In this episode of Digital Health Today, we are jumping over to the country of Estonia, a country of 1.3 million people situated on the Baltic Sea. Estonia borders Latvia and Russia, and is across the water from its Nordic neighbor, Finland. Here to talk to us today is Ain Aaviksoo, he’s the Deputy Secretary General of E-services and Innovation, at the Ministry of Social Affairs, Estonia. He tells us about Estonian business culture, their outstanding infrastructure, and the opportunities for outside companies and individuals to do research and business in Estonia.

Estonian companies have transformed our experience with telephony with Skype, and banking with Transferwise, and they have their sights set on transforming the way people experience health and wellness as well.

In his role as the Deputy Secretary General of E-services and Innovation, Ain works to combine medicine and informatics to disrupt healthcare in a great way. Estonia has a long history of digital innovation across public and private services. They’ve successfully migrated traditional “brick and mortar” activities to online, and they’ve implemented things like electronic voting and even an electronic residency program that is open to anyone around the world. Ain and I spoke about the various services and programs available in Estonia, and how they are positioned to help individuals and companies who would like to leverage the infrastructure they have in place.

Today's Topics:

Links and Resources Mentioned:

Video:

TED Talk - A peek into our digital future: Estonia's e-Residency program

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On this episode of Digital Health Today, Yuval Mor, CEO of Beyond Verbal, dives into the research and potential of technology that uses vocal biomarkers to analyze emotions and physical health.

We know that words are powerful and that what you say can be interpreted differently based on how you say it. The insights provided through our speech is getting supercharged thanks to the talented team of innovators at Beyond Verbal, a company based in Israel that can correlate distinct voice features with health conditions and reveal novel vocal biomarkers.

The Mayo Clinic has used their technology in a study about Coronary Artery Disease, and it is also being used for Autism Spectrum disorder and Parkinson’s disease. To tell us more about the science and how it is being applied, I spoke with Yuval Mor, the CEO of Beyond Verbal. Yuval got a degree in Computer Science and Economics from Tel Aviv University and a Management degree from Stanford University. He then worked in various leadership roles focusing on sales and marketing across a range of technology companies.

In this interview, we cover how the company got started, how the technology has been deployed in the commercial environment, and how can be used in healthcare. You’ll also hear about their free app that they have available on iOS and Android. It’s called Moodies, and you can use it to analyze your own speech using their technology. It is very cool, and you’ll want to check it out. And it's free too; I think you’ll be impressed.

Today’s Topics:

Links and Resources Mentioned:

Moodies App by Beyond Verbal (free!): iOS/Apple

Company Website

Beyond Verbal Health Research platform

Beyond Verbal Developers Platform

Beyond Verbal API

Beyond Verbal on Twitter

Digital Health Events

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Videos:

Jobs talks about the iPad

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On this show we’ve spoken to entrepreneurs that are serving needs in developed markets, we’ve spoken to entrepreneurs who are creating solutions for developing markets like those in sub-saharan Africa, but we’ve not spoken to startups that are doing both simultaneously. Today we’re changing that as we talk with Kate Newhouse, the CEO of Doctor Care Anywhere – a UK based company that is developing digital healthcare services to users in the UK and in Kenya. Kate studied history at the University of Oxford before starting a consulting career that focused on digital transformation and healthcare.

We dive into the telemedicine industry and the start of Doctor Care Anywhere, and discuss the strategy that’s helped their company succeed in growing a technology platform when neither of the two co-founders, nor their first employee had a technical background.

Today’s Topics:

Links and Resources Mentioned:

Kate Newhouse on LinkedIn:

Doctor Care Anywhere on Twitter: @DrCareAnywhere ‏

Kate Newhouse on Twitter: @Katefsnewhouse

Website: Doctorcareanywhere.com

Digital Health Events

Digital Health Jumpstart

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My guest today is Chaitanya Dahagam. He is a Healthcare Technologist and Global Partner Innovation Executive at IBM Watson Health. He studied medicine at University of Alabama, he was a General Surgery Resident at the University of Texas, and then did what a lot of medically trained people are doing: he went into business. He’s going to tell us all about IBM Watson Health, some of the projects and organizations they are working with, and importantly, how you can find out more and become a partner with Watson Health.

“AI” is a technology and buzzword that is being applied to nearly every industry. As data sets explode, the race is on to find ways to turn the piles of data into meaningful and actionable knowledge. AI holds the key to unlocking the insights that can detect, prevent and cure disease, and IBM Watson is determined to being the locksmith.

As IBM Watson evolves from ‘gameshow celebrity’ to ‘healthcare expert’, there are clear ways that it can be applied to help solve the toughest challenges faced by health providers – but there are also clear ways where it won’t be applied. Tune in to Chaitanya Dahagam as he provides insights into how IBM Watson is being used and the potential it has for future developments.

