In 15 Minutes With The Doctor, Vinay Shankar shares the stories of healthcare entrepreneurs and innovators who are growing their unique ideas. Learn from their journeys, including successes and mistakes, so you can make your change to healthcare and grow your OWN idea. Each show covers key strategie…
Dr Vinay Shankar: Doctor | Author | Innovator
On this episode, Adam Robinson joins the show to share how his diverse background including working with Tesco and Spotify, led him to found Surgery Hero. The company was developed to tackle mental and physical issues that can reduce the effectiveness of surgery due to various aspects such as anxiety, weight management, alcohol use and more. They provide their patients with education, coaching and digital tools that can reduce cancellations, hospital stays, and rehabilitation times. With the evidence showing that good perioperative care can improve patient outcomes by more than 50%, their goal is to have 100 million people have successful surgeries. Adam takes us through the targets for the business, their vision for the expansion of the product, and how his own experience impacted the development of the product. Discover:: How working with Tesco became one of the most creative times of his career His thoughts on what companies understand about the necessity of UX/UI His impressions on digital transformation in healthcare & the NHS How they noticed a gap in the market for supporting surgical procedures How they connected perioperative care and lifestyle changes with patient outcomes How Surgery Hero is delivered as a ‘B to B to C' model through their app What you'd expect to find on the Surgery Hero app if you were facing a surgical procedure How Wayne Rooney and Brad Pitt fit into their user design! How they're using behavioural change methods to foster lifestyle changes in the app How they've built a market in the UK across 12 NHS sites Guest: Adam Robinson Website: https://www.surgeryhero.com/ Host: Dr Vinay Shankar Website: https://www.oncedaily.co Podcast: 15 Minutes With The Doctor
On this episode, Vinay Shankar is joined by Athena Doshi, founder of Celeste, a medication diagnostic tool. The company aims to tackle the gender gap in health, to provide prescriptions that fit physiology to improve outcomes in women's health. Celeste aims not only to bridge the gap, but decrease wastage and eliminate the time it takes to treat a patient with the optimal drug. The platform works seamlessly with healthcare systems to provide a holistic approach to diagnostics and prescriptions. Learn all about it, and why Athena believes the ExactRx platform is a crucial infrastructure piece for healthcare systems. Learn about: How she began her first company at college as a response to a medical mission trip in Tanzania How she is using the principle of co-design to develop Celeste as a holistic standard of care How Celeste is addressing the gender data health gap and its disproportionate impact on women How Celeste's diagnostic tool called ExactRx, is addressing the experiences patients have with medication to produce better health outcomes How the tool automates existing guidelines How the underpinning research for Celeste is pharmacometabolomics, an area the co-founder specialises in How Celeste can be used by clinicians to better inform their prescriptions How Athena is focussed on pitching Celeste as an infrastructure system for healthcare systems Guest: Athena Doshi Website: Celeste Host: Dr Vinay Shankar Website: https://www.oncedaily.co Podcast: 15 Minutes With The Doctor
On this episode we have Louise O'Mahony, who is the head of customer success at EXI. She shares her transformative journey from managing exercise referral services to working with the National Diabetes Prevention Program and now working on the EXI platform. EXI has been built to integrate with existing technologies to create a seamless pathway to prescribing exercise and holistic fitness. The app simplifies the task of prescribing exercise for people, including those with long-term conditions, acknowledging all achievements. The data leveraged from the app is designed to help medical professionals review exercise regimes easily while continually refining the AI in the platform for better outcomes. On the show, you will discover:: Louise's background in exercise and nutrition How the EXI platform works and its approach to prescription-based fitness How the word ‘prescription' is influencing the role that exercise plays in health How market research plays a crucial role in patient engagement Louise discusses EXI's decision to become a Class 1 medical device How rewards on the EXI platform are used to promote healthy behaviours How employers using the platform are exploring new opportunities for their employees Louise touches on the benefits of human connection to improve health outcomes How setting achievable goals is an essential part of healthy lifestyle changes Guest: Louise O'Mahony Website: https://www.exi.life/ Host: Dr Vinay Shankar Website: https://www.oncedaily.co
On this episode, we welcome Alastair Murray who is the chief pharmacist at Phlo. He was started his healthtech journey at Echo, the digital pharmacy that was later acquired by Lloyds Pharmacy. Phlo aims to provide a safer, error-free prescriptions-based system. Its API creates seamless connections with existing client's software and the distinctive Phlo Connect system uses AI to track availability, stock, and price. Learn all about Alistair's journey, the experiences he gained scaling Echo, how Phlo works and their unique tech, and their ambitious plans to transform medication dispensing. On the show, you will discover:: How Alastair began working in the pharmacy world His insights on Phlo, a digital prescribing platform How utilising modern technology is an essential part of modernising healthcare The key differences between Phlo's proprietary Phlo Connect data system and paper-based methods How the API system and safety protocols they've developed ensure consumer safety How finding a team of like-minded has been a challenge for Phlo How Phlo has developed various points of contact for patients And much more… Guest: Alastair Murray Website: https://wearephlo.com/ Host: Dr Vinay Shankar Website: https://www.oncedaily.co
On this episode, Dr Peter Fish, the CEO of Mendelian joins the show. Their mission is to make it easier for clinicians to diagnose rare diseases. Their AI based platform can sift through medical records to discover more than 100 rare conditions. As a serial entrepreneur, he has built and invested in various tech companies, combining his medical background with his passion for the tech industry. Learn about his investment experience starting at the age of 18, why they created the product, how it works, their journey to development, and their ambitious plans for addressing rare diseases, which seem to be not as rare as we think. On the show, you'll find out: Peter's background and experience in molecular genetics How he became a serial entrepreneur in South Africa at just 18 What Peter learnt from failures and success in entrepreneurship How optimism and a can-do attitude are essential attributes for entrepreneurs How Mendelian began life in California with a few software engineers and a clinician How they decided to tackle the ‘diagnostic odyssey' affecting those with rare diseases How research into disease and genetics mean that rare diseases may become more prevalent in the future How MendelScan is identifying patients with patterns of symptoms to provide better diagnosis and/or treatment How all their algorithms use deep clinical data in their iterations How their NHS pilots have allowed them to scan 700 000 patient files records so far How their work earned them the NHS AI Award 2023 Guest: Dr Peter Fish Website: https://www.mendelian.co/ Host: Dr Vinay Shankar Website: https://www.oncedaily.co
On this episode we have Dom Raban, the CEO of Xploro, a digital therapeutics platform. As a result of his daughter developing and then beating cancer as a child, he was inspired to create the company to help young people better understand their health condition. The platform uses augmented reality, games, chatbots, and AI to deliver health content to children and young adults in a more meaningful way. This improves satisfaction and health outcomes. Learn about his design background, developing the product, the key features and research, expanding into world markets, and how they plan to bring the product to adults. On the show, you'll find out: How Dom began his career in design and UX in the 80s How his daughter's cancer diagnosis inspired the development of Xploro How noticing his daughter's resistance to treatment was a consequence of little to no age-appropriate information How Xploro's uses 3D avatars to improve a child's care & understanding How games, gamification and AR can help a children's familiarity with their diagnosis and treatment How Xploro's content is based on research into improved prognosis based on informed patients How content is created in partnership with children and medical professionals How their subscription fee is based on content configuration and not number of users The differences between the US and the UK market in patient care The future of the product for both children and young adults into 2024 Guest: Dom Raban Website: https://www.xploro.health/ Host: Dr Vinay Shankar Website: https://www.oncedaily.co
In this episode, Vinay talks to Brian Plackis Cheng, CEO of OpenRad, a teleradiology service. The company brings radiology reporting services to the cloud. It enables all medical imaging interpretation to happen remotely, allows easier collaboration with clinical colleagues and patients can access their scans through the patient portal. Brian is a specialist in scaling tech companies, with a deep passion for defining the future of radiology. As a serial entrepreneur, he has brought his expertise in AI, the cloud and online media to OpenRad. On the show you'll find out: What is OpenRad? How OpenRad was designed to tackle the growing shortage of radiologists The need to improve access to radiologists remotely and across the world How traditional reporting is moving to the cloud to aid collaboration How patient portals can lead to empowerment How automation and AI can help the healthcare workforce How solutions like OpenRad can decrease burnout and increase workload distribution Brian's experience in developing cloud-based apps and elderly care How AI is becoming an important tool in diagnostics How OpenRad has the capacity to create huge savings for hospitals Brian Plackis Cheng: Brian Plackis Cheng: Website: https://www.openrad.com/ Host: Dr Vinay Shankar Website: https://www.oncedaily.co iTunes: 15 Minutes With The Doctor Spotify: 15 Minutes With The Doctor
Lucy Jung is the CEO of Charco Neurotech, a start-up that has created a non-invasive device for improving symptoms of Parkinson's disease. The CUE1 device uses vibrotactile stimulation through a small electronic device placed on the chest. It's a unique device inspired by the famous neurologist Dr Charcot and already has 16 000 patients on the waiting list. Learn about her story starting from developing the product while doing her Masters at Imperial College London, her focus on using tech to help with long-term conditions, and all the detail about developing the product. On the show, you'll discover: How Lucy believes in the power of tech to improve quality of life How meeting a man with Parkinson's changed her research focus How she developed Charco Neurotech's mission statement How keeping patients at the centre of their work drives innovation How the CUE1 works and its development from interview-based research How the device uses vibrotactile stimulation How users have reported better balance, posture, decreased tremors and better sleep What challenges Charco Neurotech faced and overcame Lucy's advice for other healthtech entrepreneurs Guest: Lucy Jung Website: https://charconeurotech.com Host: Dr Vinay Shankar Website: https://www.oncedaily.co iTunes: 15 Minutes With The Doctor Spotify: 15 Minutes With The Doctor
On this episode, we have Lisa Patel, who is the CEO and co-founder of the drug discovery & development company Istesso. They work in the emerging field of immunometabolism, harnessing the connection between immunology & metabolism to help a patient return to their natural rhythm. Lisa wanted to further her passion to eliminate conditions like rheumatoid arthritis by creating a ‘first in class' medication that could change the way we treat autoimmune conditions. Hear about her experiences from working at a world-class pharma company, her views on being mentioned in a leading financial column, the role of big tech in drug discovery and her advice for entrepreneurs in the STEM field. On the show, you'll find out: How Lisa's experience at GlaxoSmithKline helped her start Istesso How Istesso has successfully gained support from Innovate UK How Lisa's motivation to create efficient and effective medical solutions is powering Istesso's work How patient care became a driving force of drug development at Istesso How she developed an arsenal of new skills as an entrepreneur How restoring the body's ‘natural rhythm' is a core part of immunometabolism research How Istesso is developing a new drug that could replace a common drug with many side effects used to treat rheumatoid arthritis Her passion for solving the ongoing symptoms of patients suffering from autoimmune diseases How deep tech and AI are helping in clinical trials and drug research Her advice for women wanting to enter STEM careers or become entrepreneurs in the field LinkedIn: Lisa Patel Website: https://istesso.co.uk/ Host: Dr Vinay Shankar Website: https://www.oncedaily.co iTunes: 15 Minutes With The Doctor Spotify: 15 Minutes With The Doctor
Dr Abdullah Albeyatti is a GP and founder of two healthtech companies. Medicalchain harnesses blockchain technology to provide patients with access to their medical records on multiple levels of healthcare, removing barriers and enabling patients to be at the centre of their health. MyClinic is a telemedical solution created within three weeks of the Covid pandemic starting. It is now used in 78 countries and has unique clinician-inspired features. Discover the lessons learned through his entrepreneur journey, his insights on the intersection of medicine and tech, and the importance of empowering patients. On the show, you'll discover: How Dr Albeyatti found his calling as a GP in 2018 How challenging systems were essential to becoming an entrepreneur His experience in a Leeds Cardiology department where he built his website to standardise discharge summaries How standardising discharge forms led to the development of Medicalchain How Medicalchain helped create patient partnerships with doctors How patient-held health records empower patients How using Blockchain ensures the authenticity of medical records How they developed MyClinic into a virtual waiting room for patients and practitioners What Dr Abdullah has learned in over five years in Healthtech and as a digital health entrepreneur How networks, whether employees or mentors are essential parts of your success Get to grips with how Dr Abdullah Albeyetti became a two-time founder – putting his logical brain to the task of creating more effective and efficient processes for medical systems worldwide. LinkedIn:Dr Abdullah Ableyatti Website: https://medicalchain.com Website: https://www.myclinic.com Connect with Vinay: Vinay Shankar Website: https://www.oncedaily.co iTunes: 15 Minutes With The Doctor Spotify: 15 Minutes With The Doctor
On this episode, we have Benyamin, a Doctor and co-founder of Deep Medical. He developed the idea for the company in 2020 alongside his co-founder, David Hanbury, who is an AI engineer. They wanted to help utilise appointments in healthcare more efficiently while being focused on finding solutions that were people-centred. Using AI, Deep Medical is designed to better understand human behaviour and predict who might be at risk of missing their appointments with 90% accuracy. We talk about Benyamin's journey to developing the product, how the product works, their current rollout and their ongoing ambition to reduce health inequalities. On the show, you'll find out: Benyamin's experience as a junior doctor How he started his own business in standardising care How he's used AI and a patient-centric approach to find out how to prevent missed appointments How Benyamin found medicine despite a love of Maths & Economics How he found radiology through his passion for digital innovation How moving to the US allowed him to assess a tech-based approach to medicine How looking at demographic data helped him understand the barriers to appointment attendance How inequality, class and local environments are key to AI-based appointment allocation How he and his co-founder David combined their knowledge of machine learning and clinical care to develop Deep Medical and much much more! Website: http://www.deep-medical.ai/ LinkedIn: Dr Benyamin Deldar LinkedIn: David Hanbury Connect with Vinay: Vinay Shankar Website: https://www.oncedaily.co/ Podcast: 15 Minutes With The Doctor
Dr Anas Nader is the Co-Founder of Patchwork Health, a digital solution that connects NHS organisations to an increasing number of healthcare workers, reducing dependency on locum agencies and improving the experience of flexible working in the NHS. Learn about Anas's career journey, which he currently describes as three acts in a theatre show, why he left medicine, how they built and tested their tech at a large hospital and some key learning points on their digital health start-up journey so far. Patchwork Health is a healthcare cloud-based workforce management application. Patchwork Health offers digital tools for rota creation, e-rostering, employee engagement, management of temporary staffing banks, collaborative staff banks, and vendor management. In addition, the clinical community is a source of extra capacity. "People are to be treated with the level of value and respect that they deserve, including giving them the choice and empowerment to make a choice for themselves of how to work and where to work." Patchwork Health works with over 60 NHS partners across the UK to solve workforce issues since the medical career flexibility for clinicians who want to develop their multi-potentiality. They put flexibility and humanism at the centre of staffing systems through their end-to-end workforce management. Doctors in collaboration with the NHS created it to save millions in recruiting agency fees and enhancing interaction with healthcare professionals. Patchwork Health https://www.patchwork.health/ Book a chat with Vinay at https://www.oncedaily.co/about/ Once Daily: How do you build culture and grow your digital health team? Once Daily: Can tech help with staffing issues in the NHS?
