Shows
Empowered Patient PodcastHow Behavioral Economics is Transforming Healthcare Engagement with Karen Sussman Horgan VAL Health TRANSCRIPT Karen Sussman Horgan is the Co-Founder and CEO of VAL Health, a behavioral economics consulting firm that helps healthcare organizations drive engagement and nudge patients to improve their health and lifestyle choices. Behavioral economics is the science of understanding how patients make irrational choices based on biases, fear, and faulty analysis of outcomes and risk. Nudges can be carrots or sticks, but in healthcare, the focus is on making the right path easier to follow, reducing friction, and introducing positive reinforcements rather than penalties. Karen explains, "We work across the entire healthcare ecosystem. We think about digital...
2025-06-0300 minEmpowered Patient PodcastHow Behavioral Economics is Transforming Healthcare Engagement with Karen Sussman Horgan VAL Health Karen Sussman Horgan is the Co-Founder and CEO of VAL Health, a behavioral economics consulting firm that helps healthcare organizations drive engagement and nudge patients to improve their health and lifestyle choices. Behavioral economics is the science of understanding how patients make irrational choices based on biases, fear, and faulty analysis of outcomes and risk. Nudges can be carrots or sticks, but in healthcare, the focus is on making the right path easier to follow, reducing friction, and introducing positive reinforcements rather than penalties. Karen explains, "We work across the entire healthcare ecosystem. We think about digital...
2025-06-0319 minEmpowered Patient PodcastDisrupting and Streamlining Traditional Continuous Certification with Karen Schatten National Board of Physicians and Surgeons TRANSCRIPT Karen Schatten, the Associate Director of the National Board of Physicians and Surgeons, is encouraging consideration of alternative paths for continuous certification for board-certified physicians and surgeons. Since 2000, a bureaucratic process has been mandated for this ongoing education. NSPAS aims to modernize and disrupt this process by offering an alternative path for continuing education that addresses physician burnout and provides relevant training to stay current in their medical specialties. Karen explains, "The reason why the bureaucracy persists is, despite it not being really proven and physicians really having to collectively protest it, that requirement we now know af...
2024-01-2200 minEmpowered Patient PodcastDisrupting and Streamlining Traditional Continuous Certification with Karen Schatten National Board of Physicians and Surgeons Karen Schatten, the Associate Director of the National Board of Physicians and Surgeons, is encouraging consideration of alternative paths for continuous certification for board-certified physicians and surgeons. Since 2000, a bureaucratic process has been mandated for this ongoing education. NSPAS aims to modernize and disrupt this process by offering an alternative path for continuing education that addresses physician burnout and provides relevant training to stay current in their medical specialties. Karen explains, "The reason why the bureaucracy persists is, despite it not being really proven and physicians really having to collectively protest it, that requirement we now know af...
2024-01-2217 min
Empowered Patient PodcastUsing Exomes to Deliver Drugs Inside Cells Opens Opportunities for Treating Rare Diseases with Dr. Antonin de Fougerolles Evox Therapeutics TRANSCRIPTDr. Antonin (Tony) de Fougerolles, CEO of Evox Therapeutics, highlights that exosomes, small nanoparticles, are produced by every cell in the body. They contain RNA and proteins that the cell decides to put into the exosome, and they're secreted out into the environment and act as a way that cells communicate with each other. Evox is excited about using exosome therapeutics to load genetic medicines such as RNA interference, small RNA drugs, gene therapy, or genome editing into exosomes and effectively delivering them inside cells. This approach provides a new way to treat rare diseases with an underlying genetic cau...
2023-06-1400 minEmpowered Patient PodcastUsing Exomes to Deliver Drugs Inside Cells Opens Opportunities for Treating Rare Diseases with Dr. Antonin de Fougerolles Evox TherapeuticsDr. Antonin (Tony) de Fougerolles, CEO of Evox Therapeutics, highlights that exosomes, small nanoparticles, are produced by every cell in the body. They contain RNA and proteins that the cell decides to put into the exosome, and they're secreted out into the environment and act as a way that cells communicate with each other. Evox is excited about using exosome therapeutics to load genetic medicines such as RNA interference, small RNA drugs, gene therapy, or genome editing into exosomes and effectively delivering them inside cells. This approach provides a new way to treat rare diseases with an underlying genetic cau...
2023-06-1418 minEmpowered Patient PodcastPlatform to Develop Next Generation Antibodies with Two Binding Sites to Treat HER2+ Related Cancer and COVID with Dr. Eugene Chan Abpro TRANSCRIPT Dr. Eugene Chan, Chairman and Co-Founder of Abpro, talks about the next generation of antibody therapies that can target more than one target to activate the immune system in the fight against cancer. Abpro is also working on a prophylactic antibody therapy to help prevent immunocompromised patients from getting COVID. Eugene explains, "Abpro has developed the antibodies, in a lot of these cases, to be able to target more than one target. This basically activates the immune system more so that whatever you're targeting is cleared more rapidly from the body. This applies to the cases of...
2023-06-1300 minEmpowered Patient PodcastPlatform to Develop Next Generation Antibodies with Two Binding Sites to Treat HER2+ Related Cancer and COVID with Dr. Eugene Chan Abpro Dr. Eugene Chan, Chairman and Co-Founder of Abpro, talks about the next generation of antibody therapies that can target more than one target to activate the immune system in the fight against cancer. Abpro is also working on a prophylactic antibody therapy to help prevent immunocompromised patients from getting COVID. Eugene explains, "Abpro has developed the antibodies, in a lot of these cases, to be able to target more than one target. This basically activates the immune system more so that whatever you're targeting is cleared more rapidly from the body. This applies to the cases of...
2023-06-1318 minEmpowered Patient PodcastTargeting Activation of the Immune System at the Site of the Tumor with Dr. Edith Perez Bolt Biotherapeutics TRANSCRIPT Dr. Edith Perez, Chief Medical Officer at Bolt Biotherapeutics, describes the innovative approach Bolt is taking to bring together the precision of antibodies against the tumor with the power of the innate and adaptive immune system by activating the immune system at the tumor site. This approach can minimize side effects from systematic activation of the immune system and reinforce long-term anti-tumor efficacy. Edith explains, "The myeloid cells are a wide range of cells in the body, and initially, the myeloid cells can start attacking the tumors right away. But as important, or even more importantly, is t...
2023-06-1200 minEmpowered Patient PodcastTargeting Activation of the Immune System at the Site of the Tumor with Dr. Edith Perez Bolt Biotherapeutics Dr. Edith Perez, Chief Medical Officer at Bolt Biotherapeutics, describes the innovative approach Bolt is taking to bring together the precision of antibodies against the tumor with the power of the innate and adaptive immune system by activating the immune system at the tumor site. This approach can minimize side effects from systematic activation of the immune system and reinforce long-term anti-tumor efficacy. Edith explains, "The myeloid cells are a wide range of cells in the body, and initially, the myeloid cells can start attacking the tumors right away. But as important, or even more importantly, is t...
2023-06-1221 minEmpowered Patient PodcastUsing mRNA Vaccines to Effectively and Safely Target Infectious Disease and Cancer with Dr. Thomas VanCott and Dr. Romain Micol Combined Therapeutics TRANSCRIPT Dr. Romain Micol, CEO, and Dr. Tom VanCott, Chief Scientific Officer, at Combined Therapeutics, are excited about the opportunities to design mRNA vaccines that target specific tissue cells to restrict protein expression and have stronger potency in the fight against infectious disease and cancer. They have designed their vaccine platform to keep the vaccine antigen expression at the injection site, protecting the liver, kidney, and heart. Romain explains, "So mRNA vaccines are highly effective both for infectious diseases and, more recently, to treat cancer. It's an ideal technology that is relatively easy to make and to manufacture. It...
2023-06-0800 minEmpowered Patient PodcastUsing mRNA Vaccines to Effectively and Safely Target Infectious Disease and Cancer with Dr. Thomas VanCott and Dr. Romain Micol Combined Therapeutics Dr. Romain Micol, CEO, and Dr. Tom VanCott, Chief Scientific Officer, at Combined Therapeutics, are excited about the opportunities to design mRNA vaccines that target specific tissue cells to restrict protein expression and have stronger potency in the fight against infectious disease and cancer. They have designed their vaccine platform to keep the vaccine antigen expression at the injection site, protecting the liver, kidney, and heart. Romain explains, "So mRNA vaccines are highly effective both for infectious diseases and, more recently, to treat cancer. It's an ideal technology that is relatively easy to make and to manufacture. It...
