Shows
Digital Politics with Karen JagodaTips for Podcasters and Their Guests with Karen Jagoda and Deepak PuriThis is an interview conducted by Deepak Puri of The Democracy Labs, discussing the art of podcasting with me, Karen Jagoda. Being a podcaster since the early days, I have seen my share of great guests, reluctant guests, and unprepared guests. Listening to other podcasters has helped me understand both the great potential and limited value podcasts and podcasters can have. In addition to the Digital Politics Podcast, I am also the producer and host of the Empowered Patient Podcast, which has allowed me to interview scientists and medical professionals who are increasingly interested in discussing politics and advocacy r...
2025-08-2914 min
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 minDigital Politics with Karen JagodaDigital Advertising Strategies for 2024 Political Campaigns with Beth Dwyer MNI Targeted MediaBeth Dwyer, Vice President of Sales at Dotdash Meredith's MNI Targeted Media, worked for the Washington Post and Politico on the corporate side. Beth came to political adverting in 2017 when she realized the role digital advertising could play in political campaigns. She notes the changes since 2020 in the amount of money spent on digital ads and when that money will be spent to reach voters in 2024. Because of the fragmentation in the ad market, programmatic demonstrates that ad buys should be less about where the voter is and more about reaching the desired audience using data points outside of t...
2023-07-2718 min
Empowered Patient PodcastAdvanced Continuous Glucose Monitoring and Personalized Dosing of Insulin for Type 1 Diabetes with Que Dallara Medtronic TRANSCRIPTQue Dallara, Executive Vice President and President of the Diabetes Operating Unit at Medtronic, is enthusiastic about the MiniMed 780G system, a recently FDA approved solution for people with type 1 diabetes. This system has a continuous glucose monitor, insulin pump, and mobile app that connects with CareLink, which allows the physician and family members to follow the patient as well. This automated insulin delivery eliminates the need to count carbs and calibrates to each individual's eating habits for more accurate dosing. Que explains, "It's the first of its kind that has automated adjustments and corrections to insulin del...
2023-07-2600 minEmpowered Patient PodcastAdvanced Continuous Glucose Monitoring and Personalized Dosing of Insulin for Type 1 Diabetes with Que Dallara MedtronicQue Dallara, Executive Vice President and President of the Diabetes Operating Unit at Medtronic, is enthusiastic about the MiniMed 780G system, a recently FDA approved solution for people with type 1 diabetes. This system has a continuous glucose monitor, insulin pump, and mobile app that connects with CareLink, which allows the physician and family members to follow the patient as well. This automated insulin delivery eliminates the need to count carbs and calibrates to each individual's eating habits for more accurate dosing. Que explains, "It's the first of its kind that has automated adjustments and corrections to insulin del...
2023-07-2618 minEmpowered Patient PodcastPreventing Catheter-Related Bloodstream Infections with Joe Todisco CorMedix TRANSCRIPT Joe Todisco, CEO of CorMedix, is developing a product that has broad spectrum activity against bacteria and fungus to impact the safety of receiving hemodialysis through a central venous catheter. With the recent acceptance by the FDA of the submission for DefenCath, CorMedix is hopeful of obtaining FDA approval for this therapeutic to prevent bloodstream infections. Since the active ingredient is not an antibiotic, the drug does not further the problem of antibiotic resistance. Joe explains, "The lead indication for the product is for the reduction in risk associated with catheter-related bloodstream infections in hemodialysis patients undergoing...
2023-07-2500 minEmpowered Patient PodcastPreventing Catheter-Related Bloodstream Infections with Joe Todisco CorMedix Joe Todisco, CEO of CorMedix, is developing a product that has broad spectrum activity against bacteria and fungus to impact the safety of receiving hemodialysis through a central venous catheter. With the recent acceptance by the FDA of the submission for DefenCath, CorMedix is hopeful of obtaining FDA approval for this therapeutic to prevent bloodstream infections. Since the active ingredient is not an antibiotic, the drug does not further the problem of antibiotic resistance. Joe explains, "The lead indication for the product is for the reduction in risk associated with catheter-related bloodstream infections in hemodialysis patients undergoing...
2023-07-2518 minEmpowered Patient PodcastReducing the Time Burden of Infusions with Subcutaneous Delivery of Biologics by Patients with Jeff Hackman Comera Life Sciences TRANSCRIPT Jeff Hackman, CEO of Comera Life Sciences, recognizes the need to find a more efficient, patient-friendly solution for receiving biologics rather than being administered by IV therapy. Using the SQore platform, a proprietary technology, Comera is reformulating IV biologics to Sub-Q utilizing small molecule chemistry and an understanding of excipients. Seven out of ten global medicines are biologics, and most are administered by IV, providing a tremendous opportunity to expand access to biologics using Sub-Q technology. Jeff elaborates, "Our mission is to transform these biologic therapies into a different form, a subcutaneous form. That form takes on...
