The Beat

In the dynamic world of weight loss, Weight Watchers, now rebranded as WW, has long been a prominent figure, dedicated to science-backed methods that promote sustainable weight management.

However, the weight management landscape is experiencing notable shifts, that are reshaping the way individuals perceive their health and weight.

In this discussion hosts Dr. Gautam Gulati and Dr. Jessica Shepherd are joined by two distinguished experts in the field of weight loss.

Dr. Gary Foster, the Chief Scientific Officer at WW, brings a wealth of knowledge in obesity research and a deep commitment to scaling science-validated approaches for sustained weight management.

Dr. Spencer Nadolsky serves as the Medical Director at WW and is a fervent advocate of telemedicine. He played a pivotal role in developing "Sequence," an online weight management program that Weight Watchers acquired in April 2023.

The discussion walks listeners through the behavior changes, patient empowerment, and obesity-related stigma that need to be addressed for a more comprehensive and compassionate approach to treatment.

Listen in as Dr. Foster and Dr. Nadolsky discuss the multifaceted aspects of obesity treatment and explore the evolving landscape of individualized and science-proven methods for sustainable weight management and improved health.

About Dr. Gary Foster

Gary Foster, PhD is a clinical psychologist, obesity researcher and behavior change expert. He also serves as the Chief Scientific Officer at WeightWatchers and is an Adjunct Professor at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Previously, he was the Founder and Director of the Center of Obesity Research and Education and Laura Carnell Professor of Medicine, Public Health and Psychology at Temple University in Philadelphia, where Gary is based.

Gary has authored more than 250 scientific publications and four books on the causes, prevention and treatment of obesity. He has received numerous honors including President of The Obesity Society, the Atkinson-Stern Award for Distinguished Public Service from The Obesity Society, and the George Bray Outstanding Scientific Achievements Award in Obesity Research from the American Society for Nutrition. His most recent book, The Shift: 7 Powerful Mindset Shifts for Lasting Weight Loss, is a national bestseller.

At WeightWatchers, Gary leads the Science Team and is a member of the Leadership Team.    

About Dr. Spencer Nadolsky

Spencer Nadolsky, DO, is an obesity and lipid specialist physician with a passion for improving patient outcomes through innovative solutions. As the Medical Director for WeightWatchers, Dr. Nadolsky supports the WW clinical program research and development, bringing his knowledge and expertise from the field alongside his experience scaling Sequence, the online comprehensive chronic weight management program and telehealth platform which was acquired by WeightWatchers in April 2023. Dr. Nadolsky is committed to research and development, informing science-backed program creation to transform the way weight management is delivered to individuals in support of their overall health. With a background in telemedicine and fitness coaching, Dr. Nadolsky brings a unique perspective to the digital healthcare space.

Topics Covered

• The shift away from unsustainable fad diets to more holistic and sustainable weight management approaches
• How scientists are leveraging positive psychology, cognitive behavioral therapy, and mindset changes to improve the weight loss journey
• How WW is addressing the stigma associated with obesity by challenging societal biases and advocating for a compassionate and informed approach
• The significance of maintaining an "adiposity-based" approach to addressing the root cause of obesity
• Advancements in obesity treatment with the introduction of GLP-1 medications that offer substantial weight loss and minimal side effects
• The efforts to raise awareness about the biological factors influencing weight gain
• The WW program's key components, including a points-based food system, activity, mindset, and sleep, provide science-based guidance for healthy habits

Connect with Dr. Gary Foster

Dr. Foster on LinkedIn

Dr. Foster on X

Connect with Dr. Spencer Nadolsky

Dr. Spencer Nadolsky

Dr. Nadolsky on X

Connect with Dr. Gautam Gulati & Dr. Jessica Shepherd

HLTH

Dr. Gulati on X

Dr. Gulati on LinkedIn

Dr. Jessica Shepherd MD

Dr. Shepherd on X
 

Resources

Weight Watchers (WW)

The Shift by Gary Foster, PhD 

About Jean-Claude Saghbini:

Jean-Claude Saghbini is a technology and engineering leader at Lumeris, focusing on improving healthcare outcomes and reducing costs in value-based care. With over 15 years of healthcare experience, he's dedicated to integrating technology into clinical workflows seamlessly.Before Lumeris, he served as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for Wolters Kluwer Health, leading AI innovation and clinical support solutions. He also worked as the General Manager and CTO at Cardinal Health, where he developed RFID solutions to enhance patient safety, clinical documentation accuracy, and operational efficiency. Jean-Claude holds multiple healthcare technology patents, and he has a strong educational background, including a Master's degree from MIT and a Bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. He serves on various boards.

