Digital Health Today 360°

Imagine this: You’re the founder of a digital health startup. You’ve been carefully selected and invited to participate in a brand new accelerator in Barcelona. At the start of the year, you say goodbye to your friends and family, you find a place in Barcelona to call home, and you focus on growing your business with the mentorship and support of one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies.  And then, COVID-19 happens.  How does that impact your strategy? How will it affect your success? And will the fight you wage for survival have an impact the healthcare sector at large? In this Coffee Talk we speak with Carlos Gallardo, the CEO and Founder of CG Health Ventures and a board member at Almirall. He has invested personally in about a dozen companies - including Washington DC-based Babyscripts, whose co-founder Juan Pablo Segura was a guest on episode 67. Carlos is based in Barcelona, and he often takes an active role in helping his companies develop their product market fit.  Background: At the end of 2019, Almirall selected and invited 4 companies to participate in their first cohort - aka "First Harvest" - at the Digital Garden in beautiful Barcelona. Like all things in 2020, the plans had to change to adapt to our new reality. In the face of this global crisis, the startups have embraced and benefited from opportunities that no one predicted in January. And Almirall itself has benefited from the Digital Garden as well. In October 2020, Almirall launched their call for their second cohort - or, as they like to call it - their "Second Harvest."  Find out more by visiting the Almirall Digital Garden Website. Applications are open until October 31, 2020, so don’t delay. View transcript Links and Resources: Apply to Almirall Digital Garden - Deadline is Oct 31, 2020! Connect with Carlos Gallardo: LinkedIn | CG Health Ventures Digital Garden's First Harvest: Haut.ai Derma2Go Uvisio Intrepida Analytics Connect on Digital Health Today: Browse Episodes | Twitter | Linkedin | Facebook | Instagram Connect on Health Podcast Network: Browse Shows | Linkedin | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram Digital Health Today is made possible by the support of our sponsors. Thank you to: Almirall Digital Garden Bayer G4A Cedars-Sinai Accelerator Medable University of Chicago - Master of Science in Biomedical Informatics

If you’ve been tuned into nearly any news channel recently, you’ve probably seen the announcement by Akili about the clearance they announced on June 15 for their product EndeavorRX. It is the first prescription treatment delivered through a video game which is designed to treat Pediatric ADHD. This was quickly followed by an announcement on June 23, 2020 of their CE Mark certification. Like many of you I’ve been tracking the work and progress at Akili for a long time, and I was excited to hear about this important milestone, and when the Akili team contacted me to see if I wanted to have a closer look at and try Endeavor RX, I couldn’t resist. I’ve downloaded it to my iPad and gave it a try, and I’m impressed. I can’t speak to the clinical aspects of the product, but based on the standards and expectations that we have from consumer focused products, this was a great experience. It’s well-designed, was easy to get set up, and it uses a great combination of graphics and sounds to engage the player. I love the way they are positioning this with the simple and memorable tagline - “Play your medicine”. That sort of sums it up. To learn more about the importance of this milestone and go a little deeper behind the headlines, I grabbed a few minutes to connect with Eddie Martucci, the Co-Founder and CEO at Akili Interactive Labs. Eddie shares what the recent FDA clearance and CE Mark approval mean to the business. We also discuss the commercialization plans, the volume and value of data created by digital tools, and how Digital Medicine and Digital Therapeutics will continue to transform the relationship between companies and people. View transcript Links and Resources: Connect with Eddie Martucci, PhD: Twitter | LinkedIn Connect with Akili Interactive Labs: Website | Twitter | LinkedIn Read the Press Release for FDA Clearance Read the Press Release for CE Mark Certification Lancet Digital Health Journal summary for STARS-ADHD Download the App Connect on Digital Health Today: Browse Episodes | Twitter | Linkedin | Facebook | Instagram Connect on Health Podcast Network: Browse Shows | Linkedin | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram Digital Health Today is made possible by the support of our sponsors. Thank you to: Almirall Digital Garden Bayer G4A Cedars-Sinai Accelerator Medable University of Chicago - Master of Science in Biomedical Informatics

For this special Coffee Talk, I invited Sophie Park, Chief Strategist for Bayer G4A Partnerships to discuss the opportunities for innovative companies to grow and partner with a global pharma company. The Bayer G4A program has continued to grow and succeed since 2013, and it has evolved to adapt to changing market forces, new business priorities and the unprecedented acceleration of innovation that has taken place at the intersection of health and technology.  One of the challenges when an organization has a long history of success like that is that people begin to automatically associate what they knew about the program in previous years, and then overlay that to make presumptions about what the program is like this year.  For example - a lot of people think that G4A is simply an accelerator for early stage startups. In actual fact, they also have a very powerful partnership program which is designed to attract companies that can participate in joint ventures, commercial partnerships or even majority investments.   In this episode, we dispel some of these myths and give more insights on the progress and success of the G4A program and family. Learn more about Bayer G4A Partnership Links and Resources: Learn more about Bayer G4A: Web | Twitter Connect on Digital Health Today: Browse Episodes | Twitter | Linkedin | Facebook | Instagram Connect on Health Podcast Network: Browse Shows | Linkedin | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram   Digital Health Today is made possible by the support of our sponsors. Thank you to University of Chicago - Master of Science in Biomedical Informatics Almirall Digital Garden Bayer G4A Cedars-Sinai Accelerator Medable