2023-07-2400 minEmpowered Patient PodcastReducing the Time Burden of Infusions with Subcutaneous Delivery of Biologics by Patients with Jeff Hackman Comera Life Sciences Jeff Hackman, CEO of Comera Life Sciences, recognizes the need to find a more efficient, patient-friendly solution for receiving biologics rather than being administered by IV therapy. Using the SQore platform, a proprietary technology, Comera is reformulating IV biologics to Sub-Q utilizing small molecule chemistry and an understanding of excipients. Seven out of ten global medicines are biologics, and most are administered by IV, providing a tremendous opportunity to expand access to biologics using Sub-Q technology. Jeff elaborates, "Our mission is to transform these biologic therapies into a different form, a subcutaneous form. That form takes on...
2023-07-2416 minDigital Politics with Karen JagodaConnected TV Spending Increasing for Political Campaigns with Jess Ellis VDX.tvJess Ellis, Senior Specialist, Client Partnerships, Politics VDX.tv, gives an orientation on how political tv advertising has expanded to include a significant investment in connected tv ads. To reach cord-cutters, campaigns increasingly realize that CTV ads find voters on the right screen at the right time to persuade, inform, and mobilize. Streaming video allows for specific targeting of voters compared to buying ads on linear tv in expensive media markets. Digital video ads reach people where they are throughout the day and give the advertiser the ability to interact and follow up. We talk about: W...
2023-07-2017 minEmpowered Patient PodcastMeasurable Residual Disease Tools Identify Monitor Quantify Cancer Cells with Allison Jacob Adaptive Biotechnologies TRANSCRIPT Allison Jacob, Senior Medical Director at Adaptive Biotechnologies, uses their technology to decode the genetic language of the immune system and develop clinical diagnostics and therapeutics for hematologic malignancies. With a focus on the adaptive immune system and the receptors of B and T cells, the platform is used to identify, monitor and precisely quantify tumor cells over time. In the past, MRD stood for minimal residual disease, but due to more accurate testing, the goal now is measurable residual disease, MRD, negativity. Allison explains, "The clonoSEQ technology essentially looks at rearrangements in the DNA of proteins...
2023-07-2000 minEmpowered Patient PodcastMeasurable Residual Disease Tools Identify Monitor Quantify Cancer Cells with Allison Jacob Adaptive Biotechnologies Allison Jacob, Senior Medical Director at Adaptive Biotechnologies, uses their technology to decode the genetic language of the immune system and develop clinical diagnostics and therapeutics for hematologic malignancies. With a focus on the adaptive immune system and the receptors of B and T cells, the platform is used to identify, monitor and precisely quantify tumor cells over time. In the past, MRD stood for minimal residual disease, but due to more accurate testing, the goal now is measurable residual disease, MRD, negativity. Allison explains, "The clonoSEQ technology essentially looks at rearrangements in the DNA of proteins...
2023-07-2018 minEmpowered Patient PodcastCreating Robust Digital Tools to Extend Participation in Clinical Trials with Alicia Staley Medidata TRANSCRIPT Alicia Staley is the VP of Patient Engagement at Medidata and working to bring more technology and software solutions to clinical research. With a focus on creating patient-centric clinical trials, Alicia emphasizes the value of digital tools to drive diversity of participation and retention. As a cancer survivor and patient advocate, Alicia has deep insights into how clinical trials are run and who participates. Alicia explains, "I think the entire industry is still responding to what life looks like post-COVID. However, in particular, in clinical research, this gravitation toward more digital tools to support clinical research is s...
2023-07-1900 minEmpowered Patient PodcastCreating Robust Digital Tools to Extend Participation in Clinical Trials with Alicia Staley Medidata Alicia Staley is the VP of Patient Engagement at Medidata and working to bring more technology and software solutions to clinical research. With a focus on creating patient-centric clinical trials, Alicia emphasizes the value of digital tools to drive diversity of participation and retention. As a cancer survivor and patient advocate, Alicia has deep insights into how clinical trials are run and who participates. Alicia explains, "I think the entire industry is still responding to what life looks like post-COVID. However, in particular, in clinical research, this gravitation toward more digital tools to support clinical research is s...
2023-07-1916 minDigital Politics with Karen JagodaFighting MisInformation on WhatsApp with Alshika Jennela Indian American Impact Alshika Jennela, Program Manager Mis/Disinformation at Indian American Impact, and Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, TheDemLabs.org, talk about how WhatsApp is used by people all around the globe. It is seen as a trusted source of news from friends and family while, at the same time, a source of disinformation. With deep insights into the Indian American and South Asian American communities, they highlight how activists are working to present facts and correct misinformation and disinformation spreading on social media. Deepak and Alshika discuss: Lessons learned from the spread of misinformation during CO...
