Virtual Care Revolution: Bridging Distances in Healthcare (ft. Gemma Lowery)

Thanks for tuning to Digital Voices Podcast, where we chat digital transformation, challenges, and opportunities across healthcare and life sciences. And now, your host, Ed Marx.

Welcome to Digital Voices. Thanks for hanging out with us, and thanks for making us in the top 10 of all podcasts under technology. I got to make sure I Always put in that qualifier, 'cause we're not competing here with Joe Rogan or anything, but with Gemma Laurie, who knows? We could be. Gemma, welcome to Digital Voices.

Thank you so much. Thanks for having me.

I, I'm so excited about this because I think you're one of the leaders in the whole space here of digital transformation. You, you're someone who shares, and that's real. I really appreciate it. And you're not afraid to share and be out there and helping lead the way. That's what it takes. It takes people who are influencing, you know, the industry. And so I'm so glad That you're here with me for a couple minutes.

Thank you. It's awesome to be here.

So we first met, I think we were chatting earlier, like on a webinar a few years ago, maybe around COVID time. But ever since then, you know, you've been on my radar, as I mentioned. But Gemma, all that set aside, the most important thing I have to ask is, what are the songs on your playlist?

Oh my goodness. I know you always get people with that. And so I actually gave some thought to it. In the mood I'm in right this week, Is I've got 3 that are kind of big for me right now, and it's Freedom from Beyoncé because, you know, that's just, Beyoncé's taken over the summer. Yeah. Um, Change Is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke, cuz that is just the, the space. I think innovation space is all about change. And Get Up, Stand Up because, you know, we can't just sit down and do nothing. We've gotta be about the change. And that's Bob Marley. So those are my 3 for right now.

Ah, love it. And yeah, 1 or 2 of those are brand new for our Spotify playlist, which we'll add to. So that's really cool. What about life message or mantra? Are there words that you live by?

You know what? I'm in this space now where I just— why not? I think that's really where I am. Like, we watch, we observe, we comment, but at some point you have to say, why not get involved in whatever it is that feeds your fire? And that's— those are kind of my words right now. Why not? You know, everybody has a reason, but I challenge them.

I love it. Uh, that's great. And, and I love the simplicity of that too. That's 2 words. What about you? Let's, let's talk about you. Like, what's your story? And I wanna start from the very beginning. Like, where were you born?

Yeah, I was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania. I live in Delaware now, so I have not moved far.

Yeah.

Um, I was born and went into foster care actually, and was adopted, um, when I was 13 months old. Um, so that's, you know, my parents were in Philly and then eventually came to Delaware. My brother came along, also adopted. So we are biracial kiddos of an all-white family. So it was a very interesting time. And then divorced parents when I was 5. So it's very interesting when your mom is white, you're biracial, everybody assumes she was married to a Black man. She was not. But, um, so it's always interesting when people are like, you look just like your father and your mother. I'm like, we don't. So we, you know, born and raised, grew up in Delaware, single mom. School was our job. That was what our requirement on top of helping mom was, that education was key. It was what was going to take us wherever we wanted to go in life. So that was kind of a deal and a partnership with her. Went through the school system in Delaware, public school, then Catholic school, St. Mark's for all the Delaware folks, and then University of Delaware, and then Willmiew for my master's. So stayed close to home, but do love to travel. But that's kind of been my space. I grew up at a time where we were latchkey kids.

Yeah.

So neighbors all looked out for you. And one of our adopted grandfathers is who we used to check in as kids and make sure, because mom was working. And I remember going over to check on him one day and seeing feet at the bottom of the stairs. And he was in his 70s. And couldn't get in the house, so went to another neighbor and got the key and went in and found him at the bottom of the stairs. He had fallen and had been there for 2 days.

Wow.

He had been to Sunday dinner, and it was Tuesday, and we hadn't seen him. And I think, honestly, that's kind of— that happened, and then my mom had a hemorrhage one night in bed and called out. And I ran over and had to call 911 and all that for her. So kind of those 2 things, I think, are what really triggered me. healthcare, for thinking that I wanted to be somebody that could help. And so, I thought I was going to be a doctor for a really long time.

Yeah.

