Digital Health Today

In this episode of Digital Health Today, we are jumping over to the country of Estonia, a country of 1.3 million people situated on the Baltic Sea. Estonia borders Latvia and Russia, and is across the water from its Nordic neighbor, Finland. Here to talk to us today is Ain Aaviksoo, he’s the Deputy Secretary General of E-services and Innovation, at the Ministry of Social Affairs, Estonia. He tells us about Estonian business culture, their outstanding infrastructure, and the opportunities for outside companies and individuals to do research and business in Estonia. Estonian companies have transformed our experience with telephony with Skype, and banking with Transferwise, and they have their sights set on transforming the way people experience health and wellness as well. In his role as the Deputy Secretary General of E-services and Innovation, Ain works to combine medicine and informatics to disrupt healthcare in a great way. Estonia has a long history of digital innovation across public and private services.

On this episode of Digital Health Today, Yuval Mor, CEO of Beyond Verbal, dives into the research and potential of technology that uses vocal biomarkers to analyze emotions and physical health. We know that words are powerful and that what you say can be interpreted differently based on how you say it. The insights provided through our speech is getting supercharged thanks to the talented team of innovators at Beyond Verbal, a company based in Israel that can correlate distinct voice features with health conditions and reveal novel vocal biomarkers. The Mayo Clinic has used their technology in a study about Coronary Artery Disease, and it is also being used for Autism Spectrum disorder and Parkinson’s disease. To tell us more about the science and how it is being applied, I spoke with Yuval Mor, the CEO of Beyond Verbal. Yuval got a degree in Computer Science and Economics from Tel Aviv University and a Management degree from Stanford University. He then worked in various leadership roles focusing on sales an

On this show we’ve spoken to entrepreneurs that are serving needs in developed markets, we’ve spoken to entrepreneurs who are creating solutions for developing markets like those in sub-saharan Africa, but we’ve not spoken to startups that are doing both simultaneously. Today we’re changing that as we talk with Kate Newhouse, the CEO of Doctor Care Anywhere – a UK based company that is developing digital healthcare services to users in the UK and in Kenya. Kate studied history at the University of Oxford before starting a consulting career that focused on digital transformation and healthcare. We dive into the telemedicine industry and the start of Doctor Care Anywhere, and discuss the strategy that’s helped their company succeed in growing a technology platform when neither of the two co-founders, nor their first employee had a technical background. Today’s Topics: Developments in the telemedicine industry How they got funded How they won their first customers Who they won as their first customers How

My guest today is Chaitanya Dahagam. He is a Healthcare Technologist and Global Partner Innovation Executive at IBM Watson Health. He studied medicine at University of Alabama, he was a General Surgery Resident at the University of Texas, and then did what a lot of medically trained people are doing: he went into business. He’s going to tell us all about IBM Watson Health, some of the projects and organizations they are working with, and importantly, how you can find out more and become a partner with Watson Health. “AI” is a technology and buzzword that is being applied to nearly every industry. As data sets explode, the race is on to find ways to turn the piles of data into meaningful and actionable knowledge. AI holds the key to unlocking the insights that can detect, prevent and cure disease, and IBM Watson is determined to being the locksmith. As IBM Watson evolves from ‘gameshow celebrity’ to ‘healthcare expert’, there are clear ways that it can be applied to help solve the toughest challenges faced by

My guest today is Brian O’Connor. Brian is chair of the European Connected Health Alliance, or ‘ECH Alliance’, which is a not-for-profit membership organization that, despite it’s name, works with stakeholders around the world to facilitate collaborative working and to bring about meaningful change in health and social care. Brian was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland and has spent his career as a consultant, manager and investor in both private and public companies. As head of the ECH Alliance he is creating a platform for change and disruption across Europe, China, and most recently, they’ve started work in North America working in both the US and Canada, in the interview, he sheds more light about that. Brian O’Connor lived and worked in Hong Kong for twelve years first as a corporate consultant – then he went on to create the largest private healthcare company in Hong Kong with over 700 GP practices and 3 million patient consultations a year covering everything from general practitioners and dentistry to