Today’s Topics:

Links and Resources Mentioned:

Best first stop:

Other resources:

Video:

How It Works: IBM Watson Health

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My guest today is Brian O’Connor. Brian is chair of the European Connected Health Alliance, or ‘ECH Alliance’, which is a not-for-profit membership organization that, despite it’s name, works with stakeholders around the world to facilitate collaborative working and to bring about meaningful change in health and social care.

Brian was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland and has spent his career as a consultant, manager and investor in both private and public companies. As head of the ECH Alliance he is creating a platform for change and disruption across Europe, China, and most recently, they’ve started work in North America working in both the US and Canada, in the interview, he sheds more light about that.

Brian O’Connor lived and worked in Hong Kong for twelve years first as a corporate consultant – then he went on to create the largest private healthcare company in Hong Kong with over 700 GP practices and 3 million patient consultations a year covering everything from general practitioners and dentistry to traditional Chinese medicine and surgery.

He understands that overcoming cultural and other barriers within healthcare is a key component of solving the problems faced around the world. He’s got a great way to deliver news that can otherwise be difficult and frustrating to hear, but he does it in a way that encourages and excites the change that is so badly needed in health care systems around the world.

I’m very pleased to announce that ECH Alliance and Digital Health Today have teamed up and are working together to facilitate and promote the work being done globally to improve health and social care. There’s so much to be done, and ECH Alliance members are a core part of the Digital Health Today Community, so we are working together for the greater good to amplify the work each of our teams are doing.

Before I sign off, I just want to give a shout out to Aline Noizet and Nick Adkins of the #pinksocks tribe. Nick Adkins out in Portland, Oregon sent me a few pairs of his famous pinksocks, and it was Aline Noizet who suggested that I receive some, so thanks to you both. I love them, I’m wearing them and sharing the pinksocks tribe far and wide. If you are not familiar with pinksocks and the GSD movement, click on the link to visit his site, and check out his Twitter feed. Let’s go #Pinksocks and #GSD (Get Stuff Done)!

Today's Topics:

Links and Resources Mentioned:

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My guest today is Dr Daisy Robinton. I met Daisy at Wired Health in London earlier this year where she delivered a tremendous talk about CRISPR-Cas9 and once I heard it, I knew I had to ask her to come here on the program to share her insights and inspiration into the field of bioengineering.

Daisy is a scientist in gene editing at Harvard University studying stem cell biology at the intersection of embryonic development and cancer. Her research focuses on molecular, cellular and developmental biology, and her papers focus on the potential and promise of stem cell research.

In addition to her scientific career, she’s also an entrepreneur. Along with Dr Jack Kriendler, she cofounded Weird and Wonderful, which is a production company where they combine the arts with science to make the story of science entertaining and reach a broader audience. She was recently named one of Forbes 30 under 30 for 2017 (and just in the nick of time – she recently celebrated her 30th birthday!). She’s also a fashion and lifestyle model, promoting brands such as Reebok and Garmin, and she’s given a TedX talk (see the show notes) about the potential of gene therapy in treating aging.

Daisy and I spoke about how new technologies such as CRISPR Cas-9 are accelerating the development of new genetic therapies, and how science and society are responding and adapting to the new possibilities bioengineering technologies present. I really enjoyed this conversation, and I think you will as well. 

Links and Resources Mentioned:

Videos:

Bioengineering: The Secret Weapon in the Fight Against Ageing | WIRED Health 2017 | WIRED Events

Can we engineer the end of ageing? | Daisy Robinton | TEDxLondonSalon

Consumer Genetic Testing -- "23andZ" | Incident Report 011 | ZDoggMD.com

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I’ve been looking forward to recording this episode for a long time, my guest is Eugene Borukhovich, he started a new role last year as the Global Head of Digital Health Incubation & Innovation at Bayer. Eugene has worn a lot of hats over the years and has been instrumental in driving the global conversation on health innovation and disruption. In addition to his role at Bayer, he’s an advisor at Health XL, and he’s an active leader of the Health 2.0 organization. He’s built Health 2.0 networks in NYC and Amsterdam, and he recently formed a group in Dusseldorf.

In this conversation, we cover the work they are doing at Bayer as they work to transform a company with over 150 years of innovation and 100,000 employees, and adapt to the rapid pace of development need to be competitive now and in the future. One of the programs we discuss is the Bayer Grants4Apps program, and I want to point out that the applications for this program are open until May 31st, 2017, the link to the application is on the shownotes at Digital Health Today.com/22, or you can find the application by visiting the website grants4apps.com. We covered a lot of ground here and I have a load of links, videos, articles and more on the website, so please do head over and check it out, again, Digital Health today.com/22

If you want a chance to catch Eugene in person, head to Health 2.0 in Barcelona, that event is being held on the 3rd to the 5th of May 2017, in just a few days in fact. Eugene’s giving a talk there, and if you haven’t been to this conference before, you really should get there. Health 2.0 a great organization, they run events all over the world, and just a few weeks ago they announced they were joining forces with HIMSS so they have even more things going on leveraging the strengths of both organizations globally.

