Raise the Line

The enormous disruptions in healthcare caused by the pandemic have given Eric Larsen plenty of occasions to recall some wisdom he once heard from a pastor: “In times of volatility and upheaval, learning has to be greater than or equal to the rate of change.” So that’s one reason why as president of the Advisory Board, Larsen spends about 25 hours per week studying changes in the healthcare system. Its incredible complexity is one reason the Advisory Board has long been valued by healthcare leaders as a disseminator of deeply-researched best practices. An alliance with Optum forged in 2017 is providing opportunities to be more involved in actually enabling change, something which Larsen says has been energizing. One of his roles is to regularly advise CEO’s of the 100 largest systems in the country who control a huge swath of the $1.3 trillion sector. “We try to be at the epicenter of all of this dynamic energy in healthcare to understand where the innovation is happening, where the disruptions are emerging and how do we understand them and harness them,” he says. Check out this penetrating discussion with host Rishi Desai to get a view into what structural shifts are underway, and what kind of support providers need to become more efficient and patient-centered. If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You

can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at

www.osmosis.org/podcast

“It’s not going to be Big Tech solving some of these intractable healthcare problems,” says investor Deena Shakir. In her experiences at Google Ventures and elsewhere, she’s seen how much more impactful and efficient small teams of start-ups can be in moving innovation forward. Now at Lux Capital, she’s seeking out and supporting entrepreneurs tackling a wide range of issues from home diagnostics to women’s health to making clinical trials more accessible and equitable. It’s perhaps not a surprise that she’s drawn to people with diverse backgrounds and believes in the power of intersectionality in healthcare. Her own non-traditional path to VC included experiences as a journalist, diplomat, aid worker and technologist, including a post at the State Department under Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Check out this fascinating conversation with host Shiv Gaglani for a peek into the promising work being done at the intersection of business, investment, technology and healthcare to improve lives and livelihoods. If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You

can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at

www.osmosis.org/podcast