2023-06-0822 minEmpowered Patient PodcastTherapy and Rehab Clients Use Software-as-a-Relationship Approach to Manage Patient Lifecycle with Nick Hedges Raintree Systems TRANSCRIPT Nick Hedges is the CEO of Raintree Systems, a provider of software-as-a-relationship to help therapy and rehab companies enhance their patient engagement, provide access to an electronic medical record system, and improve revenue cycle management. Using predictive models and a digital approach to billing and reimbursement, Raintree is reducing the friction for patients, providers, and payers. Nick explains, "A lot of people describe software these days as delivered primarily through the internet as software-as-a-service. However, service doesn't really tell you the full story about how we interact with our clients. We see our software as being a...
2023-06-0700 minEmpowered Patient PodcastTherapy and Rehab Clients Use Software-as-a-Relationship Approach to Manage Patient Lifecycle with Nick Hedges Raintree Systems Nick Hedges is the CEO of Raintree Systems, a provider of software-as-a-relationship to help therapy and rehab companies enhance their patient engagement, provide access to an electronic medical record system, and improve revenue cycle management. Using predictive models and a digital approach to billing and reimbursement, Raintree is reducing the friction for patients, providers, and payers. Nick explains, "A lot of people describe software these days as delivered primarily through the internet as software-as-a-service. However, service doesn't really tell you the full story about how we interact with our clients. We see our software as being a...
2023-06-0719 minEmpowered Patient PodcastFit-For-Purpose Digital Therapeutics Evidentiary Standards Drive Innovation and Patient Access with Whitney Stewart Curebase and Megan Coder Digital Therapeutics Alliance TRANSCRIPT Whitney Stewart, the Director of Clinical Project Management at Curebase, and Megan Coder, the Chief Policy Officer of the Digital Therapeutics Alliance, have worked together on a white paper Setting the Stage for a Fit-For-Purpose DTx Evidentiary Standard. The goal is to outline foundational principles that, in some cases, are unique to the digital therapeutics category. Their focus is on baseline expectations related to procedures and the type, quality, and timing of clinical trials necessary to evaluate and widely implement DTx therapies. Megan explains, "Given some of their development pathways and processes, given how they're regulated as a m...
2023-06-0600 minEmpowered Patient PodcastFit-For-Purpose Digital Therapeutics Evidentiary Standards Drive Innovation and Patient Access with Whitney Stewart Curebase and Megan Coder Digital Therapeutics Alliance Whitney Stewart, the Director of Clinical Project Management at Curebase, and Megan Coder, the Chief Policy Officer of the Digital Therapeutics Alliance, have worked together on a white paper Setting the Stage for a Fit-For-Purpose DTx Evidentiary Standard. The goal is to outline foundational principles that, in some cases, are unique to the digital therapeutics category. Their focus is on baseline expectations related to procedures and the type, quality, and timing of clinical trials necessary to evaluate and widely implement DTx therapies. Megan explains, "Given some of their development pathways and processes, given how they're regulated as a m...
2023-06-0619 minEmpowered Patient PodcastWarning About Potential Risks from Overuse of Acetaminophen with Karen Smith Catie’s Cause TRANSCRIPT Karen Smith is the Founder of Catie's Cause, a nonprofit charity dedicated to building awareness about the safe use of over-the-counter pain medications. After the death of her daughter Catie from liver failure due to overuse of Tylenol, Karen founded this organization to shine a light on the unintended and intentional side effects of easy access to these medicines. Karen explains, "The research shows that there are four main groups of individuals who are impacted by acetaminophen poisoning. Young adults definitely are a large group, oftentimes because they're on their own and they don't realize the dangers o...
2023-06-0500 minEmpowered Patient PodcastWarning About Potential Risks from Overuse of Acetaminophen with Karen Smith Catie’s Cause Karen Smith is the Founder of Catie's Cause, a nonprofit charity dedicated to building awareness about the safe use of over-the-counter pain medications. After the death of her daughter Catie from liver failure due to overuse of Tylenol, Karen founded this organization to shine a light on the unintended and intentional side effects of easy access to these medicines. Karen explains, "The research shows that there are four main groups of individuals who are impacted by acetaminophen poisoning. Young adults definitely are a large group, oftentimes because they're on their own and they don't realize the dangers o...
2023-06-0517 minEmpowered Patient PodcastTraining the Next Generation of Nurses to Care for a Diverse Population with Dr. Jing Wang Florida State University College of Nursing TRANSCRIPT Dr. Jing Wang is the Dean and Professor at Florida State University College of Nursing and is focused on bringing a high-tech, high-touch approach to patient care in the education of nurses. The idea is to leverage technology and digital health tools to support nurses so that they can spend more quality time with patients. The newest generation of students are digital natives, and one goal is to help them use that knowledge to smooth the transition for the less technology savvy. Jing explains, "I think it's all about how technology is introduced into the learning in...
2023-06-0100 minEmpowered Patient PodcastTraining the Next Generation of Nurses to Care for a Diverse Population with Dr. Jing Wang Florida State University College of Nursing Dr. Jing Wang is the Dean and Professor at Florida State University College of Nursing and is focused on bringing a high-tech, high-touch approach to patient care in the education of nurses. The idea is to leverage technology and digital health tools to support nurses so that they can spend more quality time with patients. The newest generation of students are digital natives, and one goal is to help them use that knowledge to smooth the transition for the less technology savvy. Jing explains, "I think it's all about how technology is introduced into the learning in...
2023-06-0120 minEmpowered Patient PodcastImportance of Whole Genome Sequencing for Diagnosing and Treating Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders with Dr. Deb Ondrasik CACNA1A Foundation TRANSCRIPT Dr. Deb Ondrasik is a pediatrician based in Massachusetts, and the topic today is the CACNA1A Foundation and its work on raising awareness about developmental disabilities. Deb's daughter was diagnosed in 2015 as one of eight children worldwide with a CACNA1A gene mutation causing epileptic encephalopathy. This is a story about the need for whole genome sequencing to determine the root cause of childhood developmental delays and the value of this information for developing a treatment plan. Deb explains, "CACNA1A is a genetic mutation that's a group of diseases that can present in a number of...
2023-05-3100 minEmpowered Patient PodcastImportance of Whole Genome Sequencing for Diagnosing and Treating Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders with Dr. Deb Ondrasik CACNA1A Foundation Dr. Deb Ondrasik is a pediatrician based in Massachusetts, and the topic today is the CACNA1A Foundation and its work on raising awareness about developmental disabilities. Deb's daughter was diagnosed in 2015 as one of eight children worldwide with a CACNA1A gene mutation causing epileptic encephalopathy. This is a story about the need for whole genome sequencing to determine the root cause of childhood developmental delays and the value of this information for developing a treatment plan. Deb explains, "CACNA1A is a genetic mutation that's a group of diseases that can present in a number o...
2023-05-3118 minEmpowered Patient PodcastRaising Awareness in the Workplace About Treating Substance Use Disorder with Heather Ridenoure and Maeve Ruggieri Contigo Health TRANSCRIPT Heather Ridenoure, Center of Excellence Segment Leader, and Maeve Ruggieri, the Director of Product at Contigo Health, shine a light on the challenge of employee substance use disorder and the resources available for care. This chronic disease can be caused by adverse childhood events, genetic predisposition, stress, and environmental factors. Contigo addresses any substance that can be abused through their Centers for Excellence program with virtual care and in-person care options where participation is voluntary and can be accessed 24/7. Heather explains, "As far as how frequently this occurs, the newest statistics from the Centers for Disease Control s...
2023-05-3000 minEmpowered Patient PodcastRaising Awareness in the Workplace About Treating Substance Use Disorder with Heather Ridenoure and Maeve Ruggieri Contigo Health Heather Ridenoure, Center of Excellence Segment Leader, and Maeve Ruggieri, the Director of Product at Contigo Health, shine a light on the challenge of employee substance use disorder and the resources available for care. This chronic disease can be caused by adverse childhood events, genetic predisposition, stress, and environmental factors. Contigo addresses any substance that can be abused through their Centers for Excellence program with virtual care and in-person care options where participation is voluntary and can be accessed 24/7. Heather explains, "As far as how frequently this occurs, the newest statistics from the Centers for Disease Control s...
2023-05-3020 minEmpowered Patient PodcastBonding Over Spinal Muscular Atrophy with Kyle Filkins and Kris Napper TRANSCRIPT Kyle Filkins and Kris Napper were both born with SMA, spinal muscular atrophy. Meeting as kids at The Muscular Dystrophy Association summer camp, they have developed a friendship and a documentary. After beginning the use of the drug Evrysdi, their rare genetic disease stopped progressing, and the oral form of this medication allowed them to avoid spinal injections. Now in their thirties, Kris and Kyle are advocating for the community of those with SMA, working on their documentary, and looking forward to more adventures. Kris explains, "Just shortly before Evrysdi was released and made available, there was a...