2023-07-1815 minEmpowered Patient PodcastElectronic Health Records Clinician Burnout and Generative AI with Dr. Holly Urban CliniComp TRANSCRIPT Dr. Holly Urban, the Vice President of Clinical Product Design at CliniComp, understands the need for a positive user experience for clinicians to use electronic health record software effectively. Clinician burnout is often blamed on the documentation burden and the time it takes to enter patient data. With a shift to a focus on the quality of the notes rather than the length, CliniComp is designing systems that aid in medical decisions and is considering ways to use natural language processing and generative AI to change how notes are created. Holly explains, "One of the challenges is...
2023-07-1800 minEmpowered Patient PodcastElectronic Health Records Clinician Burnout and Generative AI with Dr. Holly Urban CliniComp Dr. Holly Urban, the Vice President of Clinical Product Design at CliniComp, understands the need for a positive user experience for clinicians to use electronic health record software effectively. Clinician burnout is often blamed on the documentation burden and the time it takes to enter patient data. With a shift to a focus on the quality of the notes rather than the length, CliniComp is designing systems that aid in medical decisions and is considering ways to use natural language processing and generative AI to change how notes are created. Holly explains, "One of the challenges is...
2023-07-1819 minEmpowered Patient PodcastSocial Risk Factors Identify Those Needing Help Navigating the Medicaid Redetermination Process with Ashley Perry Socially Determined TRANSCRIPT Ashley Perry, Chief Strategy and Solutions Officer at Socially Determined, highlights the problems created by the Medicaid redetermination process. Building on their SocialScape social risk intelligence platform, Socially Determined is providing a new risk score that will help state Medicaid agencies and Managed Care Organizations identify and prioritize members needing help navigating the redetermination. Ashley explains, "As many of your listeners will know, on April 1st of this year, we started redetermining eligibility for the 95 million Medicaid beneficiaries nationwide. And that's a year-long process during which we expect that up to 15 million of them may be disenrolled f...
2023-07-1700 minEmpowered Patient PodcastSocial Risk Factors Identify Those Needing Help Navigating the Medicaid Redetermination Process with Ashley Perry Socially Determined Ashley Perry, Chief Strategy and Solutions Officer at Socially Determined, highlights the problems created by the Medicaid redetermination process. Building on their SocialScape social risk intelligence platform, Socially Determined is providing a new risk score that will help state Medicaid agencies and Managed Care Organizations identify and prioritize members needing help navigating the redetermination. Ashley explains, "As many of your listeners will know, on April 1st of this year, we started redetermining eligibility for the 95 million Medicaid beneficiaries nationwide. And that's a year-long process during which we expect that up to 15 million of them may be disenrolled f...
2023-07-1720 minEmpowered Patient PodcastImproving Revenue Cycle Management Through Expanded Use of Technology with Lauralea Tanner Acclara TRANSCRIPT Lauralea Tanner, Chief Growth Officer at Acclara, describes the revenue cycle management critical decision points for hospitals, health systems, payers, and patients. In the hospital setting, there are lab tests, radiology, anesthesiology, surgeons, and other clinicians, all providing services that require proper coding and billing for collection. With many opportunities for errors and patient confusion, call center technology to handle questions, AI to address mundane coding tasks, and other technologies allow the professionals to take complex patient questions. Lauralea explains, "So revenue cycle management really starts when the hospital or health system engages with the patient. So i...
2023-07-1300 minEmpowered Patient PodcastImproving Revenue Cycle Management Through Expanded Use of Technology with Lauralea Tanner Acclara Lauralea Tanner, Chief Growth Officer at Acclara, describes the revenue cycle management critical decision points for hospitals, health systems, payers, and patients. In the hospital setting, there are lab tests, radiology, anesthesiology, surgeons, and other clinicians, all providing services that require proper coding and billing for collection. With many opportunities for errors and patient confusion, call center technology to handle questions, AI to address mundane coding tasks, and other technologies allow the professionals to take complex patient questions. Lauralea explains, "So revenue cycle management really starts when the hospital or health system engages with the patient. So i...
2023-07-1319 minEmpowered Patient PodcastCreating a Collaborative Operating Room Environment for Cross-Functional Surgical Teams with Maya Ber Lerner Chiefy TRANSCRIPT Maya Ber Lerner, Co-Founder and CEO of Chiefy, is focused on the complications and waste involved in the workflow related to surgery and the operating room. Realizing the root of the problem is communication between all participants in an operation, Chiefy is applying technology and AI to improve communication for these cross-functional teams. While collaboration tools have become well-accepted in other industries, the hospital environment has been slow to take advantage of these tools to benefit all stakeholders, including the patient. Maya explains, "The most important thing about our approach, and it just happened naturally, is that...