Owain is a former NHS surgeon and founder at Cinapsis. It's communications platform that enables GPs and clinicians to access support from specialists easily. Doctors can access the service through an app or directly through their primary care electronic health record system like EMIS or Systmone. It saves time, improves the patient journey and can save money. What you will learn in this episode: What is Cinapsis? Cinapsis is a clinical communication platform that makes it easy for clinicians to communicate and securely share information. Typically, those are clinicians who work in different organisations. The most common example is a GP or a nurse in the community who wants to get advice from a consultant who works in their local hospital. So it's used within and between hospitals. What distinguishes it from other platforms? The focus is on user experience. The platform is where you get advice without thinking about how to get it. It is quick and easy, and everything is automatically recorded into the patient record. So, for example, it's effortless to take a picture on your mobile and send it to a consultant to have a conversation. Tech Integration in the NHS Integration took time. The platform wasn't integrated during its first launch. It only works if it integrates on the primary care side and secondary care side and with all NHS systems. How to Build Good Tech in Primary Care Listening to the people who use the technology is crucial, and it is an ongoing process. Clinicians tend to make the worst mistakes. But, they just make and find workarounds. Ask your users about their problems, and keep checking and improving. Some clinicians are really good at giving feedback, but many are too busy. So it's about listening and having empathy. The Future of Cinapsis The problem that Cinapsis is solving is enabling clinicians to get advice for patients quickly. Over the next five years, getting that right will transform how patients receive care. Making communication between clinicians in all parts of the health system as easy and as smooth as possible is a big challenge for the next five years. Get to know more about Cinapsis better by visiting their website at www.cinapsis.org Book a chat with Vinay at https://www.oncedaily.co/about/ Once Daily: https://www.oncedaily.co/can-tech-help-solve-burnout-in-healthcare-professionals/
Ben is a family dentist, and the founder of the Brush DJ app. Inspired in his early career, he created an app bringing together music and the simplicity of brushing teeth for two minutes into an app downloaded almost half a million times. He shares how he created it from mockups using a ruler and compass, how he has hundreds of 5-star reviews with almost no marketing spend, and his ongoing passion for improving oral health. What you will learn in this episode: What is Brush DJ? Brush DJ is a free smartphone app developed by dentist Ben Underwood that plays two-minute music from the user's streaming device to make brushing teeth fun. It also has features wherein you can set reminders for brushing twice a day, flossing, and even a reminder on when to see a dentist, hygienist, and many more. Where did the idea of Brush DJ come from? The idea started in the 90s when Ben was a dental student. He had a patient who wasn't cleaning their teeth very well, so they tried different methods for motivation. Finally, they came up with the idea of listening to a song while brushing their teeth. What's the scale of the problem? There is a huge problem for children who require general anaesthetic due to the removal of teeth due to decay. It's a global problem affecting adults too. What was the design process for Brush DJ? When it comes to its user interface, he wanted to make it accessible. Ben drew the design personally using a ruler and a compass, creating a variety of mockups. The app was built for both Android and iOS devices. How is Brush DJ funded? Ben personally invested money into building the application, and he also had the opportunity to get a grant from NHS Innovation Accelerator Program and SBRI. In addition, they recently did some work with Health Innovation Manchester, where they built an e-learning package for non-dental health care professionals. What is Brush DJ's current performance? Brush DJ has reached approx. half a million downloads. The app also had the opportunity to reach about 270 countries and is extremely popular, with users leaving very positive reviews. Are there any plans to incorporate other features? Ben mentioned that he wants to add more about behaviour change techniques. They want the app to have behavioural techniques. He also wants to improve the design and improve the app for the better. Get to know more about Brush DJ Platform better by visiting their website at https://www.brushdj.com/ Book a chat with Vinay at https://www.oncedaily.co/about/ Once Daily: https://www.oncedaily.co/is-the-digital-health-startup-journey-just-like-a-game-of-snakes-ladders/
Grace Gimson is the co-founder of Holly Health, a coaching app to support wellbeing. Grace came from a family of engineers and is naturally drawn to solving problems through creating products or services. The unsolved issues surrounding the health industry attracted her to build Holly Health. Learn about her story, how it all works, their challenges and their vision. What you will learn in this episode: What is Holly Health? Holly Health is a digital app that aims to help people by being their personal lifestyle coach. It provides support in everyday life and guides people to proactive health. Holly bird will be your friend and a personal coach. At first, it will be asking a few questions to build a profile. Next, this will lead to Holly bird providing suggestions based on previous research and evidence. Finally, it will provide coaching, reflection exercises, meditations, and articles to help you have proactive health. How does Holly bird work? Holly Bird will ask about sleep, mental health, diet, one's connection with food, and physical activity. It then aims to develop a prioritisation system depending on your motives and where you are right now. Lastly, it will help to encourage the person based on that information. Are there any expected pilot or research outcomes? There have been studies. They've seen excellent outcomes in reducing problematic eating habits, stress eating, and sustainable weight management. They are also focusing on sleep behaviours. They've begun a series of trial projects with GP surgeries across the country, and they want to collect more clinical outcomes from patients. What are the ambitions for 2-3 years? They'd like to make these treatments available to patients across the country, whether through weight management programs with a more psychological approach or mental health and eating disorder services. They developed it digitally yet welcoming and individualised to reach as many people as possible. What are the struggles? Challenges are inevitable. One of them is the process of education for clinicians and NHS commissioners. Nevertheless, they have been establishing some approaches to new evidence and applying mindfulness-based techniques to lifestyle behaviours. Get to know more about Holly Health better by visiting their website at https://hollyhealth.io/. Connect with Grace Gimson on LinkedIn or email her at grace@hollyhealth.io Book a chat with Vinay Once Daily: https://www.oncedaily.co/how-to-design-a-digital-health-chatbot-with-a-human-touch/
On this episode, Manuel Opitz, a serial healthtech entrepreneur returns to the show. After continued growth at Mercuris, a 3D prosthetics startup, he has now started work on a Deepeye. An AI platform that supports ophthalmologists make important therapeutic decisions in blindness causing health conditions such as age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. Learn how he got involved, the specifics of the platform, gaining investment and contracts and his personal story. What you will learn in this episode: What is Deepeye? Deepeye empowers ophthalmologists by using an AI model trained on thousands of images. It helps doctors understand the optimal time and frequency to give injections that can help prevent blindness. While ophthalmologists are already exceptional in this aspect, 15% of therapeutic decisions can have errors which has a cost of 1.7 billion. Is this precision medicine? Exactly, it's a second opinion on a very individualised basis. In the end, the decision must be made by the ophthalmologist, the retina specialist. Deepeye is using OCT (optical coherence tomography) data, a live 3D retinal scan of the patient, and it's painless, fast, and accurate compared to many other diagnostic support tools or imaging modalities. Is this precision medicine? Exactly, it's a second opinion on a very individualised basis. In the end, the decision must be made by the ophthalmologist, the retina specialist. Deepeye is using OCT (optical coherence tomography) data, a live 3D retinal scan of the patient, and it's painless, fast, and accurate compared to many other diagnostic support tools or imaging modalities. What drew Manuel to this startup? Manuel has family affected by age-related macular degeneration, this personal aspect and the fact that 12% of the population in Europe and US are affected by eye conditions that can cause blindness attracted him to the project. He was approached by the group of ophthalmologists who had pioneered the research. Any potential cost savings of using the tool? One aspect is saving cost on injections, as anti-VEGF therapy costs around 2000 euros. If you save some injections, 1 or 2%, that's already very good given the numbers of people affected. But the bigger lever is under therapy. That's the major issue, according to studies. It's less about cost-saving by saving drug use. It's more about cost-saving by improving quality of life by reducing under treatment. “We do the therapy to prevent much higher costs for the entire healthcare system. But of course, also to safeguard the vision for the patient. If you ask around the most fearful loss of the sense that you could have in your entire life, more than 70% of all people would answer it's their vision, and most people are really afraid of losing" their vision.” How did Manuel get the first contract and the first investment? They are fortunate that they have close contact with several industry participants. Thanks to the ophthalmologists who have been working on the project for the past three to four years. They closed a recent deal with a pharma company. Recently, they also started their fundraising round, and they are now reaching out to a lot of potential investors who have a track record in scaling, either in ophthalmology or precision medicine. Links: Deepeye's Website: https://deepeye.ai/ Connect with Manuel Opitz on LinkedIn Connect with Vinay Shankar on Once Daily Once Daily: https://www.oncedaily.co/ai-in-healthcare-how-to-use-retinal-images-to-prevent-vision-loss/
John Marc is the Head of R&D at WeWALK, a startup with the ultimate vision to be a platform that unites the visually impaired community and improves societal integration through mobility. It has created a smart cane and a companion app to bring tech advancements to the standard white cane. Learn about all the features, their design and development processes, their collaborations with companies such as Microsoft, the assistive tech market, and more. What you will learn in this episode: What is WeWALK? WeWALK is an intelligent cane that is intended to enhance and add value to a long white cane. WeWALK preserved everything that makes the white cane excellent but improved it by replacing the handle and adding value-added tech features like an ultrasonic sensor for upper body obstacle detection (ex. low hanging tree branches). WeWALK has also developed a smartphone application, which can be used to get comprehensive navigation and more. What were the difficulties John Marc faced with the standard white cane as a visually impaired individual? To move around with a conventional white cane, users need six or seven specific applications - one for public transportation, one for strolling, and so on, which can be disorienting. Sometimes, you find yourself colliding with boxes or accidentally being caught with things at the bottom that the cane fails to detect. WeWALK has taken the most significant parts of previous apps and jammed them into one interface to make it more accessible. As a result, high-contrast text, larger font sizes, specific instructions, and complete voiceover compatibility are all available options. How difficult was it to create the features, and what did the user research tell you? It's challenging to find a one-size-fits-all solution. Instead, you must engage with the community. WeWALK has been engaging and interacting with users since the device's conception. Every customer who purchases one goes through an induction process. The user team contacts these consumers to find out what's working for them and what's not. That feedback cycle continuously loops back to their developers and the entire team to make improvements. What is WeWALK looking to achieve in development & what is the market size for assistive tech? The global market for assistive technology is valued at more than $17.5 billion. It's a market that keeps expanding. Visual impairment is often a result of an ageing population, a natural result of population expansion, so you get a 16 percent market growth every year. As a result, there is a definite demand. Vision impairment isn't going to go away on its own. WeWALK aims to develop the appropriate tools for society, such as safety and mission-critical tools, to assist those with visual impairments in leading more satisfying lives. Day by day, WeWALK seeks to meet the needs of this industry, be it with their navigation system, multimodal system, exploration system, or even their health character. Links: Website: https://wewalk.io/ Connect with Vinay Shankar on LinkedIn Once Daily: A smart cane to help people with visual impairment