Wow. Yeah, that's an amazing story. How did that shape you? Like being part of a biracial family, how did that shape who you are today?

I think it gave me a really tough skin because when people are uncomfortable, they don't know what to say. And that applies to kids too. So, we were adopted and would apologize. They're like, oh, I'm so sorry. Why would you apologize? Or they would say, oh my God, you owe your family so much. And I'm like, I'm the kid here. So it was interesting watching people try to figure out how to manage change.

Yeah.

Really, really conscious of having a tougher skin, but also being kind. Because I think it just goes so far. If you don't know what to say, Just don't make up anything. Just be nice.

Yeah. How hard is that? Right?

Yeah, I know. I know.

So, yeah, that makes so much sense too, because I, you know, what I do know about you, see you out there in your public persona, you know, you're, you're a very kind person and you're a very assertive person. Yes.

Great.

I love it. So you're also engaged early with the whole EICU, virtual care, all things digital. How did, how did that part come about, like in your career?

Yeah, it was interesting. I had a career in finance, in quality improvement, and then I was in manufacturing because Delaware is near Maryland. We have Gore. So, I was— I learned about textiles because banking was leaving Delaware, and then textiles was leaving the US. So, I took some time home with my last kiddo, really trying to figure out, like, what is it that I wanted to do? And I wasn't really sure, but I took a part-time part-time job at the hospital for like their sick line to help a girlfriend who worked in HR. She's like, nobody wants this job. It's only 20 hours. You should do this. You're going to come back into the workforce anyway. And I had never pursued, you know, my pre-med dreams because organic chemistry and I were not friends. Um, so I thought, oh, well, forget doctoring. I'm in my late 30s. Maybe I'll do nursing. So, I transferred onto a unit as a unit clerk and thought, well, let me see from the inside. Because you hear all this stuff about nursing. I didn't know you probably shouldn't go to an ICU to decide if you want to be a nurse. But I had friends that worked there. So I went there and quickly learned I did not want to go back to nursing school. But they had just started an EICU 6 months prior. And I was fascinated with it because my kids, when I had them, my first 2 were very sick at 8 months, both of them, like clockwork. In and out of hospitals, really bad asthma. After the first one, I'm like, this is insane. We're in and out of the hospital 4 months a year. There's got to be a better way. Then I had a second because we thought that was an anomaly. And 8 months and a week, the second one, we're in the hospital. And this time it's asthma and pneumonia. I'm like this— so now we're juggling a baby at home who goes to the hospital. And we worked it out where I had a friend who was a nurse who taught me how to listen with the stethoscope. I knew how to do steroids. We knew about propping up the bed, the humidifier. So, I was doing it at home with a call to my pediatrician to avoid the hospital. So, when I saw the EICU, I thought, wait a minute, this is— they're actually doing what we thought we were like, you know, making up. So, I reached out to the director and said, hey, do you have any positions over there? And this was 19 years ago. So, I went over there as a clerk and then I became their admin and then I became the program manager and stayed there for 6 years.

Wow.

Through a couple iterations of them threatening to close it down. So then I was developing new ways to do it with different partners. And that really, that was it. I was hooked. I'm like, we can do the amazing things at a distance in places where patients would just die.

Yeah.

And that really resonated with me.

Yeah, that's super cool. Yeah. We'll come back to virtual in a second to sort of take us through your career arc. You're also really engaged with HIMSS, both on the local and national level. Tell us, how is that? Helped shape you as a leader?

You know what? Access. HIMSS has been a really, really big avenue of access to networking, different ideas. I didn't know a ton about it because I'm also part of some other groups, and I kept hearing about it, and the hospital system had so many memberships, and I'm like, well, what does this membership get me? So, I started attending some of the meetings, and then I thought, for kicks and giggles, Let me try for the board, and got elected.

That's it.

Oh, okay. And then that really let me see and be involved more in having an influence on programming. Because one of the things I noticed when I went to HIMSS was how underrepresented I was there.

Yeah.

And I thought, I can't, as a member on the outside, do anything about it, but let me try to get inside and see if I can have some influence on diversifying some of what HIMSS is presenting.

Yeah. Ah, I love that. That's awesome. That again goes back to kind of the theme that we're picking up on here since the day that you were born is that you're a changemaker.

