The Beat

About Malekeh Amini:

Malekeh Amini is the Founder and CEO of Trayt, a healthcare software company dedicated to improving diagnosis and treatments in brain-based disorders, including Autism, ADHD, Depression, Anxiety, substance use, and Alzheimer's, among others. Prior to Trayt, Malekeh was the Senior Vice President of Products & Business Development at Base Health, where she provided the vision connecting new breakthroughs in medical science to the needs of healthcare organizations and consumers. A former consultant with the Boston Consulting Group and the Parthenon Group, Malekeh has provided strategic, operational, and fundraising advice to healthcare and education organizations globally. Malekeh served on the fundraising Board of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, and is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Wings Learning Center in Redwood City. Malekeh has an M.B.A. from Harvard University. She earned her bachelor’s degrees in Communication Sciences (Cognitive Science) and computer science and her master’s in Systems Engineering at the University of Southern California.

About Nancy Byatt:

Dr. Byatt is a perinatal psychiatrist and physician-scientist focused on improving systems of care to promote the mental health of parents and children. Her passion for her work is deeply rooted in her experiences as a clinician, researcher, daughter, and mother. She is a Professor with Tenure of Psychiatry, OB/GYN, and Population and Quantitative Health Sciences at UMass Chan Medical School. She developed the Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Program (MCPAP) for Moms. MCPAP for Moms is a statewide program that has 1) increased access to mental health care for thousands of perinatal individuals, 2) become a national model for perinatal mental health care, and 3) impacted state and national policies and funding. She is the Founding Executive Director of the Lifeline for Families Center and Lifeline for Moms Program at UMass Chan Medical School. The Center’s activities include capacity building, consultation, and research. Dr. Byatt’s research uses implementation science methods to design, implement, and evaluate scalable approaches for improving parental and child mental health services and outcomes. With over ten years of continuous federal funding for her research, Dr. Byatt’s achievements have led to over 90 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters, over 250 presentations, and numerous national awards. Her love is her family, especially her two teenage boys. Her passion is increasing access to and the quality of mental health care. Her mission is to redefine perinatal and family healthcare to include mental healthcare.

Things You’ll Learn:

• Progress at both the state and federal levels demonstrates significant support for maternal mental health initiatives.
• Federal funding and grants are readily available for perinatal psychiatry access programs, with 29 programs currently operational nationwide.
• Technology plays a crucial role in streamlining workflows, analyzing data, and offering valuable insights into program effectiveness within maternal mental health initiatives.
• Technology serves as a catalyst for accelerating care delivery, measuring outcomes, and establishing benchmarks for high-quality maternal mental health services.
• The healthcare industry possesses the means to accelerate advancements in maternal mental healthcare, emphasizing the critical need to prioritize prevention and support for families to mitigate the intergenerational impact of mental health challenges.

Resources:

• Connect with and follow Nancy Byatt on LinkedIn.
• Connect with and follow Malekeh Amini on LinkedIn.
• Follow Trayt Health on LinkedIn and visit their website.
• Follow UMass Chan Medical School on LinkedIn and visit their website.

About Rajeev Ronanki:

Rajeev Ronanki has over 25 years of experience in innovation-driven industry and social change across healthcare and technology. As the CEO of Lyric, his leadership is marked by a commitment to reimagine healthcare through the lens of artificial intelligence to reduce complexity and help simplify the business of care. 

Previously, Raj spearheaded the transformation of Elevance Health into a digital health platform as President of Carelon Digital Platforms. Prior to that, he established and led Deloitte’s life sciences and healthcare advanced analytics, artificial intelligence, and innovation practices. 

A best-selling author and an authority on AI in healthcare, Raj is a coveted speaker, recently headlining the inaugural TED AI conference. He champions responsible AI, advocating for human-centric approaches, fairness, and bias reduction in technology. His career is a testament to his visionary leadership, constantly pushing the boundaries of healthcare technology.

Things You’ll Learn:

• Digital transformation in healthcare requires a platform-based approach for seamless integration of data and workflows.
• Health plans should embrace a platform mindset, invest in ecosystem partnerships, and prioritize the simplification of processes.
• Predictive analytics can anticipate and prevent diseases, shifting healthcare from reactive to proactive and personalized approaches.
• Collaboration between stakeholders and technology partners is key to driving transformative change in healthcare.
• AI should augment human intelligence, not replace it, by automating routine tasks and enabling informed decision-making.

Resources:

• Connect with and follow Rajeev on LinkedIn.
• Follow Lryic AI on LinkedIn and visit their website.

In traditional journalism, reporters work to present information in an unbiased way.

And if you ask Sony Salzman, it’s not difficult to maintain those same standards in creating content for social media. 

What is difficult is competing with a hyperbolic, fearmongering post designed to go viral.

So, how do we know who to trust when it comes to health and medical news? Whose responsibility is it to vet the information we’re consuming?

