Hi, this is Nick Webb and welcome to another episode of the Healthcare Cure podcast. You know, one thing is for sure is that if we're going to fix healthcare, we need to take a look at the core causality of cost. And when you look at that, it's pretty clear that one of the major causes of the cost of health care is self inflicted chronic disease, yet the dialogue that tends to go on is the we need more access to healthcare. But I really think there's a more interesting argument and I think that argument is, shouldn't we be asking for more access to health over healthcare? You know, 60, 70, 80%, depending on the numbers, and the studies you look at of all the costs associated with healthcare are directly associated with lifestyle disease. And this new concept of lifestyle disease is driven by primarily obesity, but also drinking, smoking and even setting. Sedentary lifestyle is a big part of how we attribute to the problems associated with lifestyle disease. 

Today, I have a tremendous guest who I've had the opportunity to learn from, and really get to know in our relationship as a board member at Western University of Health Sciences where I serve as the Chief Innovation Officer. And also I've learned from him in the work that he's doing and and the enthusiasm that he has around the area of wellness and prevention and really changing the dialogue from the automatic trigger mechanism of allopathic care. And again, we all believe in traditional health care. Chances are everybody listening to this podcast has been saved through an antibiotic or a vaccine. But we also need to realize that the opportunity to fix healthcare is rooted in our ability to make the big shift the big shift from anticipatory healthcare to one of prevention and one of wellness over the automatic intervention trigger mechanism. So I have with me today, Gene Barduson. Gene, can you tell us a little more about your background? And then I'm going to hit you with a lot of great questions. 

Well, thanks, Nick. It's great to be here. Thanks for, thanks for having me. I've been, I've been in the computer oriented business for a long, long time since actually since the 60s with IBM and the last three decades or so in the health information technology business. And after leaving that in about 2009 I started a wellness business called the La Jolla Wellness Studio. And and subsequently have been on the board as you mentioned, at Western, and also at Scripps, I've been honored to be on the board at Scripps health in a large integrated health system here in Southern California. 

Terrific, thanks for that Gene. So let me ask you about so many questions I, well, first of all, I love the fact that every time we talk, your the conversation always goes to Nick, let's talk about the way in which and the incredible opportunities to innovate around prevention and wellness we have all these great drug companies and all these great device companies and hospitals and clinics that are populated by true innovators but it feels like our focus has been sort of reactive rather than proactive. Tell me about your philosophy about the importance and your own experience with it with your own center on how this has really changed lives.