2023-05-2500 minEmpowered Patient PodcastBonding Over Spinal Muscular Atrophy with Kyle Filkins and Kris Napper Kyle Filkins and Kris Napper were both born with SMA, spinal muscular atrophy. Meeting as kids at The Muscular Dystrophy Association summer camp, they have developed a friendship and a documentary. After beginning the use of the drug Evrysdi, their rare genetic disease stopped progressing, and the oral form of this medication allowed them to avoid spinal injections. Now in their thirties, Kris and Kyle are advocating for the community of those with SMA, working on their documentary, and looking forward to more adventures. Kris explains, "Just shortly before Evrysdi was released and made available, there was a...
2023-05-2521 minEmpowered Patient PodcastOnline Marketplace Providing Resources for Finding Senior Living Options with Marlena Del Hierro Seniorly TRANSCRIPT Marlena Del Hierro VP of partnerships and commercial strategy at Seniorly, which is a resource for families looking for senior living options and seniors planning ahead. The Best of Senior Living Awards determined by Seniorly highlights the best 150 communities around the country based on feedback from families, senior living advisors, licensing reviews, and media searches that might reveal something problematic or terrific about a facility. Marlena explains, "We have an algorithm that then shares the top five to seven options for your loved one. So that's a unique piece, because of the data and the technology that w...
2023-05-2300 minEmpowered Patient PodcastOnline Marketplace Providing Resources for Finding Senior Living Options with Marlena Del Hierro Seniorly Marlena Del Hierro VP of partnerships and commercial strategy at Seniorly, which is a resource for families looking for senior living options and seniors planning ahead. The Best of Senior Living Awards determined by Seniorly highlights the best 150 communities around the country based on feedback from families, senior living advisors, licensing reviews, and media searches that might reveal something problematic or terrific about a facility. Marlena explains, "We have an algorithm that then shares the top five to seven options for your loved one. So that's a unique piece, because of the data and the technology that w...
2023-05-2319 minEmpowered Patient PodcastOral Therapy Treats Cancer by Suppressing the RAGE Receptor with Dr. Steve Marcus Cantex Pharmaceuticals TRANSCRIPT Dr. Steve Marcus, CEO of Cantex Pharmaceuticals, is developing drugs based on Azeliragon that might slow the metastasis of cancer and extend the survival rate for patients with brain and other cancers. This drug has been shown to suppress the RAGE receptor, which is expressed on the surface of cancer cells and some immune cells. When RAGE is over-activated, as it is in several cancers and inflammatory diseases, it can cause pathology. Steve elaborates, "Azeliragon inhibits something abbreviated as RAGE, the receptor for advanced glycation end products. Originally, it was thought that RAGE is very important for t...
2023-05-2200 minEmpowered Patient PodcastOral Therapy Treats Cancer by Suppressing the RAGE Receptor with Dr. Steve Marcus Cantex Pharmaceuticals Dr. Steve Marcus, CEO of Cantex Pharmaceuticals, is developing drugs based on Azeliragon that might slow the metastasis of cancer and extend the survival rate for patients with brain and other cancers. This drug has been shown to suppress the RAGE receptor, which is expressed on the surface of cancer cells and some immune cells. When RAGE is over-activated, as it is in several cancers and inflammatory diseases, it can cause pathology. Steve elaborates, "Azeliragon inhibits something abbreviated as RAGE, the receptor for advanced glycation end products. Originally, it was thought that RAGE is very important for t...
2023-05-2217 minEmpowered Patient PodcastFast Acting Therapeutic for Social Anxiety Disorder with Dr. Spyros Papapetropoulos Bionomics TRANSCRIPT Dr. Spyros Papapetropoulos is the President and CEO of Bionomics, a biotech company focused on central nervous system disorders, particularly social anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorders. Social anxiety is a disease primarily of adolescents and young adults, and the social isolation during COVID contributed to a rise in the number of people experiencing this condition. The Bionomics drug in development is BNC210, a therapeutic that can be taken on schedule an hour before conducting an activity likely to induce anxiety. Spyros elaborates, "Social anxiety disorder is actually known as social phobia, and it's very different, because everyday int...
2023-05-1800 minEmpowered Patient PodcastFast Acting Therapeutic for Social Anxiety Disorder with Dr. Spyros Papapetropoulos Bionomics Dr. Spyros Papapetropoulos is the President and CEO of Bionomics, a biotech company focused on central nervous system disorders, particularly social anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorders. Social anxiety is a disease primarily of adolescents and young adults, and the social isolation during COVID contributed to a rise in the number of people experiencing this condition. The Bionomics drug in development is BNC210, a therapeutic that can be taken on schedule an hour before conducting an activity likely to induce anxiety. Spyros elaborates, "Social anxiety disorder is actually known as social phobia, and it's very different, because everyday int...
2023-05-1818 minEmpowered Patient PodcastNasal Spray Treatment for Diabetic Gastroparesis Eliminates Need to Digest a Pill with Matt D’Onofrio Evoke Pharma TRANSCRIPT Matt D'Onofrio, Co-Founder, President, and Chief Operating Officer at Evoke Pharma, is developing a treatment to help patients with diabetic gastroparesis. This little-known disease is thought to be due to damage to the vagus nerve, interrupting the communication between the brain and gut, and stopping the stomach from functioning normally. Current treatments are a pill required to move through the stomach. Evoke has developed a nasal spray to treat the condition that bypasses the stomach and provides predictable relief. Matt explains, "We developed a product called GIMOTI, or nasal metoclopramide. The interest behind doing so is to co...
2023-05-1700 minEmpowered Patient PodcastNasal Spray Treatment for Diabetic Gastroparesis Eliminates Need to Digest a Pill with Matt D’Onofrio Evoke Pharma Matt D'Onofrio, Co-Founder, President, and Chief Operating Officer at Evoke Pharma, is developing a treatment to help patients with diabetic gastroparesis. This little-known disease is thought to be due to damage to the vagus nerve, interrupting the communication between the brain and gut, stopping the stomach from functioning normally. Current treatments are a pill required to move through the stomach. Evoke has developed a nasal spray to treat the condition that bypasses the stomach and provides predictable relief. Matt explains, "We developed a product called GIMOTI, or nasal metoclopramide. The interest behind doing so is to completely by...
2023-05-1719 minEmpowered Patient PodcastUsing Bioimpedance-Based Technology for Early Detection of Cancer with Jared Bauer IONIQ Sciences TRANSCRIPT Jared Bauer is the CEO of IONIQ Sciences which is exploring new ways to detect cancer at an earlier stage using non-invasive bioimpedance-based technology. This approach is not looking for the presence of cancer cells but rather changes in the interstitial fluid. Using a low level of electric current, the IONIQ AI-enhanced technology can identify where in the body the cancer is. Jared explains, "It's a bioimpedance-based technology, and the way the system works is we inject a very low level of electrical current, not enough for you to feel. You can't even recognize that it's there...
2023-05-1600 minEmpowered Patient PodcastUsing Bioimpedance-Based Technology for Early Detection of Cancer with Jared Bauer IONIQ Sciences Jared Bauer is the CEO of IONIQ Sciences which is exploring new ways to detect cancer at an earlier stage using non-invasive bioimpedance-based technology. This approach is not looking for the presence of cancer cells but rather changes in the interstitial fluid. Using a low level of electric current, the IONIQ AI-enhanced technology can identify where in the body the cancer is. Jared explains, "It's a bioimpedance-based technology, and the way the system works is we inject a very low level of electrical current, not enough for you to feel. You can't even recognize that it's there...
2023-05-1622 minEmpowered Patient PodcastProviding On-Demand Comprehensive Behavioral Health Crisis Care with Colin LeClair Connections Health Solutions TRANSCRIPTColin LeClair, CEO of Connections Health Solutions, shares his concerns about the lack of resources for people needing behavioral health crisis care and solutions for urgent and emergency psychiatric services in a facility-based setting. With a community-based approach, Connections partners with hospitals, care facilities, service providers, and law enforcement to better understand patients dealing with complex behavioral challenges and provide new alternatives for care. Colin elaborates, "Right now, we have two of the largest crisis facilities, as we call them, in Arizona, one in Tucson and one in Phoenix. And those services include emergency psychiatric services, 24 hours a...
