This is an INDEPENDENT website developed by long-time Emmy Award-winning Journalist Kym McNicholas.

 

This site is NOT in any way associated or affiliated with Ra Medical Systems or its DABRA Laser System

 

It depicts my journey following what I believe is a breakthrough medical device from FDA Clearance to commercialization to IPO...and beyond.

One of the things that made this journey so exciting for me was the amazing access I had to the live cases, doctors, and patients. And everyone I interviewed was upfront and candid. I was a little worried at first when I met Dr. Raghotham Patlola. He was the first doctor to perform an in-human case in the United States. He made it clear during our first meeting in the summer of 2016 that he was skeptical of the DABRA Laser System. Even after a couple of cases and some success using DABRA, he remained incredibly formal and selective in his word choice as he talked to me on camera about the first day of results.

After a few more cases, he was so excited by the results, he started using his smartphone to capture the results of the cases and send them to us. Even more, he set aside time at the LINC conference in Leipzig, Germany six months later, to sit with me in the back of a restaurant for an in-depth interview on camera, where he was candid and expansive on the benefits of using the DABRA Laser System versus other tools in his armamentarium. It was like night and day, which to me speaks volumes about how highly he values this new technology.

Below, you'll hear his uncut commentary after day one, see the first case I received from his smartphone that he touts as a great success, and a clip from my in-depth interview with him in Leipzig.

Now, scroll down and listen to other doctors I captured on camera, describe their favorite cases using the DABRA Laser System. What blew my mind is their willingness directly following each case, to tell me their experience as they said they were thrilled with the results. It was surprising because so many doctors in this industry are compensated for their commentary, and that was not the case here.

During the FDA study, participating facilities were paid for the documentation of the study. But they were not required to go on camera to talk about their view of the technology or the results. And they were certainly not paid to talk to me as a formal journalist for The Innovators Network. Beyond the study, neither Ra Medical Systems nor I paid for time with the doctors in America and across the globe, even for their on camera commentary. So, as you listen to the doctors, even the ones who speak English as a second language, they're candid and unpolished.

Even more, none of the Ra Medical team was in the room during the interviews and not once told me or the doctors what to say or how to say it. They never even censored the videos I created and have posted.

Sandra Lopez describes one of her favorite cases with Dr. Athar Ansari, with whom she used to be a scrub tech. I caught her upon arrival back at Ra Medical Systems after the case and she was showing everyone what Dr. Athar Ansari called, "Magic."​