Things You’ll Learn:

• Technology is the foundation of value-based care. In order to succeed, healthcare organizations need access to vast amounts of data and the ability to derive actionable insights from it. 
• Technology plays a central role in aggregating, normalizing, and analyzing this data to improve quality and reduce costs.
• Generative AI, the latest frontier in AI technology, has the potential to revolutionize care delivery. From automating routine tasks to understanding messy data and extracting meaningful insights, generative AI can empower healthcare professionals to make faster and more informed decisions.
• While the benefits of AI are promising, it's crucial to have appropriate Guardrails in place to ensure quality and safety. 
• Organizations must keep physicians and clinicians in the driver's seat while leveraging AI to automate tasks, improve efficiency, and enhance patient satisfaction.

Resources:

• Connect with and follow Jean-Claude on LinkedIn.
• Follow Lumeris on LinkedIn.
• Visit Lumeris on their Website.

About Mariya Filipova:

Mariya Filipova, MBA Chief Innovation Officer, CareQuest Innovation Partners. Mariya is a member of the CareQuest Institute leadership team and serves as chief innovation officer of CareQuest Innovation Partners, the for-profit affiliate of CareQuest Institute. In her role, she oversees innovation, incubation, and investment activities aimed at developing solutions that advance oral health access, equity and integration for underserved populations. 

Formerly, Vice President of Innovation at Anthem Inc, Mariya led efforts in scaling emerging technologies and new business models to accelerate Anthem’s transformation to a digital-first enterprise. Mariya’s vision and leadership in these areas resulted in the development of several breakthrough solutions and programs including the $5 million XPRIZE Rapid COVID-19 Testing competition, in partnership with seven Blue Cross Blue Shield Plans, to identify and validate fast, frequent, cheap, and easy-to-use testing solutions for SARS-CoV-2 and Anthem’s Digital Data Sandbox —the largest, certified de-identified commercial data set

About Maria Ryan:

Maria Emanuel Ryan, DDS, Ph.D. is Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer at the Colgate-Palmolive Company where she provides oversight and leadership to dental and dermal clinical organizations, knowledge management, and scientific communications teams. Dr. Ryan previously served as Professor and Chair of the Department of Oral Biology and Pathology at Stony Brook University where she was actively involved in teaching, clinical practice, and research. She is the Past President of the American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR) and has served on many academic and foundation boards. Dr. Ryan has received numerous awards including NIH National Research Service Awards and a Physician Scientist Award. She received an achievement award from the American Dental Association and was the first recipient of the Victress Health Award to recognize her educational and research efforts in the area of women’s health. Dr. Ryan is a nationally and internationally known speaker and author who has appeared on multiple media outlets to discuss the importance of oral health to overall health and wellbeing as well as the role of the dental professional in the provision of optimal overall health care.

Things You’ll Learn:

• Oral health is an integral part of systemic health.
• What happens in our mouth can have a significant impact on our overall health and well-being. From gum disease to oral cancers, understanding these connections is crucial for improving outcomes.
• The disparity between oral health spending and investment in oral health startups is striking. There's a huge opportunity for innovators and entrepreneurs to address this gap.
• Collaboration and partnerships are key to driving innovation in oral health. Colgate Palmolive and Carequest Innovation Partners both emphasize the importance of working with external partners to bring new solutions to the market.
• If you're a startup looking to make a difference, reach out to these organizations for potential collaborations.

Resources:

• Connect with and follow Mariya Filipova on LinkedIn.
• Visit CareQuest Innovation on their Website.
• Email CareQuest Innovation Partners here.
• Connect with and follow Maria Ryan on LinkedIn.
• Visit the Colgate-Palmolive Website.
• Email Maria here.

About Jenny Yu:

Jenny Yu, MD FACS, is the Chief Health Officer for Healthline Media, the number one health publisher that drives well-being forward by leading our audience of 74 million people to take action and improve their lives. She leads the Medical Affairs team and supports the organization in strategy, growth, and medical integrity. Before joining the organization in 2020, she was a practicing academic clinician with experience in research and operation. She is the Co-founder of a non-profit, Project Theia, focusing on education, care, and innovation in facial reconstructive surgeries for global communities. She has a broad interest in innovation and solutions that help patients navigate the complexity of the healthcare systems.

During her tenure at Healthline Media and RVO Health, she has engaged in various thought leadership opportunities and provided her clinical perspective internally and externally onbroad-ranging topics such as access and adherence, whole-person health, and health literacy.

She graduated from The Ohio State University Medical School and completed an ophthalmology residency and an Oculoplastics fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. She has over 20+ publications in peer-reviewed journals, numerous book chapters, and various speaking engagements during her 15+ years of clinical practice.