2023-05-1500 minEmpowered Patient PodcastProviding On-Demand Comprehensive Behavioral Health Crisis Care with Colin LeClair Connections Health SolutionsColin LeClair, CEO of Connections Health Solutions, shares his concerns about the lack of resources for people needing behavioral health crisis care and solutions for urgent and emergency psychiatric services in a facility-based setting. With a community-based approach, Connections partners with hospitals, care facilities, service providers, and law enforcement to better understand patients dealing with complex behavioral challenges and provide new alternatives for care. Colin elaborates, "Right now, we have two of the largest crisis facilities, as we call them, in Arizona, one in Tucson and one in Phoenix. And those services include emergency psychiatric services, 24 hours a...
2023-05-1520 minEmpowered Patient PodcastInhalation Vaccines Changing Options to Prevent and Control Transmission of Flu and COVID with Dr. Shankar Musunuri Ocugen TRANSCRIPT Dr. Shankar Musunuri is the Co-Founder and CEO of Ocugen, which is a biotechnology company focused on vaccines for public health, gene therapies targeting rare diseases in the retinal space, and cell therapies for regenerative medicine applications in cartilage repair. One key opportunity is to develop an inhalation vaccine that would be durable and efficient at preventing and controlling transmission of COVID and able to be combined with a flu vaccine. Shankar explains, "There is a linkage if you take some of these vaccines and gene therapies. Some of the processes we use to make gene therapies c...
2023-05-1300 minEmpowered Patient PodcastInhalation Vaccines Changing Options to Prevent and Control Transmission of Flu and COVID with Dr. Shankar Musunuri Ocugen Dr. Shankar Musunuri is the Co-Founder and CEO of Ocugen, which is a biotechnology company focused on vaccines for public health, gene therapies targeting rare diseases in the retinal space, and cell therapies for regenerative medicine applications in cartilage repair. One key opportunity is to develop an inhalation vaccine that would be durable and efficient at preventing and controlling transmission of COVID and able to be combined with a flu vaccine. Shankar explains, "There is a linkage if you take some of these vaccines and gene therapies. Some of the processes we use to make gene therapies c...
2023-05-1318 minEmpowered Patient PodcastTherapies for Renal and Inflammatory Diseases Focus on Inflammasomes with Steve Glover ZyVersa Therapeutics TRANSCRIPT Steve Glover, Co-founder and CEO of ZyVersa Therapeutics, focuses on rare kidney diseases and diseases with an inflammation component. Inflammasomes, the first response in the innate immune system, create an inflammation cascade. The ZyVersa approach targets multiple inflammasomes to address diseases caused by the malfunction of this response. Steve explains, "Inflammation drives a lot of different diseases. And as we get into this a little bit more today, it's everything from kidney disease such as rare diseases such as FSGS and Alport syndrome and diabetic kidney disease all have an inflammation component. And in addition to that, w...
2023-05-1100 minEmpowered Patient PodcastTherapies for Renal and Inflammatory Diseases Focus on Inflammasomes with Steve Glover ZyVersa Therapeutics Steve Glover, Co-founder and CEO of ZyVersa Therapeutics, focuses on rare kidney diseases and diseases with an inflammation component. Inflammasomes, the first response in the innate immune system, create an inflammation cascade. The ZyVersa approach targets multiple inflammasomes to address diseases caused by the malfunction of this response. Steve explains, "Inflammation drives a lot of different diseases. And as we get into this a little bit more today, it's everything from kidney disease such as rare diseases such as FSGS and Alport syndrome and diabetic kidney disease all have an inflammation component. And in addition to that, w...
2023-05-1120 minEmpowered Patient PodcastOptimizing Blood and Cell Collection and Exchanges with Carly Newton Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies TRANSCRIPTCarly Newton is an apheresis expert at Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies, a medical device company that manufactures and designs systems that collect blood components and cells. Their software provides management tools to optimize procedures and help physicians better manage care. The largest patient group treated with red blood cell exchange are those with sickle cell disease and benefit from the Terumo iron-neutral therapy over a simple transfusion. Carly explains, "We've also got software technologies that many of our blood banks use and they're designed to get the most from blood donors when they go and present...
2023-05-0900 minEmpowered Patient PodcastOptimizing Blood and Cell Collection and Exchanges with Carly Newton Terumo Blood and Cell TechnologiesCarly Newton is an apheresis expert at Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies, a medical device company that manufactures and designs systems that collect blood components and cells. Their software provides management tools to optimize procedures and help physicians better manage care. The largest patient group treated with red blood cell exchange are those with sickle cell disease and benefit from the Terumo iron-neutral therapy over a simple transfusion. Carly explains, "We've also got software technologies that many of our blood banks use and they're designed to get the most from blood donors when they go and present...
2023-05-0921 minEmpowered Patient PodcastTherapeutic Impact of LSD and Other Psychedelics for Anxiety Depression and Psychiatric Health with Dr. Daniel Karlin MindMed TRANSCRIPT Dr. Daniel Karlin, Chief Medical Officer at MindMed, is bringing an updated approach to developing an LSD-based drug to treat anxiety and depression. Instead of developing a psychiatric medicine to be taken every day, MindMed is changing the paradigm to a session-based therapy that uses psychedelic drugs and therapists to improve psychiatric health. As a trained psychiatrist, Dan works at the intersection of psychiatry and neuroscience with this psychedelic-assisted therapeutic approach to brain health. Dan elaborates, "For quite some time, I think it feels like psychiatry hasn't been meeting people there. Treatments have been more focused on s...
2023-05-0800 minEmpowered Patient PodcastTherapeutic Impact of LSD and Other Psychedelics for Anxiety Depression and Psychiatric Health with Dr. Daniel Karlin MindMed Dr. Daniel Karlin, Chief Medical Officer at MindMed, is bringing an updated approach to developing an LSD-based drug to treat anxiety and depression. Instead of developing a psychiatric medicine to be taken every day, MindMed is changing the paradigm to a session-based therapy that uses psychedelic drugs and therapists to improve psychiatric health. As a trained psychiatrist, Dan works at the intersection of psychiatry and neuroscience with this psychedelic-assisted therapeutic approach to brain health. Dan elaborates, "For quite some time, I think it feels like psychiatry hasn't been meeting people there. Treatments have been more focused on s...
2023-05-0819 minEmpowered Patient PodcastUsing Continuous Heart Monitoring to Diagnose and Manage Cardiac Patients with Dr. Waqaas Al-Siddiq Biotricity TRANSCRIPT Dr. Waqaas Al-Siddiq, CEO and Founder of Biotricity, shines a light on the need for better data about heart rhythm throughout the day, not just for a limited time. Biotricity has developed a non-invasive, cost-effective, available over-the-counter monitor that provides patients and cardiologists with a new level of understanding of heart activity and enhances diagnosis and disease management. Waqaas explains, "I'll take a step back to try to explain the problem that we were trying to solve. Dexcom created a continuous glucose monitor, saying that there are these data points that are in between when you're pricking...
2023-05-0300 minEmpowered Patient PodcastUsing Continuous Heart Monitoring to Diagnose and Manage Cardiac Patients with Dr. Waqaas Al-Siddiq Biotricity Dr. Waqaas Al-Siddiq, CEO and Founder of Biotricity, shines a light on the need for better data about heart rhythm throughout the day, not just for a limited time. Biotricity has developed a non-invasive, cost-effective, available over-the-counter monitor that provides patients and cardiologists with a new level of understanding of heart activity and enhances diagnosis and disease management. Waqaas explains, "I'll take a step back to try to explain the problem that we were trying to solve. Dexcom created a continuous glucose monitor, saying that there are these data points that are in between when you're pricking...
2023-05-0317 minEmpowered Patient PodcastEncouraging and Facilitating Diverse Participation in Clinical Trials with Dr. Eddilisa Martin Neighborhood Trials TRANSCRIPT Dr. Eddilisa Martin is the CEO and Founder of M & B Sciences, which has created the Neighborhood Trials online platform and app available in the Apple Store and the Google Store. Their mission is to drive more diversity in clinical trial participation by providing accessible information to patients, providers, and caregivers looking for therapies and opportunities for trials. Eddilisa explains, "When we talk about diversity, people most often think of race and ethnicity. And that's very, very important. But diversity means having representation across a whole spectrum of things. So whether that's age, whether it's your sexual p...
2023-05-0200 minEmpowered Patient PodcastEncouraging and Facilitating Diverse Participation in Clinical Trials with Dr. Eddilisa Martin Neighborhood Trials Dr. Eddilisa Martin is the CEO and Founder of M & B Sciences, which has created the Neighborhood Trials online platform and app available in the Apple Store and the Google Store. Their mission is to drive more diversity in clinical trial participation by providing accessible information to patients, providers, and caregivers looking for therapies and opportunities for trials. Eddilisa explains, "When we talk about diversity, people most often think of race and ethnicity. And that's very, very important. But diversity means having representation across a whole spectrum of things. So whether that's age, whether it's your sexual p...
