Sam Conaway: Turning Obstacles into Opportunities - Part 2

MedTech Trailblazers

Sam Conaway is the president of U.S. Cardiology Sales for Boston Scientific and the chair of the company’s Close the Gap program, which seeks to eliminate treatment disparities in underserved populations. He has been recognized as one of the most influential Black executives in corporate America (SAVOY Magazine), and in healthcare (BlackDoctor.org), and was the first recipient of the Cardiovascular Research Foundation’s "Pulse-Setter Leader Award" for his commitment to advancing health equity.

Sam’s road to these achievements, however, was littered with obstacles that could easily have been roadblocks. Sam grew up poor, in a rough neighborhood in Baltimore. Strong family values and athletic ability might have been a way out until an injury ended his baseball prospects. He ended up working in the laundry room of Washington Hospital Center.

There, his strong work ethic and passion for learning were noticed and rewarded with opportunities to advance, starting with an invitation to attend the cardiac catherization program at the hospital's School of Nursing. Determined to always do the best he could with whatever job he had, Sam used this opening to launch a stellar career as a top device sales rep, then manager, then company and diversity leader.

In this episode, Sam discusses stumbling over his lack of formal education on his way to leadership positions; getting his associate's degree and then an MBA (during Covid!); his personal work ethic; the sale of Guidant to Boston Scientific/Abbott; and his work in health equity, which started with the observation that "... there weren't a lot of Black people on the table getting pacemakers and defibrillators."

Sam also describes the career high of receiving the Pulse-Setter Leader Award from his mentor, Dr. Marty Leon.

Don't miss part 2 of Sam's remarkable story.