Things You’ll Learn:

• Access to reliable and accessible health information is crucial for patients and consumers. 
• High healthcare costs significantly impact patient outcomes, highlighting the necessity for affordable healthcare solutions.
• Personalized communication and consistent messaging play a vital role in effective healthcare practices.
• Cross-functional partnerships and collaborations are essential in addressing holistic health needs and promoting preventive care.
• Technology and innovative services have a substantial impact on improving healthcare accessibility, education, and cost concerns.

Resources:

• Connect with and follow Jenny Yu on LinkedIn.
• Follow Healthline on LinkedIn.
• Visit the Healthline Website and here.

Abstract:

Learn how Evernorth Health Services and Alma are empowering providers to deliver high quality care and demonstrate successful outcomes.

In this episode, Melissa Reilly, the Evernorth Chief Strategy Officer of Behavioral Health, Douglas Nemecek, the Evernorth Chief Medical Officer of Behavioral Health, and Dr. Harry Ritter, founder and CEO of Alma, share how they are transforming the behavioral health landscape. Harry shares how his team assists behavioral health clinicians in providing modern care by offering technology and infrastructure. They are centered around supporting and empowering providers in the mental health sector, who have traditionally operated independently. Through technology and their service platform, Alma fosters a sense of community, enabling these providers to participate in the modern healthcare system, collaborate with partners like Evernorth, and deliver affordable, high-quality care. Doug and Melissa discuss how they are focused on improving access to high-quality behavioral healthcare by simplifying the complex behavioral health journey for individuals, making it easy for them to receive the care they need. They use data from various sources, including medical, behavioral, and pharmacy information, to help people access the right care. Harry, Doug, and Melissa shed light on the importance of measurement in providing behavioral care. They discuss how measurement-based care strategies help strengthen and optimize patient care and foster collaboration with provider groups like Alma.

Stay tuned for an enlightening conversation with these remarkable guests as they share their insights and experiences in revolutionizing the behavioral healthcare landscape. 

About Melissa Reilly:

Melissa Reilly, a change-making behavioral healthcare executive, currently serves as Evernorth’s Chief Strategy Officer of Behavioral Health, where she has spearheaded its strategy and business development initiatives since 2021. Melissa is passionate about removing barriers and using technology to improve the member experience.

About Doug Nemecek:

Dr. Doug Nemecek is a psychiatrist and Evernorth’s Chief Medical Officer of Behavioral Health, overseeing health quality, integration, and clinical operations. Doug is passionate about and focused on making sure that all of Evernorth’s members are able to get timely access to high-quality, evidence-based behavioral healthcare.

About Harry Ritter:

Dr. Harry Ritter is the Founder and CEO of Alma, a company on a mission to simplify access to high-quality, affordable mental health care. Prior to founding Alma, Harry was the Vice President of Care Delivery at Oscar Health where he built out their flagship primary care and wellness center.

Things You’ll Learn:

• Collaboration is key: By bringing together providers and leveraging technology, we can build a community of practice that supports and empowers healthcare providers. This empowers them to deliver affordable, high-quality care and have a maximum impact on patients’ lives.
• Evernorth is dedicated to simplifying the complex behavioral health journey for people.
• Leveraging data and strategic partnerships, Evernorth aims to ensure that everyone has access to high-quality care, ultimately improving individuals’ functioning at home, work, and in their communities.
• In order to strengthen and optimize care, measurement-based care is essential.
• By using data and aligning with providers like Alma, Evernorth aims to co-create interventions that focus on quality outcomes for patients, providers, and the healthcare system as a whole.

Resources:

• Visit  Evernorth's  Website.
• Follow  Evernorth on LinkedIn
• Connect with and follow Melissa Reilly on LinkedIn.
• Connect with and follow Doug Nemecek on LinkedIn.
• Visit Alma on their Website.
• Connect with and follow Harry Ritter on LinkedIn.

About Charlie Harp:

Charlie Harp is the founder and CEO of Clinical Architecture, an industry-leading healthcare data quality solutions provider. Charlie has over 35 years of experience as a healthcare software engineer focused on creating tools to better utilize and understand data. He led his team to develop the first deterministic algorithm-based engine for automating semantic interoperability. Charlie often speaks on clinical data quality and usability and is the host of the Informonster Podcast.