Dr Piya Sorcar is the founder of TeachAids. She leads a team of world experts developing public health education content used in 82 countries. In this episode, we discuss Crashcourse, an education tool that aims to reduce the effect of concussions through interactive and virtual reality digital content. Learn about her journey, funding, creating compelling digital content and how universities, athletes and more are engaged in the initiative. What you will learn from this episode: What made TeachAids focus on developing CrashCourse? After expanding HIV education, TeachAids looked to researchers to think about the problems of tomorrow. They studied history and learned that cybersecurity, sexual abuse and sexual assault, and concussions were three key areas. They focused on concussions, initially in athletes, because more than three million sports and recreation-related concussions occur annually. Unfortunately, most people don't report them, and that leads to further injury. What are the products in the Crashcourse suite? The very first product is Crashcourse football. It has all the embedded messages about everything that you would need to know for concussions. It starts during an intense football game with a packed audience. The second product is the Brain Fly, which is in video as well as virtual reality. TeachAids partnered with Stanford University's neurosurgical simulation and virtual reality centre to create an actual life through the human brain, showing the brain's blood and nervous system. And the third product is the Concussion Story Wall Website, an interactive database with more than 4000 video narratives from those injured and impacted by concussions. How does TeachAids fund its projects? TeachAids is 100% a nonprofit. All of the products are made available for free, and most of the people they have are volunteers. All of the experts they had and all of the celebrities and athletes involved have all volunteered. What is the WHY of your volunteers? What almost everyone has pointed to is the quality of the products. People want to be engaged with something that feels like it's going to have an impact. People get very excited to work on something that's high quality, which then creates a broader reach. And also, motivation comes from within. Everyone who cares so much realises how much work the project is. So they only ask others that they know can truly invest in the work. “When it comes to giving, people can either give their money or give their time. - Vinay” What's been one of the most influential and helpful resources for TeachAids? Human capital has been the most helpful. They give all of their products out for free, and they cost many millions of dollars to produce. And there's no way that they could raise that many millions of dollars to make it. And so, it's a lot of people donating different kinds of talent to make it happen. Links: Get to know more about TeachAids & CrashCourse by visiting their website at: https://teachaids.org/ Connect with Vinay Shankar on LinkedIn Once Daily: https://www.oncedaily.co/creating-engaging-digital-content-for-health-vr-in-healthcare/
Enric is the co-founder of LactApp, a mobile app that offers personalised answers to women struggling or needing breastfeeding support. The app is driven by a complex and well-designed “navigation system” populated with 76 000 questioning paths to provide more than 3000 unique answers using AI. Learn how an unforunate event led to the creation of the app, the features, how they create new content, their competitors, how they generate revenue and more. What you will learn from this episode: Why was the app developed? One of the Co-Founders, Maria, got into a car accident and found it challenging to breastfeed. Empowered by her unfortunate circumstance and realising that not every woman has a strong support system, the company was founded to bring that “support” to other women who have difficulties breastfeeding and with other pregnancy-related issues. Is the information about breastfeeding not already digitally accessible? There are three big keys to their success: information, support, and network. Information is about the verified sources, evidence, and data on breastfeeding, menstrual cycles, menopause and more. Support is all about the professional entities who can corroborate or verify the given information, like doctors and other health professionals. Network is the amalgamation of experience from other women who had been in the situation, it's the community that helps personalise the system. What are its features? The app has a symptom checker or Q&A navigation system with different areas of consultation. The mother will tap on those areas. Depending on the mother and baby's profile, the app can guide her, with the assistance of the symptom checker, it provides an answer that is unique and highly personalised. Through artificial intelligence, the app generates more content based on the questions asked by the user, and from there, builds it back to the system. How do you create all these paths, and how did you know these are the questions people are asking? The founding team and the rest of the team have more than 50 years of experience in one-on-one consultations and guiding women. Initially, they used notebooks and spreadsheets to populate questions. From there, they transitioned to using artificial intelligence that takes real-world implications into consideration. This way, they can create more content, more consultations, more paths, and eventually, more answers. Since the start, they surpassed 12 million consultations and currently handle over 100 000 consultations weekly. How do you generate revenue to make it sustainable? They have a brick-and-mortar clinic in Barcelona to do one-on-one activities, academic activities and bootstrapping to generate revenue. Added to that, corporates and health insurance companies are now starting to propose partnerships. They are also launching a premium version of the app that operates in a monthly subscription model. Links: Connect with Enric Pallarés on LinkedIn Connect with Vinay Shankar on LinkedIn Once Daily: https://www.oncedaily.co/lactapp-breastfeeding-app/
In this episode, Vinay is joined by Patricia, the founder of MYHIXEL. The company was founded in 2017 to improve male intimate wellness and to help men suffering from premature ejaculation. The product combines an app, a registered medical device and uses CBT concepts. Learn about the design and manufacture process, the research so far, and how the product uses gamification. What you will learn in this episode: What is MYHIXEL? MYHIXEL is a male sexual health brand that supports men suffering from premature ejaculation and difficulties with climax control. It combines science, tech and gamification. What's the medical problem? Premature ejaculation is the most common male sexual dysfunction. 31% of men from 18 to 59 suffer from premature ejaculation at some point in their life. Also, climax control is one of the main concerns for men because they are worried about lasting longer in bed, and it is a common googled question. “We are also eliminating the barrier of those men that are feeling shame, or taboos when they have to face this condition because 80% of them don't want to go to a physical consultation because they feel shame. So we are creating something for them.” The product The solution combines a medical device, which is a male stimulation device combined with cognitive behavioural therapy for teaching men to control their body in the process of climaxing. The therapy has been translated into a mobile app that has been gamified and anonymised. During the research, how many trials have you done? The chief of research is Dr Rodriguez. He and his team started in 2014. They conducted a three case series and then a randomised control trial. In 2017, Patricia decided to bring to the table a group of engineers to the researchers who were working in the field. It was then they designed the specific device. Around 150 patients have participated in their study. But around 2000 men have tested their solution. What do you say to those critics who might say that this is just a toy? They realised that sexual health professionals were recommending the use of these kinds of products to their patients because they didn't have any specific tool for them. So from these conversations and research, Patricia decided to create and design something that met the needs of the health professionals and users. Links: Learn more and connect with Patricia: https://myhixel.com/ Connect with Vinay
George Batchelor is the Co-Founder and Director of Edge Health, a data-driven agency that helps healthcare providers be more efficient through better and more intelligent use of their data. The company has various data products that have supported various hospitals, charities and supported nationally with Covid-19 analytics. Learn about how they harness data to improve efficiency, how their journey started and why they value trust so much in their business. Key Messages: What is Edge Health? Edge Health started in 2017 to help the health service better use the data they routinely collect. Their work broadly covers a consultancy-type service and developing data products, which are tools that use the data collected to help with day-to-day decision-making. Why aren’t hospitals using their data effectively? It’s a combination of several things, and some of these areas are changing every day now. These data are often collected for different purposes almost routinely. For example, within an appointment booking system. The tools used often are not well suited for linking all of the data together. What are some of the data products that Edge Health uses? Edge Health saw an opportunity where they could use historical data that’s been collected to provide insight into booking processes. The company developed the data product Space Finder, a mini-software that runs routinely on the healthcare system, which sees outputs every time there’s new data. How accurate are the predictions that Edge Health makes about operating rooms? It’s very accurate because there’s so much data that’s being collected over the year. They look at factors such as the consultants, the operations, the patients, and basically anything they can get a hold of. They use machine learning algorithms, which allow them to take a massive amount of previously unmanageable data and make good sense of it and good predictions. How much does the Data Product cost? Edge Health has all of its data products on a framework called G-Cloud, which is publicly accessible. The space finder costs £ 36 000 to set up, which effectively continues indefinately. Hospitals can use that tool to enable their transformation program with one organisation saving £3 million. Advice for somebody setting up their own consultancy in healthcare Having solid relationships where you know what people want and giving them what they want is really helpful . Set up your infrastructure well at the start. What is the crucial factor for Edge Health? It’s Trust. Where is health tech in 5 years? There will be a degree of consolidation around the market offering. There will be more prominent organisations offering bigger suites of solutions. There’s a big question about how hospitals and new electronic patient records will evolve and how they will be accessible or not accessible to developers or organisations who can add a degree of intelligence to some of the databases they provide. Links: Connect with George Batchelor on LinkedIn Once Daily: https://www.oncedaily.co/healthcare-data-analysis/
In this episode, Vinay is joined by Manuel Opitz, the Co-Founder of Mecuris, a digital workshop to create orthotics & prosthesis to save cost and time, and be more patient-centred. He aims to link the gap between digital manufacturing and medical technology. Learn about their platform, how the platform is being used to help 3D printing, and their plans for growth. What you will learn in this episode: What is Mecuris? Mecuris is a provider of medical services to help medical practitioners and orthotists digitalise their manufacturing process. Through 3D tech, Mecuris can create an orthosis process, from posture correction of a user scan, to modelling and configuration. It translates the traditional process into digital workflows and tools. What are the digital processes involved with platform? With 3D scanners available on smartphones, Mecuris is a portal to upload the 3D scanned image. It offers digital manufacturing like 3D printing and CNC milling using orthopaedics technology. They have partnerships with high-quality printing centres to support their users. How much does it cost? The basic version of Mecuris costs 65 Euros per month. They also offer a free basic version of the platform. The free version comes with a limited number of allowable downloads per month. What is the market size of Mecuris platform? Current software platforms cost an average price of 15 000 Euros and are used in over 1500 to 1800 workshops in Germany alone. In a workshop, usually, there are at least 10 medical professionals. This equates to approx. 45 million euros as a minimum in Germany alone. What’s next for Mecuris? One of the next steps is to roll it out for upper limbs and other areas like the neck and head. In the future, Mecuris also wants to specialise in other joints or partner with other manufacturers to integrate solutions that will cover more orthotics-related issues. Where do you see healthtech 5 years time? “There will be new business models, there will be diagnostic business models, therapeutic business models, or in our case, manufacturing business models around it. There will be a lot of new companies addressing patient needs that couldn't be fulfilled before, especially on a much more economically level.” Links: Website: Mecuris
Nobi is a smart lamp with a mission to enable older adults to live at home comfortably for as long as possible, by using fall prevention and detection tech. It has other care and comfort functions to make independent living possible. We are joined by Roeland Pelgrims, co-founder of Nobi. Today, he shares his unique expertise in smart home technology for older people while providing insight into creating the product and plans to scale. Plus, we learn about all the features of the lamp. Topics Covered: Why Nobi was founded: With the rise of an ageing population, the current system of intramural care (i.e. nursing homes) will not be sustainable due to pressures on budgets and staff. One of the main reasons that elderly people seek out residential care is due to falling, or risk of falling. One out of four 65+ people falls at least once per year, and one out of three results in hospital admission. By providing technology that both prevents and detects falls, Nobi aims to make it easier for older adults to live at home, comfortably and independently. “I think falls are very common, but there’s so many reasons behind falls, and not all are medical. There’s social things, and often, we say falls are multifactorial, which means there’s so much going on and lots of reasons for them” - Dr Vinay Shankar How Nobi lamps work: It uses sensors and an AI model to analyse the behaviour in the room. If an older person suffers a fall, the lamp can place a call to trusted contacts, who can ask diagnostic questions, provide comfort, and call for further help if necessary. The Nobi lamp also connects with a smart lock on the front door, in order to be able to unlock the door when help arrives. The lamp also includes a burglary alarm that connects with the police and social functions that track how often an older adult receives visitors and can send alerts to trusted contacts to suggest they drop by for a visit. The design process, pricing, and launch plan The massive jumps in AI and processing power in the last decade have made the Nobi lamp function in a way that could not have been achieved 5-10 years ago. The technology that exists today has made the Nobi lamp very effective and reliable. But, there are hopes that a few years down the road, this tech will become more accessible, and the lamps will be able to be made at lower cost. Currently, Nobi is in the pilot phase and still fine-tuning the product with its first-generation customers, but there are 20+ units currently in use. Nobi will begin its rollout to residential care facilities this May and will undergo a large consumer rollout later this year. “If we see how fast the field of AI is evolving and how fast the computing power is evolving. I really have good hopes that the next big jump will not necessarily be one of even higher effectiveness and reliability, because there we are already very very well off, but of extreme low cost.” - Roeland Pelgrims Links: Once Daily: Smart lamps that provide fall detection & wellbeing monitoring Website: Nobi: https://nobi.life/