2023-05-0220 minEmpowered Patient PodcastOral Gut Microbiome Treatment for Recurrent C. diff with Eric Shaff Seres Therapeutics TRANSCRIPT Eric Shaff is the President and CEO of Seres Therapeutics, which is focused on the gut microbiome in order to develop bacteria as an oral treatment for bloodstream infections, cancer, and immune system diseases. The first therapy is SER-109 for recurrent C. diff infection an orphan disease with inadequate solutions for patients. The starting point for Seres is that the health of the microbiome is the starting point for preventing infections from occurring. Eric explains, "The real susceptibility of someone getting C. diff is not just the bad actor bacteria. But really the susceptibility of the microbiome...
2023-05-0100 minEmpowered Patient PodcastOral Gut Microbiome Treatment for Recurrent C. diff with Eric Shaff Seres Therapeutics Eric Shaff is the President and CEO of Seres Therapeutics, which is focused on the gut microbiome in order to develop bacteria as an oral treatment for bloodstream infections, cancer, and immune system diseases. The first therapy is SER-109 for recurrent C. diff infection an orphan disease with inadequate solutions for patients. The starting point for Seres is that the health of the microbiome is the starting point for preventing infections from occurring. Eric explains, "The real susceptibility of someone getting C. diff is not just the bad actor bacteria. But really the susceptibility of the microbiome...
2023-05-0117 minEmpowered Patient PodcastAssessing Social Determinants of Health with Data-Driven Approach to Identify and Address Risk Exposure with Ashley Perry Socially Determined TRANSCRIPT Ashley Perry is the Chief Strategy and Solutions Officer at Socially Determined, a social risk analytics and solutions company working with payers, providers, and life science companies. Their Socialscope risk and data analytics platform helps organizations understand social determinants of health, identify and manage risk and advance equity for the populations they serve. These organizations are able to be data-driven and action-oriented to mitigate community and individual-level risk. Ashley explains, "The evidence is very clear from a multitude of sources that up to 80% of healthcare utilization, cost, outcomes, and, importantly also, equity are driven by non-clinical factors...
2023-04-2700 minEmpowered Patient PodcastAssessing Social Determinants of Health with Data-Driven Approach to Identify and Address Risk Exposure with Ashley Perry Socially Determined Ashley Perry is the Chief Strategy and Solutions Officer at Socially Determined, a social risk analytics and solutions company working with payers, providers, and life science companies. Their Socialscope risk and data analytics platform helps organizations understand social determinants of health, identify and manage risk and advance equity for the populations they serve. These organizations are able to be data-driven and action-oriented to mitigate community and individual-level risk. Ashley explains, "The evidence is very clear from a multitude of sources that up to 80% of healthcare utilization, cost, outcomes, and, importantly also, equity are driven by non-clinical factors...
2023-04-2716 minEmpowered Patient PodcastPath to Bringing Prodrugs to Market for Rare Diseases with Rich Pascoe Zevra Therapeutics TRANSCRIPT Rich Pascoe, CEO of Zevra Therapeutics, is working with a team with deep experience developing drugs and getting them approved by the FDA. Having developed multiple prodrugs for pain and ADHD, Zevra is now developing rare disease therapies with an initial focus on Niemann Pick Disease Type C and idiopathic hypersomnia. Rich explains, "Our lead product is a drug called arimoclomol. It's intended for the treatment of Niemann Pick Type C disease, or NPC for short. Niemann Pick primarily affects children. It's a lysosomal storage disorder condition, meaning patients lack the ability to break down certain things, in...
2023-04-2600 minEmpowered Patient PodcastPath to Bringing Prodrugs to Market for Rare Diseases with Rich Pascoe Zevra Therapeutics Rich Pascoe, CEO of Zevra Therapeutics, is working with a team with deep experience developing drugs and getting them approved by the FDA. Having developed multiple prodrugs for pain and ADHD, Zevra is now developing rare disease therapies with an initial focus on Niemann Pick Disease Type C and idiopathic hypersomnia. Rich explains, "Our lead product is a drug called arimoclomol. It's intended for the treatment of Niemann Pick Type C disease, or NPC for short. Niemann Pick primarily affects children. It's a lysosomal storage disorder condition, meaning patients lack the ability to break down certain things, in...
2023-04-2618 minEmpowered Patient PodcastAdvanced RNA Technology Cost-Effectively Creating mRNA Vaccines for Viruses and Cancer with Steven Reed HDT Bio TRANSCRIPTSteve Reed, Co-Founder, President, and CEO of HDT Bio, has spent his life focusing on tropical diseases and points out how the cost of developing and manufacturing vaccines determines access for a global population. HDT Bio was founded to develop more cost-effective technology to induce broader immune responses to various diseases. Their advanced RNA platform AMPLIFY is a technology applied to developing mRNA vaccines for infectious diseases and a therapeutic vaccine to help prevent recurrence and prolong survival from cancer. Steve elaborates, "COVID was something that came up right after we founded the company, and so the N...
2023-04-2500 minEmpowered Patient PodcastAdvanced RNA Technology Cost-Effectively Creating mRNA Vaccines for Viruses and Cancer with Steven Reed HDT BioSteve Reed, Co-Founder, President, and CEO of HDT Bio, has spent his life focusing on tropical diseases and points out how the cost of developing and manufacturing vaccines determines access for a global population. HDT Bio was founded to develop more cost-effective technology to induce broader immune responses to various diseases. Their advanced RNA platform AMPLIFY is a technology applied to developing mRNA vaccines for infectious diseases and a therapeutic vaccine to help prevent recurrence and prolong survival from cancer. Steve elaborates, "COVID was something that came up right after we founded the company, and so the N...
2023-04-2517 minEmpowered Patient PodcastAllogeneic Platform Using Gamma Delta Cells in CAR-T Treatment for Solid Tumors with Jeff Liter Luminary Therapeutics TRANSCRIPT Jeff Liter is the CEO and Founder of Luminary Therapeutics, which is using gamma delta cells in their approach to CART-T cell therapy because of the ability of these cells to infiltrate solid tumors. With a multi-targeting system, Luminary has demonstrated promise treating multiple types of solid tumors, blood tumors, and autoimmune diseases. Their goal is to create a scalable model to manufacture allogeneic cells to drive down the cost and availability of effective cell therapies. Jeff explains, "We're focused primarily on three big challenges in the CAR-T industry. The first is the overall manufacturing approach and...
2023-04-2400 minEmpowered Patient PodcastAllogeneic Platform Using Gamma Delta Cells in CAR-T Treatment for Solid Tumors with Jeff Liter Luminary Therapeutics Jeff Liter is the CEO and Founder of Luminary Therapeutics, which is using gamma delta cells in their approach to CART-T cell therapy because of the ability of these cells to infiltrate solid tumors. With a multi-targeting system, Luminary has demonstrated promise treating multiple types of solid tumors, blood tumors, and autoimmune diseases. Their goal is to create a scalable model to manufacture allogeneic cells to drive down the cost and availability of effective cell therapies. Jeff explains, "We're focused primarily on three big challenges in the CAR-T industry. The first is the overall manufacturing approach and...
2023-04-2416 minEmpowered Patient PodcastDiscovering and Developing Psychedelic-Inspired Therapeutics to Address Mental Health Issues with Joe Tucker Enveric Biosciences TRANSCRIPT Joe Tucker, the CEO of Enveric Biosciences, is discovering, developing and testing psychedelic-inspired therapies for the treatment of depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Current treatments target receptors in the brain to increase the concentration of serotonin in the brain by going through classic neurotransmitter pathways. The Enveric Psybrary portfolio and PsyAI drive drug discovery to create new molecules that synthesize chemistry and how nature makes molecules to target new receptors. Joe elaborates, "This one's completely different. This one is actually going through a receptor that's never been targeted before, 5-HT2A. And it's an adjunct to psychotherapy at...
2023-04-2000 minEmpowered Patient PodcastDiscovering and Developing Psychedelic-Inspired Therapeutics to Address Mental Health Issues with Joe Tucker Enveric Biosciences Joe Tucker, the CEO of Enveric Biosciences, is discovering, developing and testing psychedelic-inspired therapies for the treatment of depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Current treatments target receptors in the brain to increase the concentration of serotonin in the brain by going through classic neurotransmitter pathways. The Enveric Psybrary portfolio and PsyAI drive drug discovery to create new molecules that synthesize chemistry and how nature makes molecules to target new receptors. Joe elaborates, "This one's completely different. This one is actually going through a receptor that's never been targeted before, 5-HT2A. And it's an adjunct to psychotherapy at...
