Improving the Health of Billions of People with Kees Wesdorp

Passionate Pioneers with Mike Biselli, a nationally ranked healthcare and innovation podcast, and a member of the Health Podcast Network, highlights the innovators, the game changers, and the pioneers who are deeply passionate and relentless in valiantly solving the problems our healthcare industry is facing.

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This episode’s Community Champion Sponsor is Ossur. To learn more about their ‘Responsible for Tomorrow’ Sustainability Campaign, and how you can get involved: CLICK HERE --- Episode Overview:  Clinicians are drowning in a deluge of unstructured medical data, struggling to efficiently extract critical insights that could improve patient care and outcomes. Our next guest, Dr. Tim O'Connell, is taking on this monumental challenge as the co-founder and CEO of emtelligent. With a unique background spanning IT, radiology, and medical informatics, Tim experienced firsthand the limitations of existing natural language processing tools in healthcare settings. Driven to develop a powerful solution, he founded emtelligent to harness cutting-edge AI and language models. While together, Tim shares his pioneering journey building emtelligent's innovative technology that structures overwhelming volumes of unstructured patient data and how he and his colleagues are empowering healthcare organizations to operate more efficiently, reduce physician burnout, and unlock data-driven insights to transform care quality. Join us to learn from Tim and how the emtelligent team is unlocking healthcare's unstructured data troves. Let’s go!  Episode Highlights:Tim's advice: Get out and make a change, find a business partner with complementary skills ("your Anoop", his co-founder)Origin story: Seeing limitations of existing NLP tools, partnering with NLP expert Dr. Anoop SarkarCutting-edge technology: Structuring massive volumes of unstructured medical data with advanced language AIPowerful use cases: Transforming needle-in-a-haystack data challenges, drastically reducing manual chart review workloadsFuture vision: AI-augmented healthcare teams over next 2-5 years, reducing burnout by automating drudgery tasks
About our Guest:  Dr. Tim O’Connell is a practicing radiologist in Vancouver and cofounded emtelligent in 2016. He has served as vice chair of medical informatics in the University of British Columbia’s Department of Radiology since 2017. Prior to his clinical and entrepreneurial careers, Dr. O’Connell worked as an IT professional for Nortel Networks and Bell, where he was director of engineering for the Bank of Montreal account. Early in his career, Dr. O’Connell realized that radiologists were often tasked with a volume of work that didn’t afford them the time needed to carefully review and understand each patient's clinical history. In 2015, he met Dr. Anoop Sarkar, a widely published Ph.D. and full professor of natural language processing (NLP) and artificial intelligence. Dr. Sarkar shared Tim’s interest in medical language processing and desire to develop meaningful solutions that would have a positive impact on the lives of patients and care providers. It quickly became obvious to both that they were perfectly matched to solve the problem Tim had identified, together bringing a powerful combination of deep clinical and data science expertise.  emtelligent was officially formed when Drs. O’Connell and Sarkar joined forces with Jeff O'Connell, an experienced technology operations management leader; and Dan Carriere, a seasoned expert in building and scaling biomedical startup ventures, adding experienced entrepreneurship and business leadership to the team. Collectively, the team successfully built and launched emtelliPro®, one of the industry's first deep-learning-based Medical Language Understanding engines. 
 Links Supporting This Episode:emtelligent Website: CLICK HEREDr. Tim O’Connell...

Unlocking Healthcare's Unstructured Data Troves with Dr. Tim O’Connell

This episode’s Community Champion Sponsor is Ossur. To learn more about their ‘Responsible for Tomorrow’ Sustainability Campaign, and how you can get involved: CLICK HERE --- Episode Overview:  What if a pioneering venture capital model could catalyze healthcare innovation by delivering continuous funding, growth, and resources throughout a startup’s journey? Our next guest, Dr. Rebecca Mitchell, is doing exactly this as Executive Vice President at Vive Collective. With a diverse background spanning academic research, public health, product leadership at several leading digital health companies, and now venture capital, Rebecca is at the forefront of funding and scaling the next generation of disruptive health tech companies. While together, Rebecca shares her vision and mission of bringing together seasoned industry experts with fresh perspectives to mentor and propel bold founders who are passionate and determined to reimage our healthcare industry.  Join us to learn how Rebecca and the Vive Collective team have created a new model to build, fund and scale the best digital health companies that are destined to make a sizable impact in the healthcare industry. Let’s go!  Episode Highlights:Rebecca's powerful advice: "Find the insiders who still think like outsiders, and the humble outsiders who can expand your sense of what's possible."How Vive Collective is a new VC model purposely built with an interdisciplinary team of clinicians, builders, and investors to mentor startups.Vive’s innovative "collective" that provides startups with an unmatched network of industry experts and resources to accelerate their growth.Rebecca's bullish outlook on the future- profitable digital health giants emerging, virtual care brands becoming national, and seamless integration with traditional systems.Her rallying cry for more diverse voices to courageously join the "collective" and help invent the future of healthcare.
   About our Guest:  Rebecca’s 20 year career has focused on building more effective, person centered technology enabled care models. She uses her unique background in product development, medicine, and public policy as both an Investor at Vive Collective and to go deep with companies on product, go to market, and scaling up the organization from early stage through growth. Rebecca began her career in global health as an academic researcher and Fulbright Fellow in maternal health, and as Co-Founder of a not for profit that supports local social entrepreneurs across Sub Saharan Africa. She received her Medical Degree from the University of CA San Francisco, where she focused on primary care innovation and the burgeoning role of technology in medicine. Rebecca then served as the Medical Officer for Innovation at Health and Human Services, working on early policy and standards development to improve patient access to health data and interoperability. She then returned to Silicon Valley and spent the last decade in product leadership at startup, growth stage, and public companies including leading one of the earliest remote monitoring products for chronic conditions at Validic, and as an early product leader at Livongo and then Teladoc post acquisition. She most recently helped the Homeward Health team launch a new care model for older adults living in rural America before joining the Vive Collective. Out of recognition that health requires far more than a better healthcare system, she also personally invests in increasing quality, affordable housing for community members living with medical disabilities. In her personal life, Rebecca is matriarch to a blended family of 5 kids, 4 chickens,...

