Episode 20: Reimagining Patient Support - George Kramb, CEO at PatientPartner

In this candid, heartfelt conversation, George Kramb, Co-Founder and CEO of PatientPartner, becomes the first Leaders & Legends guest of 2026. A former medical device rep who spent years in operating rooms alongside surgeons, George was inspired to start his company after his wife’s cancer diagnosis showed him firsthand how powerful it can be to talk with someone who has walked the same path. 

You’ll hear George and Patty explore the leap of faith behind leaving a stable career to build a startup with a young family, the scrappy early days of landing a first customer, and the unexpected path that led PatientPartner into clinical research. They also dig into how thoughtful peer mentorship can ease patient fears about trial participation, support retention, and make patient centricity more than a buzzword. This episode explores how human connection can transform the patient experience, and the grit it takes to turn a personal moment into a mission. 

What you’ll hear about 

• Why do patients feel so alone when facing major treatment decisions? 

• What does it take to bet on yourself as a founder? 

• How can an early-stage startup land its very first customer? 

• Why are so many patients hesitant to enroll in clinical trials? 

• How can peer mentorship improve both trial recruitment and retention? 

• Could patients help design the very trials they participate in? 

This episode is intended for patient recruitment and retention leaders, offering a clear perspective on how peer-to-peer support can build trust, ease hesitation, and keep participants engaged. 

Timestamps 

00:05 – From the operating room to entrepreneurship 

02:40 – The moment that sparked PatientPartner 

08:25 – The leap of faith behind starting up 

12:55 – Why betting on yourself matters 

18:30 – A Wizard of Oz MVP 

20:30 – Raising money as the world shut down 

22:30 – Landing the first customer 

26:35 – An unexpected introduction to pharma 

28:30 – Falling into clinical trials 

29:50 – Why lived experience matters for trial participants 

32:00 – How mentor matching really works 

37:20 – Life with four kids 

39:15 – Letting patients help build the protocol 

41:45 – Bridging clinical and commercial 

Guest Biography 

George Kramb is the Co-Founder and CEO of PatientPartner, a health technology platform that connects patients facing difficult healthcare decisions with mentors who have been through the same experience. Drawing on years spent in operating rooms as a medical device rep and his own family’s healthcare journey, he founded the company to bring empathy and relatability to every step of care. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, George is working to make peer support a trusted part of clinical research, from recruitment through retention.