Our guest today, Laurent Martinot, explains how Sunrise was founded to reduce the challenges associated with diagnosing sleep apnoea.. Inspired by their father, a physician with a special interest in sleep medicine, Laurent and his brother Pierre leveraged AI and other technologies to create a simple at-home test that generates a detailed clinical report without the need for expensive and onerous overnight observation. Topics Covered: Why Laurent and Pierre decided to focus on sleep apnoea: Up to 1 billion people worldwide are affected worldwide. 80% of sufferers go undiagnosed. AI and other tools were ripe for application. “I think many people complain about fatigue and there’s a very good chance that they are suffering from a silent disease that is hard to identify without clinical testing.” How the Sunrise process works: Patient completes a basic sleep questionnaire. Sensor is placed on the chin. Push start and let the sensor run for the night. The next morning a report is generated and available for diagnosis. “Making things as easy as possible was at the center of what we tried to develop.” Barriers that make patients resistant to sleep apnoea testing in a clinical setting: Fear of the hospital environment and overnight stay. Discomfort with all the sensors and equipment. Development challenges: Software’s evolution. Making the interface accessible even to those who aren’t digital natives. Scalability. “It looks simple from the outside, but inside there is a lot of science.” How sensor and AI combine to analyse sleep: Based on micro mandibular (jaw) movements. The number of micro-awakenings and breathing effort. The stages of sleep. The exact sleeping time. Pricing: Sunrise is a certified medical device. Reduces cost and inconvenience of clinical study. Device reusability. “We remain very busy validating the instruments in different environments.” Website:https://uk.sunrise-sleep.com/ Once Daily Article: https://oncedaily.co/an-at-home-sleep-apnoea-diagnostic-device/
Our guest on this episode is Jon, co-founder of Miiskin, an app that helps the user monitor their skin for signs of cancer. Dubbed a ‘mole-mapping’ app, Miiskin empowers users and helps them become proactive in their skin care. Learn about the app’s simple beginnings and story, their path to using augmented reality and AI for automatic skin imaging, and the importance of privacy. Topics Covered in this Episode: How Miiskin’s technology works The founders personal story. Basic and premium version. “The back is always difficult to keep an eye on.” The platform Initially a minimally viable product, Miiskin turned into something much more technologically advanced. “We have gone from a photolog...to very sophisticated imaging tech.” Machine learning and artificial intelligence The AI supports taking unstructured images of skin and making sense of them. AI can augment the patient’s own understanding of their skin. The data can develop a kind of “filter” to track skin developments. The goal is for patients to come into the doctor’s office with more information. “What you can use machine learning for is structuring the information.” The logic behind the pricing model. $24.95 for a yearly subscription. The cost needs to be low enough to avoid it being a barrier but able to sustain the app long-term. Privacy and security for users and patients All data on the phone and servers is encrypted. Photos are not part of the phone photo library. A premium feature allows users to login and access their photos—even with a different device or if they lose it. Challenges working in the healthcare space Hurdles to overcome in the healthcare space to establish ethos. Language barriers in app that is listed worldwide. Proving the app through hospital or patient-based research. “A lot of people trust the medical validity of a lot of apps on NHS app library.” More information: Mobile app tracks mole changes through photos www.miiskin.com
Our guest on this episode is Sigvards, co-founder of CastPrint, a company that uses 3D printing to make a more comfortable cast for fractures. Sigvards talks about how he came up with the idea and how CastPrint works. Learn about their process, their plans to tap into 10% of the European fracture cast market where there are 6 million fractures a year, and the future of 3D printing. Topics Covered in this Episode: birth of CastPrint. science of 3D printed casts. and drawbacks of CastPrint’s technology. future of CastPrint and 3D printing in medicine. The birth of CastPrint: Frustration with the problems of traditional casts. Plaster of Paris casts are uncomfortable. Mobility is limited. technology hasn’t really changed for almost two hundred years. “Fractures and casts are just the beginning of this 3D printing technology.” The science of 3D printed casts: Allows people to recover from a variety of injuries in a more comfortable way. They’re bio-degradable and hypo-allergenic. CastPrints are so simple, they can be created from scanning undertaken on an iPhone. “We’re looking to the research to say this is equally effective.” Benefits and drawbacks of CastPrint’s technology: It’s about three times as strong as a plaster cast. CastPrints are more expensive, but you can significantly reduce rehabilitation costs. Regular casts will always be cheaper because the material they require is cheap and readily available, but the applications for plastic casts are worth further research. “You need to remember this is a medical device, and quality is important.” Benefits and drawbacks of CastPrint’s technology: It’s about three times as strong as a plaster cast. CastPrints are more expensive, but you can significantly reduce rehabilitation costs. Regular casts will always be cheaper because the material they require is cheap and readily available, but the applications for plastic casts are worth further research. “You need to remember this is a medical device, and quality is important.” The future of CastPrint and 3D printing in medicine: CastPrint has printed about 600 casts so far. They would like to tackle 10% of the cast market for fracture injuries. Cast printing is just the beginning–long-term rehab is in the future. 3D printing biomaterial is very exciting. “If you’ve seen The Terminator 2 — man and machine are becoming more and more intertwined.” For more information: Website: https://castprint.co/
In this episode, Vinay speaks with Jacob from AccuRx. Jacob is one of the creators of Chain SMS, a program designed for primary care to be able to easily and quickly communicate with their patients, video consult, and send documents. The text-based service has proved a hit with many doctors in a huge shift to virtual and remote consultations in response to Covid-19. Topics Covered in this Episode: Chain SMS and its key features The why Vinay’s experience with Chain SMS How AccuRx mobilised quickly Chain SMS statistics The interesting ways Chain SMS has been used during COVID Will there be continued use or growth after the pandemic? Chain SMS and its key features Originally designed for GP practices to communicate information with patients Over the past few weeks, have added the ability to collect data from patients, send documents, video consult, etc. The problem and the solution “As a company, we believe that healthcare is a communication industry.” The why Initially worked on antibiotic prescribing and how to send information to patients They wanted to build something easy-to-adopt and a useful way for doctors to contact patients. This led to them launching Chain SMS two years ago Jacob has a personal interest in healthcare systems and improving workflow Vinay’s experience with Chain SMS Chain SMS formed part of a model supporting a switch to a total triage system where patients avoid coming into the surgery “We do a new release of our software every couple of days, and are constantly making really small improvements.” How AccuRx mobilised quickly Dedicated time to building good infrastructure (updating software, user accounts, support team, etc.) The team is committed to helping users and improving constantly Over a weekend in March, they enabled features to help doctors respond more effectively to Covid-19 They wanted something that worked without an app or required new hardware and have also developed a hospital version “The need to communicate has only just become a lot more acute during Covid, because things cannot be solved face-to-face.” Chain SMS statistics 6 400 GP practices in England using the service out of a possible 7000 150 000 patient messages sent each day 15 000 documents and patient responses The interesting ways Chain SMS has been used during COVID Practices can speak to patients on the phone, create a summary of the record or referral, and send it directly to the patient for them to take it to hospital if needed Adding multiple people to video calls (other family members or interpreters) Patients wait in the car park, and doctors send an SMS when they’re ready to see the patient Will there be continued use or growth after the pandemic? Some facets aren’t specific to coronavirus Plans and hopes to bring new features and growth beyond primary care New features like facilitating patient initiation of sending a message For more information: Website: https://www.accurx.com/
In this episode, Vinay speaks with Jacob from AccuRx. Jacob is one of the creators of Chain SMS, a program designed for primary care to be able to easily and quickly communicate with their patients, video consult, and send documents. The text-based service has proved a hit with many doctors in a huge shift to virtual and remote consultations in response to Covid-19. Topics Covered in this Episode: Chain SMS and its key features The why Vinay’s experience with Chain SMS How AccuRx mobilised quickly Chain SMS statistics The interesting ways Chain SMS has been used during COVID Will there be continued use or growth after the pandemic? Chain SMS and its key features Originally designed for GP practices to communicate information with patients Over the past few weeks, have added the ability to collect data from patients, send documents, video consult, etc. The problem and the solution “As a company, we believe that healthcare is a communication industry.” The why Initially worked on antibiotic prescribing and how to send information to patients They wanted to build something easy-to-adopt and a useful way for doctors to contact patients. This led to them launching Chain SMS two years ago Jacob has a personal interest in healthcare systems and improving workflow Vinay’s experience with Chain SMS Chain SMS formed part of a model supporting a switch to a total triage system where patients avoid coming into the surgery “We do a new release of our software every couple of days, and are constantly making really small improvements.” How AccuRx mobilised quickly Dedicated time to building good infrastructure (updating software, user accounts, support team, etc.) The team is committed to helping users and improving constantly Over a weekend in March, they enabled features to help doctors respond more effectively to Covid-19 They wanted something that worked without an app or required new hardware and have also developed a hospital version “The need to communicate has only just become a lot more acute during Covid, because things cannot be solved face-to-face.” Chain SMS statistics 6 400 GP practices in England using the service out of a possible 7000 150 000 patient messages sent each day 15 000 documents and patient responses The interesting ways Chain SMS has been used during COVID Practices can speak to patients on the phone, create a summary of the record or referral, and send it directly to the patient for them to take it to hospital if needed Adding multiple people to video calls (other family members or interpreters) Patients wait in the car park, and doctors send an SMS when they’re ready to see the patient Will there be continued use or growth after the pandemic? Some facets aren’t specific to coronavirus Plans and hopes to bring new features and growth beyond primary care New features like facilitating patient initiation of sending a message For more information: Website: https://www.accurx.com/
In this episode, Vinay speaks with Jacob from AccuRx. Jacob is one of the creators of Chain SMS, a program designed for primary care to be able to easily and quickly communicate with their patients, video consult, and send documents. The text-based service has proved a hit with many doctors in a huge shift to virtual and remote consultations in response to Covid-19. Topics Covered in this Episode: Chain SMS and its key features The why Vinay’s experience with Chain SMS How AccuRx mobilised quickly Chain SMS statistics The interesting ways Chain SMS has been used during COVID Will there be continued use or growth after the pandemic? Chain SMS and its key features Originally designed for GP practices to communicate information with patients Over the past few weeks, have added the ability to collect data from patients, send documents, video consult, etc. The problem and the solution “As a company, we believe that healthcare is a communication industry.” The why Initially worked on antibiotic prescribing and how to send information to patients They wanted to build something easy-to-adopt and a useful way for doctors to contact patients. This led to them launching Chain SMS two years ago Jacob has a personal interest in healthcare systems and improving workflow Vinay’s experience with Chain SMS Chain SMS formed part of a model supporting a switch to a total triage system where patients avoid coming into the surgery “We do a new release of our software every couple of days, and are constantly making really small improvements.” How AccuRx mobilised quickly Dedicated time to building good infrastructure (updating software, user accounts, support team, etc.) The team is committed to helping users and improving constantly Over a weekend in March, they enabled features to help doctors respond more effectively to Covid-19 They wanted something that worked without an app or required new hardware and have also developed a hospital version “The need to communicate has only just become a lot more acute during Covid, because things cannot be solved face-to-face.” Chain SMS statistics 6 400 GP practices in England using the service out of a possible 7000 150 000 patient messages sent each day 15 000 documents and patient responses The interesting ways Chain SMS has been used during COVID Practices can speak to patients on the phone, create a summary of the record or referral, and send it directly to the patient for them to take it to hospital if needed Adding multiple people to video calls (other family members or interpreters) Patients wait in the car park, and doctors send an SMS when they’re ready to see the patient Will there be continued use or growth after the pandemic? Some facets aren’t specific to coronavirus Plans and hopes to bring new features and growth beyond primary care New features like facilitating patient initiation of sending a message For more information: Website: https://www.accurx.com/