Catalyzing Healthcare Innovation with a new Venture Capital Model with Dr. Rebecca Mitchell

This episode’s Community Champion Sponsor is Ossur. To learn more about their ‘Responsible for Tomorrow’ Sustainability Campaign, and how you can get involved: CLICK HERE --- Episode Overview:  What if we could transform healthcare for underserved communities by empowering independent practices to deliver value-based care? Our next guest, Dr. Michael Poku, is doing just that as Chief Clinical Officer at Equality Health. With extensive experience in clinical leadership, medical informatics, and value-based care models, Dr. Poku is spearheading a transformative approach that equips independent practices with technology, care coordination, and hands-on support to optimize whole-person care for diverse populations, especially those on Medicaid. Join us as Dr. Poku shares his journey and Equality Health's mission to eradicate healthcare disparities via their pioneering model that is driving better outcomes, reducing costs, and delivering value-based care for diverse communities. Let’s go! Episode Highlights:Equality Health's mission to eradicate healthcare disparities by empowering independent practices to deliver value-based care for underserved, diverse communities, especially those on Medicaid.Dr. Poku's background spanning clinical leadership, medical informatics, and expertise in value-based care models positions him uniquely to drive Equality Health's innovative approach.Equality Health provides independent practices with technology, care coordination tools, and hands-on support to optimize performance and outcomes in value-based care.The transformative model meets practices where they are, helping under-resourced clinics adopt value-based care to improve patient health while increasing financial sustainability.Dr. Poku's vision for leveraging AI, predictive analytics and a "do good, do well" mentality to bring greater health equity through data-driven, whole-person care.
About our Guest:  Dr. Michael Poku is an accomplished healthcare executive with extensive experience in clinical leadership, medical informatics, and value-based care. Prior to serving as the Chief Clinical Officer for Equality Health, he was Senior Medical Director at Oak Street Health, overseeing multiple clinical teams and driving innovative models of value-based care delivery, resulting in improved patient outcomes and increased operational efficiency. His expertise lies in enterprise-wide strategy, clinical delivery innovation, medical cost management, and the development of technology-enabled and data-informed clinical tools and processes. Dr. Poku was also previously Chief Medical Officer at NextHealth Technologies through the company’s acquisition by Softheon Technologies, where he formulated and executed clinical and product strategies for an AI-powered healthcare analytics platform. During his tenure, he successfully led client success, sales, and ongoing product development, optimizing informatics processes to enable health plan customers to achieve maximum ROI from their analytics investments. Dr. Poku also served as Senior Medical Director at Signify Health, where he developed and led clinical strategies and execution for complex care management and at-home wellness programs. Dr. Poku continues to practice, holding academic faculty positions at various health systems. Throughout his career, Dr. Poku has authored numerous publications on topics such as care coordination, healthcare analytics, patient relationship management, and several topics at the intersection of healthcare and technology. Dr. Poku received his MD from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. He trained at Johns...

