Richard "RJ" Kedziora | Co-Founder, Estenda Solutions | Digital Health Solutions, Bettering Lives, & People-First Cultures

Richard "RJ" Kedziora, co-founder of Estenda Solutions, dives into the inspiring world of digital health solutions, where innovative minds are not just developing technology, but also saving and improving lives. RJ shares his journey from early software development days to creating impactful healthcare technologies, highlighting the importance of understanding patient and provider needs. With a focus on people and process management, RJ's story is a testament to the power of technology in making a tangible difference in healthcare through human compassion and the drive to better lives.

Guest links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rjkedziora/ | https://estenda.com/ 

Charity supported: Save the Children

Interested in being a guest on the show or have feedback to share? Email us at [e-mail]. 

PRODUCTION CREDITS Host & Editor: Lindsey Dinneen Producer: Velentium Medical

 

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

Episode 025 - Richard "RJ" Kedziora

[00:00:00] Lindsey Dinneen: Hi, I'm Lindsey and I'm talking with MedTech industry leaders on how they change lives for a better world.

[00:00:09] Diane Bouis: The inventions and technologies are fascinating and so are the people who work with them.

[00:00:15] Frank Jaskulke: There was a period of time where I realized, fundamentally, my job was to go hang out with really smart people that are saving lives and then do work that would help them save more lives.

[00:00:28] Diane Bouis: I got into the business to save lives and it is incredibly motivating to work with people who are in that same business, saving or improving lives.

[00:00:38] Duane Mancini: What better industry than where I get to wake up every day and just save people's lives.

[00:00:42] Lindsey Dinneen: These are extraordinary people doing extraordinary work, and this is The Leading Difference.

[00:00:50] Hello, and welcome back to The Leading Difference podcast. I'm your host Lindsey, and I am so excited to welcome as my guest today, Richard "RJ" Kedziora, co-founder of Estenda Solutions, focusing on people and process management which also provides strategic technical direction, guidance, and innovative insights, creating digital health solutions that improve patient outcomes, reduce costs, increase efficiencies, and improve patient provider satisfaction. RJ received an MBA from Westchester University and a BS in Computer Science from Duquesne University, where he received the excellence in computer science award. RJ is a frequent podcast guest, has spoken at numerous technology and healthcare conferences, and has coauthored articles in technology and peer reviewed clinical journals.

[00:01:37] Welcome to the Leading Difference, RJ. And RJ, I would love if you would start by telling us just a little bit about yourself and your background.

[00:01:46] RJ Kedziora: Yeah, Lindsey, thanks for having me. It's a pleasure. I look forward to our conversation. My background is through software development. Graduated with a computer science degree back in, in the early nineties before web and mobile and internet. So crazy days. And came up through those software development racks. Started out programming, got into requirements analysis, understanding what a solution is about, project management, general management. And then in 2003, with a good friend, we were working with together at a large consulting company in the pharmaceutical space, we went off and started our own company called as Estenda Solutions and remain there today. We just hit our 20th anniversary, which is always crazy when I can talk about decades, but it has definitely been an interesting journey. So my day to day is, I think of it as a digital solution architect. So helping a mix of large companies and small companies, startups develop tools, technologies, algorithms, better ways of looking and dealing, handling data, to make a difference in the lives of people.

[00:02:56] Lindsey Dinneen: Wonderful. That's incredible. So 20 years. Congratulations. That's no small task. . So I commend you for that. That's really exciting. I. Yeah. So how did the idea to start your own company come into being? Did you identify a gap basically in the market?

[00:03:15] RJ Kedziora: It's something probably even early on as I was graduating from college, always in, in the back of my mind to make a difference, to go off and try something new and really drive what I wanted to do. Even before starting my own company, as I worked in various different roles, I'd be hired by a company, I'd come in with a defined role, and then I'd always just find a niche. They'd be like,