2023-07-1200 minEmpowered Patient PodcastCreating a Collaborative Operating Room Environment for Cross-Functional Surgical Teams with Maya Ber Lerner Chiefy Maya Ber Lerner, Co-Founder and CEO of Chiefy, is focused on the complications and waste involved in the workflow related to surgery and the operating room. Realizing the root of the problem is communication between all participants in an operation, Chiefy is applying technology and AI to improve communication for these cross-functional teams. While collaboration tools have become well-accepted in other industries, the hospital environment has been slow to take advantage of these tools to benefit all stakeholders, including the patient. Maya explains, "The most important thing about our approach, and it just happened naturally, is that...
2023-07-1216 minDigital Politics with Karen JagodaMatching Voter Files to Digital Identities with Ray Kingman SemcastingRay Kingman, CEO and Founder of Semcasting, a data service company, is taking voter files to the next level by including more relevant data to support digital marketing in political campaigns. Their cookie-free approach uses IP delivery points, device information, email, and offline data and matches to online activity and other known voter characteristics. They are testing a digital activity scoring system and different new twists on the data to allow campaigns to create discussions with voters and not just display messages. We talk about: Improving the reach of digital political ads Value of the constellation a...
2023-07-1119 minEmpowered Patient PodcastTargeting Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels to Treat Hypersensitivity to Pain with John Mulcahy SiteOne Therapeutics TRANSCRIPT John Mulcahy, President and CEO of SiteOne Therapeutics, is developing new therapies to treat hypersensitivity disorders. Their approach focuses on targeting specific voltage-gated sodium channels. Their drug candidates are designed to treat acute pain, as well as hypersensitivity developed as a result of chronic pain. They have recently received an NIH HEAL grant to explore their drug candidate that targets one subtype of the sodium channel as a non-opioid therapeutic potential for treating different pain conditions. John explains, "At SiteOne, we're focused on a family of targets known as the voltage-gated sodium ion channels. These are proteins, i...
2023-07-1100 minEmpowered Patient PodcastTargeting Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels to Treat Hypersensitivity to Pain with John Mulcahy SiteOne Therapeutics John Mulcahy, President and CEO of SiteOne Therapeutics, is developing new therapies to treat hypersensitivity disorders. Their approach focuses on targeting specific voltage-gated sodium channels. Their drug candidates are designed to treat acute pain, as well as hypersensitivity developed as a result of chronic pain. They have recently received an NIH HEAL grant to explore their drug candidate that targets one subtype of the sodium channel as a non-opioid therapeutic potential for treating different pain conditions. John explains, "At SiteOne, we're focused on a family of targets known as the voltage-gated sodium ion channels. These are proteins, i...
2023-07-1117 minEmpowered Patient PodcastKinesin Spindle Protein Inhibitor Kills Blood Cancers and Solid Tumors with Dr. Ahmed Hamdy Vincerx TRANSCRIPT Dr. Ahmed Hamdy, CEO and Co-Founder of Vincerx, is focused on targeting a specific antigen found on cancer cells. With a unique enzyme, it is effective with solid tumors and hematological malignancies, releasing a kinesin spindle protein inhibitor that inhibits the division of cancer cells. Their first bioconjugate VIP236 targets a specific molecule expressed on several metastatic tumors. Ahmed explains, "At Vincerx, we have a very exciting pipeline that's designed to solve a lot of problems with the current treatments for cancer therapies. In today's world, cancer continues growing exponentially. And thankfully, there are a lot of...
2023-07-1000 minEmpowered Patient PodcastKinesin Spindle Protein inhibitor Kills Blood Cancers and Solid Tumors with Dr. Ahmed Hamdy Vincerx Dr. Ahmed Hamdy, CEO and Co-Founder of Vincerx, is focused on targeting a specific antigen found on cancer cells. With a unique enzyme, it is effective with solid tumors and hematological malignancies, releasing a kinesin spindle protein inhibitor that inhibits the division of cancer cells. Their first bioconjugate VIP236 targets a specific molecule expressed on several metastatic tumors. Ahmed explains, "At Vincerx, we have a very exciting pipeline that's designed to solve a lot of problems with the current treatments for cancer therapies. In today's world, cancer continues growing exponentially. And thankfully, there are a lot of...
2023-07-1017 minEmpowered Patient PodcastHow Genetic Testing and Real-World Evidence Based Research Shed Light on Ultra-Rare Disease FOXG1 with Nasha Fitter FOXG1 Research Foundation TRANSCRIPT Nasha Fitter, CEO and Co-Founder of the FOXG1 Research Foundation and Vice President of Rare and Neurological Diseases at Ciitizen. Nasha describes the characteristics of the ultra-rare disease FOXG1 Syndrome and the global network that has been built to gain a better understanding of this neurological condition. Using real-world evidence, machine learning, AI, and genetic testing are showing a path to finding a treatment. Nasha explains, "My daughter, Amara, was diagnosed at nine months of age. She began having hundreds of seizures a day. And at that point, there was information known about the FOXG1 gene. It's a...
