Digital Health Today

Women and girls in low/middle-income countries are facing an urgent unmet need for modern contraception. This World Contraception Day, join guest host Sophie Park, Managing Director at G4A Digital Health Bayer in conversation with Dr. Ariane de Hoog, Lead Access to Medicine, Community Engagement at Bayer, and Titilola Olaolu-Hassan, Co-Founder & COO at Zuri Health, for this vital discussion on harnessing digital health solutions to empower women and enhance healthcare accessibility in Africa. Topics include: [00:02:14] Background to Bayer’s interest in empowering Women’s health. [00:05:05] Zuri Health: Affordable healthcare for underserved communities. [00:06:28] Impact goals behind Zuri becoming a G4A Portfolio company. [00:11:37] How the Zuri Health platform directly improves girls' and women's access to healthcare. [00:14:08] The future beyond family planning for Zuri Health in partnership with Bayer. [00:15:53] Bayer’s impact goal to provide 100 million women access to modern contraception by 2030. [00:2

The Digital Medicine Society (DiMe) and Moffitt Cancer Center have announced they are co-hosting CancerX, a new public-private partnership effort to rapidly accelerate the pace of cancer innovation in the U.S. Alongside the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH), Moffitt Cancer Center and DiMe are urging the healthcare and digital health sectors to boost technology-driven initiatives to combat cancer. The two groups are working together to accelerate cancer research advancements, and they invite other organizations to do the same. The Biden administration's revived Cancer Moonshot includes the new CancerX public-private partnership. According to officials, the goal is to use industry collaboration and disruptive innovation to lessen the burden of cancer on everyone. The CancerX program will focus on using digital innovation to reduce disparities and financial toxicity in cancer care and research, working with gover

In this coffee talk with AmalgamRX we dive into the challenges being faced by health systems as they work to assess, develop, and implement solutions at the time of a clinical decision. We'll explore the major pain points that keep projects from reaching their full potential, what it takes to overcome these challenges and what you can do when you're developing a digital therapeutic solution for your organization. There's also some tips that apply to payers and pharma as they play a key role in the successful development and implementation of digital therapies. Guest Links and Resources: Connect with Jenni Main on LinkedIn Connect with Dr. Suzanne Clough on LinkedIn Visit https://amalgamrx.com/ Host Links: Connect with Dan Kendall: Twitter | LinkedIn Connect with Eugene Borukhovich: Twitter | LinkedIn Connect on Digital Health Today: Browse Episodes | Twitter | Linkedin | Facebook | Instagram Connect on Health Podcast Network: Browse Shows | Linkedin | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

I’m glad to be back on the mic and bringing you this special episode of Digital Health Today 360. Why is this episode special? Let me explain. One of the goals of the Digital Health Today channel is to create a space where people can learn about great innovation that can improve the health of both individuals and entire populations.  Over the years, as I’ve been creating my own show, I’ve also had the opportunity to expand and serve the health community in other ways. Along with my colleagues at Mission Based Media, we’ve created other audio-first resources to share more information. For example, we created Health Podcast Network to showcase other high-quality, human-centered and evidence-based podcasts. Health Podcast Network now has about 100 different health podcasts and 13,000 episodes.  We also worked through the pandemic to add new shows to Digital Health Today such as the DTx Podcast with Eugene Borukhovich, where he dives into the nascent digital therapeutics industry. And, most recently, we launc

Technology is under the microscope, as are the behaviors of the people who develop and deploy it. As technology impacts virtually every aspect of society, it's use within the life sciences goes beyond traditional bioethical topics.  This creates a host of questions for people and businesses working at the forefront of health innovation. In this episode, hear Nick Bott, Global Head, Bioethics and Technology Ethics at Takeda as we discuss: What is being done to ensure that the decisions around the use of technology for our health and wellbeing are carefully considered and applied?  Whose job is it to address the ethical questions in the development of AI and ML algorithms?  How can life science companies lead the way in setting standards for ethical development? What can we learn from Tony Stark - otherwise known as Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? What is a 'consequence scanning workshop'? What is the role of regulation in setting standards and principles? Episode Links and Resources: Lea