My guest today is Dr Daisy Robinton. I met Daisy at Wired Health in London earlier this year where she delivered a tremendous talk about CRISPR-Cas9 and once I heard it, I knew I had to ask her to come here on the program to share her insights and inspiration into the field of bioengineering. Daisy is a scientist in gene editing at Harvard University studying stem cell biology at the intersection of embryonic development and cancer. Her research focuses on molecular, cellular and developmental biology, and her papers focus on the potential and promise of stem cell research. In addition to her scientific career, she’s also an entrepreneur. Along with Dr Jack Kriendler, she cofounded Weird and Wonderful, which is a production company where they combine the arts with science to make the story of science entertaining and reach a broader audience. She was recently named one of Forbes 30 under 30 for 2017 (and just in the nick of time – she recently celebrated her 30th birthday!). She’s also a fashion and lifestyle

I’ve been looking forward to recording this episode for a long time, my guest is Eugene Borukhovich, he started a new role last year as the Global Head of Digital Health Incubation & Innovation at Bayer. Eugene has worn a lot of hats over the years and has been instrumental in driving the global conversation on health innovation and disruption. In addition to his role at Bayer, he’s an advisor at Health XL, and he’s an active leader of the Health 2.0 organization. He’s built Health 2.0 networks in NYC and Amsterdam, and he recently formed a group in Dusseldorf. In this conversation, we cover the work they are doing at Bayer as they work to transform a company with over 150 years of innovation and 100,000 employees, and adapt to the rapid pace of development need to be competitive now and in the future. One of the programs we discuss is the Bayer Grants4Apps program, and I want to point out that the applications for this program are open until May 31st, 2017, the link to the application is on the shownotes at

In this episode of Digital Health Today, we’re going to switch things up and talk about something that needs more attention and resources: mental health. It’s being talked about more and more as we break down the barriers and stigma associated with mental health and mental illness, and to get this conversation started on this program, I went directly to one of the leaders I had the opportunity to meet several times last year. That leader is Dr. Arshya Vahabzadeh, he is a psychiatrist and Instructor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He’s also the innovation officer at Massachusetts General Hospital, Chief Medical Officer of Brain Power - a wearables company focused on developing solutions for children and adults with autism. He was raised in England and he moved to the United States to pursue his dream of leveraging clinical neuroscience to improve the treatment of people with brain disorders. He is a graduate of Singularity University and he speaks at conferences around the world - I’ve included a few

My guest today is none other than Dr Daniel Kraft; a physician-scientist, inventor, entrepreneur, and innovator. He has over 25 years experience working across health care innovation, biomedical research, and clinical practice. He is the Chair for Medicine at Singularity University and the Founder and Chair of Exponential Medicine, and we dive into his work at these organizations in depth on this podcast. He’s earned an undergraduate degree from Brown University, finished medical school at Stanford and was Board Certified in both Internal Medicine & Pediatrics after he completed a Harvard residency at the Massachusetts General Hospital & Boston Children’s Hospital. Oh, and he also completed fellowships in hematology, oncology and bone marrow transplantation at Stanford. Now you might think that with all that, I’ve completed the introduction. But you’d be wrong. Daniel is also an avid pilot and he served in the Massachusetts and California Air National Guard as an officer and flight surgeon with F-15 & F-16 fi

My guest today is Dr. Shafi Ahmed. He is a colorectal surgeon in London practicing in the NHS at St Barts as well as several private hospitals. He is also a Director and Non-Executive director of several organizations, a Member of the faculty at Exponential Medicine at Singularity University, an Associate Dean at Barts and the London Medical School, a council member of the Royal College of Surgeons, and a futurist, innovator and tech entrepreneur. He is also a co-founder of VirtualMedics.org and Medical Realities You may have seen the coverage of Dr. Ahmed’s virtual reality surgery which he performed and streamed live in April 2016. In our conversation, he explains how he’s using Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) to teach surgery and accelerate the training of surgeons around the world. In today’s conversation we talk about: The unmet need for surgeons and surgery around the world How to accelerate training and teaching using AR and VR technologies How technology can help reach underserved a