On this episode, Vinay is joined by Melissa from Nourished, a start-up where they create a personalised nutritional supplement using 3D printers in single batches. Melissa shares her background that led to this venture, describes various aspects of the product, benefits of the unique market and how their adaptability meant they could create a new blend as requested by customers for nutritional support during the coronavirus pandemic. Topics Covered in this Episode: What is Nourished? About the Gummy Stacks Live Stacks vs create your custom stack How they designed the personal stacks? Benefits and challenges of 3D printing What is Nourished? How it started The technology behind it The problem and the solution The previous business that led to Nourished “One of the trends we see is people not supplementing to make up for a shortage of nutrients but to boost performance.” Gummy Stacks Seven nutrients in the product - Why 7 nutrients? The UK as a test market and understanding the market Keep it simple and realise that you do have something to give “More than half of the UK takes vitamins on a regular basis.” Life Stacks vs create your custom stack Paralysis of choice potential Category choices Blend surrounding Coronavirus Quick timeline turnaround because made on demand Response to market demand in real-time “We can add new stacks in seven minutes.” How they designed personal stacks Testing for future biometric products Finding the right way to offer value and generate income How they chose ingredients Cost and numbers Cost-effective price point A High percentage of people choosing customised stacks Ambition for number of subscribers now vs 3 years Benefits and challenges of 3D printing How the prototype works Importance of a good team An open market full of enthusiasts pushing forward for the advancement of the technology. “When you have a prototype, you have to get as much experience as you can and continually optimise the design until you have something good enough.” For more information: Website: https://get-nourished.com/
On this episode, Vinay is joined by Melissa from Nourished, a start-up where they create a personalised nutritional supplement using 3D printers in single batches. Melissa shares her background that led to this venture, describes various aspects of the product, benefits of the unique market and how their adaptability meant they could create a new blend as requested by customers for nutritional support during the coronavirus pandemic. Topics Covered in this Episode: What is Nourished? About the Gummy Stacks Live Stacks vs create your custom stack How they designed the personal stacks? Benefits and challenges of 3D printing What is Nourished? How it started The technology behind it The problem and the solution The previous business that led to Nourished “One of the trends we see is people not supplementing to make up for a shortage of nutrients but to boost performance.” Gummy Stacks Seven nutrients in the product - Why 7 nutrients? The UK as a test market and understanding the market Keep it simple and realise that you do have something to give “More than half of the UK takes vitamins on a regular basis.” Life Stacks vs create your custom stack Paralysis of choice potential Category choices Blend surrounding Coronavirus Quick timeline turnaround because made on demand Response to market demand in real-time “We can add new stacks in seven minutes.” How they designed personal stacks Testing for future biometric products Finding the right way to offer value and generate income How they chose ingredients Cost and numbers Cost-effective price point A High percentage of people choosing customised stacks Ambition for number of subscribers now vs 3 years Benefits and challenges of 3D printing How the prototype works Importance of a good team An open market full of enthusiasts pushing forward for the advancement of the technology. “When you have a prototype, you have to get as much experience as you can and continually optimise the design until you have something good enough.” For more information: Website: https://get-nourished.com/
On this episode, Vinay is joined by Johannes, CEO of Clustermarket, an online sharing platform connecting researchers in the science and healthcare space to scientific equipment on-demand at leading institutions. The ability to share and book equipment online enables access to tools that can help people innovate faster. Learn about Clustermarket’s why, how and what. Topics Covered in this Episode: Identifying the Problem Equipment How it Works? Income Generation Building Partnerships Identifying the Problem People in the life sciences field have ideas but often don’t have the equipment they need with high barriers to entry. One of the co-founders realised the need when he was conducting experiments in the lab and didn’t have instruments needed but wondered ‘what would happen’ if he had what he needed on demand. They pitched the idea to universities and pharmaceutical companies and conducted a pilot. “We believe innovation is limited to those who have done it before, have a strong track record and are selected by a few gatekeepers who provide money to purchase resources to hit milestones and prove an innovation.” Equipment Equipment type ranges from pre-clinical research to lab space. They have 2500 instruments available on the platform from basic equipment such as centrifuges to specialised equipment such as microscopes worth millions. How it works? Scientist wants to do research. Scientist signs up on platform free of charge and can search for service or equipment needed. Scientist is able to see where service or equipment is available. Request access and communicate with provider through the platform to answer all questions. Lab manager can pre-approve and then requester agrees to the terms and provides payment. Equipment can be offered from providers with training, a technician or full service. “We thought why don’t we use existing resources more sustainably and efficiently to create more outcome.” Income Generation The platform model is similar to Airbnb and other online marketplaces. Income is generated from the commission of successful transactions. Platform can be used internally within institutions for a subscription fee. Building Partnerships University College of London bought into the idea because they had purchased a lot of equipment that wasn’t being used efficiently. As more universities came on board, trust was built with universities and lab managers in regards to the model. Relationships are important to build trust with both the lab managers as well as the end-user. Over 280 companies and over 450 labs are using the platform in both large and smaller universities. Analysis indicates the potential of getting into over 10,000 labs first in the European and then the global market with the primary goal of opening collaboration opportunities. For more information: Website: https://www.clustermarket.com/ Email: jsolzbach@clustermarket.com
On this episode, Vinay is joined by Johannes, CEO of Clustermarket, an online sharing platform connecting researchers in the science and healthcare space to scientific equipment on-demand at leading institutions. The ability to share and book equipment online enables access to tools that can help people innovate faster. Learn about Clustermarket’s why, how and what. Topics Covered in this Episode: Identifying the Problem Equipment How it Works? Income Generation Building Partnerships Identifying the Problem People in the life sciences field have ideas but often don’t have the equipment they need with high barriers to entry. One of the co-founders realised the need when he was conducting experiments in the lab and didn’t have instruments needed but wondered ‘what would happen’ if he had what he needed on demand. They pitched the idea to universities and pharmaceutical companies and conducted a pilot. “We believe innovation is limited to those who have done it before, have a strong track record and are selected by a few gatekeepers who provide money to purchase resources to hit milestones and prove an innovation.” Equipment Equipment type ranges from pre-clinical research to lab space. They have 2500 instruments available on the platform from basic equipment such as centrifuges to specialised equipment such as microscopes worth millions. How it works? Scientist wants to do research. Scientist signs up on platform free of charge and can search for service or equipment needed. Scientist is able to see where service or equipment is available. Request access and communicate with provider through the platform to answer all questions. Lab manager can pre-approve and then requester agrees to the terms and provides payment. Equipment can be offered from providers with training, a technician or full service. “We thought why don’t we use existing resources more sustainably and efficiently to create more outcome.” Income Generation The platform model is similar to Airbnb and other online marketplaces. Income is generated from the commission of successful transactions. Platform can be used internally within institutions for a subscription fee. Building Partnerships University College of London bought into the idea because they had purchased a lot of equipment that wasn’t being used efficiently. As more universities came on board, trust was built with universities and lab managers in regards to the model. Relationships are important to build trust with both the lab managers as well as the end-user. Over 280 companies and over 450 labs are using the platform in both large and smaller universities. Analysis indicates the potential of getting into over 10,000 labs first in the European and then the global market with the primary goal of opening collaboration opportunities. For more information: Website: https://www.clustermarket.com/ Email: jsolzbach@clustermarket.com
On this episode of 15 Minutes with the doctor, Vinay is joined by Hazel Maxwell, co-founder of the Ladle app. Ladle is a low-cost digital weight loss tool that is currently being used by the city of Nottingham to help improve the lifestyles of its citizens. Learn why they developed this solution, the importance of testing and needs assessments, and how they rolled out the product. Topics Covered in this Episode: How Ladle got started Conducting needs assessments Trial and market tests Current implementation Challenges faced How Ladle got started Hazel and her co-founder were working as consultants in the healthcare industry They noticed a gap in the market for weight loss tools and saw the potential for a cheaper, scalable digital solution Considering that 60% of the population of the U.K. is classified as “overweight” or “obese”, they felt that the need for a product like this was great Conducting needs assessments Hazel and her co-founder met with healthcare providers, dieticians, clinicians, and psychologists to determine the needs They directly asked these individuals for their feedback and then kept them informed throughout the process “We have a really strong focus on the psychological elements of eating habits.” Trial and market tests Their trial found that the Ladle app had the same effectiveness as in-person intervention method They did, however, have a higher dropout rate (44% completions on the app compared to 55%) There is the potential to integrate the Ladle program with some in-person elements to increase the completion rate in the future As a result of their trial experience, they received a direct award to be the commissioned provider for the city of Nottingham “Our aim is to make Ladle as effective as the interventions currently in use by the NHS or different healthcare providers but be purely digital.” Current implementation The Ladle app is currently available to all citizens living in Nottingham who are between the ages of 18-65 whose body mass index is over 25 This agreement lasts until April of 2020 but they are hoping to expand the use of the app to other areas too Challenges faced It is difficult for startups to be considered during the bidding process with the NHS and local councils because of the lack of having 3 years of financial information available They have also found it difficult to increase the awareness of GPs of their product and consequently the number of referrals Hazel points out that there are ways that the healthcare system could promote more innovation “As well as being low cost, we are also unlimited referrals.” For more information: https://www.ladleapp.com/ hazel.maxwell@ladleapp.com https://www.asklion.co.uk/kb5/nottingham/directory/home.page Connect with us: https://www.instagram.com/doctor.vinay/ https://twitter.com/VinayShankar
On this episode of 15 Minutes with the doctor, Vinay is joined by Hazel Maxwell, co-founder of the Ladle app. Ladle is a low-cost digital weight loss tool that is currently being used by the city of Nottingham to help improve the lifestyles of its citizens. Learn why they developed this solution, the importance of testing and needs assessments, and how they rolled out the product. Topics Covered in this Episode: How Ladle got started Conducting needs assessments Trial and market tests Current implementation Challenges faced How Ladle got started Hazel and her co-founder were working as consultants in the healthcare industry They noticed a gap in the market for weight loss tools and saw the potential for a cheaper, scalable digital solution Considering that 60% of the population of the U.K. is classified as “overweight” or “obese”, they felt that the need for a product like this was great Conducting needs assessments Hazel and her co-founder met with healthcare providers, dieticians, clinicians, and psychologists to determine the needs They directly asked these individuals for their feedback and then kept them informed throughout the process “We have a really strong focus on the psychological elements of eating habits.” Trial and market tests Their trial found that the Ladle app had the same effectiveness as in-person intervention method They did, however, have a higher dropout rate (44% completions on the app compared to 55%) There is the potential to integrate the Ladle program with some in-person elements to increase the completion rate in the future As a result of their trial experience, they received a direct award to be the commissioned provider for the city of Nottingham “Our aim is to make Ladle as effective as the interventions currently in use by the NHS or different healthcare providers but be purely digital.” Current implementation The Ladle app is currently available to all citizens living in Nottingham who are between the ages of 18-65 whose body mass index is over 25 This agreement lasts until April of 2020 but they are hoping to expand the use of the app to other areas too Challenges faced It is difficult for startups to be considered during the bidding process with the NHS and local councils because of the lack of having 3 years of financial information available They have also found it difficult to increase the awareness of GPs of their product and consequently the number of referrals Hazel points out that there are ways that the healthcare system could promote more innovation “As well as being low cost, we are also unlimited referrals.” For more information: https://www.ladleapp.com/ hazel.maxwell@ladleapp.com https://www.asklion.co.uk/kb5/nottingham/directory/home.page Connect with us: https://www.instagram.com/doctor.vinay/ https://twitter.com/VinayShankar