2023-04-2021 minEmpowered Patient PodcastEngineering Plant Toxin to Cause Tumors to Self-Destruct with Dr. Joshua Schiffman Peel Therapeutics TRANSCRIPT Dr. Joshua Schiffman is the CEO and Co-Founder of Peel Therapeutics and has taken the understanding of the natural resistance to cancer by elephants to develop PEEL-224 to attack tumors. Using a plant toxin and modifying existing approaches, Peel has created a drug that increases the amount of the drug that gets to the cancer cells with reduced side effects. Joshua explains, "Peel is actually the Hebrew word for elephant. So that's why we call ourselves Peel Therapeutics. My Co-Founder, Dr. Avi Schroeder, is from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Israel. While we were working on th...
2023-04-1900 minEmpowered Patient PodcastEngineering Plant Toxin to Cause Tumors to Self-Destruct with Dr. Joshua Schiffman Peel Therapeutics Dr. Joshua Schiffman is the CEO and Co-Founder of Peel Therapeutics and has taken the understanding of the natural resistance to cancer by elephants to develop PEEL-224 to attack tumors. Using a plant toxin and modifying existing approaches, Peel has created a drug that increases the amount of the drug that gets to the cancer cells with reduced side effects. Joshua explains, "Peel is actually the Hebrew word for elephant. So that's why we call ourselves Peel Therapeutics. My Co-Founder, Dr. Avi Schroeder, is from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Israel. While we were working on th...
2023-04-1918 minEmpowered Patient PodcastUnique Insurance Needs of Digital Health and Telemedicine Companies with Cristina Varner Newfront TRANSCRIPT Cristina Varner is the life science Practice Leader at Newfront, a technology-focused insurance broker. While digital health and telemedicine companies have robust technology infrastructure, they tend to be less medically focused and unaware of insurance requirements to cover bodily injury, financial injury, data breaches, cyber liability, and state regulatory requirements. Wearables and data collected by them are adding issues of privacy, security, and data accuracy. Cristina elaborates, "I'm not going to say I'm surprised because a lot of the founders of these companies come from technology backgrounds, from tech companies. And so insurance just is not, and...
2023-04-1800 minEmpowered Patient PodcastUnique Insurance Needs of Digital Health and Telemedicine Companies with Cristina Varner Newfront Cristina Varner is the life science Practice Leader at Newfront, a technology-focused insurance broker. While digital health and telemedicine companies have robust technology infrastructure, they tend to be less medically focused and unaware of insurance requirements to cover bodily injury, financial injury, data breaches, cyber liability, and state regulatory requirements. Wearables and data collected by them are adding issues of privacy, security, and data accuracy. Cristina elaborates, "I'm not going to say I'm surprised because a lot of the founders of these companies come from technology backgrounds, from tech companies. And so insurance just is not, and...
2023-04-1819 minEmpowered Patient PodcastProviding Trusted Healthcare Services to a Diverse Student Population with Seli Fakorzi TimelyCare and Gaurang Choksi Violet TRANSCRIPTSeli Fakorzi, Director of Mental Health Operations at TimelyCare, and Gaurang Choksi, CEO and Founder of Violet, join me to discuss their partnership to bring comprehensive healthcare to college students from all socioeconomic backgrounds, genders, ethnicities, and physical abilities. Training healthcare providers with the tools to understand different communities allows clinicians to learn new ways to be more inclusive and build trusted relationships with patients. Seli explains, "Providing quality, equitable access to care is a foundational mission for Timely. We are aware that students from underserved and underrepresented populations many times possess unique barriers to care, and t...
2023-04-1700 minEmpowered Patient PodcastProviding Trusted Healthcare Services to a Diverse Student Population with Seli Fakorzi TimelyCare and Gaurang Choksi VioletSeli Fakorzi, Director of Mental Health Operations at TimelyCare, and Gaurang Choksi, CEO and Founder of Violet, join me to discuss their partnership to bring comprehensive healthcare to college students from all socioeconomic backgrounds, genders, ethnicities, and physical abilities. Training healthcare providers with the tools to understand different communities allows clinicians to learn new ways to be more inclusive and build trusted relationships with patients. Seli explains, "Providing quality, equitable access to care is a foundational mission for Timely. We are aware that students from underserved and underrepresented populations many times possess unique barriers to care, and t...
2023-04-1718 minEmpowered Patient PodcastIdentifying and Resolving Errors in Healthcare Billing with Michael Axt Zelis TRANSCRIPT Michael Axt, the Chief Member Empowerment Officer at Zelis, is focused on helping healthcare payers and clinicians provide more information to patients about expected costs for procedures and visits to providers and hospitals. A recent survey conducted with Hanover Research revealed insights about patients' challenges in understanding healthcare billing and correcting errors. Driven by the move to transparency, Zelis acquired Sapphire to offer the Sapphire Digital solution to enable patients to better understand insurance benefits and the correct amount the patient owes. Michael explains, "We found some interesting insights. Over 40 percent of the consumers in our study i...
2023-04-1300 minEmpowered Patient PodcastIdentifying and Resolving Errors in Healthcare Billing with Michael Axt Zelis Michael Axt, the Chief Member Empowerment Officer at Zelis, is focused on helping healthcare payers and clinicians provide more information to patients about expected costs for procedures and visits to providers and hospitals. A recent survey conducted with Hanover Research revealed insights about patients' challenges in understanding healthcare billing and correcting errors. Driven by the move to transparency, Zelis acquired Sapphire to offer the Sapphire Digital solution to enable patients to better understand insurance benefits and the correct amount the patient owes. Michael explains, "We found some interesting insights. Over 40 percent of the consumers in our study i...
2023-04-1318 minEmpowered Patient PodcastHistory of Living with Spinal Muscular Atrophy with Patricia "Pidgie" Panzarino TRANSCRIPT Patricia Panzarino, otherwise known as Pidgie, was born with spinal muscular atrophy, SMA, a severe progressive neuromuscular disease. As a singer and songwriter and one of the oldest women living with SMA, Pidgie is celebrating the release of her new album, Just Breathe. Her experience of successfully taking Evrysdi from Genentech has given her more energy and enthusiasm. Pidgie elaborates, "They didn't know as much when I was born. I was six months old and did not achieve the milestone of crawling properly. My mom took me to the doctor. I had an older sister who had...
2023-04-1200 minEmpowered Patient PodcastHistory of Living with Spinal Muscular Atrophy with Patricia "Pidgie" Panzarino Patricia Panzarino, otherwise known as Pidgie, was born with spinal muscular atrophy, SMA, a severe progressive neuromuscular disease. As a singer and songwriter and one of the oldest women living with SMA, Pidgie is celebrating the release of her new album, Just Breathe. Her experience of successfully taking Evrysdi from Genentech has given her more energy and enthusiasm. Pidgie elaborates, "They didn't know as much when I was born. I was six months old and did not achieve the milestone of crawling properly. My mom took me to the doctor. I had an older sister who had...
2023-04-1216 minEmpowered Patient PodcastNew Treatments for CTCL a Rare Form of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma with Dr. Myron Czuczman Citius Pharmaceuticals TRANSCRIPT Dr. Myron Czuczman is the Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President of Citius Pharmaceuticals, which is developing an advanced treatment for cutaneous T cell lymphoma, CTCL, a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The original version of their drug ONTAK has been reformulated, and I/ONTAK is now in clinical trials to confirm efficacy in controlling severe itching and improving the quality of life for patients. Myron explains, "This is a protein, a fusion protein, of interleukin-2, the whole molecule that has been fused with diphtheria toxin. With respect to any of the cells like the cells...
2023-04-1100 minEmpowered Patient PodcastNew Treatments for CTCL a Rare Form of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma with Dr. Myron Czuczman Citius Pharmaceuticals Dr. Myron Czuczman is the Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President of Citius Pharmaceuticals, which is developing an advanced treatment for cutaneous T cell lymphoma, CTCL, a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The original version of their drug ONTAK has been reformulated, and I/ONTAK is now in clinical trials to confirm efficacy in controlling severe itching and improving the quality of life for patients. Myron explains, "This is a protein, a fusion protein, of interleukin-2, the whole molecule that has been fused with diphtheria toxin. With respect to any of the cells like the cells...
2023-04-1120 minEmpowered Patient PodcastDigital Tool for Parkinson’s Patients Improves Daily Lives with Brian Pepin Rune Labs and Aura Oslapas TRANSCRIPT Brian Pepin is the CEO of Rune Labs, and Aura Oslapas is a woman with Parkinson's who helped create the underlying software for Rune's StrivePD platform. With a focus on precision neurology and a mission to collect relevant data, Rune has refined Aura's work to create an app that allows patients to manage their everyday life better. By combining digital data with logged information, the platform provides a customized plan for each patient to manage unique symptoms. Aura explains, "I've been working in the design world for 40 years. I was someone who, early on in my Parkinson's j...
