From Sabbatical to Soundwaves: Launching the DOCSF Global Innovators Podcast Series

From Sabbatical to Soundwaves: Launching the DOCSF Global Innovators Podcast Series

By Stefano Bini, MD – Founder and Chair, DOCSF

Last year, I embarked on a journey that would change how I see healthcare—and how I share it with the world.

I’m thrilled to announce the launch of the DOCSF: Global Innovators podcast series on the Digital Orthopaedics Podcast. This new series is born out of a transformative six-month sabbatical during which I traveled around the world to explore how healthcare is evolving across the globe.

As a Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at UCSF, I’ve spent years immersed in digital health innovation, hosting conferences, webinars, and podcasts through the Digital Orthopaedics Conference San Francisco (DOCSF). But this sabbatical offered a rare chance to step outside the day-to-day and immerse myself in the global healthcare landscape.

Over the course of six months, my wife Katherine and I visited 25 countries, traveling westward from California through Australasia, South Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Along the way, I had nearly 50 meetings and interviews with healthcare leaders, thinkers, and disruptors—individuals at the forefront of innovation in their regions.

Originally, the plan was to write a book about the transformation of healthcare systems worldwide. But something unexpected happened: the most powerful part of the journey wasn’t the systems or policies—it was the people. Their life stories, their struggles, their breakthroughs. These were the real insights. And so, the project shifted from pages to podcasts.

The Global Innovators series is a tribute to the passion, resilience, and brilliance of the individuals I met. Each episode captures the personal journey of a healthcare innovator who’s shaping the future—often against great odds. It’s also my way of thanking them for generously sharing their time, stories, and vision.

The first eleven guests—leaders like Ali Hashemi, Tobias Silberzahn, Anna-Karin Edstedt Bonamy, Bogi Eliasen, Loic Lagarde, and others—represent a remarkable diversity of perspectives. Each Thursday, for the next 10 weeks, we’ll release a new episode featuring one of these Digital Innovators.

This series wouldn’t be possible without the support of so many. I’m deeply grateful to:

Maria Manetti Shrem and Mauro Aprile Zanetti, whose support through the Maria Manetti Shrem Endowed Chair at UCSF helped make this sabbatical possible.

The team at Outcomes Rocket, including Daniela Perea Morales and Saul W. Marquez, for producing the podcast and crafting the visual identity.

Kristina Portillo, our DOCSF Director, and my incredible colleagues at UCSF who supported me during my time away: Thomas Vail, C. Benjamin Ma, Erik Hansen, Jeffrey Barry, Claudio Díaz Ledezma, Thomas Barber, and Derek Ward.

Special thanks to Tobias Silberzahn and Paul C., who generously introduced me to many of their amazing colleagues and friends.

And, above all, to my wife Katherine, who left her job to join me on this once-in-a-lifetime journey.

To everyone on this path with me—thank you.

You can listen to the Global Innovators series now on the Digital Orthopaedics Podcast and find us on the Health Podcast Network, curated by Daniel Couchman Kendall, alongside many other incredible shows.

Here’s to sharing the voices of global healthcare innovation—one story at a time.