And so I just thank you for your [00:50:00] time and where should people go if they wanna learn more about Fit Academy or, or Boston site or follow your adventures in this world.
[00:50:08] Dr. Karen Carrasquillo: Thank you again for the opportunity, Stewart.
[00:50:10] Stuart Paap: My pleasure.
[00:50:11] Dr. Karen Carrasquillo: Uh, if, uh, for those that wanna learn more, you can visit our website, Boston site.org.
[00:50:16] Stuart Paap: Wonderful. All right. Thank you Dr. Karen Carrasquillo Miranda, thank you for being on the show. Wonderful to see you. And until we meet soon, I hope
[00:50:27] Dr. Karen Carrasquillo: again, right? Hopefully soon. Thank you.
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