If do plan to be there at Health 2.0 Barcelona, let me know. I’ll be out there for a few days and would welcome the chance to say hello.

If you don’t catch us in Barcelona, you can also find us the following week at the Cube Tech Fair being held in Berlin on the 10-12th of May. That event features Steve Wozniak co-founder of Apple, Robin Wright known for her role in House of Cards, and I’ll be there as well participating in a panel, and Eugene will also be hosting a session there.

Links and Resources Mentioned

Video:

xMed 2016 Insights Lounge - Eugene Borukhovich and Zayna Khayat

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In this episode of Digital Health Today, we’re going to switch things up and talk about something that needs more attention and resources: mental health. It’s being talked about more and more as we break down the barriers and stigma associated with mental health and mental illness, and to get this conversation started on this program, I went directly to one of the leaders I had the opportunity to meet several times last year. That leader is Dr. Arshya Vahabzadeh, he is a psychiatrist and Instructor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He’s also the innovation officer at Massachusetts General Hospital, Chief Medical Officer of Brain Power - a wearables company focused on developing solutions for children and adults with autism.

He was raised in England and he moved to the United States to pursue his dream of leveraging clinical neuroscience to improve the treatment of people with brain disorders. He is a graduate of Singularity University and he speaks at conferences around the world - I’ve included a few videos of those talks at Exponential Medicine below. Dr. Vahabzadeh was recognized as a ‘40 under 40’ top innovator in 2015, and is working to bring exponential transformational change for global mental health.

Just as I was working to put the final touches on this podcast and release it, some news hit the headlines in the UK about a podcast that Prince Harry did where he spoke about his own personal challenges dealing with the death of his mother. It was a powerful podcast and he was very candid about how the approach he took early in life really caused him to close down emotionally, and how therapy helped him process things and develop a much better mental state. It is so key to have respected leaders on the world stage speaking candidly and openly about the importance of mental health, and I applaud and thank Prince Harry, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, for having the courage to share that in his interview. There are a couple links below you should check out showing why and what they're doing to raise the profile of mental health.

Today’s Topics:

More about Arshya:

Videos:

Links and Resources Mentioned:

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My guest today is none other than Dr Daniel Kraft; a physician-scientist, inventor, entrepreneur, and innovator. He has over 25 years experience working across health care innovation, biomedical research, and clinical practice. He is the Chair for Medicine at Singularity University and the Founder and Chair of Exponential Medicine, and we dive into his work at these organizations in depth on this podcast.

He’s earned an undergraduate degree from Brown University, finished medical school at Stanford and was Board Certified in both Internal Medicine & Pediatrics after he completed a Harvard residency at the Massachusetts General Hospital & Boston Children’s Hospital. Oh, and he also completed fellowships in hematology, oncology and bone marrow transplantation at Stanford.

Now you might think that with all that, I’ve completed the introduction. But you’d be wrong.

Daniel is also an avid pilot and he served in the Massachusetts and California Air National Guard as an officer and flight surgeon with F-15 & F-16 fighter Squadrons. He has conducted research on aerospace medicine that was published with NASA, and he was a finalist at NASA for astronaut selection. Oh, yeah, and he has two young children under 3.

The man is on the move, and I hope you do get a chance to meet him in person. He brings an incredible energy when he gets on the stage and he must have a lot of energy to keep up his schedule.

Today’s Topics:

Links and Resources Mentioned:

Contact Detailss

More Articles and Links

“Our Health is In Our Hands” WIRED article by Daniel Kraft, May 2014

40 of the Smartest People in Healthcare

The Top-10 Internet Smart Doctors in the World (2013)

Pharma Voice 100: Annual list recognizes the most inspiring leaders in Life Sciences, as determined by their readers.

Videos:

Medicine's Future? There's an app for that

SU Founder’s Video: Peter Diamandis and Ray Kurzweil

Daniel Kraft at TEDMED 2009

The Future of Health & Medicine Where Can Technology Take Us

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My guest today is Dr. Shafi Ahmed. He is a colorectal surgeon in London practicing in the NHS at St Barts as well as several private hospitals. He is also a Director and Non-Executive director of several organizations, a Member of the faculty at Exponential Medicine at Singularity University, an Associate Dean at Barts and the London Medical School, a council member of the Royal College of Surgeons, and a futurist, innovator and tech entrepreneur. He is also a co-founder of VirtualMedics.org and Medical Realities

You may have seen the coverage of Dr. Ahmed’s virtual reality surgery which he performed and streamed live in April 2016. In our conversation, he explains how he’s using Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) to teach surgery and accelerate the training of surgeons around the world.

In today’s conversation we talk about:

Links and Resources Mentioned:

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