My guest today is a very successful consultant, entrepreneur, investor, writer and now film maker. Dave Chase was named one of the most influential people in Digital Health based to his entrepreneurial success & his writing. He is widely published and he co-authored the book entitled “Engage! Transforming Healthcare Through Digital Patient Engagement” which happened to win the healthcare Book of the Year in in 2014. Dave was the CEO and Co-founder of Avado, which started in 2010, and it was acquired by WebMD in 2013.  He recently did a TEDx Talk entitled "Healthcare Stole the American Dream - Here’s How We Take it Back", you can watch that below. Now, Dave is taking a seat behind the camera in the development of a mockumentary that is taking aim at the American healthcare system.  Dave is a father of two great kids, husband, an oxygen-fueled mountain athlete and just a really genuine guy who is always learning and developing new skills.  Links and Resources Mentioned: HealthRosetta.org Quad Aim Fund ZDogg

My guest is John Reites, an executive intrapreneur turned digital health entrepreneur. You may have seen him on stage talking about innovation as a digital health evangelist for a contract research organization.  John spent over 14 years leading global drug development and healthcare innovation at Quintiles where he also led internal startups as the head of digital health acceleration. Late last year he decided to make the jump from global giant and is now the Chief Product Officer and Partner at THREAD Research based in North Carolina. THREAD contributed to 4 of the first 8 studies that were done with Apple’s ResearchKit and they work with Biopharmaceutical companies, CROs and healthcare providers to provide a platform to transform remote patient research and care. On this episode we talk about the use of tools like Apple’s Health Kit, Research Kit and Care Kit as well as another platform that works for Android. Today’s Topics: The role of intrapreneurs in driving change in established corporations How cl

Today I’m talking with Harry Rowland, co-founder and CEO of Endotronix. Endotronix was founded in 2007 and is developing an implantable pressure sensor that can be placed in the pulmonary artery outside the heart. Dr. Rowland has led the company’s innovation, strategy and technology developments since the project began and has raised millions of dollars in funding. In this episode, he shares the exciting new prospects this technology offers as part of a complete health system that provides tools and feedbacks to help extend and improve patient’s lives. Today’s Topics: Dr. Rowland’s background in engineering and healthcare entrepreneurship Advanced heart failure, current standards of care and healthcare costs Endotronix implantable sensors and proactive heart disease management Raising capital for the business Perseverance and commitment as a startup Future of Endotronix and clinical testing Advice for new healthcare startups Engaging both patients and clinicians to make the product successful Links

I first heard about Kate Ryder of Maven Clinic when I was attending a conference in Las Vegas earlier this year. The conference was actually not focused on healthcare, but when I was speaking to one of the other attendees about what I do, she immediately said “You have got to get in touch with Kate Ryder, the founder of Maven Clinic.” Kate hasn’t always been involved in healthcare. She started out as a journalist for the Economist and she lived and worked in Southeast Asia, NY, and London. She then joined Venture capital firm Index Ventures in London, and she focused on investments in consumer technology, health and education. Now, she’s the CEO and founder of Maven, the world’s first digital clinic designed specifically to empower women and provide access to better health information and services. Kate shares with us her perspective on how she got her business started, and how it has grown and evolved. In addition to providing convenient, affordable and accessible information, they’ve been really creative in

Microsoft isn’t known as a healthcare company, but when it comes to technology infrastructure - there is arguably no technology company with a greater presence across the health continuum than they do. Software pioneers Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft in 1975, and the company has delivered powerhouse platforms that have revolutionized industries across a broad spectrum. Microsoft is empowering people and organizations to improve healthcare, and they are making an impact. Microsoft's high profile acquisition of LinkedIn in June 2016, overshadows other important acquisitions and announcements that hold potential for a big impact on the health community. These include their 2011 acquisition of Skype, and their 2015 announcement of the Hololens - the first fully self-contained, holographic computer. These technologies are now a part of the Microsoft platform which enables entirely new ways of interacting with others and the world around us. In fact, if you haven’t seen how the Hololens can be used in