2023-07-0700 minEmpowered Patient PodcastHow Genetic Testing and Real-World Evidence Based Research Shed Light on Ultra-Rare Disease FOXG1 with Nasha Fitter FOXG1 Research Foundation Nasha Fitter, CEO and Co-Founder of the FOXG1 Research Foundation and Vice President of Rare and Neurological Diseases at Ciitizen. Nasha describes the characteristics of the ultra-rare disease FOXG1 Syndrome and the global network that has been built to gain a better understanding of this neurological condition. Using real-world evidence, machine learning, AI, and genetic testing are showing a path to finding a treatment. Nasha explains, "My daughter, Amara, was diagnosed at nine months of age. She began having hundreds of seizures a day. And at that point, there was information known about the FOXG1 gene. It's a...
2023-07-0719 minEmpowered Patient PodcastDeveloping Vaccines with Multiple Components to Drive More Robust Response from Compromised Immune Systems with David Dodd GeoVax TRANSCRIPT David Dodd is Chairman, President, and CEO of GeoVax, which is working on vaccines that overcome restrictions of mRNA vaccines to provide longer-term, more robust protection, particularly for people who do not respond well to primary antibody stimulation. There is a strong response from T cells from this vaccine which can be stored in a non-refrigerated freeze-dried form allowing for greater access in more regions of the world. David explains, "We are targeting those individuals who have compromised immune systems. This is a category of approximately 15 million individuals in the United States and almost 250 million worldwide, who...
2023-07-0600 minEmpowered Patient PodcastDeveloping Vaccines with Multiple Components to Drive More Robust Response from Compromised Immune Systems with David Dodd GeoVax David Dodd is Chairman, President, and CEO of GeoVax, which is working on vaccines that overcome restrictions of mRNA vaccines to provide longer-term, more robust protection, particularly for people who do not respond well to primary antibody stimulation. There is a strong response from T cells from this vaccine which can be stored in a non-refrigerated freeze-dried form allowing for greater access in more regions of the world. David explains, "We are targeting those individuals who have compromised immune systems. This is a category of approximately 15 million individuals in the United States and almost 250 million worldwide, who...
2023-07-0620 minEmpowered Patient PodcastUsing TKIs to Remove Toxic Proteins in the Brain with Chris Hoyt KeifeRx TRANSCRIPT Chris Hoyt, CEO of KeifeRx, talks about the oral medication being developed that uses tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and autophagy to remove unwanted proteins. Research done by Georgetown University on leukemia, led by Dr. Charbel Moussa, found that lower doses of drugs like nilotinib and bosutinib could cross the blood-brain barrier and remove toxic proteins on an intracellular basis. This research has been used to develop treatments for neurodegenerative conditions with promising results in reducing cognitive decline. Chris explains, "Essentially, the way TKIs work in the body, and particularly in the case of the neurodegenerative conditions that we...
2023-07-0500 minEmpowered Patient PodcastUsing TKIs to Remove Toxic Proteins in the Brain with Chris Hoyt KeifeRx Chris Hoyt, CEO of KeifeRx, talks about the oral medication being developed that uses tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and autophagy to remove unwanted proteins. Research done by Georgetown University on leukemia, led by Dr. Charbel Moussa, found that lower doses of drugs like nilotinib and bosutinib could cross the blood-brain barrier and remove toxic proteins on an intracellular basis. This research has been used to develop treatments for neurodegenerative conditions with promising results in reducing cognitive decline. Chris explains, "Essentially, the way TKIs work in the body, and particularly in the case of the neurodegenerative conditions that we...
2023-07-0515 minEmpowered Patient PodcastTreating the Root Cause of Acute Cannabinoid Intoxication with Simon Allen Anebulo Pharmaceuticals TRANSCRIPT Simon Allen is the CEO and Director of Anebulo Pharmaceuticals, which focuses on finding an effective treatment for acute cannabinoid intoxication or ACI, particularly in an emergency department setting. ACI is a condition where an individual has consumed or smoked too much cannabis or products that contain THC or synthetic cannabis and is experiencing symptoms of psychosis, anxiety, elevated heart rate, or is unresponsive. Their drug ANEB-001 is designed to address the cause of the symptoms without the need for traditional methods like benzodiazepines and beta blockers, which have their risks. Simon explains, "What we are seeing i...
2023-06-3000 minEmpowered Patient PodcastTreating the Root Cause of Acute Cannabinoid Intoxication with Simon Allen Anebulo Pharmaceuticals Simon Allen is the CEO and Director of Anebulo Pharmaceuticals, which focuses on finding an effective treatment for acute cannabinoid intoxication or ACI, particularly in an emergency department setting. ACI is a condition where an individual has consumed or smoked too much cannabis or products that contain THC or synthetic cannabis and is experiencing symptoms of psychosis, anxiety, elevated heart rate, or is unresponsive. Their drug ANEB-001 is designed to address the cause of the symptoms without the need for traditional methods like benzodiazepines and beta blockers, which have their risks. Simon explains, "What we are seeing i...