Things You’ll Learn:

• Evaluating data quality in healthcare involves assessing millions of data points for each patient.
• Improving data quality in healthcare is not just a technical task but a strategic endeavor that necessitates significant investment and allocation of resources.
• Achieving healthcare data interoperability requires balancing standardized data practices with the flexibility needed for different healthcare institutions to operate effectively.
• Technology can play a significant role in alleviating the burden of data quality management, allowing for more efficient and accurate data assessment and integration.
• Despite challenges, incremental steps are being taken in the healthcare industry to enhance data quality and management, reflecting the dedication of healthcare professionals and the industry's commitment to progress.

Resources:

• Connect with and follow Charlie Harp on LinkedIn.
• Follow Clinical Architecture on LinkedIn.
• Visit the Clinical Architecture Website.
• Listen to the Informonster podcast here.

Topics Covered

• Dr. Kraus shares Otsuka's approach to drug development and creating products for better health worldwide
• The intersection of digital health and the pharmaceutical industry
• The importance of creating holistic solutions that put patients at the center
• The potential of digital therapeutics in treating mental health disorders
• The challenges of conducting clinical trials in the mental health space
• The responsibility of pharmaceutical companies to address historical exploitation in clinical trials
• The need for diverse researcher and investigator pools to better engage with patients
• The importance of outreach and education in clinical trial recruitment
• Dr. Kraus shares Otsuka's focus on collaboration with other organizations to drive innovation

Connect with Dr. John Kraus

• John on LinkedIn

Connect with Dr. Gautam Gulati & Dr. Jessica Shepherd 

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

Resources

• Otsuka
• ViVE

Topics Covered

• Daniel shares why companies like Uber are getting involved in the future of healthcare
• How DispatchHealth is using technology to provide safe and efficient home healthcare services and the different ways patients can access it
• Learn about the Quadruple Aim of healthcare and how DispatchHealth is achieving it through its service
• The potential benefits of home healthcare
• How DispatchHealth is using technology to improve its follow-up process and operations
• How patients' willingness to open their homes provides valuable insights into their social determinants of health
• The benefits of recovering in the comfort of one's own home
• Daniel shares the different types of healthcare engagement, including digital-only, telehealth, in-person interaction, and healthcare at home, and the potential for healthcare at home to provide access and equity on a global scale

Connect with Daniel Graf

• Daniel on LinkedIn

Connect with Dr. Jessica Shepherd & Dr. Gautam Gulati

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

Resources

• DispatchHealth
• ViVE

About Lisa Weber:

Lisa Weber is an accomplished industry practice director at UiPath, specializing in healthcare innovation and automation. With over 20 years of experience in the field, Lisa's background in operations has driven her passion for optimizing systems and tools to enhance healthcare delivery. Her journey in healthcare began after a decade of working in the Department of the Navy. Recognizing the potential for improvement in healthcare operations, Lisa focused her career path on robotic process automation and automation in general. She has successfully embedded automation within health systems, delivering tangible benefits such as improved care quality, reduced costs, and enhanced staff and patient satisfaction. She got her Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research, and her Masters degree in Engineering Administration from the Virginia Tech College of Engineering. She also got her Master of Science in Health Administration degree from Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine.

Things You’ll Learn:

• Automation allows physicians to have more time with patients, enabling them to make better treatment decisions and improve the overall patient experience.
• Data consolidation and accessibility are significant challenges in healthcare, which automation helps overcome by gathering and providing relevant information to physicians on time.
• UiPath's automation solutions extend beyond patient care and encompass patient access, revenue cycle management, and operational efficiency.
• Healthcare organizations should incorporate automation into their innovation strategy to drive transformative change and achieve significant value.
• Embracing automation in healthcare requires change management, education, and a commitment to making it an everyday value to realize its full potential and achieve scalability in improving care delivery.

Resources:

• Connect with and follow Lisa Weber on LinkedIn.
• Follow UiPath on LinkedIn.
• Explore the UiPath Website.

Topics Covered

• Home sweet home: How home health services are revolutionizing healthcare by delivery quality care in the comfort of patients' homes
• The key benefits of home health services
• The role of technology and other digital health tools in enabling home health services
• Best Buy Health’s remote patient monitoring devices and other home health products
• Atrium Health's Hospital at Home program and the range of care options it provides for patients
• The economics of home health services to reduce healthcare costs across the board
• How Atrium Health is managing the legal implications of home health services
• The patient and caregiver experience in home health services
• How Best Buy Health and Atrium Health are working to bring the future of healthcare to other providers and patients

Connect with Dr. Rasu Shrestha

• Dr. Rasu on LinkedIn

Connect with Deborah Di Sanzo

• Deborah Di Sanzo on LinkedIn

Connect with Dr. Gautam Gulati & Dr. Jessica Shepherd

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

Resources

• Atrium Health
• Best Buy Health
• ViVE