Yes.

And I, I, I love that you're a very passionate person and takes action. Uh, so I really appreciate that. Yeah. So let's, let's go back now on the virtual side. So what's, what's one thing that you're super proud of, you and your team, that you've, you've done so far?

Um, I'm gonna pick one cuz it's just really relevant right now, but really I, I've been very blessed that Every big project we've undertaken, we've succeeded in bringing forward, which is not normal. Smaller ones, not so much, but the big ones, I think it makes a big difference that we've been able to bring mobile vans, get the grant and bring that forward, that we've been able to do virtual nursing and bring that forward. But probably the biggest one that I see as leading for where we're going as a country is the Hospital at Home program. That one is just And it's funny because it's innovative, but it's going back hundreds of years. So, I always laugh at the mix of the old and the new. It's a new way of bringing about the old because we always used to take care of people in their homes.

Yes.

And hospitals were pretty much where you went to die if nothing else could be done at home. And that has so changed that I just love the idea that we can bring the care to the home. And really allow people to keep their humanity, to keep connected to their families, not to lose their pets, you know, to just treat the whole person. Yeah.

Yeah. I, yeah, it is funny how it's come across full circle, but now we have the digital tools so we can scale it. So we're recording in July of 2025, and there's a lot of regulations all the time, uh, within our government on funding, but telehealth, since that's kind of the area we're focused on right now, virtual care, telehealth. There's been some funding provisions. Like, what are your thoughts around that? Because I know you're a big, big advocate.

Yeah, absolutely. I'm actually glad to see— I think telehealth is the one place where there's really bipartisan support. And I think because it's a scarcity model, we're living in a space where we are and will continue to be so scarce on specialists and the resources that we need to really address an aging population that Without tech and telehealth, I don't really know how we would be able to manage this. So, I think we have no choice but to lean into it, which for me is like, hmm, silver linings amongst everything are when opportunity comes. Because unfortunately, sometimes the pain point is big enough.

Yeah.

So, I think that, that we are going to see a bunch, a bunch of innovation, a bunch of people accepting what used to be optional as now required.

Right.

And I think it's even gonna flow over into changing the way that we work in the future. I think the jobs that are gonna be available, the opportunities that people are gonna have, are gonna live in a virtual space as much as they're gonna live in a physical space.

Yeah. Yeah. And I, I agree with you. I'm glad for the most part, right? Healthcare tech is a, a bipartisan thing. So, uh, it doesn't necessarily matter who's in charge in a particular time and, time and place. Uh, there always seems to be a a good amount of attention to it. But yeah, like you're saying, I think we'd both love to see it become a permanent thing.

Yeah.

But the good thing is I think everyone now is being exposed to it and using it.

Yeah.

And so I think that's what's gonna help make it permanent the next couple of years. And seeing now there's studies being published on quality and on experience. And so it's gonna prove itself to be the wave of the future, like you said. So Let's talk leadership. When was the moment that you realized you were a leader?

It's funny, I have a little brother who's 18 months younger than me, and probably the first fight I got into defending him. Because it, it, I've always just been very protective. And I think that if you're a good leader, being protective is a really big part of that.

Yeah.

Because you're protecting your team, but you're also protecting the goals. that you're trying to achieve. So, I think if it's not all about you, which I just never think it should be, it's about the we and how we can get things done and be successful, then I think it just naturally evolved. We all go through our times, you know, high school, early college, where we start second-guessing.

Yeah.

Which in majors was devastating to me because in my head, I mean, I was dissecting turkeys when I was 8 years old, trying to see what— how they worked inside. It was just part of my identity. And having to grapple with letting that go and still being able to feel successful about myself really helped develop that and going, it's who you are. It's not what you do.

Yeah.

And it's sometimes the way that you discover it is by tackling challenges that I just wasn't willing to let it, like, lay me flat. I went to school on a full scholarship that only lasted 4 years. So I had to pivot and still finish in 4 years, changing majors. So that really kind of lit a fire like, oh, it's not going to beat me. And I'm a Taurus. So, I'm really stubborn. So, it all went together to kind of, for me, fill in the pieces of leading. And I've been blessed in that a lot of people gravitate towards me and have been really good about, you know, appreciating the advice and looking to me to help lead them, which kind of made it, you know, a pretty easy self-fulfilling prophecy.

