Read the Conversation
Meeting highlights:
- Expanding Patient Access: Johnson & Johnson MedTech’s aspiration focuses on reaching more patients by aligning every step of the healthcare value chain — from regulatory approvals to healthcare professional training — ensuring the availability of medical devices and technologies, particularly in operating rooms and cath labs, while supporting healthcare decentralization across Mexico.
- Professional Education at the Core: Professional education is part of Johnson& Johnson’s DNA, with a strong focus on building HCP skills and improving patient outcomes through partnerships with universities, hospitals, and in-house simulation facilities like the Innovation Room at Mexico City Headquarters.
- AI & Smart Technologies as Enablers: Digital solutions and AI aim to support — not replace — healthcare professionals, capturing data and insights through smart devices to enhance clinical decisions and continuous improvements.
- Driving Innovation Through Startups in Mexico: Johnson & Johnson MedTech runs an Open Innovation Challenge in Mexico, engaging startups to develop bold healthcare solutions, leveraging their agility and fresh ideas.
- People-First Culture: Guided by a strong sense of purpose, Johnson & Johnson MedTech places patients and doctors at the center, fostering a human-centric culture within a dynamic and challenging industry that continues to attract and retain talent.
EF: How is Johnson & Johnson MedTech leveraging the current growth opportunities in Mexico's healthcare sector, and what are your main priorities?
VM: At Johnson & Johnson MedTech Mexico, our main aspiration is to reach more patients by improving access to our technologies. While "access" is a common term in the pharmaceutical industry, for us, it has a broader, more specific meaning—centered on medical devices used in settings like operating rooms and catheterization labs.
The access goes beyond regulatory approval or institutional green lights. It involves ensuring healthcare professionals are well-trained to use our technologies effectively and safely. We collaborate with public and private healthcare institutions to build care pathways, supporting timely diagnosis and treatment for better patient outcomes.
Nationwide coverage is another key focus, as healthcare in Mexico is expanding beyond major cities to mid-sized cities like Guadalajara and Monterrey, which are now building their own institutions—a positive shift for patient care. With this decentralization, we must reach those areas by shipping products and ensuring our specialists are present and working alongside local doctors. Some of our technologies also require capital equipment, making on-site support crucial.
For me, when we talk about access, we mean three things: working together, training healthcare professionals, developing strong care pathways, and being present across the country, not just with products but with the support our customers need. That's our broader vision of access and how we aim to improve patient outcomes throughout Mexico.
EF: How is Johnson & Johnson MedTech collaborating with healthcare professionals in Mexico to provide training?
VM: We call it professional education, and it is a core part of our company's DNA. Our belief is simple: when healthcare professionals are properly trained—not just in using our technologies, but in performing the procedures themselves—patients have better outcomes. It is about blending product knowledge with hands-on surgical and procedural skills.
Whenever we launch a new technology, we also roll out a professional education plan tailored to that product and specialty. These plans are designed for varying levels of expertise—from medical students and residents to seasoned professionals. Training typically progresses from basic to intermediate, advanced, and expert levels, always customized to the specific specialty and procedure.
Take laparoscopy, for example. Because of Mexico's size and geography, many surgical residents lack regular access to the instruments and tools needed to develop their laparoscopic skills. To bridge this gap, we partner with universities and hospitals—both public and private—to provide materials and equipment. It is like how pilots train with simulators before flying, residents practice using simulators and instruments at their universities, hospitals, or at our J&J MedTech Innovation Rooms—dedicated training facilities where they can build hands-on skills.
A more advanced example is electrophysiology, where we offer technology to map the heart's electrical system. This helps doctors identify the source of arrhythmias and treat them through ablation. Due to the complexity, electrophysiologists need intensive training. We organize summits and courses in Mexico, across Latin America, and globally, led by expert faculty who provide both theory and hands-on simulator training, ensuring doctors gain experience before treating real patients. We also have in-house clinical experts who support doctors during actual procedures. While the physician performs the ablation, our specialist manages the equipment and provides real-time technical support. A collaborative approach where training, technology, and human expertise work together in one ecosystem for the benefit of the patient.
Comprehensive training, procedural support, and close collaboration—are embedded in every specialty we work in and how we deliver value to healthcare professionals and, ultimately, patients.
