Team
Shaherah Yancy
Founder and CEO
Shaherah’s 20-year career began at University of TN Health Science Center as a research assistant in the Department of Transplantation. Later, she worked at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Pharmaceutical Sciences for almost a decade.
Her tenure at St. Jude drove the passion of patient advocacy in every aspect of her professional work. Caring for patient outcomes, the quality, and improvement of human life led her to the Life Science industry, specifically MedTech.
Shaherah assumed leadership roles in clinical affairs Medtronic, Smith + Nephew, and Stryker. During this period, she spearheaded the development and execution of strategies, leading teams to successfully introduce new medical devices to global markets through strategic clinical and regulatory approaches. Her areas of expertise span the United States, Europe, Australia, and China.
In 2023, she founded Research Lifecycle Solutions to deliver the same strategies that would empower companies to expedite their market objectives. Shaherah ventured to leverage her background to support emerging MedTech with growth and long-term sustainability.
Rachael Sparks
Chief Marketing Officer
A microbiologist by training, Rachael’s career began in tissue transplants with the Blood & Tissue Center of Central Texas (now UTR) where she helped families and healthcare centers with donation, regulatory approval, and procurements for almost a decade.
It was her love of science communication that led Rachael into marketing at her first startup, Xenex Disinfection Services, where she began as 3rd employee and helped grow to industry leader with presence in 18 countries, over 1000 hospitals, and an FDA de novo classification. In her tenure at Xenex she served as clinical marketing lead, technical director, and corporate spokesperson.
Since that experience, Rachael led marketing for several medical technology and biotech companies, growing their brand awareness and market share through evidence-backed and data-driven efforts. At companies like Kinnos, Angelini Pharma, and Praedicare, her executive leadership guided product development, market research, GTM strategies, PR, and enterprise marketing.
Natalie Freels, PA-C
Clinical Consultant
Natalie Freels, PA-C’s diverse career spans clinical practice, research, education, and medical technology consulting. After earning her Bachelor’s in psychology at Georgia Institute of Technology, she then pursued her Masters in Physician Assistant Studies and now serves as a clinician, researcher, and educator in hospital internal medicine at Mayo Clinic Florida. Her research interests include wearable medical technology integration, electronic health record optimization, and disaster preparedness.
Natalie’s passion for improving healthcare outcomes led her to consulting, helping medical technology startups develop and communicate strong value propositions, advising on product evaluation, stakeholder identification, market fit, and introduction strategies. Drawing from her clinical experience and communication skills, Natalie builds trusting client relationships, helping innovators reimagine their brand and growth strategies. Her expertise covers both inpatient and outpatient devices and technologies.
She remains committed to advancing healthcare through her memberships in professional organizations and her multifaceted approach to improving patient care and healthcare innovation.