Guest host Sophie Park interviews health economist Jane Sarasohn-Kahn for this fast-paced discussion about women's health, social determinants of health and the 'she-cession' in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. We've seen the headlines during COVID-19: Rising caseloads. Millions of lives lost. Economic devastation. Schools closed. But these only tell part of the story. The impact of the pandemic on mental and physical health extends far beyond those that are directly infected with the disease. Delayed diagnosis, canceled or delayed treatment, loss of employment and the collision of home and professional responsibilities has had a tremendous and long-lasting impact. Join Jane Sarasohn-Kahn and guest host Sophie Park in this discussion about the affects of the pandemic. For more discussion about women's health, check out the video panel with Jane and Sonia Millsom, Chief Commercial Officer of Maven Clinic, on the September 9 Digital Health Forum. Episode Links and Resources: Connect with Jane Sarasohn-Kahn:

Every day, tech companies and governments frame the conversation around the use of data. With the proliferation of smartphones and wearable devices, online shopping, and home voice assistants, we leave a digital footprint with almost everything we do. While our data can be crunched to drive better insights on listening habits, activity levels, and consumer preferences. There's also a far more important application for our data: to improve human lives and health outcomes.  In this coffee talk, we explore how leaders in the pharmaceutical industry are working with people, policy makers and providers to create solutions that will usher in a new era of healthcare solutions and services. This Coffee Talk is created with support from Takeda. Guest Links and Resources: Connect with Meni Styliadou: LinkedIn Connect with Takeda: Website | Twitter | LinkedIn Connect with H2O: Website | Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube European Patient Forum: Website Innovative Medicines Initiative: Website | Twitter | LinkedIn | Y

The pandemic has illustrated how Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) can impact the spread of disease, access to vaccines and the levels of trust in and utilization of basic health services. Beyond the focus on SDOH by politicians, advocacy, groups, and charitable organizations, there are private and public commercial organizations that make it a priority to find and fund solutions that address the social and cultural barriers that reduce or limit access to care. One of those organizations is Bayer. In this conversation with Dominick Kennerson, Global Head of Bayer G4A, we discuss how equity, access and sustainability help set the course for their investment strategy. This Coffee Talk is created in partnership with our Sponsor, Bayer G4A. This year Bayer G4A is looking for companies creating solutions to 5 key challenges including oncology, radiology, mental health, women's health and cardio metabolic and renal diseases.   The Bayer G4A program is open to companies from pre-seed stage to Series A, and even

Dr. David E Albert is a physician, engineer, inventor and serial entrepreneur, and he's the founder and Chief Medical Officer of Alivecor. Dr. Albert has developed life-saving technologies and products for more than 30 years, and he's turned a number of those inventions into tech startups, even before it was a trendy thing to do. Each year, over 20,000 students enrolled in medical schools across the US. Over 600,000 businesses are started each year in the US, and nearly half fail within five years; two-thirds fail within 10 years. So why do people who are on a path to a successful career in medicine decide to become entrepreneurs? Dr. Albert says that "a lot of people go into medicine because it's not very risky. And so there's a real juxtaposition between those people who go into medicine because it's a secure professional lifestyle, and being an entrepreneur." Back in January, 2011, Dr. Albert posted a four minute YouTube video showing how to turn an apple iPhone 4 into a wireless clinical quality cardiac e

In this episode, we dive into a topic that is very close to my heart: improving the lives of people with diabetes. You've certainly heard Kodak mentioned as a good example of how companies should *not* manage product development. A company that was once a household name is now known for missing out on the move to digital cameras. For as long as businesses have existed, there have been companies that didn't move with the times - and we're not just talking about steam trains and pocket watches. There are thousands of case studies from the modern era that can teach important business lessons; lessons about things we should do, and lessons about things we shouldn't. As the number of people with diabetes continues to climb globally, we see businesses working hard to adapt to the new and changing expectations of providers, employers and patients. Increasingly in healthcare, the innovation isn't just about a new technology or innovation. It's about creating sustainable business models that engage stakeholders acr