On this episode, Vinay speaks with Dan from Heights. Dan and his team aim to help people optimise their life and brain by providing curated content in neuroscience, nutrition and psychology. Dan is also launching a high quality supplement for brain health. Learn about his passion to move into the wellness space, his past as a co-founder of a popular fashion mobile app, and he shares what he has learnt from his entrepreneurial journey so far. Topics Covered in this Episode: The product – A supplement for the brain The content – A weekly newsletter Awareness of user needs Advice to creators and aspiring creators of medical apps The product – A supplement for the brain Promotes longevity in brain health Assists in the absorption of the hydration and nutrition Amplifies productivity and overall wellbeing Will be launched in January 2020, but email subscribers are invited to begin testing the product later this autumn “We are creating the highest-quality multivitamin for the brain that can help promote longevity in brain health.” The content – A weekly newsletter Provides value to the users, educating them about how science practically impacts their brains Contains curated content from scientific journals, making it accessible to the layperson “I turn the science into English and make it engaging and fun for people to learn more about their brain every single week and how it works.” Awareness of user needs Delivering content to the right consumers through the right medium is very important Consumers look at social media with a bit of skepticism towards the quality of the content A weekly email newsletter is reliable and socially responsible, meeting people where they are “All of these things [Facebook, Instagram, etc.] are platforms and who you choose to follow obviously impacts your relationship with that medium.” Advice to creators and aspiring creators of medical apps Develop your niche and become an expert You cannot be all things to all people, but you can serve your specific audience very well Implement some tests with your target demographics to determine how they want to interact with an app like yours “There are four major pillars that I believe as core to having a healthy brain and they are hydration, nutrition, sleep, and social connection.” For more information: https://twitter.com/danmurrayserter www.yourheights.com
On this episode, Vinay speaks with Dan from Heights. Dan and his team aim to help people optimise their life and brain by providing curated content in neuroscience, nutrition and psychology. Dan is also launching a high quality supplement for brain health. Learn about his passion to move into the wellness space, his past as a co-founder of a popular fashion mobile app, and he shares what he has learnt from his entrepreneurial journey so far. Topics Covered in this Episode: The product – A supplement for the brain The content – A weekly newsletter Awareness of user needs Advice to creators and aspiring creators of medical apps The product – A supplement for the brain Promotes longevity in brain health Assists in the absorption of the hydration and nutrition Amplifies productivity and overall wellbeing Will be launched in January 2020, but email subscribers are invited to begin testing the product later this autumn “We are creating the highest-quality multivitamin for the brain that can help promote longevity in brain health.” The content – A weekly newsletter Provides value to the users, educating them about how science practically impacts their brains Contains curated content from scientific journals, making it accessible to the layperson “I turn the science into English and make it engaging and fun for people to learn more about their brain every single week and how it works.” Awareness of user needs Delivering content to the right consumers through the right medium is very important Consumers look at social media with a bit of skepticism towards the quality of the content A weekly email newsletter is reliable and socially responsible, meeting people where they are “All of these things [Facebook, Instagram, etc.] are platforms and who you choose to follow obviously impacts your relationship with that medium.” Advice to creators and aspiring creators of medical apps Develop your niche and become an expert You cannot be all things to all people, but you can serve your specific audience very well Implement some tests with your target demographics to determine how they want to interact with an app like yours “There are four major pillars that I believe as core to having a healthy brain and they are hydration, nutrition, sleep, and social connection.” For more information: https://twitter.com/danmurrayserter www.yourheights.com
In this special recording of 15 minutes with the doctor, we have two guests providing a snapshot of two unique products. From SkinVision, we have Program Manager, Loes Van Egmond. SkinVision is a smartphone app that allows users to upload a photo of a skin lesion and get an assessment within 30 seconds. They are trying to improve early detection of skin cancers and subsequently make treatment more affordable. From Needlesmart, we have CEO Cliff Kirby. NeedleSmart is a device that destroys a hypodermic needle in the fraction of a second by heating it to over 1300 degrees Celsius. The product potential to reduce costs and improve the process for sharps disposal. About the SkinVision App: A smartphone app that uses a machine learning algorithm to directly provide dermatological screenings to the public. Launched in 2015 and has 1.2 million downloads so far. 3.5 million pictures in their database, which allows them to constantly test their algorithm. If users receive a high-risk assessment, the app follows up with them to make sure they visit a dermatologist or a doctor. On the lack of progress in chemotherapy: “We’ve set a company mission to save 250,000 lives in the next decade.” Its effectiveness: 95% accurate in diagnosing melanoma and 97% effective in diagnosing non-melanoma. General physicians are 60% accurate and dermatologists are 75-90% accurate based on their experience. “By driving early detection, you can make the treatment much more affordable.” Challenges: The NHS is complex and difficult to work with, but progress is being made at SkinVision as part of the Innovation Accelerator program. “By driving early detection, you can make the treatment much more affordable.” About NeedleSmart: Destroys a hypodermic needle in a fraction of a second by heating it to 1300 degrees. Created to reduce the number of sharps and simplify the disposal process. Wifi enabled, which allows each unit to collect data and automatically reorder supplies based on usage. Its effectiveness: The NeedleSmart process destroys the needle completely, potentially allowing needles to be disposed more simply and cost-effectively. Challenges: The need for a process for early adopters to try out the product and provide feedback and recommendations. Difficulty of getting NHS approval or attention. “The challenge right now is to convince an old embedded process that this could really add value to the system.” For more information: https://www.skinvision.com/ http://needlesmart.com/ enquiries@needlesmart.com https://twitter.com/NeedleSmart Connect with us: http://vinayshankar.net/ https://www.instagram.com/doctor.vinay/ https://twitter.com/VinayShankar
In this special recording of 15 minutes with the doctor, we have two guests providing a snapshot of two unique products. From SkinVision, we have Program Manager, Loes Van Egmond. SkinVision is a smartphone app that allows users to upload a photo of a skin lesion and get an assessment within 30 seconds. They are trying to improve early detection of skin cancers and subsequently make treatment more affordable. From Needlesmart, we have CEO Cliff Kirby. NeedleSmart is a device that destroys a hypodermic needle in the fraction of a second by heating it to over 1300 degrees Celsius. The product potential to reduce costs and improve the process for sharps disposal. About the SkinVision App: A smartphone app that uses a machine learning algorithm to directly provide dermatological screenings to the public. Launched in 2015 and has 1.2 million downloads so far. 3.5 million pictures in their database, which allows them to constantly test their algorithm. If users receive a high-risk assessment, the app follows up with them to make sure they visit a dermatologist or a doctor. On the lack of progress in chemotherapy: “We’ve set a company mission to save 250,000 lives in the next decade.” Its effectiveness: 95% accurate in diagnosing melanoma and 97% effective in diagnosing non-melanoma. General physicians are 60% accurate and dermatologists are 75-90% accurate based on their experience. “By driving early detection, you can make the treatment much more affordable.” Challenges: The NHS is complex and difficult to work with, but progress is being made at SkinVision as part of the Innovation Accelerator program. “By driving early detection, you can make the treatment much more affordable.” About NeedleSmart: Destroys a hypodermic needle in a fraction of a second by heating it to 1300 degrees. Created to reduce the number of sharps and simplify the disposal process. Wifi enabled, which allows each unit to collect data and automatically reorder supplies based on usage. Its effectiveness: The NeedleSmart process destroys the needle completely, potentially allowing needles to be disposed more simply and cost-effectively. Challenges: The need for a process for early adopters to try out the product and provide feedback and recommendations. Difficulty of getting NHS approval or attention. “The challenge right now is to convince an old embedded process that this could really add value to the system.” For more information: https://www.skinvision.com/ http://needlesmart.com/ enquiries@needlesmart.com https://twitter.com/NeedleSmart Connect with us: http://www.vinayshankar.net/ https://www.instagram.com/doctor.vinay/ https://twitter.com/VinayShankar
On this episode of 15 Minutes with the Doctor, we are joined by John Cassidy, Co-Founder and CEO of Cambridge Cancer Genomics. John shares with listeners how the company started and how they have advanced precision oncology through genomics. This personalised approach means their software can predict which cancer treatments are likely to be most effective. Key Topics: The current status of oncology Solutions created through genomics The 3 keys to innovation in genomics How Cambridge Cancer Genomics functions Biggest challenges they have overcome The current status of oncology: Oncologists typically have a short period of time to review a patient’s test results and make a recommendation for their care Oncologists make a recommendation based on their awareness of what drugs or treatments might work, this method is not as effective as it could be With 6 months between scans for most patients, as much as 2/3 of patients will receive treatments that are not effective for months before oncologists recognise the need to try something else On the lack of progress in chemotherapy: “Two-thirds of patients will go on to receive the same chemotherapy treatments that have been around for decades.” Solutions created through genomics: Genomics allows oncologists to understand what is going on with each patient on the molecular level The sequencing of blood and tissue samples can be completed in 15 minutes This software is available to clinical diagnostic labs, not direct to consumers In a US trial, using genomics saved an average of $25,000-$50,000 per patient This method is 98% accurate in predicting the correct drug for each patient The 3 keys to innovation in genomics: Reduction in cost of genomics: The Human Genome Project cost $1 billion 20 years ago Analysis now costs about $900-$1,000 per patient now Computational power: Through cloud computing, much more data can be stored securely than ever before and significant developments in artificial intelligence More drugs are being produced: This means specific drugs are available for more classes and mutations than ever before “Put those 3 things (genomic innovation, computational power, and more types of drugs being produced) together and you can do personalised scalable precision oncology for a very, very reasonable price.” How Cambridge Cancer Genomics functions: Founded by 4 co-founders with PhDs who wondered why there was such a disconnect between scientific advances and the technology to support them They built an advanced infrastructure using machine learning to support genomic advances Their software uses an individuals genomic data and machine learning to predict which drugs are most likely to effective They are currently doing alpha and beta testing in 20 centers worldwide, including observational clinical trials in the US and Singapore Biggest challenges they have overcome: Communicating their message, which is imperative to receiving funding While they have a good model, there can be challenges generally in terms of approvals and regulatory hurdles “Getting the messaging right is the key thing to get the funding, and the funding is determined by how well you are telling the story.” For more information: https://www.ccg.ai/ https://twitter.com/CCGenomics
On this episode of 15 Minutes with the Doctor, we are joined by John Cassidy, Co-Founder and CEO of Cambridge Cancer Genomics. John shares with listeners how the company started and how they have advanced precision oncology through genomics. This personalised approach means their software can predict which cancer treatments are likely to be most effective. Key Topics: The current status of oncology Solutions created through genomics The 3 keys to innovation in genomics How Cambridge Cancer Genomics functions Biggest challenges they have overcome The current status of oncology: Oncologists typically have a short period of time to review a patient’s test results and make a recommendation for their care Oncologists make a recommendation based on their awareness of what drugs or treatments might work, this method is not as effective as it could be With 6 months between scans for most patients, as much as 2/3 of patients will receive treatments that are not effective for months before oncologists recognise the need to try something else On the lack of progress in chemotherapy: “Two-thirds of patients will go on to receive the same chemotherapy treatments that have been around for decades.” Solutions created through genomics: Genomics allows oncologists to understand what is going on with each patient on the molecular level The sequencing of blood and tissue samples can be completed in 15 minutes This software is available to clinical diagnostic labs, not direct to consumers In a US trial, using genomics saved an average of $25,000-$50,000 per patient This method is 98% accurate in predicting the correct drug for each patient The 3 keys to innovation in genomics: Reduction in cost of genomics: The Human Genome Project cost $1 billion 20 years ago Analysis now costs about $900-$1,000 per patient now Computational power: Through cloud computing, much more data can be stored securely than ever before and significant developments in artificial intelligence More drugs are being produced: This means specific drugs are available for more classes and mutations than ever before “Put those 3 things (genomic innovation, computational power, and more types of drugs being produced) together and you can do personalised scalable precision oncology for a very, very reasonable price.” How Cambridge Cancer Genomics functions: Founded by 4 co-founders with PhDs who wondered why there was such a disconnect between scientific advances and the technology to support them They built an advanced infrastructure using machine learning to support genomic advances Their software uses an individuals genomic data and machine learning to predict which drugs are most likely to effective They are currently doing alpha and beta testing in 20 centers worldwide, including observational clinical trials in the US and Singapore Biggest challenges they have overcome: Communicating their message, which is imperative to receiving funding While they have a good model, there can be challenges generally in terms of approvals and regulatory hurdles “Getting the messaging right is the key thing to get the funding, and the funding is determined by how well you are telling the story.” For more information: https://www.ccg.ai/ https://twitter.com/CCGenomics