2023-04-1000 minEmpowered Patient PodcastDigital Tool for Parkinson’s Patients Improves Daily Lives with Brian Pepin Rune Labs and Aura Oslapas Brian Pepin is the CEO of Rune Labs, and Aura Oslapas is a woman with Parkinson's who helped create the underlying software for Rune's StrivePD platform. With a focus on precision neurology and a mission to collect relevant data, Rune has refined Aura's work to create an app that allows patients to manage their everyday life better. By combining digital data with logged information, the platform provides a customized plan for each patient to manage unique symptoms. Aura explains, "I've been working in the design world for 40 years. I was someone who, early on in my Parkinson's j...
2023-04-1020 minEmpowered Patient PodcastManaging Medical Debt and the Impact of Cost Transparency with Ryne Natzke Sphere TRANSCRIPT Ryne Natzke, Chief Revenue Officer for Sphere, works with healthcare providers to facilitate patient payments using technology to smooth the process. Medical debt is increasing, and reports are that nearly half of Americans can not afford an unexpected $500 medical expense without stress to their budgets. Transparency of costs and adding flexibility to patients for payments are key to reducing the impact of preventative and unexpected medical costs. Ryan explains, "The thing about medical debt also is that it, by definition, is almost always unexpected. You don't plan to go to the emergency room or do anything like th...
2023-04-0600 minEmpowered Patient PodcastManaging Medical Debt and the Impact of Cost Transparency with Ryne Natzke Sphere Ryne Natzke, Chief Revenue Officer for Sphere, works with healthcare providers to facilitate patient payments using technology to smooth the process. Medical debt is increasing, and reports are that nearly half of Americans can not afford an unexpected $500 medical expense without stress to their budgets. Transparency of costs and adding flexibility to patients for payments are key to reducing the impact of preventative and unexpected medical costs. Ryan explains, "The thing about medical debt also is that it, by definition, is almost always unexpected. You don't plan to go to the emergency room or do anything like th...
2023-04-0618 minEmpowered Patient PodcastPrecision Oncology Using Advanced Biomarkers to Expand Predictive Models with Kat Kwiatkowski Strata Oncology TRANSCRIPT Kat Kwiatkowski, the Senior VP of Clinical Development at Strata Oncology, has tested over 60,000 patients and used their clinical outcome data to build advanced multivariate biomarkers to better predict patient response to approved cancer treatments. Using molecular profiling data, Strata has created an immunotherapy response score leveraging DNA components and the immune gene expression components to better capture the variability and response to PD-L1 therapies. Kat explains, "People with the same cancer, meaning if they have breast or lung cancer, can have different forms of the disease. So responses to treatment can and do vary. Prior to 2012...
2023-04-0500 minEmpowered Patient PodcastPrecision Oncology Using Advanced Biomarkers to Expand Predictive Models with Kat Kwiatkowski Strata Oncology Kat Kwiatkowski, the Senior VP of Clinical Development at Strata Oncology, has tested over 60,000 patients and used their clinical outcome data to build advanced multivariate biomarkers to better predict patient response to approved cancer treatments. Using molecular profiling data, Strata has created an immunotherapy response score leveraging DNA components and the immune gene expression components to better capture the variability and response to PD-L1 therapies. Kat explains, "People with the same cancer, meaning if they have breast or lung cancer, can have different forms of the disease. So responses to treatment can and do vary. Prior to 2012...
2023-04-0516 minEmpowered Patient PodcastAdvancements in Design and Technology of Pacemakers with Dr. Leonard Ganz Abbott TRANSCRIPT Dr. Leonard Ganz is the Chief Medical Officer and Divisional Vice President of Medical Affairs for Abbott's Cardiac Rhythm Management Division. Traditional pacemakers include a pulse generator that is connected to the inside of the heart with insulated wires. These leads relay the electrical activity that goes between the pacemaker and the heart muscle. The Abbott Aveir VR is a single-chambered leadless pacemaker with improved battery longevity that is implanted inside the heart and eliminates the risks from leads. Len explains, "There are different types of slow heart rhythms that people develop. Most commonly, people develop slow he...
2023-04-0400 minEmpowered Patient PodcastAdvancements in Design and Technology of Pacemakers with Dr. Leonard Ganz Abbott Dr. Leonard Ganz is the Chief Medical Officer and Divisional Vice President of Medical Affairs for Abbott's Cardiac Rhythm Management Division. Traditional pacemakers include a pulse generator that is connected to the inside of the heart with insulated wires. These leads relay the electrical activity that goes between the pacemaker and the heart muscle. The Abbott Aveir VR is a single-chambered leadless pacemaker with improved battery longevity that is implanted inside the heart and eliminates the risks from leads. Len explains, "There are different types of slow heart rhythms that people develop. Most commonly, people develop slow he...
2023-04-0422 minEmpowered Patient PodcastNext Wave of Virtual Care Platforms Driven by AI Machine Learning and Wearables with Robert Kim Presidio TRANSCRIPT Robert Kim, the Chief Technology Officer at Presidio, works with providers, hospitals, payers, medical device companies, and digital health start-ups to refine and update the telemedicine model. Utilizing wearable and real-time data along with traditional medical data sources, Presidio is creating enterprise virtual care platforms that use artificial intelligence, machine learning, voice recognition, and data analytics to improve productivity and benefit patients, clinicians, and researchers. Rob explains, "One of the things, and the keys to what we're trying to do in utilizing various different AI and ML techniques, is to increase that productivity. So you talk about ge...
2023-04-0300 minEmpowered Patient PodcastNext Wave of Virtual Care Platforms Driven by AI Machine Learning and Wearables with Robert Kim Presidio Robert Kim, the Chief Technology Officer at Presidio, works with providers, hospitals, payers, medical device companies, and digital health start-ups to refine and update the telemedicine model. Utilizing wearable and real-time data along with traditional medical data sources, Presidio is creating enterprise virtual care platforms that use artificial intelligence, machine learning, voice recognition, and data analytics to improve productivity and benefit patients, clinicians, and researchers. Rob explains, "One of the things, and the keys to what we're trying to do in utilizing various different AI and ML techniques, is to increase that productivity. So you talk about ge...
2023-04-0318 minEmpowered Patient PodcastApplying Acoustic Epidemiology to Determine Significance of the Sound of Coughs with Dr. Peter Small Hyfe AI TRANSCRIPT Dr. Peter Small Chief Medical Officer at Hyfe AI is doing for cough what the thermometer did for fever by allowing people to monitor their cough to identify underlying medical conditions. Using acoustic AI, Hyfe is able to measure cough rates and patterns and identify early warning signs of diseases. Hyfe is leading the way in acoustic epidemiology to better understand the determinants and distribution of disease. Peter explains, "Sound is extremely interesting because AI requires very data-rich signals, and so it's not surprising that in health, the early applications of AI have been in x-ray interpretations...
2023-03-2900 minEmpowered Patient PodcastApplying Acoustic Epidemiology to Determine Significance of the Sound of Coughs with Dr. Peter Small Hyfe AI Dr. Peter Small Chief Medical Officer at Hyfe AI is doing for cough what the thermometer did for fever by allowing people to monitor their cough to identify underlying medical conditions. Using acoustic AI, Hyfe is able to measure cough rates and patterns and identify early warning signs of diseases. Hyfe is leading the way in acoustic epidemiology to better understand the determinants and distribution of disease. Peter explains, "Sound is extremely interesting because AI requires very data-rich signals, and so it's not surprising that in health, the early applications of AI have been in x-ray interpretations...
2023-03-2918 minEmpowered Patient PodcastDeveloping Naturally Derived Psychedelic Medicines with Benjamin Lightburn Filament Health TRANSCRIPT Benjamin Lightburn, Co-Founder and CEO of Filament Health points out that up until now, research with psychedelics has been done with synthetically prepared psychedelic substances. Filament is making a product through natural extraction that results in a medicine containing psilocybin plus over a dozen other active compounds from the magic mushrooms. This natural process does not require any toxic chemicals and can be distributed through non-medical distribution channels to treat a variety of mental health indications. Benjamin explains, "The psychedelics that have been showing a lot of promise recently in modern well-controlled clinical trials are being used f...