When you visit a website, do you use the navigation menu? Or do you head to the lower right corner of your screen? T hat corner is where a little bit of internet magic happens and it’s becoming more prevalent, and having a great impact, in healthcare. It’s where you can get the answers and information you need just by typing in a few simple words or a question. That little chatbot can be repeated millions and billions of times and provide more natural human interactions and benefits to both the users and the organization that deployed it. To learn more about this technology and how it’s being applied in healthcare, I invited Dr. John Reeves to come share some insights.   Dr. Reeves is a global expert in the application of conversational AI to healthcare. He has over 25 years of experience as an engineer, primary care physician, and entrepreneur. He’s the CEO and founder of ConversationHealth, which is transforming how life sciences companies engage their patients and healthcare professionals through virtual conversations. Their company has developed a Pharma-specific SaaS platform that powers these human-like experiences across text, voice, and digital human channels, and he’s here to discuss some top tips about what companies should be thinking about when it comes to developing a chatbot solution of their own. John and his team put together a download we’re going to discuss - and I just want to remind you that the download and links to everything we discuss can be found in the show notes of your podcast player and at our website at digitalhealthtoday.com/podcasts. You can also find everything at our second home on Health Podcast Network on healthpodcastnetwork.com - along with hundreds of great episodes from outstanding podcasts across healthcare. Be sure to check that out. Episode Download: Download the Chatbot Canvas Links and Resources: Connect with Dr. John Reeves: LinkedIn Connect with Conversation Health: Website | Twitter | LinkedIn Connect on Digital Health Today: Browse Episodes | Twitter | Linkedin | Facebook | Instagram Connect on Health Podcast Network: Browse Shows | Linkedin | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram Digital Health Today is made possible by the support of our sponsors. Thank you to: Almirall Digital Garden Bayer G4A Cedars-Sinai Accelerator Medable University of Chicago - Master of Science in Biomedical Informatics

With the combination of the Covid crisis and the increased awareness of mental health in the month of May (which is #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth) I wanted to dig deeper into mental health and find out what we can do as individuals and organizations to resource ourselves and those around us.  Guest: Dr. William Kassler, Deputy Health Officer and Lead Population Health Officer at IBM Watson Health.   Dr. Kassler has held a variety of roles at Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dr. Kassler has received numerous awards from the United States Public Health Service, including the Surgeon General’s Meritorious Service Award, and the Bi-State Primary Care Association President’s Award for “unyielding dedication to community-based access to care for the poor and disadvantaged.” We certainly appreciate his dedication to serving people from across our communities. He’s still a practicing internist and continues to hold office hours in his role at IBM. In this episode, we discuss the role of self-care in developing resilience to conquer fear. Links and Resources Mentioned: Connect with Dr. William Kassler: Twitter | LinkedIn Connect with IBM: Website | Twitter 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) How technology and data can improve access to mental health resources Protecting mental health during a pandemic- By Dr. William Kassler IBM.biz/covidhealth - Confronting the Coronavirus - The Latest on IBM's Efforts Empower your remote workforce during COVID-19 GRIT Mobile Tool For Veterans - Getting Results in Transition Connect on Digital Health Today: Browse Episodes | Twitter | Linkedin | Facebook | Instagram Connect on Health Podcast Network: Browse Shows | Linkedin | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram Digital Health Today is made possible by the support of our sponsors. Thank you to: Almirall Digital Garden Bayer G4A Cedars-Sinai Accelerator Medable University of Chicago - Master of Science in Biomedical Informatics

In 2017, approximately 19.7 million people aged 12 or older had a substance use disorder (SUD) related to their use of alcohol or illicit drugs in the past year, and an estimated 20.7 million people aged 12 or older needed substance use treatment (1). Sky News reports that calls have doubled to a helpline designed to support children whose parents are battling alcoholism (2).  When traveling is not an option, what support and services are available to people who are battling Substance Use Disorder? In addition to the treatment and support needed to support and sustain their recovery, they are also confined in their homes and potentially dealing in close proximity to relationship, financial or work related problems. Our guest has first hand knowledge of what it’s like to battle addiction, and, fortunately she’s turned her attention on how to improve the situation for people on their own journeys to long-term recovery. Joining me in the health podcast studio is Daniela Tudor, who is recovering from substance use disorder. Daniela is the CEO of WeConnect Health Management. Their mission is to reverse the high relapse rate of those in their first year of recovery and over come the challenges of transitioning into long-term recovery. Daniela started the company with her co-founder Murphy Jensen, the former tennis pro and winner of the 1993 French Open Doubles title. We discuss the traditional tools, instructions and systems available for people in recovery, and how technology facilitates better solutions, experiences and outcomes, Daniela also shares how she and Murphy teamed up to start the company - it involves a 'Bucket List' competition and a trip to Sir Richard Branson's Necker Island.   Join WEconnect Recovery Live Every third Friday at 7pm Pacific/10pm Eastern Links and Resources: Connect with Daniela Tudor: Twitter | LinkedIn | TEDxBellevueWomen Connect with WeConnect Health Recovery: Website | Twitter | LinkedIn (1) https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/cbhsq-reports/NSDUHFFR2017/NSDUHFFR2017.pdf (2) https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-calls-to-charity-double-as-children-struggle-in-lockdown-with-alcoholic-parents-11981408 Connect on Digital Health Today: Browse Episodes | Twitter | Linkedin | Facebook | Instagram Connect on Health Podcast Network: Browse Shows | Linkedin | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram Digital Health Today is made possible by the support of our sponsors. Thank you to: Almirall Digital Garden Bayer G4A Cedars-Sinai Accelerator Medable University of Chicago - Master of Science in Biomedical Informatics