Sony is an Emmy award-winning journalist covering science and medicine and coordinating producer of ABC’s Medical Unit, where she directs health, science and medical coverage across ABCs platforms. 

Sony supports broadcast streaming and digital content at Good Morning America, GMA3, World News Tonight, Nightline, ABC news.com and ABC News Live.

On this episode of The Beat, Sony joins hosts Dr. Jessica Shepherd and Dr. Gautam Gulati to discuss the rapidly evolving media landscape, an environment that is increasingly riddled with misinformation.

Sony walks us through the complex process of producing health news, explaining ABC’s principle of reporting information without bias and her approach to stories based on preprints.

Listen in for insight on distilling complex health information in a way people can understand and learn how to discern well-balanced medical news from one-sided content designed for virality.

Topics Covered

• What encompasses the medical and health beat for a reporter
• Sony’s role as Coordinating Producer at the ABC News’ Medical Unit
• The infinitely complex process of producing health news
• ABC’s principle of reporting information without bias and why it’s crucial
• Maintaining the same standards of accuracy on social media 
• Narrative techniques for drawing people into stories that aren’t inherently interesting
• How health reporting has changed since the pandemic
• Sony’s approach to reporting on a study published as a preprint
• Why it’s the network’s responsibility to vet the health information it reports
• Distilling complex health information in a way people can understand
• What AI can and cannot do when it comes to health reporting
• Losing the public’s trust in an industry where perfection is the standard
• The process of correcting information when a reporter makes a mistake
• Sony’s challenge to listeners to subscribe to their local paper

Connect with Sony Salzman

• Sony at ABC News
• Sony on LinkedIn

Connect with Dr. Gautam Gulati & Dr. Jessica Shepherd

• ViVE
• HLTH
• Dr. Shepherd on Twitter
• Dr. Shepherd on LinkedIn
• Dr. Gulati on Twitter
• Dr. Gulati on LinkedIn

About Justin Dearborn:

Justin Dearborn is a seasoned executive with a proven track record of leadership in the healthcare and technology sectors. Currently serving as the CEO of Praia Health, based in the Greater Chicago Area, Justin brings extensive experience in driving innovation and strategic growth initiatives.

With a background in digital healthcare, Justin has been instrumental in the development and commercialization of cutting-edge solutions aimed at revolutionizing patient engagement and healthcare delivery. As the CEO of Praia Health, he leads the company in its mission to provide a unified platform for seamless patient interaction, leveraging his expertise to bridge the gap between healthcare providers and consumers.

In addition to his role at Praia Health, Justin serves as an Executive in Residence at Providence Digital Innovation Group, where he plays a key role in driving innovation and shaping the future of healthcare technology.

Justin's commitment to advancing healthcare extends beyond his executive roles. He serves on the board of several prominent organizations, including Gateway Foundation, Exponential AI, and Curio Digital Therapeutics Inc., where he contributes his strategic insights and industry expertise.

Things You’ll Learn:

• Inertia and reluctance to be early adopters often hinder healthcare's rate of change.
• Digital transformation presents numerous opportunities, particularly in AI-driven automation, enabling health systems to leverage previous investments effectively.
• The pandemic both hindered attention to newer healthcare solutions and accelerated the adoption of digital health services, especially in underserved or rural communities.
• Transitioning from patient to consumer identity facilitates a proactive healthcare approach, emphasizing preventive care and holistic wellness.
• Progress in digital health can enhance healthcare accessibility and equity, providing significant benefits to traditionally underserved communities.

Resources:

• Connect with and follow Justin on LinkedIn.
• Learn more about Praia Health on their LinkedIn and website.
• Discover more about Providence on their LinkedIn and website.

About Ken Washington:

Ken Washington brings over three decades of experience in leading technical endeavors for Fortune 100 companies, government contractors, and research laboratories. His leadership roles have involved team-building and shaping strategic visions for large organizations. Notably, he was honored as the 2012 Black Engineer of the Year in Research Leadership and later inducted into both the National Academy of Engineers and the Black Engineers Hall of Fame.

Currently serving as the Senior Vice President and Chief Technology & Innovation Officer at Medtronic, Ken also holds board positions at McKesson Corporation and SAE International, where he serves as the Automotive Sector VP. He's been a pivotal member of the Internet Ecosystem Innovation Committee and actively engages in strategic collaborations with universities, notably as a member of the Georgia Tech Advisory Board and former chair of the University of Michigan Leadership Advisory Board.

Ken's expertise spans diverse domains, from automotive research and space science to information privacy and high-performance computing technologies. He excels in program and project management, guiding new facility projects, and fostering collaborative system development. His track record includes successful executive-level presentations, business plan developments, and resource optimization strategies, making him a sought-after leader in both the public and private sectors.