2023-06-3019 minDigital Politics with Karen JagodaOvercoming Restrictions of Voter ID Laws with Lauren Kunis VoteRiders Lauren Kunis, CEO of VoteRiders, and Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, TheDemLabs.org, talk about the various voter ID laws that prevent or intimidate eligible Americans from casting a ballot that is counted. VoteRiders has a nationwide network to provide voter ID education and assistance to get the form of ID that is accepted to register and vote. Deepak and Lauren discuss State-by-state challenges of getting an acceptable ID to register to vote Why underrepresented communities are the hardest hit by voter suppression tactics Building a voting public that is more representative of the po...
2023-06-2922 minEmpowered Patient PodcastMicro Insert Treats Prevents Progression of Retinal Eye Diseases with Nancy Lurker EyePoint Pharmaceuticals TRANSCRIPT Nancy Lurker, CEO and Board Director of EyePoint Pharmaceuticals, aims to prevent the progression of blindness by developing technology that addresses retinal eye diseases. These back of the eye diseases are age-related and an increasing threat to populations worldwide. Current treatments require regular injections in the eye. The micro inserts developed by EyePoint will allow the drug to work for six months, allowing patients more flexibility to maintain their vision. Nancy explains, "We know that if you look at the current eye treatments on the market today, wet AMD, retinal vein occlusion, diabetic macular edema, and diabetic r...
2023-06-2900 minEmpowered Patient PodcastMicro Insert Treats Prevents Progression of Retinal Eye Diseases with Nancy Lurker EyePoint Pharmaceuticals Nancy Lurker, CEO and Board Director of EyePoint Pharmaceuticals, aims to prevent the progression of blindness by developing technology that addresses retinal eye diseases. These back of the eye diseases are age-related and an increasing threat to populations worldwide. Current treatments require regular injections in the eye. The micro inserts developed by EyePoint will allow the drug to work for six months, allowing patients more flexibility to maintain their vision. Nancy explains, "We know that if you look at the current eye treatments on the market today, wet AMD, retinal vein occlusion, diabetic macular edema, and diabetic r...
2023-06-2918 minEmpowered Patient PodcastPortfolio Method for Focused Accelerated Drug Development with Dr. Gavin Samuels CinRx TRANSCRIPT Dr. Gavin Samuels, Chief Business Officer at CinRx, a holding company currently with six portfolio companies, each focused on developing one drug. Providing these companies with the right resources at the right time makes for more efficient use of resources and can speed up drug development. Their strength is understanding challenges and opportunities approximately a year before an IND is filed to help shepherd the drug through the IND-enabling study and through clinical development. Gavin elaborates, "The disease areas that we're involved in, cardiovascular disease, metabolic disease, inflammatory diseases, these are problems that present a real challenge t...
2023-06-2800 minEmpowered Patient PodcastPortfolio Method for Focused Accelerated Drug Development with Dr. Gavin Samuels CinRx Dr. Gavin Samuels, Chief Business Officer at CinRx, a holding company currently with six portfolio companies, each focused on developing one drug. Providing these companies with the right resources at the right time makes for more efficient use of resources and can speed up drug development. Their strength is understanding challenges and opportunities approximately a year before an IND is filed to help shepherd the drug through the IND-enabling study and through clinical development. Gavin elaborates, "The disease areas that we're involved in, cardiovascular disease, metabolic disease, inflammatory diseases, these are problems that present a real challenge to...
2023-06-2819 minEmpowered Patient PodcastPatient-Centered Outcomes Research Captures Value Markers and Supports Reimbursement with Jennifer Quinn Debiopharm TRANSCRIPT Jennifer Quinn, Head of global pricing and health economics and outcomes research at Debiopharm, emphasizes the importance of reimbursement, not just regulatory approval, for a drug to be available to patients. With patient-centered outcomes research, drug developers can use data for risk-benefit assessment relevant to regulators that reflect how patients consider the risks and whether they will undergo a procedure. Jennifer explains, "My team really tries to make sure that, when we're thinking about a clinical development program, we make sure we're capturing those value markers throughout from a very early stage. That is so that when s...
2023-06-2700 minEmpowered Patient PodcastPatient-Centered Outcomes Research Captures Value Markers and Supports Reimbursement with Jennifer Quinn Debiopharm Jennifer Quinn, Head of global pricing and health economics and outcomes research at Debiopharm, emphasizes the importance of reimbursement, not just regulatory approval, for a drug to be available to patients. With patient-centered outcomes research, drug developers can use data for risk-benefit assessment relevant to regulators that reflect how patients consider the risks and whether they will undergo a procedure. Jennifer explains, "My team really tries to make sure that, when we're thinking about a clinical development program, we make sure we're capturing those value markers throughout from a very early stage. That is so that when s...