Our guest on this episode of the 15 Minutes with the Doctor is John Ramsay. He’s the Chief Exec of Shift 8 and has introduced the Tovertafel (“Magic Table”) to the UK – It allows light projections onto any table surface and enables the users to play musical, sports, and other types of games while having a safe space to engage with others. It is aimed at those with dementia and learning disabilities. Learn about John’s personal story into healthcare innovation, what the Tovartafel is and its benefits, and how it’s use is growing rapidly. The beginnings of this partnership - John’s friend Hester created the Tovertafel in Holland - John’s father experienced early-onset Alzheimer’s and John realised the impact that a resource like the Tovertafel could have. - When he became aware of the Tovertafel, John was working in corporate law, but he realised that he would prefer use his talents where they could have more impact. - As it came time to come to a licensing agreement, John and Hester learned that the most effective approach was being: - Open - Honest - Structured - Willing to accept mistakes - Mutually appreciative - Collaborative “When I heard about something that would make a difference to those living with dementia and make them more engaged with the world around them…I realised that maybe corporate law wasn’t for me and this was my calling.” Why is there a need for this resource? - There is often limited activities for cognitively impaired individuals at their care homes. - Many patients become apathetic and disengaged and sometimes depressed. “It’s about changing the lives of people with dementia and other cognitive impairments.” The design process. - Each game idea is considered in light of its ability to engage those who are cognitively impaired. - The development team then puts a test version of the game together and it is tested for its inclusivity before being distributed. - They try to develop a variety of games, recognising that not everyone enjoys music or sport. “If you can activate these parts of the brain, you create engagement, and it’s that that creates happiness.” The impacts of the Tovertafel - So far, the Tovertafel has been distributed to 600 care centers and has been used by 10,000 loved ones in the UK. - There have been countless stories of individuals experiencing true happiness and dramatic behavior changes after engaging with others and the world using the Tovertafel. - Shift 8 has conducted more than 60 studies to test the effectiveness of the technology and make any necessary improvements. - They hope to be able to quantify and codify the social impacts of the Tovertafel and integrate this research into future production. “It’s amazing to see the effect that we are producing each and every day.” Plans for the future. - Continue to increase the number of loved ones supported by the Tovertafel. - Expand the technology into other cognitive impairments. - Enlarge the geographic locations served. For more information:: Tovertafel: https://tovertafel.co.uk/ Email: info@shift8.co.uk
Our guest on this episode of the 15 Minutes with the Doctor is John Ramsay. He’s the Chief Exec of Shift 8 and has introduced the Tovertafel (“Magic Table”) to the UK – It allows light projections onto any table surface and enables the users to play musical, sports, and other types of games while having a safe space to engage with others. It is aimed at those with dementia and learning disabilities. Learn about John’s personal story into healthcare innovation, what the Tovartafel is and its benefits, and how it’s use is growing rapidly. The beginnings of this partnership - John’s friend Hester created the Tovertafel in Holland - John’s father experienced early-onset Alzheimer’s and John realised the impact that a resource like the Tovertafel could have. - When he became aware of the Tovertafel, John was working in corporate law, but he realised that he would prefer use his talents where they could have more impact. - As it came time to come to a licensing agreement, John and Hester learned that the most effective approach was being: - Open - Honest - Structured - Willing to accept mistakes - Mutually appreciative - Collaborative “When I heard about something that would make a difference to those living with dementia and make them more engaged with the world around them…I realised that maybe corporate law wasn’t for me and this was my calling.” Why is there a need for this resource? - There is often limited activities for cognitively impaired individuals at their care homes. - Many patients become apathetic and disengaged and sometimes depressed. “It’s about changing the lives of people with dementia and other cognitive impairments.” The design process. - Each game idea is considered in light of its ability to engage those who are cognitively impaired. - The development team then puts a test version of the game together and it is tested for its inclusivity before being distributed. - They try to develop a variety of games, recognising that not everyone enjoys music or sport. “If you can activate these parts of the brain, you create engagement, and it’s that that creates happiness.” The impacts of the Tovertafel - So far, the Tovertafel has been distributed to 600 care centers and has been used by 10,000 loved ones in the UK. - There have been countless stories of individuals experiencing true happiness and dramatic behavior changes after engaging with others and the world using the Tovertafel. - Shift 8 has conducted more than 60 studies to test the effectiveness of the technology and make any necessary improvements. - They hope to be able to quantify and codify the social impacts of the Tovertafel and integrate this research into future production. “It’s amazing to see the effect that we are producing each and every day.” Plans for the future. - Continue to increase the number of loved ones supported by the Tovertafel. - Expand the technology into other cognitive impairments. - Enlarge the geographic locations served. For more information:: Tovertafel: https://tovertafel.co.uk/ Email: info@shift8.co.uk
Lafina joins this episode of the 15 Minutes with the Doctor podcast. She is a GP trainee, co-founder of Eurekadoc, and host of the new Health Meets Home podcast. Lafina has found a lot of benefit in her unconventional career path, and she hopes that Eurekadoc can provide resources for other doctors to enhance their professional skills in a similar way. She shares her journey with us into how and why they built Eurekadoc and her passion for property investing. Lafina wants fellow doctors to have happier and more diverse medical careers. - Eurekadoc wants to help people distill their passions and be encouraged to follow them, even if this seems less conventional. - They want to continue to curate resources that are alternatives to practicing medicine traditionally. This allows doctors to be more autonomous, not relying so much on “the system.” “Eurekadoc was born of my own experience of taking quite a diverse career path.” She has seen first-hand the benefits of synergy between industries. - Lafina and her co-founder Aroon dabbled in the fields of property investing and management consulting respectively. They realised that other doctors could benefit from the broader skillsets they had learned outside the medical profession. - Eurekadoc aims to provide medical education and training based on the comprehensive perspectives of other industries. - Lafina encourages interested doctors to look into the NHS Clinical Entrepreneurship Program and other Fellowships in the area for business focused opportunities. “Eurekadoc helps individuals design careers that work for them really well professionally as well as personally.” She has seen first-hand the benefits of synergy between industries. - Lafina and her co-founder Aroon dabbled in the fields of property investing and management consulting respectively. They realised that other doctors could benefit from the broader skillsets they had learned outside the medical profession. - Eurekadoc aims to provide medical education and training based on the comprehensive perspectives of other industries. - Lafina encourages interested doctors to look into the NHS Clinical Entrepreneurship Program and other Fellowships in the area for business focused opportunities. She has seen first-hand the benefits of synergy between industries. - Lafina and her co-founder Aroon dabbled in the fields of property investing and management consulting respectively. They realised that other doctors could benefit from the broader skillsets they had learned outside the medical profession. - Eurekadoc aims to provide medical education and training based on the comprehensive perspectives of other industries. - Lafina encourages interested doctors to look into the NHS Clinical Entrepreneurship Program and other Fellowships in the area for business focused opportunities. “Eurekadoc helps individuals design careers that work for them really well professionally as well as personally.” Eurekadoc provides dozens of courses and resources. - More than 2,000 people have been trained by Eurekadoc’s webinars, workshops, conferences, and coaching. - Lafina’s book, “Property Investing For Doctors”, and several niche career guides are available. - Many people have benefitted from the Mini-MBA course available through Eurekadoc, it gives participants an idea of what an MBA program entails before they decide to pursue it. - Topics include: property, holistic needs, business, finance, management, leadership, management consulting, transforming your career, wellness/mindfulness, and healthcare innovation. “By diversifying our skills and varying our roles a little bit, actually changing things up can really energise and make you feel more satisfied, more in control of what is going on in your career.” Lafina is very passionate about property investing. - Her passion started after she helped a family member through the process of property investing.
Lafina joins this episode of the 15 Minutes with the Doctor podcast. She is a GP trainee, co-founder of Eurekadoc, and host of the new Health Meets Home podcast. Lafina has found a lot of benefit in her unconventional career path, and she hopes that Eurekadoc can provide resources for other doctors to enhance their professional skills in a similar way. She shares her journey with us into how and why they built Eurekadoc and her passion for property investing. Lafina wants fellow doctors to have happier and more diverse medical careers. - Eurekadoc wants to help people distill their passions and be encouraged to follow them, even if this seems less conventional. - They want to continue to curate resources that are alternatives to practicing medicine traditionally. This allows doctors to be more autonomous, not relying so much on “the system.” “Eurekadoc was born of my own experience of taking quite a diverse career path.” She has seen first-hand the benefits of synergy between industries. - Lafina and her co-founder Aroon dabbled in the fields of property investing and management consulting respectively. They realised that other doctors could benefit from the broader skillsets they had learned outside the medical profession. - Eurekadoc aims to provide medical education and training based on the comprehensive perspectives of other industries. - Lafina encourages interested doctors to look into the NHS Clinical Entrepreneurship Program and other Fellowships in the area for business focused opportunities. “Eurekadoc helps individuals design careers that work for them really well professionally as well as personally.” She has seen first-hand the benefits of synergy between industries. - Lafina and her co-founder Aroon dabbled in the fields of property investing and management consulting respectively. They realised that other doctors could benefit from the broader skillsets they had learned outside the medical profession. - Eurekadoc aims to provide medical education and training based on the comprehensive perspectives of other industries. - Lafina encourages interested doctors to look into the NHS Clinical Entrepreneurship Program and other Fellowships in the area for business focused opportunities. She has seen first-hand the benefits of synergy between industries. - Lafina and her co-founder Aroon dabbled in the fields of property investing and management consulting respectively. They realised that other doctors could benefit from the broader skillsets they had learned outside the medical profession. - Eurekadoc aims to provide medical education and training based on the comprehensive perspectives of other industries. - Lafina encourages interested doctors to look into the NHS Clinical Entrepreneurship Program and other Fellowships in the area for business focused opportunities. “Eurekadoc helps individuals design careers that work for them really well professionally as well as personally.” Eurekadoc provides dozens of courses and resources. - More than 2,000 people have been trained by Eurekadoc’s webinars, workshops, conferences, and coaching. - Lafina’s book, “Property Investing For Doctors”, and several niche career guides are available. - Many people have benefitted from the Mini-MBA course available through Eurekadoc, it gives participants an idea of what an MBA program entails before they decide to pursue it. - Topics include: property, holistic needs, business, finance, management, leadership, management consulting, transforming your career, wellness/mindfulness, and healthcare innovation. “By diversifying our skills and varying our roles a little bit, actually changing things up can really energise and make you feel more satisfied, more in control of what is going on in your career.” Lafina is very passionate about property investing. - Her passion started after she helped a family member through the process of property investing.
