34: Reaching patients directly in medtech: Insights from Medtronic's Senior Director of Global Integrated Communications, Neuromodulation, Naomi Rodiles

How do you raise awareness for complex, highly regulated medical therapies when most eligible patients do not even know it exists? At CES 2026, Alan Hart spoke with Naomi Rodiles, senior director of Global Integrated Communications, Neuromodulation, at Medtronic, about the patient communication required to grow adoption of therapies like deep brain stimulation that can support management of movement disorders like Parkinson's. Naomi explains that the challenge is not clinical efficacy or provider trust, but rather awareness. Even proven therapies can sometimes remain invisible to patients until late in their journey. She outlines how her team is evolving from primarily health care provider-centered messaging to a multichannel, digital-first communications model designed to directly reach patients and caregivers to help them discover, understand and evaluate options earlier. Naomi emphasizes that effective patient marketing in medtech is less about promotion and more about credible education that empowers better conversations in the clinician's office, while strengthening provider partnerships. She also shares practical leadership lessons from the transformation: design for modern consumer expectations, build integrated channel presence so information is findable when people search, and adopt AI carefully to scale content and storytelling within a regulated environment.    In this episode, you'll learn:  Why awareness, not efficacy, is often the real growth constraint for complex offerings and strategies to navigate it  Ways to win trust by prioritizing education over promotion  Practical lessons for scaling content in regulated, high-stakes categories using AI    Key highlights:  [00:00] Introduction  [01:00] Starting out at BET's Rap City  [02:15] Naomi's path to Medtronic  [02:50] The scope of Medtronic  [03:50] Medtronic's neuromodulation therapies  [05:55] Marketing life-changing solutions  [07:50] Evolving the messaging  [10:15] Lessons learned  [11:45] Symbiotic relationships with health care providers  [13:10] An experience that defines you: Falling in love with journalism  [14:40] Advice to your younger self: Be mindful of burnout  [15:05] A topic marketers need to learn more about: AI  [16:00] What are you curious about: AI for equity  [16:50] Largest potential threat to marketers today: Resisting change  [18:10] CES trends: AI becoming helpful in everyday life    Resources mentioned:    Medtronic  CES  Medtronic Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) therapy   Medtronic Percept DBS system  Actualize Impact  BET's "Rap City: Tha Basement"     Follow the podcast:    Listen on Apple Podcasts    Listen on Amazon Music   Listen on Audible   Listen on iHeart Radio  Listen on Spotify      Connect with Naomi Rodiles and Medtronic:  Naomi Rodiles on LinkedIn  Medtronic on LinkedIn  Medtronic on YouTube    Connect with Alan Hart and Deloitte Digital:     Alan Hart on X  Alan Hart on LinkedIn   Deloitte Digital on LinkedIn   Deloitte Digital on Instagram   Deloitte Digital on YouTube   Deloitte Digital on Threads