From testing hundreds of cancer drugs in 10 days to unlocking healthcare stories through audio—conversations with two innovators solving how we personalize treatment and tell those stories live from HLTH 2025.

Jim Foote is the founder of First Ascent Biomedical. He built the company after losing his 17-year-old son to cancer. First Ascent takes a biopsy, enriches cancer cells rapidly, and then tests hundreds of FDA-approved drugs to determine which work against your specific biology. 

The results were published in Nature Medicine. The stakes are high: one in three cancer patients will die in 2025. Cancer is the number one killer of men under 50, number two for women, and number one for children by disease type. Foote believes we have the tools and technology, but doctors need better decision-making infrastructure to use them effectively.

Dan Kendall is the founder of Mission Based Media. He has been in health innovation since before digital health was called digital health. He has been listening to podcasts since 2005. In 2016, he could not find a healthcare podcast that worked, so he built one. 

He now runs Health Podcast Network and Health Unmuted, which he describes as "WebMD for your ears." His insight is that audio unlocks content from its glass jail cell. People consume podcasts in cars, kitchens, and on dog walks. These are places where meaningful connection happens without competing for attention with thousands of other things.

Highlights from Jim Foote at First Ascent Biomedical:

• Combined with genomics, doctors receive a ranked drug list in 10 days with 85% correlation between lab results and body response. Nature Medicine showed 83% patient benefit rate versus standard care.
• Pictures of cancer patients line the lab walls because "every biopsy is somebody's loved one."
• His vision is to scale locally so biopsies are taken, analyzed, and treated in the same community. This closes the financial toxicity gap affecting 95% of pediatric cancer families.

Highlights from Dan Kendall at Mission Based Media:

• Built the first digital health podcast in 2016 when none existed. He has been a podcast listener since 2005 with his first 80-gigabyte iPod.
• His philosophy is that audio unleashes mechanical waves that physically stimulate thought, creating connection when people are ready rather than competing for attention.
• His mission is to amplify voices through audio-forward storytelling that meets audiences where they are rather than demanding they come to you.

Healthcare innovation personalizes treatment and meets people exactly where they are.

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