Yeah, Jelma, I could see you being invited back to your university and giving the commencement speech. And when that happens, what are, What are a couple things? I mean, I, I've already, I've taken copious notes here. I have like major themes of your life. What, what are some things that you would, that you would instill upon, you know, let's just say 18-year-olds that are looking, you know, towards what's next in life?

Yeah. Number one, be flexible. I tell everybody this, if you have a choice in life to be an oak tree or a palm tree, always, always gravitate to the palm. An oak in bad weather will break. It will snap. And then that oak is over. A palm tree, in most places where you see really, really significant storms, will survive. They'll sway. They'll bend. They'll do what they do.

Yeah.

Don't be so tied to what you think you want to do or who you think you are that you're not willing to be flexible. And always, always, always remain curious. Curiosity will keep you moving forward. I'm a lifelong learner. So I'm fully committed that it doesn't matter how old you are. You will keep yourselves in the game if you are always curious.

Yeah.

And then figure out how to manage that curiosity into your next big thing.

Yeah, no, that's, that's really well said. You, you know, you're a very accomplished person. What do you do to recharge your batteries and remain fresh? You know, burnout is a big thing for everyone. Um, how, what do you do like for self-care?

I am an avid baker. I bake a ton. I love to cook. I'm a reader, so I read a ton, and it's not scientific academic stuff. It's like crazy fantasy, sci-fi, whatever, just for a break. And then I do a lot of service. I'm in organizations where I love being out in the community. I just like, I'm a fixer. So, for me, even if it's not what people think of as relaxing, just going out and solving a problem and working with the community and feeling like we did something, for me, is such a big buzz that—

I love that.

I really like doing that kind of work.

You know, while I still have you, let's do another words of advice, but now we're talking to mid-career person. They feel, they feel stuck or they're not sure, right? They're just kind of going through the motions. They see someone like you and they're like, wow, that person's really mover and shaker doing their life's passion. What, what might be one or two words of advice you'd give someone sort of stuck mid-career?

I guess one of the first things would be to question, like, where do you see yourself?

Yeah.

I think we get into our silos, and we forget to look around. And I always tell people, 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.

Yeah. Yeah.

And taking people out of their immediate circumstances and asking them, like, what do you— what would make you happy? What's the thing that you could accomplish that would make you feel fulfilled? And getting people to reconnect with where they felt power powerful and where they felt happy, but also the caution that if you can't do it through your job, can you do it anywhere in your life so you can feel like, you know, everything isn't this gerbil on the wheel? Right.

Yeah.

We've all failed.

We've all—

you know, accomplishment, I think, is just as much a force of will as it is opportunity. You have to want to do it and keep doing that work. And sometimes it's at work and sometimes it's outside of work through a passion project.

Yeah. No, I love it. This has been so interesting and I, and I learn a lot. That's why I love doing this is I get to learn a bunch too from great people like yourself. But we talked about your life mantra, which is, why not? I love that. I'm gonna steal that for this next season of life. And then we talked about how you grew up, which makes total sense. My themes that I was picking up that were woven into everything you talked about was about resiliency. Very resilient person and an advocate of people and life and love. And then, uh, it was great hearing about your career and, and your, the pivots that you made and how you made 'em. 'Cause I, that's why I was asking the question about what would you say to other people? 'Cause a lot of people, I think, get kind of get stuck, right? And they're, they're not as fulfilled as they could be. And we talked about virtual care and the cool things that you're doing. You talk a lot about leadership and the, the importance of being flexible, the importance of being curious. Being a lifelong learner. What did I miss, or is there anything you want to double down on? I'll give you the last word.

No, I think that's actually a really good summary. I like that. People need to just remember joy. I think that 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. So I'll just remind people, connect with joy whenever you can, especially when you're feeling particularly down. Because not only does it help you, it lets you help other people.

Love it. That's a great word to end on. 3 words, why not, and joy. Thanks, Gemma, for being part of Digital Voices.

Thanks so much for having me.

Thank you for listening to Digital Voices podcast with Ed Marx. If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe on your preferred streaming service and leave a rating and review. And most importantly, thanks again for listening.