"In this episode, I'm excited to introduce you to yet another outstanding health innovation leader who is hosting another new show on Digital Health Today. His degrees are in engineering and business, and he is a writer, entrepreneur, investor, and advisor. He is a truly multi-talented person and I'm pleased to also call him a friend. I'm honored to introduce the host of the new Asia Pacific Edition of Digital Health Today, Tony Estrella." ~ Dan Kendall, Founder of Digital Health Today Click here to read the transcript Links and Resources: Connect with Tony Estrella: Twitter | LinkedIn | Personal Website Connect with Taliossa Read Tony's Book: Comatose FutureProofing Healthcare Full Whitepaper, Summary and Video: A Vision for Asia Pacific in 2050  Connect on Digital Health Today: Browse Episodes | Twitter | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram Connect on Health Podcast Network: Browse Shows | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram Digital Health Today is made possible by the support of our spon

In this episode, I have the pleasure of introducing you to one of the health sectors leading innovators, and probably one of the best known and, dare I say it, most loved, leaders I’ve had the pleasure of knowing in my 20 plus years working in healthcare: Eugene Borukhovich. He’s a serial intra- and entrepreneur, executive, venture builder, speaker & board advisor with a focus in digital health. He’s also the Chairman and Founding Board Member at YourCoach.Health and founder of Initium Impact Ventures.  Prior to YourCoach, Eugene served as Global Head of Digital Health at Bayer. He has also co-founded and sold a doctor rating startup and a consulting company. Eugene recently relocated to Barcelona where he enjoys running, writing, traveling and spending time with his family. Be sure to subscribe to Eugene's new show on Digital Health Today focused on Digital Therapeutics. Click here to read the transcript Links and Resources: Connect with Eugene Borukhovich: Twitter | LinkedIn Connect with YourCoach.heal

In this episode I welcome two executives from Bayer G4A. Bayer G4A has been a longtime sponsor of Digital Health Today. I caught up with Dominick Kennerson, Global Head G4A, Digital Health Partnerships at Bayer Pharmaceuticals. I also spoke with Sophie Park. Sophie is a veteran guest on the Digital Health Today program, and the Chief Strategist for Bayer G4A Partnerships. Dominick shared how a chance meeting at a Washington, D.C. bar began his path to a career in Europe. We also spoke about the impact of COVID-19 on the Bayer organization, and how it has changed the expectations and opportunities for companies of all sizes working to make a dent in healthcare. He also traces the early use of the term 'digital health' back to his time at Revolution Health. Agents of Change - A Virtual Digital Health Forum: Earlier this year, Bayer G4A had a call for applications. They are looking for innovative companies that are ready to make a difference in specific key challenge areas. After months of hard work and vetting

Imagine this: You’re the founder of a digital health startup. You’ve been carefully selected and invited to participate in a brand new accelerator in Barcelona. At the start of the year, you say goodbye to your friends and family, you find a place in Barcelona to call home, and you focus on growing your business with the mentorship and support of one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies.  And then, COVID-19 happens.  How does that impact your strategy? How will it affect your success? And will the fight you wage for survival have an impact the healthcare sector at large? In this Coffee Talk we speak with Carlos Gallardo, the CEO and Founder of CG Health Ventures and a board member at Almirall. He has invested personally in about a dozen companies - including Washington DC-based Babyscripts, whose co-founder Juan Pablo Segura was a guest on episode 67. Carlos is based in Barcelona, and he often takes an active role in helping his companies develop their product market fit.  Background: At the end of

If you’ve been tuned into nearly any news channel recently, you’ve probably seen the announcement by Akili about the clearance they announced on June 15 for their product EndeavorRX. It is the first prescription treatment delivered through a video game which is designed to treat Pediatric ADHD. This was quickly followed by an announcement on June 23, 2020 of their CE Mark certification. Like many of you I’ve been tracking the work and progress at Akili for a long time, and I was excited to hear about this important milestone, and when the Akili team contacted me to see if I wanted to have a closer look at and try Endeavor RX, I couldn’t resist. I’ve downloaded it to my iPad and gave it a try, and I’m impressed. I can’t speak to the clinical aspects of the product, but based on the standards and expectations that we have from consumer focused products, this was a great experience. It’s well-designed, was easy to get set up, and it uses a great combination of graphics and sounds to engage the player. I love the