2023-03-2800 minEmpowered Patient PodcastDeveloping Naturally Derived Psychedelic Medicines with Benjamin Lightburn Filament Health Benjamin Lightburn, Co-Founder and CEO of Filament Health points out that up until now, research with psychedelics has been done with synthetically prepared psychedelic substances. Filament is making a product through natural extraction that results in a medicine containing psilocybin plus over a dozen other active compounds from the magic mushrooms. This natural process does not require any toxic chemicals and can be distributed through non-medical distribution channels to treat a variety of mental health indications. Benjamin explains, "The psychedelics that have been showing a lot of promise recently in modern well-controlled clinical trials are being used f...
2023-03-2818 minEmpowered Patient PodcastTraining Pilots for Challenging Medical Rescue Missions with Melanie Smith Air Methods TRANSCRIPTMelanie Smith, Senior Manager of learning and developing at Air Methods, was a US Army Black Hawk helicopter pilot. She now trains clinicians, emergency medicine experts, pilots, first responders, mechanics, and corporate officials to respond to critical care needs, natural disasters, and accidents. The training program includes hands-on exercises with a high-fidelity manikin that talks back and can throw up, gamification, and virtual reality to provide an immersive experience in different situations. Melanie elaborates, "I flew Black Hawks in the Army for 12 years. Five of those years were spent in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan and earthquake reli...
2023-03-2700 minEmpowered Patient PodcastTraining Pilots for Challenging Medical Rescue Missions with Melanie Smith Air MethodsMelanie Smith, Senior Manager of learning and developing at Air Methods, was a US Army Black Hawk helicopter pilot. She now trains clinicians, emergency medicine experts, pilots, first responders, mechanics, and corporate officials to respond to critical care needs, natural disasters, and accidents. The training program includes hands-on exercises with a high-fidelity manikin that talks back and can throw up, gamification, and virtual reality to provide an immersive experience in different situations. Melanie elaborates, "I flew Black Hawks in the Army for 12 years. Five of those years were spent in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan and earthquake reli...
2023-03-2716 minEmpowered Patient PodcastProviding Access to Telemedicine and Home Care for Underserved Patients with Dr. Bethany Doran Enabled Health TRANSCRIPT Dr. Bethany Doran, the CEO of Enabled Health, is using a healthcare model that identifies patients at high risk of hospitalization or who need help managing a chronic condition. With a focus on predominantly older patients, Enabled Health works with community partners and senior living facilities to allow patients access to remote monitoring systems, digital tools, and on-site visits. Bethany explains, "Our goal is to meet them where they are spiritually, holistically, and geographically and be able to provide them with the equipment to enable access to telemedicine and support their health. But also, to meet them...
2023-03-2200 minEmpowered Patient PodcastProviding Access to Telemedicine and Home Care for Underserved Patients with Dr. Bethany Doran Enabled Health Dr. Bethany Doran, the CEO of Enabled Health, is using a healthcare model that identifies patients at high risk of hospitalization or who need help managing a chronic condition. With a focus on predominantly older patients, Enabled Health works with community partners and senior living facilities to allow patients access to remote monitoring systems, digital tools, and on-site visits. Bethany explains, "Our goal is to meet them where they are spiritually, holistically, and geographically and be able to provide them with the equipment to enable access to telemedicine and support their health. But also, to meet them...
2023-03-2218 minEmpowered Patient PodcastBlocking the Root Cause of Chronic Inflammation with David Bearss Halia Therapeutics TRANSCRIPTDavid Bearss the Co-Founder, CEO and President of Halia Therapeutics, points out that despite traditional thinking, chronic inflammation is not just an unresolved acute inflammatory response. It has been discovered that a different pathway leads to the activation of this inflammatory response in diseases with components of chronic inflammation, such as Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, COPD, psoriasis, IBD, and cancer. Their potential drug target is the NLRP3 inflammasome which has been identified as being associated with the activation of inflammation. David explains, "We've gotten better and better at trying to narrow down on how we can block th...
2023-03-2100 minEmpowered Patient PodcastBlocking the Root Cause of Chronic Inflammation with David Bearss Halia TherapeuticsDavid Bearss the Co-Founder, CEO and President of Halia Therapeutics, points out that despite traditional thinking, chronic inflammation is not just an unresolved acute inflammatory response. It has been discovered that a different pathway leads to the activation of this inflammatory response in diseases with components of chronic inflammation, such as Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, COPD, psoriasis, IBD, and cancer. Their potential drug target is the NLRP3 inflammasome which has been identified as being associated with the activation of inflammation. David explains, "We've gotten better and better at trying to narrow down on how we can block th...
2023-03-2120 minEmpowered Patient PodcastAutologous Cell Therapies for Solid Tumors Create T Cells Resistant to T Cell Exhaustion with Dr. Tina Albertson Lyell TRANSCRIPTDr. Tina Albertson is the Chief Medical Officer and Head of Development at Lyell, using cell therapy to fight solid tumors through epigenetic and genetic reprogramming methods. Tumors have their own mechanisms for suppressing the immune system. These are the types of pathways Lyell is targeting with their engineering to find ways to counter the exhaustion that the T cells exhibit so that T cells can stay functional and kill the solid tumor cells. Tina explains, "Our cell therapies are from the patient's own cells, so these are what we call autologous cell therapies. We take the c...
2023-03-2000 minEmpowered Patient PodcastAutologous Cell Therapies for Solid Tumors Create T Cells Resistant to T Cell Exhaustion with Dr. Tina Albertson LyellDr. Tina Albertson is the Chief Medical Officer and Head of Development at Lyell, using cell therapy to fight solid tumors through epigenetic and genetic reprogramming methods. Tumors have their own mechanisms for suppressing the immune system. These are the types of pathways Lyell is targeting with their engineering to find ways to counter the exhaustion that the T cells exhibit so that T cells can stay functional and kill the solid tumor cells. Tina explains, "Our cell therapies are from the patient's own cells, so these are what we call autologous cell therapies. We take the c...
2023-03-2017 minEmpowered Patient PodcastCross-Spectrum Anti-Viral Compounds Needed for Seasonal and Pandemic Infections with Sam Lee Cocrystal Pharma TRANSCRIPTSam Lee is the Co-CEO and President of Cocrystal Pharma, focused on pandemic viruses and seasonal influenza to develop a drug that is cross-spectrum with a high barrier to drug resistance. Using computational data, as well as high-resolution X-ray data, their platform allows options for newly emerging viruses that also address potency and combination treatment options. Sam explains, "We just completed the Phase I study. In the Phase I study, we demonstrated the favorable safety and tolerability of this compound, CC-42344. We designed this compound for pandemic and seasonal influenza A infection. Particularly, this compound is highly...
2023-03-1500 minEmpowered Patient PodcastCross-Spectrum Anti-Viral Compounds Needed for Seasonal and Pandemic Infections with Sam Lee Cocrystal PharmaSam Lee is the Co-CEO and President of Cocrystal Pharma, focused on pandemic viruses and seasonal influenza to develop a drug that is cross-spectrum with a high barrier to drug resistance. Using computational data, as well as high-resolution X-ray data, their platform allows options for newly emerging viruses that also address potency and combination treatment options. Sam explains, "We just completed the Phase I study. In the Phase I study, we demonstrated the favorable safety and tolerability of this compound, CC-42344. We designed this compound for pandemic and seasonal influenza A infection. Particularly, this compound is highly...
2023-03-1519 minEmpowered Patient PodcastProviding Hybrid Care with Personalized Digital and On-site Musculoskeletal Therapy with Gabriel Mecklenburg Hinge Health TRANSCRIPTGabriel Mecklenburg is the Co-Founder and Executive Chairman at Hinge Health, the leading digital clinic for back, joint, and muscle pain. Hinge provides personalized physical therapy plans by pairing digital and advanced motion-tracking technology with clinical care teams, including doctors, nurses, physical therapists, and board-certified health coaches. Recognizing the value of in-person care, Hinge is rolling out an in-home option to meet the needs of a wide variety of patients. Gabriel explains, "Now, with Hinge Health, it's a digital program, and it's something that you can immediately access from the convenience of your home. You're getting an...
2023-03-1400 minEmpowered Patient PodcastProviding Hybrid Care with Personalized Digital and On-site Musculoskeletal Therapy with Gabriel Mecklenburg Hinge HealthGabriel Mecklenburg is the Co-Founder and Executive Chairman at Hinge Health, the leading digital clinic for back, joint, and muscle pain. Hinge provides personalized physical therapy plans by pairing digital and advanced motion-tracking technology with clinical care teams, including doctors, nurses, physical therapists, and board-certified health coaches. Recognizing the value of in-person care, Hinge is rolling out an in-home option to meet the needs of a wide variety of patients. Gabriel explains, "Now, with Hinge Health, it's a digital program, and it's something that you can immediately access from the convenience of your home. You're getting an...
2023-03-1419 min