So far on this podcast we’ve had guests from Germany, the Netherlands, all across the USA, the UK, Spain, France and more. There’s so much happening with digital health transformation all around the world, and today, we’re going to explore what’s happening somewhere new: Africa. We're going to dive into the opportunities and challenges of developing market-driven models in emerging markets. Today, my guest is KP Yelpaala. He is the CEO and Founder of Access Mobile, which is a digital health company committed to improving access to and quality of healthcare - with an added twist: they are deploying their technology in emerging markets across Africa. KP is a first-generation American whose parents immigrated to the US from Ghana. He was born in Wisconsin, and has lived in all over the world in Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, and more. He has made his home in Denver, Colorado. KP started out studying pre-medicine at university, and although he’s passionate about healthcare, he eventually developed the sense that he was

In this episode, we talk about overcoming innovation inertia in healthcare. More specifically, we talk about how to identify the obstacles within organizations, and, most importantly, how to overcome them to accelerate implementation of new solutions. My guest on this episode is Fard Johnmar. He is the founder and president of the innovation consultancy Enspektos, and he has spent nearly 20 years in global health. For the last decade, he has focused on the digital health sector, where he advises executives, entrepreneurs and medical professionals who are working to develop digital health tools and technologies. Fard and I both serve as mentors in the StartupBootcamp Digital Health Accelerator in Berlin, Germany, and he also authored and produced the State of Digital Health Innovation research initiative. Fard has joined us review some of the findings of the first wave of the 2016 ‘State of Digital Health Innovation’ report. In this episode we discuss the 4 forces affecting innovation, how to find out how your

If you've searched for connected health devices in an Apple Store or on Amazon, you’ll see a familiar brand there among the choices. iHealth Labs is a pioneer in the personal mobile health revolution. In 2011, they launched the very first mobile-app enabled blood pressure device. In 2012, they launched the first wireless blood pressure monitor and in 2013, they launched a wireless blood glucose monitor. iHealth was the very first health device to be carried in Apple retail stores, and they’ve been on a roll ever since, leading the way with connected health devices that are stylish and simple to use. On this episode I spoke with Uwe Diegel, the CEO of iHealth Labs Europe who is based in Paris, France. Uwe a is serial entrepreneur who has started several successful healthcare companies. He has several patents and has taken those designs through to production and commercialization. He is a highly sought after speaker in various aspects of cardiovascular health, and he speaks at conferences around the world to sh

You don't have to spend time in hospitals to be familiar with Philips products. Formed in 1891, originally Philips made light bulbs before expanding into consumer electronics. Now you can find the Philips nameplate on products ranging from domestic appliances and personal care to MRI and ECG systems. You may not have noticed, but Philips has been making some significant changes to it’s strategy and structure recently. In May, it IPO’d it’s lighting business, spinning that company out to stand on it’s own, while the consumer lifestyle and healthcare divisions were merged into one. You can imagine this is a significant shift: when one of the world's largest companies works to leverage it’s strengths in healthcare and consumer products, it's time to take notice. Philips makes great products. They are led by smart, tough management, and have excellent sales and support teams. But how do you take a 125 year old company, and reposition it to embrace the continuum of care from the home to the hospital? In June, I sp

During this episode I discuss innovation and virtual care with Dr. Leslie Saxon from the USC Keck School of Medicine. Keck has developed one of the first virtual care clinics and is a prime example of the benefits of digital health innovation. Dr. Leslie Saxon has worked at a number of institutions besides USC, including UCLA and UCSF. She is an Interventional Cardiologist who specializes in the diagnosis of cardiac arrhythmia. Dr. Saxon also hosts the Body Computing Conference at USC, an event which focuses on innovation in digital health. Today, we discuss her work and how innovation in connectivity has improved her work as an Interventional Cardiologist. Episode Download: Information About the Virtual Care Clinic at USC Today’s Topics: Defining digital health Cost problems in Medicine The Virtual Care ClinicTactics for a virtual clinic Patient engagement Who defines the “team” at the Virtual Care Clinic Designing solutions for consumers/patients How other countries can get involved in the Virtual