Things You’ll Learn:

• Robotics in surgery enhance precision, consistency, and ergonomics, ultimately improving patient outcomes.
• AI revolutionizes surgery with personalized pre-procedure planning and real-time guidance for surgeons.
• The future of surgery lies in the combination of robotics, AI, and digital platforms for personalized care.
• AI algorithms guide surgeons during surgery, enhancing accuracy and precision in procedures.
• Medtronic is committed to the future of surgery and healthcare with robotics and AI technologies.

Resources:

• Connect with and follow Ken on LinkedIn.
• Learn more about Medtronic on their LinkedIn and website.

The US scores low on healthcare quality compared to other developed countries due in large part to inequities in the system.

But how do we address the needs of underserved communities and improve outcomes for BIPOC populations?

And what do we do when the data doesn’t tell the whole story?

Jackie Ejuwa is Vice President of Health Transformation at Blue Shield of California, where she leads piloting, evaluation and scaling of new and innovative strategies in support of Blue Shield’s Health Reimagined strategy. 

A healthcare futurist with a master’s in healthcare leadership, Jackie brings her deep and varied experience in the industry to her role as a health equity champion.

On this episode of The Beat, Jackie joins hosts Dr. Jessica Shepherd and Dr. Gautam Gulati to explain what’s behind the health disparities in underserved populations.

Jackie shares how she makes decisions around where to start working toward health equity, discussing Blue Shield of California’s most successful programs to address SDOH in underserved communities.

Listen in for Jackie’s insight on recognizing when the data is mismatched from reality and learn how to leverage data-informed decision making to work toward health equity.

Topics Covered

• Jackie’s role as VP of Health Transformation at Blue Shield of California
• Why the US scores low on healthcare quality compared to other developed countries
• Top contributing factors to health disparities in underserved populations
• How Jackie makes decisions re: where to start working toward health equity
• Strategies for building trust between underserved communities and health professionals
• Seeing data from multiple perspectives when it seems mismatched from reality
• How to imbed health equity in operations across a health organization
• Jackie’s most successful pilot programs to address SDOH and reduce health disparities
• Improvements in culturally inclusive dietary recommendations
• What’s behind the lack of awareness around colon cancer in BIPOC communities
• Shifting the medical education process to expand cultural competence

Connect with Jackie Ejuwa

• Blue Shield of California
• Jackie at Blue Shield of California
• Jackie on LinkedIn

Connect with Dr. Gautam Gulati & Dr. Jessica Shepherd

• ViVE
• HLTH
• Dr. Shepherd on Twitter
• Dr. Shepherd on LinkedIn
• Dr. Gulati on Twitter
• Dr. Gulati on LinkedIn

Resources

• Cafecito, Cumbia and Salud
• California Assembly Bill 904

About Steve Cagle:

Steve Cagle is CEO and a board member of Clearwater, a leading cybersecurity and compliance partner to organizations across the healthcare ecosystem. He assumed the CEO position at Clearwater in May 2018, bringing extensive experience leading, innovating, and scaling healthcare and technology businesses, including having guided a number of companies through critical transformation periods. 

Formerly, Mr. Cagle was president and CEO of Moberg Pharma North America, a subsidiary of Moberg Pharma AB (OMX:MOB), a publicly traded Swedish pharmaceutical company. Prior to its acquisition by Moberg AB, Mr. Cagle was president and CEO of Alterna LLC, a consumer healthcare products company. 

Prior to joining Alterna, Mr. Cagle was a principal and executive team member of Sparta Systems, Inc., a software company that provides enterprise quality and compliance management software to pharmaceutical and medical device companies. During his nine-year tenure with the company, he served in numerous leadership positions, including marketing, sales, operations, and product innovation, and was responsible for sales and marketing programs, which contributed to Sparta’s leadership position in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries and to its 100-fold sales growth. 

Mr. Cagle serves as the executive chairman of CMP Pharma, and he has guided its transformation to an institutionally owned specialty pharmaceutical company. He also serves on the board of the Association of Executives in Healthcare Information Security, one of the leading organizations advancing cybersecurity best practices across the industry. Mr. Cagle holds a Master of Business Administration from New York University's Leonard N. Stern School of Business and a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from Rutgers Business School in New Brunswick, N.J.

Things You’ll Learn:

• Cyberattacks are not just about data; they can disrupt critical healthcare services.
• Establishing a culture of cybersecurity is essential, with boards and executives being accountable.
• The healthcare ecosystem requires a shared responsibility for cybersecurity.
• Continuous risk analysis is essential to ensure organizations remain secure amid evolving threats.
• Federal initiatives, like the HHS cybersecurity strategy, indicate an increased focus on healthcare cybersecurity.

Resources:

• Connect with and follow Steve on LinkedIn.
• Learn more about Clearwater on their LinkedIn and website.

