Conversations with Erin Walsh

Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin Walsh.

Hi Erin , can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Erin Walsh: A Journey Rooted in Curiosity and Service
I grew up in Olathe, Kansas, where, from an early age, I was always moving. I had an abundance of energy, and my parents, hoping to slow me down, enrolled me in every sport they could think of. While I may have been good at running fast and playing hard, my Tasmanian devil-like style on the field also meant I personally contributed to an orthopedic surgeon’s yacht fund—one surgery at a time.

Eventually the surgeries benched me, so I swapped my cleats for sheet music. I ultimately pursued vocal music in college and found that performing in front of an audience taught me far more than how to hit the right note. I learned grit, perseverance, and how to keep time when the tune kept changing. It instilled the value of progress over perfection—a mindset that I would come to lean on heavily in my professional life.

After college, I discovered my interests in music and science had a practical intersection: speech pathology. Over the past 20 years, I’ve worked in airway, voice and swallowing centers, where I care for people from all walks of life—from famous performers to the quiet voices of everyday people. Along the way, I’ve had the privilege of using state-of-the-art technology to better understand and treat maladies that compromise breathing, talking and eating.

Early on, I felt in over my head—and occasionally underwater. The learning curve was steep, and humility came free with the job. But I learned that growth hides in the discomfort of not knowing, and that my patients valued something far simpler than perfection: compassion and presence.

As my career evolved, I became increasingly drawn to helping families through some of life’s most delicate moments—especially those early days of breastfeeding a newborn. I quickly realized how little I actually knew about human lactation, so I trained as a lactation consultant to better support both babies and parents. That’s when I noticed a major gap: we had no reliable way to assess a newborn’s suckling ability, even though it’s central to early feeding success. With the help of brilliant engineers at UC San Diego, we began developing a smart pacifier that uses machine learning to objectively quantify sucking patterns.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36619906/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38765888/

The work has reminded me that progress doesn’t come from having all the answers, but from the willingness to keep asking better questions. It’s been deeply rewarding to help develop an innovation that could advance neonatal care. What began as a simple idea has grown into a medtech startup, Latchability Inc. We’re now partnering with investors to pursue FDA clearance—so that pediatric care can be guided by precision, data, and compassion in equal measure.

Through all of this, the lessons I’ve learned have been humbling. Working with families—especially those navigating feeding challenges—has deepened my respect for the resilience of both parents and babies. And while the technology we’ve developed is exciting, what I find most meaningful are the human moments: the kindness, patience, and understanding that matter just as much as any medical intervention.

I feel incredibly fortunate to have collaborated with so many talented professionals throughout my career, and I remain grateful for every opportunity to keep learning and growing.

Walsh lives in San Diego with her husband, Michael, and two children, Sebastian and Madeline. They have a 17-year-old Bichon-Maltese mix who still believes he’s the one running the show.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Speech-Language Pathologist
Singing Voice Specialist
Board Certified Swallowing Specialist
Lactation Consultant
Entrepreneur

Contact Info:

• Website: https://latchability.com
• Other: erin@latchability.com