Dr. Sam Lynch – Founder and CEO – Translational Medicine, the Challenges of the U.S. Healthcare Regulatory Environment, and Founding an Education Nonprofit for Underprivileged Students

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Summary
In this episode, our guest is Dr. Sam Lynch, founder and CEO of Lynch Biologics (LBIO), an innovative biologics and tissue engineering company based in Nashville, TN. Lynch shares what led him to a career in regenerative medicine, his passion for translational medicine, advice for young entrepreneurs, the challenges of the U.S. healthcare regulatory environment, the importance of early education for underprivileged students, and more.

Show Notes
Career Journey & Translational Medicine
The conversation begins with a discussion on regenerative medicine and what piqued Lynch’s interest in the field. Though he began his career in dentistry, his passion for bringing scientific discoveries from the laboratory directly to patient care drove Lynch to pursue a Ph.D. in cell biology and regenerative medicine.

Lynch defines translational medicine and discusses its purpose to improve human health via a “bench to bedside” approach. Lynch discusses that while basic research, clinical research, and translational medicine are seen as opposing one another at times, there is often tremendous crossover between the fields.

Entrepreneurship & the U.S. Healthcare Regulatory Environment
Lynch shares lessons on entrepreneurship and the challenges one faces when convincing investors to financially support a dream or idea. He urges young entrepreneurs to stay persistent when they encounter setbacks, but he stresses that it is also important to be flexible and open to feedback.

Lynch shares his perspective on the process of drug and medicine development and the practice of making medical products too expensive for the customer is incredibly wasteful. He believes the issue can be solved with a holistic approach, starting with redefining the role of the regulatory environment.

The Importance of Early Education & Founding a Nonprofit
Aside from leading a company in regenerative medicine, Lynch started a nonprofit based in Nashville, TN, called BioTN — named after the bodily enzyme “biotin”. The organization delivers quality STEM education to underprivileged students, to develop entrepreneurship in Tennessee’s workforce.

Growing up in poverty himself, Lynch believes that education is the pathway out of an impoverished life. He discusses how a good educational environment can profoundly impact the flourishing of students from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Eventually, Lynch would like to expand BioTN to other parts of Tennessee.

Closing
If you are interested in getting involved in BioTN, please visit their website to learn more.

Humans in Healthcare is produced by Shearwater Health in Nashville, TN, and hosted by Chief Marketing Officer, Nathan King.

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