Writer, editor, entrepreneur, visionary – Thomas Goetz has always combined a sophisticated understanding of emerging technologies with a profound sense of humanism. This was evident in his work at Wired (where he served as executive editor for eleven years), in his wonderful book, The Remedy (Lisa’s comments here and David’s comments here), and through the […]

When Dr. Sachin Jain got the call to become Chief Medical Officer of Anthem’s highly-regarded CareMore Unit, he could hardly have feigned surprise. It must have seemed like the role to which he was destined: a physician leader in an innovative delivery system The challenge, he says, was finding one. The son of a physician, […]

It seemed like a simple enough idea – evaluating whether the use of virtual reality goggles would reduce the pain experienced by hospitalized patients. Yet, when Brennan Spiegel, a gastroenterologist, clinical trial expert, and digital health pioneer at Cedar Sinai tried to offer it to patients, he struggled to find takers. “No thanks,” he was […]

Matthew Holt has spent 20 years in health care as a researcher, forecaster, and strategist. He learned from some of the best in forecasting, policy and survey organizations, like the Institute for the Future and Harris Interactive. But these days he’s best known as the author of The Health Care Blog and as Co-Chairman of […]

Jane Sarasohn-Kahn’s mother was named Polly. Polly was diagnosed in 1971 with leukemia treated with the current state of medieval medicine and told she would not live long. But armed with a well-equipped librarian, some cooperative doctors and Adelle Davis’ book Let’s Eat Right to Keep Fit, she found her way to 7 more happy, […]

When John Wilbanks graduated from Tulane with a major in philosophy and almost a minor in French, he had little idea that he would become one of the world’s most important forces for good in the areas of citizen science, data sharing, and participant empowerment. John’s fascinating journey and eclectic career started after college, when […]

In his final year of medical school at Columbia, Bijan Salehizadeh weighed whether to become a cardiothoracic surgeon or pursue what was a very unusual path at the time: a career in entrepreneurship. Inspired by mentors including Dr. Mehmet Oz (in his pre-raspberry ketone period), Salehizadeh graduated, then flew to Silicon Valley and joined a […]

God help you if you are picked up by ambulance—assuming they can find you easily, they don’t know anything about you, can’t get your medical record, can’t effectively pre-communicate to the hospital what you will need, can’t document your data to ensure a smooth hand-off. When I happened to get an unexpected ambulance ride back […]

UCSF professor Bob Wachter has had a front row view to the collision of irresistible emerging technology with an immovable healthcare system, and has managed to navigate this interface with unusual nuance and grace, a story he shares in the wonderful, recently published book “The Digital Doctor.” In our conversation with Bob, he takes us […]

After his second series of medical school rejections, biomedical engineer David Goodman found his way to a nascent medical device company seeking to develop an easy way to measure oxygen levels in the blood. The result – the Nellcor pulse oximeter – transformed medical care. It also earned David a coveted spot in the Health […]