About Syam Adusumilli:

Syam is a seasoned healthcare leader and strategist, with deep product and strategy expertise across all business lines in Healthcare Payor Organizations. He has deep expertise in cutting-edge technologies, including Data Science and AI, Blockchain, Medical IOT, Voice Biometrics, Computational Epidemiology, Digital Therapeutics, Human Centric Design, Behavioral Nudge, and Care Plan Personalization. Syam has 30+ years of experience in technology and business strategy in healthcare, especially when it comes to managing IT operations, defining vision, strategic planning, partner ecosystems, and product engineering and management in the payor domain. He is seasoned in transforming organizations and driving innovations by leveraging digital and AI. As the current Chief Strategy Officer for GroundGame.Health, he is focused on go-to-market strategy, overall business strategy, and public policy. He is a Masters in Public Health candidate at Brown University and was previously the Chief Transformation Officer for Healthcare at UST Global. He serves as a mentor for several startups in HealthTech and beyond in the US, Israel, and India.

Things You’ll Learn:

• Digital transformation in healthcare is about focusing on the underserved population, bridging the gap in digital literacy, and addressing unmet needs.
• Technology should be a tool to empower social workers and community organizations, not replace human connection and empathy.
• Predictive AI should target the root causes of healthcare issues, not merely treat symptoms.
• Interoperability is crucial for providing comprehensive care, ensuring healthcare providers have access to patient's social and economic contexts.
• Empowering community-based organizations with technology and unrestricted funds has the potential to drive impactful change in underserved communities.

Resources:

• Connect with and follow Syam on LinkedIn.
• Learn more about GroundGame Health on their LinkedIn and website.

How do you know if a particular medicine is working?

Traditionally, it takes guesswork on the physician’s part and time to find a drug that works for any given patient.

But what if we could leverage digital biomarkers to measure the efficacy of a medication very quickly and course correct as needed?

Rich Carter serves as Chief Digital Officer at Eli Lilly, where he oversees the teams focused on innovation, user-centered design and digital health.

On this episode of The Beat, Rich joins hosts Dr. Jessica Shepherd and Dr. Gautam Gulati to discuss the future of drug development and clinical trials.

Rich describes what digital transformation means in the context of life sciences, explaining how technology can improve drug discovery and accelerate the timeline from discovery to market.

Listen in for examples of the 35 digital biomarkers in development at Lilly and learn how Rich’s team thinks about partnering with both physicians and patients to roll out these new digital resources.

Topics Covered

• 3 elements of Rich’s role at Lilly—innovation, design and digital health
• What digital transformation means in the context of life sciences
• How Lilly Direct is working to simplify the patient experience
• What we do historically in life sciences that doesn’t make sense anymore (given the technology we have today)
• The potential for AI to remove bias in the drug discovery space
• Rich’s insight on accelerating the discovery-to-market process in life sciences
• How Rich’s team uses ‘old data’ to train predictive AI models and why access to data is one of the biggest challenges in life sciences
• Using digital biomarkers to measure the efficacy of a medicine with diverse populations
• How Rich is inspired by the impact his work has on families
• The 35 biomarkers in different stages of development at Lilly and what that process look like
• How Lilly’s internal incubation lab partners with other innovators in the healthcare ecosystem
• Partnering with both patients and physicians to roll out digital resources

Connect with Rich Carter

• Eli Lilly
• Rich on LinkedIn

Connect with Dr. Gautam Gulati & Dr. Jessica Shepherd

• ViVE
• HLTH
• Dr. Shepherd on Twitter
• Dr. Shepherd on LinkedIn
• Dr. Gulati on Twitter
• Dr. Gulati on LinkedIn

Resources

• Lilly Direct

About Mary Varghese Presti:

As GM of Dragon Medical, an AI-powered voice assistant used by clinicians to document in the EHR, Mary Varghese Presti leads the development of AI-based clinical workflows for Microsoft Healthcare & Life Sciences. Mary is a seasoned healthcare executive whose career spans nursing, policy, pharma, and tech.

Things You’ll Learn:

• How the influx of new nurses due to the pandemic was followed by burnout, leading many to leave the profession.
• Why the development of AI solutions tailored to nurses’ specific needs should focus on hands-free, eyes-free documentation, allowing nurses to prioritize patient care, personalized to their workflow.
• How exciting technological innovations like virtual nursing and AI promise significant improvements in patient care and outcomes by transforming care delivery, supporting providers, and enhancing the patient experience.
• Why it’s important to ensure that nursing technology with AI is implemented responsibly, prioritizing inclusiveness, fairness, transparency, security, and privacy.
• How artificial intelligence and machine learning could have a tangible impact on healthcare providers and patients, with the potential to augment and enhance the work of healthcare professionals.

Resources:

• Connect with and follow Mary on LinkedIn.
• Follow Nuance Communications on LinkedIn and visit their website.