FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENTS

Favorable Environments

podcast

Featuring interviews with industry leaders, pioneering researchers, and influential entrepreneurs, Favorable Environments offers listeners a unique perspective into the minds shaping the future of medical technology and healthcare.

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About the Show

Favorable Environments is a podcast inspired by Nobel Prize-winning physicist and South Dakota inventor Ernest O. Lawrence. The conversations featured explore the essential resources that make innovation in medical technology possible. From stories of raising funds for commercialization to insights into creating thriving organizational culture, the show uncovers the elements that lay the groundwork for the future of healthcare and life sciences. This podcast is sponsored by the University of South Dakota Discovery District.

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16 – Sharing the Inside View: Reflections from the USD Discovery District Team

Ryan Oines leads the USD Discovery District as President and CEO, driving economic growth through biotech and life sciences innovation. With over 25 years of experience launching startups and securing capital, he oversees a $314M development plan for 26 buildings, fostering 2,800 jobs. His strategic vision strengthens public-private partnerships, positioning South Dakota as a hub for research and commercialization.

Marc Niamba advances the USD Discovery District’s mission to pioneer life sciences innovation. As a key contributor to GreenLight Bionics, he leverages virtual reality to enhance physical therapy solutions, earning recognition in the 2021 Governor’s Giant Vision Competition. His expertise in computer science and artificial intelligence has enabled him to create internal management and tenant recruitment tools.

Tung Nguyen amplifies the USD Discovery District’s vision of innovation and economic impact. With a background in mechanical engineering and regulatory strategy, he crafts data-driven campaigns to attract biotech tenants and showcase the District’s $23MM funded private public partnership. Nguyen’s strategic storytelling connects academia, industry, and government, driving engagement and growth across South Dakota’s life sciences ecosystem.

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February 4, 2026

#15 – Dr. Kristina Harris Jackson: Measuring What Matters

Kristina Harris Jackson is the Director of Research and Education for OmegaQuant Analytics in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She is also an Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine.
Kristina received her PhD in Nutritional Sciences from Pennsylvania State University in 2013 and completed her training to become a Registered Dietitian in 2014. As a graduate student, she studied under Dr. Penny Kris-Etherton, an internationally-recognized expert in fats and nutrition. She worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Colorado-Denver under Dr. John Peters in the area of worksite wellness before returning to the omega-3 field. Kristina joined the family business, OmegaQuant Analytics, as a Research Associate in 2014, with a particular focus on omega-3s in maternal health, helping create the Prenatal DHA test and the Mother’s Milk DHA test. In 2020, she became Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine.
Kristina is also the co-founder of Midtown Coffee Radio Hour, a live radio show produced and performed by local artists in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She lives in Sioux Falls with her husband, two kids, one old dog, and four grandparents.

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December 3, 2025

#14 – Fabrice Paublant: Cooling the Future with Liquid Ventilation

Fabrice Paublant is the Chief Executive Officer at Orixha.

Orixha, a DeepTech company founded in 2018, emerged from a collaboration between researchers and clinicians at Sherbrooke University, EnvA, and INSERM. Dedicated to revolutionizing critical care, Orixha’s mission is to deliver the transformative benefits of liquid ventilation to patients worldwide. The company’s multidisciplinary team, blending expertise in engineering, pathophysiology, and pharmacology, has developed Vent2Cool—the first liquid ventilator designed for intensive care units. Published in leading scientific journals, their work highlights rapid therapeutic hypothermia and anti-inflammatory benefits, particularly for post-cardiac arrest syndrome and acute respiratory distress. 

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September 2, 2025
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I am mindful that scientific achievement is rooted in the past, is cultivated to full stature by many contemporaries, and flourishes only in a favorable environment.
Ernest O. Lawrence
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