On this episode of 15 minutes with the Doctor, we have Dr Amal Lad, a doctor and musician who is bridging the gap between Medicine and Music. He has found his “sweet spot” in understanding the body while integrating his musical skills into medical projects. Learn about his thoughts on music as therapy, opportunities for financial income, and his future plans. - Amal is a self-taught musician. As a self-taught musician working towards his creative potential, he found that studying medicine was the best way to engage the analytical side of his brain. While studying medicine, he found that he learned best by integrating music into his learning as much as possible. “I never set out to be a musician, but I have always been a musician.” - There is a growing body of evidence-based research on the connection between music and overall wellbeing. Music therapy is growing in acclaim as it continues to aid patients in maintaining a healthy lifestyle through mindfulness and even in prevention. Amal recognises that it will be important to leverage all available media outlets to have the greatest impact. “Across the world, music helps people through the darkest times, the most jubilant times, the wide range of human emotions.” - Amal has gained some widespread recognition for his work. During a TEDx talk through the NHS, he created a piece of music using the sound and rhythm of his heartbeat to demonstrate the musical potential of the body. When his mother was diagnosed with a brain tumor, he worked with her to help her put a sound to her symptoms with the hope that it would reduce her anxiety and hopelessness. He noticed great improvement with her and began recommending this treatment to others. He was chosen to be a part of the Chelsea and Westminster hospital Arts Charity program, art pieces throughout the hospital were paired with unique music pieces that accompany them. This encourages patients to mobilise and continue their improvement by engaging with the arts. “A 3-minute track of mine is an opportunity to have a conversation with somebody in the same way that a doctor has a 10-minute consultation.” - He has released an album on Spotify and wants to further integrate music into his profession once he completes his GP training. Amal recognises the difficulties of being a musician, he plans to complete his GP training and then practice medicine several days a week while focusing on his music and helping others through it on the remaining days. “Music gives people an informal and lighthearted way of feeling more connected and being able to express themselves.” Links: http://www.amallad.com/
On this episode of 15 minutes with the Doctor, we have Dr Amal Lad, a doctor and musician who is bridging the gap between Medicine and Music. He has found his “sweet spot” in understanding the body while integrating his musical skills into medical projects. Learn about his thoughts on music as therapy, opportunities for financial income, and his future plans. - Amal is a self-taught musician. As a self-taught musician working towards his creative potential, he found that studying medicine was the best way to engage the analytical side of his brain. While studying medicine, he found that he learned best by integrating music into his learning as much as possible. “I never set out to be a musician, but I have always been a musician.” - There is a growing body of evidence-based research on the connection between music and overall wellbeing. Music therapy is growing in acclaim as it continues to aid patients in maintaining a healthy lifestyle through mindfulness and even in prevention. Amal recognises that it will be important to leverage all available media outlets to have the greatest impact. “Across the world, music helps people through the darkest times, the most jubilant times, the wide range of human emotions.” - Amal has gained some widespread recognition for his work. During a TEDx talk through the NHS, he created a piece of music using the sound and rhythm of his heartbeat to demonstrate the musical potential of the body. When his mother was diagnosed with a brain tumor, he worked with her to help her put a sound to her symptoms with the hope that it would reduce her anxiety and hopelessness. He noticed great improvement with her and began recommending this treatment to others. He was chosen to be a part of the Chelsea and Westminster hospital Arts Charity program, art pieces throughout the hospital were paired with unique music pieces that accompany them. This encourages patients to mobilise and continue their improvement by engaging with the arts. “A 3-minute track of mine is an opportunity to have a conversation with somebody in the same way that a doctor has a 10-minute consultation.” - He has released an album on Spotify and wants to further integrate music into his profession once he completes his GP training. Amal recognises the difficulties of being a musician, he plans to complete his GP training and then practice medicine several days a week while focusing on his music and helping others through it on the remaining days. “Music gives people an informal and lighthearted way of feeling more connected and being able to express themselves.” Links: http://www.amallad.com/
On this episode, we are joined by Dr Paul Upton from Ultramed. Paul was the first guest on the show and he discussed MyPreOp – A digital platform built to improve pre-operative assessment for patients and hospitals. Paul returns to the show to discuss what’s happened over the last 18 months, his challenges and successes. All is revealed in this episode. - What is MyPreOp? - How have the results been? - Why aren’t more hospitals using it with more of their patients? - What kinds of recognition has the technology received? - What are the plans for growth? - What would Paul do differently as a medical director after his experience with the Ultramed technology? What is MyPreOp? MyPreOp is an online cloud-based form into which patients enter their own medical data as part of the pre-operative assessment process. This includes standard medical history and other relevant questions which would normally be asked by a nurse in person, but do not usually require an in-person evaluation. The widespread implementation of this assessment could reduce the number of appointments that are necessary for hospitals and patients, while maintaining and even improving the quality of care provided. How have the results been? MyPreOp has been adopted by 8 hospitals, and assessments have been completed by 4,000 patients in the past 18 months. They have received positive feedback from patients, nurses, and anaesthetists. This feedback and continual improvement has resulted in 73 versions of the assessment tool so far. As expected, improvements will continue to come with the adoption of more hospitals and more patient use. Why aren’t more hospitals using it with more of their patients? “It is no secret that many people are resistant to changes to any kind of process, so to this point, the hospitals that have adopted the assessment have only been sending the form to small groups of their patients to test its effectiveness.” Paul and his team believe that patients and nurses are more than capable of handling this shift in procedure if they are given the chance. Even those patients who are not familiar with technology or do not primarily speak English, may prefer filling out the assessment with the assistance of a family member at home to potentially avoid a hospital visit. What kinds of recognition has the technology received? “This technology is ready for widespread adoption into the NHS.” Ultramed has been termed a “commercial supplier” under the UK Government G-Cloud 10 framework, which smooths the procurement route for hospitals who want to purchase MyPreOp. The company has also recently been accepted into the Digital Health Accelerator Program through the Academic Health Sciences Network. This provides opportunities for networking and collaboration with like-minded innovators in the health and care industry. What are the plans for growth? Paul and his team want to change the way that patients receive access to the assessment. Rather than hospitals choosing a small group who will use the form, Paul would prefer that every patient given the opportunity. They estimate that 40% of patients will fill out the assessment prior to their appointments, and that 35% of those patients may not need to come to the typical appointment as a result of the process. “It takes 17 years after something is found to be innovative and useful for it to get halfway through the NHS.” What would Paul do differently as a medical director after his experience with the Ultramed technology? Paul would have spent more time looking around for and learning about innovations in the industry that could have helped him as a medical director. The NHS system is under such high pressure that it often does not even seem feasible to spend time looking, let alone considering implementing a change in procedure, but it could have saved a lot of time and energy. “What you have to do when you want to change management is relieve pressure firs...
On this episode, we are joined by Dr Paul Upton from Ultramed. Paul was the first guest on the show and he discussed MyPreOp – A digital platform built to improve pre-operative assessment for patients and hospitals. Paul returns to the show to discuss what’s happened over the last 18 months, his challenges and successes. All is revealed in this episode. - What is MyPreOp? - How have the results been? - Why aren’t more hospitals using it with more of their patients? - What kinds of recognition has the technology received? - What are the plans for growth? - What would Paul do differently as a medical director after his experience with the Ultramed technology? What is MyPreOp? MyPreOp is an online cloud-based form into which patients enter their own medical data as part of the pre-operative assessment process. This includes standard medical history and other relevant questions which would normally be asked by a nurse in person, but do not usually require an in-person evaluation. The widespread implementation of this assessment could reduce the number of appointments that are necessary for hospitals and patients, while maintaining and even improving the quality of care provided. How have the results been? MyPreOp has been adopted by 8 hospitals, and assessments have been completed by 4,000 patients in the past 18 months. They have received positive feedback from patients, nurses, and anaesthetists. This feedback and continual improvement has resulted in 73 versions of the assessment tool so far. As expected, improvements will continue to come with the adoption of more hospitals and more patient use. Why aren’t more hospitals using it with more of their patients? “It is no secret that many people are resistant to changes to any kind of process, so to this point, the hospitals that have adopted the assessment have only been sending the form to small groups of their patients to test its effectiveness.” Paul and his team believe that patients and nurses are more than capable of handling this shift in procedure if they are given the chance. Even those patients who are not familiar with technology or do not primarily speak English, may prefer filling out the assessment with the assistance of a family member at home to potentially avoid a hospital visit. What kinds of recognition has the technology received? “This technology is ready for widespread adoption into the NHS.” Ultramed has been termed a “commercial supplier” under the UK Government G-Cloud 10 framework, which smooths the procurement route for hospitals who want to purchase MyPreOp. The company has also recently been accepted into the Digital Health Accelerator Program through the Academic Health Sciences Network. This provides opportunities for networking and collaboration with like-minded innovators in the health and care industry. What are the plans for growth? Paul and his team want to change the way that patients receive access to the assessment. Rather than hospitals choosing a small group who will use the form, Paul would prefer that every patient given the opportunity. They estimate that 40% of patients will fill out the assessment prior to their appointments, and that 35% of those patients may not need to come to the typical appointment as a result of the process. “It takes 17 years after something is found to be innovative and useful for it to get halfway through the NHS.” What would Paul do differently as a medical director after his experience with the Ultramed technology? Paul would have spent more time looking around for and learning about innovations in the industry that could have helped him as a medical director. The NHS system is under such high pressure that it often does not even seem feasible to spend time looking, let alone considering implementing a change in procedure, but it could have saved a lot of time and energy. “What you have to do when you want to change management is relieve pressure firs...
On this special masterclass episode, we are joined by Phil, a patent attorney with a company called EIP. It’s a longer than usual episode but it covers the essentials in regards to patents. Phil gives us a concise but thorough description of patents, the process for being granted a patent, and some useful guidelines and tips for healthcare entrepreneurs and innovators. What you will learn in this episode: - Patent defined - What can be patented? - When is the ideal time to patent? - Patent process - Costs associated with patenting - Advice for those considering submitting a patent application - Patent defined • A patent is an exclusive right to stop others from exploiting your invention. • An invention is a technical solution to a technical problem; of an industrial nature including functionality, construction, process, or chemicals. - What can be patented? • Any invention with an industrial application, which can include the technical aspects of software. - When is the ideal time to patent? • It is never too early to submit a patent application, but it can be too late. • You must consider strategic factors including the stage of development, the availability of funding, the availability of resources from suppliers, and the willingness of distributors to carry the product. - Patent process • Secure a patent attorney to draft the patent application – It is often to challenging to do yourself. • File a priority application through your patent office. • After a 12 month waiting period, you can then request a search and preliminary opinion to determine if the invention is protectable and then submit a priority claiming application which can include additional information. • After approximately 12 more months, you can submit international applications in the countries where you would like for the patent to be granted, after which the agencies will conduct a thorough investigation of your invention’s viability for patenting. • Next, your patent will be examined and you can submit arguments and amendments until your patent meets requirements. • Finally, you will be subject to various fees after which your patent will be granted. - Costs associated with patenting • You will encounter costs at each stage of the patenting process, ranging from £4,000-£15,000, you also need to account for the renewal and maintenance fees that you will incur during the 20 year patent. - Advice for those considering submitting a patent application • Consider keeping your idea secret until it is protected; be cautious using crowdfunding sites to raise funds if you disclose too much information. • Choose your patent attorney and business advisors carefully, and have them sign Non-Disclosure Agreements. • Determine who actually owns the patented material; this could save you from trouble down the road. • Before you begin this lengthy and expensive process, consider whether applying for a Registered Design or a Trademark could better meet your needs instead. Key Quotes and Links: “The patent gives technical protection to the person who has filed the patent.” “It is important to work out how far along in your development you are and make a strategic choice about when to file your patent application.” “What’s termed ‘state of the art’ is everything that is available at the date that the patent application was made.” UKIPO: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/intellectual-property-office EIP: https://www.eip.com/
On this special masterclass episode, we are joined by Phil, a patent attorney with a company called EIP. It’s a longer than usual episode but it covers the essentials in regards to patents. Phil gives us a concise but thorough description of patents, the process for being granted a patent, and some useful guidelines and tips for healthcare entrepreneurs and innovators. What you will learn in this episode: - Patent defined - What can be patented? - When is the ideal time to patent? - Patent process - Costs associated with patenting - Advice for those considering submitting a patent application - Patent defined • A patent is an exclusive right to stop others from exploiting your invention. • An invention is a technical solution to a technical problem; of an industrial nature including functionality, construction, process, or chemicals. - What can be patented? • Any invention with an industrial application, which can include the technical aspects of software. - When is the ideal time to patent? • It is never too early to submit a patent application, but it can be too late. • You must consider strategic factors including the stage of development, the availability of funding, the availability of resources from suppliers, and the willingness of distributors to carry the product. - Patent process • Secure a patent attorney to draft the patent application – It is often to challenging to do yourself. • File a priority application through your patent office. • After a 12 month waiting period, you can then request a search and preliminary opinion to determine if the invention is protectable and then submit a priority claiming application which can include additional information. • After approximately 12 more months, you can submit international applications in the countries where you would like for the patent to be granted, after which the agencies will conduct a thorough investigation of your invention’s viability for patenting. • Next, your patent will be examined and you can submit arguments and amendments until your patent meets requirements. • Finally, you will be subject to various fees after which your patent will be granted. - Costs associated with patenting • You will encounter costs at each stage of the patenting process, ranging from £4,000-£15,000, you also need to account for the renewal and maintenance fees that you will incur during the 20 year patent. - Advice for those considering submitting a patent application • Consider keeping your idea secret until it is protected; be cautious using crowdfunding sites to raise funds if you disclose too much information. • Choose your patent attorney and business advisors carefully, and have them sign Non-Disclosure Agreements. • Determine who actually owns the patented material; this could save you from trouble down the road. • Before you begin this lengthy and expensive process, consider whether applying for a Registered Design or a Trademark could better meet your needs instead. Key Quotes and Links: “The patent gives technical protection to the person who has filed the patent.” “It is important to work out how far along in your development you are and make a strategic choice about when to file your patent application.” “What’s termed ‘state of the art’ is everything that is available at the date that the patent application was made.” UKIPO: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/intellectual-property-office EIP: https://www.eip.com/
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