Episode 13: The Future of Cancer Treatment Starts with Connection - Erica Conroy, CEO of Primum

In this heartfelt, energizing conversation, Dr. Erica Conroy, CEO and Co-Founder of Primum, sits down with Patty to share how a platform connecting community oncologists with leading academic experts is helping more patients get cutting-edge care close to home. Having lost her mother to cancer and now supporting her father through his own diagnosis, Erica brings a deeply personal sense of purpose to a career that has taken her from the chemistry lab to healthcare technology. 

You’ll hear Erica and Patty explore why keeping pace with rapidly advancing cancer treatments is so hard in the community setting, how real-world physician conversations can inform smarter clinical trial design, and what it takes to build a culture that pairs hard work with kindness. They also get candid about balancing a startup with family life, trusting your gut in fast-moving decisions, and the future of expert knowledge-sharing in medicine. This episode explores how purpose, grit, and connection can close the gap between scientific breakthroughs and everyday patient care. 

What you’ll hear about 

• Why are community oncologists struggling to keep pace with new cancer treatments? 

• How can real-world physician conversations shape better clinical trial design? 

• How can a startup culture balance relentless drive with genuine kindness? 

• Can leaders truly balance a mission-driven startup with family life? 

• When should leaders trust their gut instead of waiting for more data?

• How might AI and expert networks transform the future of patient care? 

This episode is intended for medical affairs and clinical development leaders, offering a clear perspective on how real-world insights from community oncologists can sharpen trial design and close treatment awareness gaps. 

Timestamps 

00:15 – The personal story behind Primum 

02:10 – Why oncologists struggle to keep up 

05:55 – A frictionless model for knowledge exchange 

07:10 – Turning real-world conversations into better trial design 

08:45 – From the chemistry lab to a lifelong mission 

14:25 – Learning business at a healthcare unicorn 

15:40 – Grit, purpose, and a culture of kindness 

19:05 – The startup balancing act 

24:35 – Showing the next generation what’s possible 

29:15 – Why no one is better than anyone else 

31:15 – Trusting your gut and two-way doors 

35:35 – Embodying the future 

37:15 – AI and the power of expert conversations 

38:35 – Expanding globally and beyond oncology 

40:45 – What’s next, personally and professionally 

Guest Biography 

Dr. Erica Conroy is the CEO and Co-Founder of Primum, a platform that connects community oncologists with subspecialty experts so patients can receive the most informed care close to home. A PhD chemist who studied anti-cancer natural product synthesis before moving into healthcare technology, she helped build and scale products at CoverMyMeds and later led partnerships at AndHealth. Driven by her family’s experiences with cancer, Erica is dedicated to closing the gap between scientific breakthroughs and everyday cancer care.