Bodies, Data and Care

Oral health is often treated as secondary in healthcare — but what happens when access to dentists is extremely limited?In this episode of Bodies, Data & Care, Sasha Sternik speaks with Abdul-Rahman Abidemi, founder of Dentnoor, an AI-powered oral health assistant designed for African markets. In some regions, there is only one dentist for every 156,000 people, making preventive care and education critical.Instead of focusing on diagnostics or replacing doctors, Dentnoor uses AI to guide users toward better habits, provide reminders, and connect them with dental professionals when needed.Sasha and Abdul-Rahman discuss why scaling healthcare doesn’t always mean building more hospitals, the importance of behaviour change in preventive care, and why many health technologies fail when they ignore the realities of the communities they serve.

In this episode of Bodies, Data & Care, Sasha speaks with Amit Solanki — a scientist-turned social worker-in-training whose work spans engineering, mindfulness-based practice, and geriatric care.They explore why more technology doesn’t automatically mean better care, and why tech can sometimes reduce pain while failing to reduce suffering. From the ground level of elder services, Amit shares how older adults get locked out of support systems not because they don’t want help, but because the systems are too complex — from navigating MassHealth/Medicaid and SNAP benefits to simply getting a phone set up.The conversation moves through administrative friction, loneliness, AI perception, and the overlooked role of dignity and human connection in building tools for ageing populations — with one clear takeaway: if technology is going to belong in care, it should amplify human connection, not replace it.

Why do so many promising healthcare technologies never reach patients?In this episode of Bodies, Data & Care, Sasha Sternik speaks with Dr Sadakatali Gori, a scientist and medical innovator with experience across academia, pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, and medical devices.They unpack why pharmaceutical development is slow and risk-heavy by design, why medical devices move faster but often lose focus, and where healthcare innovation most often breaks down — from commercialisation timing to regulatory strategy and market fit.The conversation also explores how founders can test demand in regulated markets, what post-market failures teach us about safety and incentives, and where AI is truly transforming medtech — versus where it’s being dangerously overhyped.A clear, insider look at how healthcare innovation actually works.

Healthcare systems across Europe and beyond are reaching a breaking point: fewer doctors, rising chronic disease, skyrocketing costs, and incentives that reward treatment rather than actual health. In this episode, Sasha speaks with Noah Petermann, co-founder of Aniva Health, about why the system is structurally failing — and why data-driven, personalised prevention may be the only viable path forward.Noah breaks down the 30–40-year lag between scientific breakthroughs and patient access, the limitations of current medical reference ranges (especially for women), and how digital twins, biomarkers, and machine learning can help people understand their bodies at a much deeper level.We also explore affordability, cross-country operations in Germany and Finland, and what it takes to build an end-to-end care model that truly centres the patient.A grounded, high-signal conversation about the future of care — and what needs to change before it’s too late.

What makes AI clinically safe? And why are LLMs so hard to control?In this episode, I’m joined by Garvita Baldua, founder of Supertubos AI and one of the leading voices in clinical data quality and AI evaluation. We explore why data mixtures matter, why mislabeled datasets degrade performance, what “human-in-the-loop” really means, and how we should regulate models operating in hospitals.Garvita also raises a critical emerging issue: the emotional dependency people form with LLMs — and why this poses new safety and mental-health risks.If you care about trustworthy AI, safety, or the future of healthcare, this conversation is essential.

Autism therapists are overwhelmed: 50-hour weeks, endless documentation, shifting insurance rules, and too little time for the children and families they support.In this episode, Sasha Sternik speaks with Alex Cherkasov and Dr. Dmitry Geft, co-founders of Autismify, a platform designed to reduce therapist burnout, streamline admin work, and make caregiver training more effective.We discuss how to build technology that supports — not replaces — clinical judgment, what happens when early product assumptions fail, and how to handle sensitive developmental data responsibly.You’ll hear about:• What ABA therapists actually need (vs. what tech assumes they need)• How to automate admin work without touching the human core of therapy• Designing for caregivers who are already at capacity• Real impact: time saved, better alignment, and more confident familiesA concise, honest look at innovation in autism care — and the balance between compassion and automation.

Venture capital runs on speed. Medicine runs on evidence.So how do you build health innovation when the timelines couldn’t be more different?In this episode of Bodies, Data & Care, Sasha Sternik speaks with Dr. Prapthi Bathini and Lawrence Maina of Chaanakya Capital, a VC fund investing at the intersection of neurotech, medicine, and early-stage innovation.Together, they explore what makes a health or neurotech startup truly credible — scientifically, commercially, and ethically.From “back-casting” investment timelines to designing funding models that match the pace of evidence, this conversation unpacks how investors and clinicians can finally speak the same language.If you’re curious about where healthtech is really heading — beyond buzzwords and hype — this episode is for you.

In this episode of Bodies, Data & Care, Sasha Sternik speaks with Amrita Sarkar, economist and founder of Ovviia, a reproductive-health startup using data and biomarkers to help individuals and couples understand their fertility long before problems arise. Amrita shares how her personal journey inspired Ovviia, why fertility conversations must include men, and how AI and transparent algorithms can empower proactive, stigma-free reproductive care.