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#3 - Campus to Commercialisation: How Academia Fuels Health Innovation - Alex Sheppard
In this episode of Health in Hyperdrive, host Dominic James is joined by Alex Sheppard to explore how academic research evolves from campus curiosity into commercial impact, ultimately helping us live longer, healthier lives.
Healthcare has always been grounded in science, and its deep ties to academia are more relevant than ever. From the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines, accelerated by breakthroughs at MIT and the University of Mainz, to the rise of billion-dollar AI health companies born from university labs, the journey from research to reality is accelerating.
Alex brings a rare insider’s perspective, having led an Oxford University HealthTech spinout and now working across startups, investment, and industry. Together, they unpack the mechanics of academic spinouts, the role of multidisciplinary expertise, and how AI is reshaping empathy, equity, and access in healthcare. From digital scribing to orbital health stations, this episode charts a bold vision for health in 2050 and beyond.
Key Topics Covered
- UK vs US university commercialisation: comparing academic impact
- Leading an academic spinout: lessons from the CEO seat
- Collaboration and concentration: the dual engines of innovation
- Medical imaging, computer vision and digital scribing: AI’s diagnostic frontier
- DeepMind and London’s ecosystem: a pseudo-university for health AI
- Multidisciplinary mastery: why cross-domain expertise is the gamechanger of the century
- AI and empathy: enhancing human connection through intelligent systems
- The data imperative: building comprehensive health datasets
- Health equity through innovation: making advanced care accessible
- Health in 2050 and beyond!
About Alex
Start-up co-founder and Investor
Alex Sheppard is a start-up co-founder, investor and industry expert with deep ties to Oxford University’s innovation teams. Formerly the CEO of an Oxford HealthTech spinout, he brings first hand experience in translating academic research into commercial success. Today, Alex works across the health tech landscape to bridge academia, entrepreneurship and industry, driving innovation that is both scientifically rigorous and socially impactful.
About Dom
Dominic brings two decades of experience as a former Global Health Innovation Leader for Merck (top 5 pharma), successful Innovation Consultancy Co-Founder, Management Consulting Partner (Deloitte, Ogilvy, SBC) and Data Scientist. With an extensive network in the US, Europe & Asia, he brings together experts and organizations to work tirelessly deliver our mission of improving health by ten times through new technology.
Links
- Alex’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-sheppard-a0320aaa
- Microsoft ASCO paper on pancreatic cancer prediction using search logs - https://ascopubs.org/doi/full/10.1200/JOP.2015.010504
- Health in Hyperdrive website - https://www.future-centric.com/health-in-hyperdrive
- Dominic’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominicjames/
- @DomJamesHiH socials - TikTok / X / Insta / YouTube / BlueSky
- Produced by Explosive Brands - https://www.explosivebrands.com/
View all episodes
By Dominic JamesIn this episode of Health in Hyperdrive, host Dominic James is joined by Alex Sheppard to explore how academic research evolves from campus curiosity into commercial impact, ultimately helping us live longer, healthier lives.
Healthcare has always been grounded in science, and its deep ties to academia are more relevant than ever. From the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines, accelerated by breakthroughs at MIT and the University of Mainz, to the rise of billion-dollar AI health companies born from university labs, the journey from research to reality is accelerating.
Alex brings a rare insider’s perspective, having led an Oxford University HealthTech spinout and now working across startups, investment, and industry. Together, they unpack the mechanics of academic spinouts, the role of multidisciplinary expertise, and how AI is reshaping empathy, equity, and access in healthcare. From digital scribing to orbital health stations, this episode charts a bold vision for health in 2050 and beyond.
Key Topics Covered
- UK vs US university commercialisation: comparing academic impact
- Leading an academic spinout: lessons from the CEO seat
- Collaboration and concentration: the dual engines of innovation
- Medical imaging, computer vision and digital scribing: AI’s diagnostic frontier
- DeepMind and London’s ecosystem: a pseudo-university for health AI
- Multidisciplinary mastery: why cross-domain expertise is the gamechanger of the century
- AI and empathy: enhancing human connection through intelligent systems
- The data imperative: building comprehensive health datasets
- Health equity through innovation: making advanced care accessible
- Health in 2050 and beyond!
About Alex
Start-up co-founder and Investor
Alex Sheppard is a start-up co-founder, investor and industry expert with deep ties to Oxford University’s innovation teams. Formerly the CEO of an Oxford HealthTech spinout, he brings first hand experience in translating academic research into commercial success. Today, Alex works across the health tech landscape to bridge academia, entrepreneurship and industry, driving innovation that is both scientifically rigorous and socially impactful.
About Dom
Dominic brings two decades of experience as a former Global Health Innovation Leader for Merck (top 5 pharma), successful Innovation Consultancy Co-Founder, Management Consulting Partner (Deloitte, Ogilvy, SBC) and Data Scientist. With an extensive network in the US, Europe & Asia, he brings together experts and organizations to work tirelessly deliver our mission of improving health by ten times through new technology.
Links
- Alex’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-sheppard-a0320aaa
- Microsoft ASCO paper on pancreatic cancer prediction using search logs - https://ascopubs.org/doi/full/10.1200/JOP.2015.010504
- Health in Hyperdrive website - https://www.future-centric.com/health-in-hyperdrive
- Dominic’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominicjames/
- @DomJamesHiH socials - TikTok / X / Insta / YouTube / BlueSky
- Produced by Explosive Brands - https://www.explosivebrands.com/