Scope Forward

By Praveen Suthrum

No one in the medical field is free from the impact of COVID-19, including gastroenterologists. But the pandemic has only accelerated trends that started years ago. In this podcast, Praveen Suthrum in... more

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FAQs about Scope Forward:

How many episodes does Scope Forward have?

The podcast currently has 77 episodes available.

Scope Forward episodes:

September 21, 2023 Omer Dror, CEO of Lynx.MD: Data as a new ancillary
In a world where lines between technology and healthcare blur more each day, I recently had the privilege of conversing with Omer Dror, CEO of Lynx.MD. Our dialogue ventured into the transformative realm of AI, the untapped potential of data, and the inevitable digital shift in gastroenterology. Self-driving cars once seemed a distant dream but today it's more than a reality. Similarly, present advancements in AI and data analytics are reshaping healthcare in ways we're only beginning to grasp.
Highlights:
▶ The AI Revolution: Beyond mere automation, AI stands poised to redefine patient care, from intricate endoscopy procedures to holistic medical record analyses.
▶ Data's Uncharted Territory: As we've seen in other industries, data is a treasure trove waiting to be harnessed. But how do we extract and refine this "new oil"?
▶ The Gastroenterologist's Role: Amidst this tech whirlwind, the GI clinician remains central -- provided GIs step up to lead.
Delve into our conversation. It's not just a glimpse into the future; it's a roadmap to navigate what's to come. Data indeed is an emerging ancillary - tap into it. Here's the interview.
#thescopeforwardshow #gastroenterology #data #digitalhealth
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40min
August 23, 2023 Dr. Russ Arjal: "You've to break rules to do something that's transformational"
Dr. Russ Arjal, co-founder and chief medical officer of Telebelly Health, joins The Scope Forward show to discuss the future of gastroenterology and the role of technology in reshaping the field. With a focus on patient-centric care and the integration of AI, Dr. Arjal provides a comprehensive overview of the challenges and opportunities facing GI practitioners today.
Watch this super insightful interview.

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40min
August 02, 2023 Dr. Daniel Neumann : There are several risks in GI right now, we need to adapt to changes
In this episode of the Scope Forward Show, Praveen Suthrum interviews Dr. Daniel Neumann President & CSO, Capital Digestive Care | CEO, Trillium Health.
The Scope Forward Show podcast is onto Season 3. We recently hosted a powerhouse guest on The Scope Forward Show - Dr. Daniel Neumann, gastroenterologist and trailblazer in healthcare. As the President and Chief Strategy Officer for Capital Digestive Care and CEO of Trillium Health, Dr. Neumann is at the cutting edge of gastroenterology's future. His insights provide a crucial roadmap for healthcare professionals in this rapidly evolving field. Dr. Neumann was also part of the GI Mastermind 2021 cohort.
So what does the future of gastroenterology look like according to Dr. Neumann? The procedural orientation remains, but the spotlight shifts towards therapeutics over diagnostics. His emphasis on digital transformation, collaboration, and innovation form the triumvirate guiding the future of gastroenterology.
#thescopeforwardshow #gastroenterology #digitalhealth
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48min
January 20, 2023 Sam Jactel, CEO of Ayble Health: “Being patient centered is different than being patient driven”
At the end of the interview, Sam Jactel, GI patient turned CEO talks about Thomas Nagel the philosopher. In a paper from 1974, Nagel famously asked us to contemplate “What is it like to be a bat?” He suggested that you may be able to study the behavior of a bat but you can never really know what it’s like to be one.
Sam takes that analogy to his own GI condition. He was tired of looking for answers within the industry. He was tired of not being seen or heard. And he ended up figuring out a solution that worked for him. Then he thought why not help other patients like him. That prompted him to go from being the CEO of his own condition to becoming the founder and CEO of Ayble Health. This digital GI startup has raised $4.6 million from investors.
Watch this incredible interview. It’s a sign of the times. Expect more patients to become digital healthcare providers because the industry isn’t stepping up enough.
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36min
December 23, 2022 AGA launches GI Opportunity Fund
In this episode, Praveen Suthrum interviews Tom Serena (CEO, American Gastroenterological Association), Matt Schwartz (CEO & Co-founder, Virgo) and Andrea Vossler (Co-founder & Managing Director, Varia Ventures).
* Scope Forward has always been about finding the way forward for gastroenterology. Naturally I was excited that a leading GI society such as the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) was scoping forward by launching a venture capital fund called the GI Opportunity Fund (in partnership with Varia Ventures). What was even more exciting is that AGA chose to invest in Virgo to launch the fund. I interviewed Virgo's cofounder Matt Schwartz earlier this year - we talked about the value of data in GI. In this interview, you'll learn from Tom Serena (CEO of AGA) on why (and how) AGA chose to go down the route of venture investing. How the market opportunity for GI is enormous. How to invest and participate in this fund? If you are an entrepreneur, how to land an investment. More importantly, you'll understand the central premise of this interview. As Andrea Vossler, Cofounder and Managing Director of Varia Ventures said, physicians are the epicenter of medical care. You are the ones who are innovating. It's time to step forward and make your ideas into a reality. If you listen closely, Matt has this one piece of advice for GI entrepreneurs. *
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33min
November 10, 2022 Dr. Jonathan Ng (CEO of Iterative Health): Not using computer vision is a barrier to health equity
I asked Jonathan Ng, founder and CEO of Iterative Health (formerly known as Iterative Scopes, an AI in GI startup) why investors recently gave them $150 million in funding. We didn't exactly get to the answer but I can fathom a thesis.