2023-06-2718 minEmpowered Patient PodcastHandheld Ultrasound Plus Artificial Intelligence Expanding Medical Imaging Applications with Ohad Arazi Clarius TRANSCRIPTOhad Arazi, CEO of Clarius, a medical imaging startup with a mission to bring accurate, easy-to-use, AI-assisted, and affordable hand-held ultrasound tools to a broad range of medical professionals. Traditional ultrasound is costly, stationary, and requires specialized training. The portable Clarius device communicates with an iPad or an Android or iOS phone. The ultrasound produces highly nuanced grayscale real-time images that, with the help of artificial intelligence, can be used safely in a wider point-of-care environment to make informed decisions. Ohad explains, "We're all about bringing together high-performance ultrasound imaging, cloud data, and artificial intelligence into this p...
2023-06-2600 minEmpowered Patient PodcastHandheld Ultrasound Plus Artificial Intelligence Expanding Medical Imaging Applications with Ohad Arazi ClariusOhad Arazi, CEO of Clarius, a medical imaging startup with a mission to bring accurate, easy-to-use, AI-assisted, and affordable hand-held ultrasound tools to a broad range of medical professionals. Traditional ultrasound is costly, stationary, and requires specialized training. The portable Clarius device communicates with an iPad or an Android or iOS phone. The ultrasound produces highly nuanced grayscale real-time images that, with the help of artificial intelligence, can be used safely in a wider point-of-care environment to make informed decisions. Ohad explains, "We're all about bringing together high-performance ultrasound imaging, cloud data, and artificial intelligence into this p...
2023-06-2619 minEmpowered Patient PodcastApplying AI to Prior Authorization Reduces the Pain for All Stakeholders with Alina Czekai Cohere Health TRANSCRIPT Alina Czekai, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at Cohere Health, points out the need to transform the often painful prior authorization process. The traditional approach takes a piecemeal view of requests and provides a yes or no response. The Cohere view looks at the process as a multidimensional challenge that requires understanding the entirety of care and leveraging technology and AI to help guide behavior toward what is most clinically appropriate. Alina explains, "You can think of it as an authorization for a credit card. Ensuring that what is going to be done or what medication or...
2023-06-2200 minEmpowered Patient PodcastApplying AI to Prior Authorization Reduces the Pain for All Stakeholders with Alina Czekai Cohere Health Alina Czekai, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at Cohere Health, points out the need to transform the often painful prior authorization process. The traditional approach takes a piecemeal view of requests and provides a yes or no response. The Cohere view looks at the process as a multidimensional challenge that requires understanding the entirety of care and leveraging technology and AI to help guide behavior toward what is most clinically appropriate. Alina explains, "You can think of it as an authorization for a credit card. Ensuring that what is going to be done or what medication or...
2023-06-2217 minEmpowered Patient PodcastMaking Sense of Government Drug Discount Programs for Underserved Patients Subsidized by Drug Manufacturers with Jared Crapo Kalderos TRANSCRIPT Jared Crapo, Head of Product and Technology at Kalderos, focuses on drug discounts paid by drug manufacturers to pharmacy benefit managers, commercial or government payers, and healthcare providers. Congress created the 340B Drug Discount Program and the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program to support healthcare for underserved patients. While these programs have dramatically grown, so too have the complexities and confusion about discounts and disagreements about payments. Jared explains, "The 340B program was created by Congress, and it's a subsidy from drug manufacturers to underserved healthcare providers. The Medicaid Drug Rebate Program is a similar program created by...
2023-06-2100 minEmpowered Patient PodcastMaking Sense of Government Drug Discount Programs for Underserved Patients Subsidized by Drug Manufacturers with Jared Crapo Kalderos Jared Crapo, Head of Product and Technology at Kalderos, focuses on drug discounts paid by drug manufacturers to pharmacy benefit managers, commercial or government payers, and healthcare providers. Congress created the 340B Drug Discount Program and the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program to support healthcare for underserved patients. While these programs have dramatically grown, so too have the complexities and confusion about discounts and disagreements about payments. Jared explains, "The 340B program was created by Congress, and it's a subsidy from drug manufacturers to underserved healthcare providers. The Medicaid Drug Rebate Program is a similar program created by...
2023-06-2119 minEmpowered Patient PodcastBuilding Focused Communities and Facilitating Relationships Between Patients and Pharmaceutical Companies with Jessica Ackerman Responsum Health TRANSCRIPT Jessica Ackerman, the Vice President for Strategic Partnerships and Impact at Responsum Health, is focused on the insights that patients can provide drug companies and other people newly diagnosed or suffering from a chronic condition. Responsum is a digital-based educational community providing accurate scientific information, peer support, access to clinical trials, and a path by which drug companies can get real-world data. Jessica explains, "Every disease focus that we have started has come from a partnership, some vested interest, from either a commercial sponsor or a pharmaceutical company, to build this robust community. Their interest is to g...
