From Cath Lab to Creativity: How a Cardiologist Became an Innovator

What does it take for a physician to cross the bridge from medicine into health tech innovation? In this episode of First in Human, I sit down with Dr. Farzad Azimpour - cardiologist, Stanford Biodesign alum, and global health innovator - whose career has spanned device development, design thinking at IDEO, and now Head of Innovation in Structural Heart at Edwards Lifesciences.Farzad shares his journey from a young cardiology fellow scribbling ideas on index cards to working at the front lines of medical device innovation. We explore the lessons he’s learned about creativity, collaboration, and unlearning some of medicine’s ingrained habits in order to thrive in interdisciplinary teams. Along the way, we talk Biodesign, intellectual property, structural heart therapies, and what it means to balance falling in love with an idea with knowing when to let it go.If you’ve ever wondered how doctors, designers, and engineers can come together to change patient care, this conversation offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at the medtech world. Whether you’re a physician with a creative spark, a founder navigating early-stage health innovation, or just curious about how ideas move from the clinic to real-world impact, you’ll walk away inspired.Subscribe, share, and follow along at firstinhumanpodcast.com or wherever you get your podcasts.