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

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

Author: Alan B. Hart February 18, 2026 Duration: 20:11

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 CommunicationsNeuromodulation, 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:   

CES 

 

 Follow the podcast:   


Hosted by Alan B. Hart, Marketing Beyond moves past the buzzwords and surface-level tactics to explore the real strategic decisions shaping modern business. Each episode features a candid, in-depth conversation with a chief marketing officer or a founder who has fundamentally changed how a brand connects with its audience. These aren't just success stories; Alan guides his guests into discussing the pivotal failures, the unexpected pivots, and the nuanced challenges that rarely make the keynote stage. You'll hear firsthand how leaders navigate the convergence of creativity, data, and technology in a rapidly shifting landscape. This podcast provides a rare, unfiltered look at the thinking behind major campaigns and business transformations, offering practical wisdom rather than just theory. For anyone curious about the human judgment and long-term vision required to build lasting brands, these discussions cut straight to the core. Listening feels like being a fly on the wall for a masterclass in strategic marketing, where the focus is always on what comes next.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 41

Marketing Beyond with Alan B. Hart
Podcast Episodes
Introducing Marketing Beyond with Alan Hart [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:14
We have a new look and name, Marketing Beyond with Alan Hart, brought to you by Deloitte Digital. Our previous series, Marketing Today, has evolved into something even bigger and better. We've expanded our team and boost…