Delivering Value-Based Care for Diverse Communities with Dr. Michael Poku

This episode’s Community Champion Sponsor is Ossur. To learn more about their ‘Responsible for Tomorrow’ Sustainability Campaign, and how you can get involved: CLICK HERE --- Episode Overview:  What if philanthropy and investment could work hand-in-hand to revolutionize cancer care? Our next guest, Alice Pomponio, is pioneering a groundbreaking model to do just that. As the Managing Director of BrightEdge - the American Cancer Society's impact investment arm - Alice is harnessing the power of venture capital to fuel mission-driven healthcare startups.  By investing in innovative technologies across the cancer care continuum, BrightEdge aims to not only generate financial returns, but also drive tangible improvements in cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship. Join us as Alice shares her personal journey that led her to this role, and explains how BrightEdge is reshaping the landscape of cancer philanthropy. Discover how this unique model is unlocking capital, amplifying impact, and bringing more equitable solutions to patients in need. Let’s go!  Episode Highlights:Alice shares her personal story of how tragedy transformed into a strategy to drive impact in the cancer spaceShe explains how BrightEdge, the American Cancer Society's impact investment arm, is pioneering a unique model to generate financial returns and drive mission-driven innovationAlice discusses how BrightEdge invests across the entire cancer care continuum - from prevention to diagnosis to treatment to survivorshipShe highlights how BrightEdge leverages the American Cancer Society's deep expertise and vast network to support and accelerate its portfolio companiesAlice outlines the future vision for BrightEdge, including plans to further infuse impact considerations into investment decisions and unlock new sources of capital
About our Guest:  Alice brings an extensive experience in life sciences and business, coupled with her passion for the American Cancer Society’s lifesaving mission. She is an expert in rare disease and precision oncology, and focuses on disruptive technology adoption and companion diagnostic/therapeutic co-development strategies with an eye toward value-based care. Most recently, she was an advisor at Red Sky Partners LLC and the founder and managing director of Accendo. At Red Sky Partners, Alice advised high-growth life sciences and health tech companies on go-to-market and product value strategies. In 2018, she founded Accendo to accelerate entrepreneurial consumer-facing approaches to patient access and affordability of quality care. She held prior strategy and operational leadership roles at Radius Health, AstraZeneca, and Sanofi Genzyme, where she launched multiple US and global specialty products and championed orphan drug and health equity initiatives across the globe. Her public sector experience spans innovation, trade, and healthcare policy through roles in the UK Government and US Office of Management and Budget. Alice holds a Master of Public Policy from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from MIT. She serves on the Boards of Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, MassEcon, and PhagePro Inc. Additionally, she is a faculty member at Harvard-MIT HST Sloan Healthcare Ventures, a role she will retain during her tenure with the American Cancer Society. In addition to her industry experience, Alice is a longtime American Cancer Society and American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network volunteer leader. 
 Links Supporting This Episode:BrigtEdge Website: <a href="https://www.acsbrightedge.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer"...

Reinventing Cancer Care Philanthropy Through Impact Investing

This episode’s Community Champion Sponsor is Ossur. To learn more about their ‘Responsible for Tomorrow’ Sustainability Campaign, and how you can get involved: CLICK HERE --- Episode Overview:  How can technology reinvent the standard of prenatal and postpartum care? According to our next guest, Anish Sebastian, the answer lies in delivering a new virtual care model for expectant mothers. As the co-founder and CEO of Babyscripts, Anish is on a mission to eliminate maternal mortality and improve access to care through innovative digital solutions. Under his leadership, Babyscripts has built a clinically validated platform that allows providers to manage up to 90% of pregnancies virtually, empowering earlier detection of risks and the automation of elements of care.  While together, Anish shares his insights on leveraging remote patient monitoring, data-driven experiences, and strategic partnerships to transform the maternal healthcare landscape.  Discover how Babyscripts is redefining the patient-provider journey and championing a new era of proactive, personalized prenatal and postpartum care. Let’s go! Episode Highlights:Anish's personal experience with high-risk twin pregnancies inspired his mission to improve maternal health outcomesBabyscripts is delivering a new virtual care model for prenatal and postpartum care, leveraging remote monitoring and digital toolsUnder Anish's leadership, Babyscripts has partnered with over 75 health systems managing 250,000+ pregnancies annuallyBabyscripts' research efforts have resulted in multiple first-of-their-kind publications validating the benefits of their platformAnish's vision is to transform maternal care and ensure expectant mothers have access to the support and resources they need
About our Guest:  Anish Sebastian is the co-founder and CEO of Babyscripts, an innovative maternal healthcare company focused on reinventing the standard of prenatal and postpartum care through the delivery of digital education and remote patient monitoring experiences. In his time as CEO, Anish has led product development and has orchestrated partnerships with more than 75 health systems around the country that manage over 250K pregnancies annually, as well as partnerships with multiple national health plans and 30+ managed care organizations. Anish has led several evidence-based research endeavors that have resulted in multiple first-in-kind publications and white papers, further quantifying and validating the benefits of the Babyscripts product, including a pilot with GW-MFA for Babyscripts maternal mental health product, which is in beta-testing at the site and will be the subject of a focused research study. He is a recognized thought leader in the field of maternal healthcare and technology and a frequent speaker on the future of healthcare. 
 Links Supporting This Episode:Babyscripts Website: CLICK HEREAnish Sebastian LinkedIn page: CLICK HEREAnish Sebastian Twitter page: CLICK HERE Mike Biselli LinkedIn page: CLICK HEREMike Biselli Twitter page: CLICK HEREVisit our website: <a href="https://www.passionatepioneers.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer"

Improving the Health of Billions of People with Kees Wesdorp

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