2023-06-2000 minEmpowered Patient PodcastBuilding Focused Communities and Facilitating Relationships Between Patients and Pharmaceutical Companies with Jessica Ackerman Responsum Health Jessica Ackerman, the Vice President for Strategic Partnerships and Impact at Responsum Health, is focused on the insights that patients can provide drug companies and other people newly diagnosed or suffering from a chronic condition. Responsum is a digital-based educational community providing accurate scientific information, peer support, access to clinical trials, and a path by which drug companies can get real-world data. Jessica explains, "Every disease focus that we have started has come from a partnership, some vested interest, from either a commercial sponsor or a pharmaceutical company, to build this robust community. Their interest is to g...
2023-06-2018 minEmpowered Patient PodcastMovement Health Intelligence Driving Better Diagnosis and Risk Avoidance Plans with Dr. Phil Wagner Sparta Science TRANSCRIPT Dr. Phil Wagner, Founder and CEO of Sparta Science, is developing a movement health intelligence solution to better understand the overall health of a patient and their risk of injury. They are interweaving movement ability and balance ability to analyze meaningful biomarkers to ensure top performance and safe mobility. From his experience as a sports trainer, Phil warns about making assumptions about performance at any age. Phil explains, "We do a balance assessment to assess that movement health, and it takes about 20 seconds on each side, and that will actually generate about a million data points on o...
2023-06-1900 minEmpowered Patient PodcastMovement Health Intelligence Driving Better Diagnosis and Risk Avoidance Plans with Dr. Phil Wagner Sparta Science Dr. Phil Wagner, Founder and CEO of Sparta Science, is developing a movement health intelligence solution to better understand the overall health of a patient and their risk of injury. They are interweaving movement ability and balance ability to analyze meaningful biomarkers to ensure top performance and safe mobility. From his experience as a sports trainer, Phil warns about making assumptions about performance at any age. Phil explains, "We do a balance assessment to assess that movement health, and it takes about 20 seconds on each side, and that will actually generate about a million data points on ou...
2023-06-1920 minEmpowered Patient PodcastDetecting and Treating Progressive Eye Disease Keratoconus with Dr. Clark Chang Glaukos TRANSCRIPT Dr. Clark Chang is a cornea and keratoconus, KC, specialist at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia and the Director of Global Medical Affairs at Glaukos. Keratoconus is a disease of the eye where tissue thins and gradually bulges outward into a cone-like shape. While changes in the cornea are small, vision becomes very blurry, and the underlying cause may be overlooked. Glaukos has introduced the iLink procedure, a minimally invasive outpatient procedure to slow or halt the progression of this disease and help patients preserve their vision. Clark explains, "It is associated with age, but it's in t...
2023-06-1500 minEmpowered Patient PodcastDetecting and Treating Progressive Eye Disease Keratoconus with Dr. Clark Chang Glaukos Dr. Clark Chang is a cornea and keratoconus, KC, specialist at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia and the Director of Global Medical Affairs at Glaukos. Keratoconus is a disease of the eye where tissue thins and gradually bulges outward into a cone-like shape. While changes in the cornea are small, vision becomes very blurry, and the underlying cause may be overlooked. Glaukos has introduced the iLink procedure, a minimally invasive outpatient procedure to slow or halt the progression of this disease and help patients preserve their vision. Clark explains, "It is associated with age, but it's in t...
2023-06-1520 minEmpowered 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 minDigital Politics with Karen JagodaCovering the Health of the President with Karen Chase Leighton News AnchorKaren Chase Leighton, media specialist and former ABC News and Associated Press anchor and correspondent shares insights about covering the health of elected officials from her early days as a White House and Capitol Hill correspondent during the President Ronald Reagan and President George H.W. Bush years. Karen also reflects on the approach the Trump administration has taken on reporting the President's COVID-19 status, the impact of the pandemic on journalists covering the President and participating in the debates, and best ways to tell an authentic story. #2020campaign #COVID19
2020-10-0716 minDigital Politics with Karen JagodaNew Book- Journeys with Jimmy Carter and Other Adventures in Media by Barry Jagoda Journalist and Media AdvisorBarry Jagoda, journalist, assistant to Jimmy Carter, and Emmy-winning producer for CBS coverage of Watergate shares reasons for writing his memoir. The book includes his coming of age in the 50's and early 60's in Texas, the New York years attending the Columbia School of Journalism and with CBS flying around the world covering the moon landing, politicians, campaigns, and dignitaries. Barry takes the reader behind the scenes working on the Jimmy Carter for President Campaign of 1976 and in the Carter White House. Barry emphasizes the need for journalists as well as citizens to shine the light of truth on...
2020-05-2611 min