EF: How are you integrating AI and digital health solutions in your operations? How do you see these technologies shaping the future of medical technology?
VM: A common concern doctors have is whether digital surgery means robots will eventually replace them. The answer is not. Our aim is to support doctors with technology that helps deliver better patient results.
Take the system used to treat arrhythmias, for example. It already includes AI and digital components. The system captures electrical activity from the heart through diagnostic catheters and creates a digital map. That map provides doctors with clear, actionable data to guide treatment decisions. This is exactly how we see technology working—enhancing, not replacing, the doctor's expertise.
We are applying the same approach in orthopedics. For instance, our navigation system for hip replacement surgeries combines software and hardware to create a detailed digital plan before the operation. During surgery, it guides the procedure—showing where to cut, at what angles, and what measurements to follow, all based on precise data.
Across our key areas—electrophysiology, orthopedics, and surgery—we are building tools that gather and analyze data from each patient and procedure, often using AI, and return it in a form that helps surgical teams make more informed decisions.
EF: How is Johnson & Johnson supporting Mexico's growth as a healthcare innovation hub?
VM: This is one of the most exciting and meaningful parts of our aspiration in Mexico. Beyond expanding access and reaching more patients, we seek to co-create new solutions with our customers. We know there are significant challenges in Mexico's healthcare system, and that we do not have all the answers. That is why we are very enthusiastic about our Open Innovation Challenge. We launched the first full cycle last year with a simple but powerful idea: team up with key hospital partners—like Christus Muguerza—and identify their biggest pain points. Once we pinpoint the top challenges, we open them up to startups.
Why startups? Because innovation in big organizations takes time and involves complexity, while startups are agile, fast at testing ideas, and better at scaling new solutions. In our program, we present the challenges and, alongside the hospitals, evaluate the startup applicants carefully to ensure their solutions fit the healthcare environment. Once a winner is chosen, Johnson & Johnson funds the pilot—if the hospital confirms it is feasible and worthwhile. From there, we explore how it can be scaled to other hospitals or settings.
Innovation in Mexico's healthcare space is still emerging. But initiatives like ours are helping it grow. These co-created solutions go beyond products—they focus on improving processes, patient experience, and system efficiency. Combined with cutting-edge technology, that's how real change happens in healthcare.
EF: What are your key goals for Johnson & Johnson in Mexico over the next 5 to 10 years?
VM: Our biggest goal as a company is to expand the reach of our technology so more patients can receive the care they need. That is what drives us, especially given the current state of healthcare in Mexico. Improving patient outcomes through innovation remains at the heart of everything we do.
We are also strengthening ties with the public healthcare system. While we have worked with private hospitals for years, we have stepped up our collaboration with the public sector over the past few years. This is crucial in a country like Mexico, where public healthcare plays such a central role. Leaders like Undersecretary Clark and Secretary Kershenobich share the same goal of improving outcomes, and we are fully aligned in supporting that mission.
I cannot overstate how important innovation is for us. Whether bringing new products or technologies to the market, we focus on doing so at the right pace for Mexico. We are lucky to be geographically close to some of the world's biggest and most advanced healthcare markets, so we want to take advantage of that proximity to bring in cutting-edge solutions faster.
But innovation is not only about products. It is also about rethinking how care is delivered. That means streamlining processes, improving the patient journey, and giving doctors and surgeons better tools to do their jobs. These priorities—broadening access, deepening public partnerships, and advancing innovation—define our vision for the future.
EF: What makes Johnson & Johnson MedTech special as a company?
VM: First and foremost, it comes down to purpose. I know that is something people say a lot in healthcare, but for us, it feels personal. Our Credo guides our daily decisions, always putting patients and doctors first. That connection to purpose is truly special.
The second thing is the people. I genuinely love working with this team. Everyone is incredibly supportive—it is rare to hear "no" when you ask for help or want to collaborate. That “can-do” and “customer-obsessed” spirit makes a big difference in how we work and achieve together.
Third is the energy and dynamism of the company. It is a fast-moving environment where you are constantly challenged. You can lead initiatives, explore ideas, and work across different areas. It is not always easy, but that's what makes it rewarding. You are encouraged to use your creativity and experience to solve real business problems, often with great people.
All of that—purpose, people, and the pace—make Johnson & Johnson a special company. I hope to contribute to the company and the patients we serve for many more years.
