Dr. Maria Artunduaga, the CEO of Samay and the inventor of the Sylvee, an AI wearable microphone and monitor for patients with COPD, asthma, and other breathing conditions joins eHealth Radio and the Health News & Technology Channels.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels & guest Dr. Maria Artunduaga discuss the following:
For our listeners today who may be struggling with breathing conditions (or know someone who is), describe what you have invented, and how this could provide hope to someone struggling with COPD, asthma, or even long COVID?As someone who has spoken with many people here in the U.S. who have COPD, what are the most common pain points you hear?Thinking about expensive procedures like MRIs, CAT scans, and ultrasounds that exist today, what first gave you the idea to monitor the lungs with something as basic as a microphone?Your device has an interesting name, the “Sylvee.” Can you tell us who inspired this name?For anyone out there who’s wondering, “How can listeners get a Sylvee device?”Lastly as someone raised in Colombia who now lives in the U.S., how do you stay true to your roots?Dr. Maria Artunduaga is the CEO of Samay Health. A top 1% student in Colombia, her country of birth, Artunduaga relocated to the United States to pursue plastic surgery training, but abandoned it to dedicate herself to solve the problem that killed her grandmother, a lack of home technologies that can detect COPD exacerbations early. She has raised $5.4M, almost 60% in non-dilutive capital from NSF and NIH, to build the Sylvee, an AI wearable sensor named after her grandmother that can provide COPD patients with continuous data on pulmonary function similar to what continuous glucose monitoring sensors do for diabetic patients.
Artunduaga’s invention has been featured in numerous media outlets, including Forbes, TechCrunch, Bloomberg, FierceHealthcare and more. Prior to Samay, Artunduaga completed postdoctoral studies in Human Genetics at Harvard Medical School, started a plastic surgery residency at The University of Chicago, and completed two master's degrees, one in Global Public Health at the University of Washington and another in Translational Medicine at the University of California at Berkeley and San Francisco.
She lives in Mountain View, Calif. with her husband, her daughter, and four pets.
Website: https://www.samayhealth.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/samayhealth
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samayhealth
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