For this special Coffee Talk, I invited Sophie Park, Chief Strategist for Bayer G4A Partnerships to discuss the opportunities for innovative companies to grow and partner with a global pharma company. The Bayer G4A program has continued to grow and succeed since 2013, and it has evolved to adapt to changing market forces, new business priorities and the unprecedented acceleration of innovation that has taken place at the intersection of health and technology.  One of the challenges when an organization has a long history of success like that is that people begin to automatically associate what they knew about the program in previous years, and then overlay that to make presumptions about what the program is like this year.  For example - a lot of people think that G4A is simply an accelerator for early stage startups. In actual fact, they also have a very powerful partnership program which is designed to attract companies that can participate in joint ventures, commercial partnerships or even majority investm

When you visit a website, do you use the navigation menu? Or do you head to the lower right corner of your screen? T hat corner is where a little bit of internet magic happens and it’s becoming more prevalent, and having a great impact, in healthcare. It’s where you can get the answers and information you need just by typing in a few simple words or a question. That little chatbot can be repeated millions and billions of times and provide more natural human interactions and benefits to both the users and the organization that deployed it. To learn more about this technology and how it’s being applied in healthcare, I invited Dr. John Reeves to come share some insights.   Dr. Reeves is a global expert in the application of conversational AI to healthcare. He has over 25 years of experience as an engineer, primary care physician, and entrepreneur. He’s the CEO and founder of ConversationHealth, which is transforming how life sciences companies engage their patients and healthcare professionals through virtual c

With the combination of the Covid crisis and the increased awareness of mental health in the month of May (which is #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth) I wanted to dig deeper into mental health and find out what we can do as individuals and organizations to resource ourselves and those around us.  Guest: Dr. William Kassler, Deputy Health Officer and Lead Population Health Officer at IBM Watson Health.   Dr. Kassler has held a variety of roles at Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dr. Kassler has received numerous awards from the United States Public Health Service, including the Surgeon General’s Meritorious Service Award, and the Bi-State Primary Care Association President’s Award for “unyielding dedication to community-based access to care for the poor and disadvantaged.” We certainly appreciate his dedication to serving people from across our communities. He’s still a practicing interni

In 2017, approximately 19.7 million people aged 12 or older had a substance use disorder (SUD) related to their use of alcohol or illicit drugs in the past year, and an estimated 20.7 million people aged 12 or older needed substance use treatment (1). Sky News reports that calls have doubled to a helpline designed to support children whose parents are battling alcoholism (2).  When traveling is not an option, what support and services are available to people who are battling Substance Use Disorder? In addition to the treatment and support needed to support and sustain their recovery, they are also confined in their homes and potentially dealing in close proximity to relationship, financial or work related problems. Our guest has first hand knowledge of what it’s like to battle addiction, and, fortunately she’s turned her attention on how to improve the situation for people on their own journeys to long-term recovery. Joining me in the health podcast studio is Daniela Tudor, who is recovering from substance us

Organizations are adapting to the new ways of engaging with their employees, clients and suppliers, and platforms like Zoom are experiencing rapid growth as collaboration tools. But successfully growing a business requires more than simply having the right technology in place. Ultimately, it's always about the people. Questions abound such as - how do you build a company culture when people can't gather in coffee rooms, common areas or ping pong tables? Are teleconferencing solutions like Zoom really the best option for people to experience human connection and interaction? And if the predictions are correct and this pandemic really will introduce an entirely new way for businesses to operate over the long term, how do you recruit and grow teams and create ways of building personal relationships that go beyond a voice and a video screen? To give some insights on how to do those things I turned to Dr Justin Barad, the co-founder and CEO of Osso VR. Justin shares an update on the growth of his company, and, imp