Iterative Health's investors include the founders of Flatiron: Nat Turner and Zach Weinberg. A digital health company that advances cancer research. Pharma company Roche acquired Flatiron for $1.9 billion in 2018. Other investors of Iterative Health include Johnson & Johnson and Eli Lilly amongst others. Further key team members from Flatiron have been joining Iterative.

My reading of the play here is straightforward. It's possible that investors want to repeat their thesis of Flatiron for Iterative but in gastroenterology. Big Pharma is funding AI in healthcare to develop more targeted therapy for the drugs they develop. Therefore the central premise of Iterative's offerings today seem to be on better recruitment for clinical trials. Physicians get an ancillary. Pharma automates patient recruitment.

I came away super impressed with Jon's unwavering vision for AI in GI: equitable healthcare. When I asked how Iterative is different from Medtronic or others who were also working AI in GI. He repeated his vision - he said the desire for equitable healthcare differentiated them.

While on a medical mission in Cambodia, it occurred to him that not all doctors are made equal. And that means patients can't get fair access to healthcare. Computer vision and AI could change that. He took action.

Jon moved to MIT to study MBA and build on this idea. In a very short period, he developed the foundation for Iterative that went onto pave the way for AI in GI.

Here's Jon changing gastroenterology for good. It's reasonable to say that the future of GI hinges on the execution of his vision.
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32min
November 07, 2022 Dr. Michael Owens: "What would I do with my time if I am not doing as many colonoscopies?"
Gastroenterologist Dr. Michael Owens did a thought experiment during the pandemic period. He asked himself, what would I do with my time if I'm not doing as many colonoscopies?

That question led him to leave his large GI group to start up a multi-specialty GI group that takes advantage of the trends shaping the future of GI. For example, trends such as value based care, the microbiome, AI, colonics, single-use devices, genomic tests, liquid biopsy and so on. As he implies, Mike literally implemented the central premise of the book Scope Forward to build future on his own terms. He stands as a great example for GI 2.0.

We often limit our choices to what's prevalent in the market. Join a hospital. Join PE. Merge with a large independent group. Kudos to Mike and his partners at Pearl Health Partners for having the courage to go against the grain and take a different, innovative approach.

He says in the interview: if not now then when?
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38min
September 23, 2022 Dr. Kosinski: “GI is more vulnerable today than it was before” (SF interview)
Dr. Larry Kosinski needs no introduction. As a leader, he's known for innovating, for breaking away from the norm and be a guiding light for the industry. After a successful private practice career, he helped his group transition to a PE platform to work on SonarMD, a venture-funded company he founded. Now, he's onto a surprising new startup, a stool-smelling e-nose called Voconomics (patent filed).

In this freewheeling interview, we chat about everything that GI doctors must pay attention to. The risks of running non-diversified "colonoscopy factories" (as he calls them). The shift to digital that would catch most of the industry by surprise. How doctors can find the time from their busy lives to innovate by mastering the basics. And finally his take on private equity.

This is such an important interview. It could quite easily alter the trajectory of many GI careers. It's time to wake up to the vulnerability that private practice GI is in. Dr. Kosinski's message is quite clear. Listen closely.
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51min
September 12, 2022 Erik Duhaime (CEO, Centaur Labs): Networks of people & computers will work together
Data is indeed the new oil.

Consider the strangeness of the scenario. GI doctors are supplying the fuel everyday that's going to set the old norm on fire but don't realize it. Because they are too busy generating the data!

The wrong approach to this scenario is to fear this shift to digital and block it. You really can't. It's multiplying exponentially. The right approach is to figure out how to play the game or prepare for this changing scenario. Educate yourself on the future of GI and go there before the industry gets there.

Erik's company Centaur Labs helps AI medical companies cleanup and annotate the data that GI and other specialties generate. They do so by taking a crowdsourced approach. Thousands of medical students from around the world label polyps and other medical information via a gamified app. Centaur gives that labeled data back to Medical AI companies. Those companies in turn feed that data to the AI so that the AI learns the right approach to care.

I kept asking Erik how much time we have before AI becomes mainstream in GI. He initially said, we are early in the cycle. It's still far out. I persisted. Finally, he said we are possibly 5 years away.

As Erik refers to a quote on AI, it's not about the AI replacing doctors. But the future belongs to doctors who will understand the AI and replace those who don't.

Don't miss this one. Your future self will thank you for it.
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50min
August 11, 2022 Greg O'Grady: As clinicians, some of our skills may become relatively obsolete
As I write this note, I'm beginning to wonder what GI care means anymore. Just a few years ago, we were so sure of the role of the gastroenterologist in clinical care. Today, a flurry of digital innovations are urging the clinician to rethink her/his role. Surgeon and scientist and CEO of Alimetry, Professor Greg O'Grady reaffirmed how exponential technologies could make current clinical skills relatively obsolete.

Gastric Alimetry is a FDA approved device (below) that non-invasively senses motility of the stomach. Sensors capture activity of the stomach, relay it to an app, advanced algorithms spot patterns and generate a report for the clinician. It's fascinating technology that's been in the works at the University of Auckland, New Zealand for a decade.

Interestingly, in my book Scope Forward, I briefly talked about researchers working on a wearable device to track electrical activity of the digestive system and how algorithms would flag abnormalities (Page 51). Today it's a commercial reality. The future is indeed coming at us faster than we think!

Don't miss this one.
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27min

FAQs about Scope Forward:

How many episodes does Scope Forward have?

The podcast currently has 77 episodes available.