The Healthcare Theory Podcast

Today’s guest is Wardah Inam, Founder & CEO of Overjet, who began her career with a PhD at MIT and is bringing that research into healthcare to rethink how dental diagnostics are done.In this episode, we explore why diagnostics in dentistry have historically been inconsistent and how variation across providers impacts both trust and outcomes. We discuss how turning X-rays into measurable data can shift care from subjective interpretation to more standardized decision-making. We also dive into the operational side of healthcare—how documentation, insurance, and administrative workflows shape what care actually gets delivered. Finally, we look ahead at a future where diagnostics are continuous, transparent, and integrated into broader health, rather than something patients only encounter when something goes wrong.

In this episode, we’re joined by Victor Hunt, co-founder and CEO of Zingage, a platform focused on fixing the logistics behind home care delivery.We start by diving into his background and how growing up around a home care business shaped the way he thinks about healthcare. From there, we explore why home care is evolving into a core distribution layer for the entire healthcare system. We break down the real bottleneck in the space—not a lack of caregivers, but the complexity of coordinating them at scale. Finally, we discuss how AI can unlock that constraint and what the future looks like as more care shifts into the home.

Dr. Jonathan Usuka, CEO of Sapient Bio, is building high-dimensional proteomics platforms to help pharma understand disease at the molecular level and develop more targeted therapies.With a career spanning early computational genomics during the Human Genome Project, to R&D roles at Roche and Celgene, and later pharmaceutical analytics at McKinsey, he has consistently worked at the intersection of biology and data. In this episode, we explore the shift from organ-based definitions of disease to biomarker-driven subtypes and ultimately toward truly personalized medicine. We discuss why proteins and metabolites—not just DNA—are key to understanding what’s actually happening inside patients in real time. We also dive into how AI is unlocking massive amounts of clinical data and why the biggest bottlenecks today lie in clinical trials, patient identification, and making sense of increasingly complex biological systems.

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Craig Mermel, President and Chief Product Officer at Precision Neuroscience, a company building non-invasive brain-computer interfaces that translate neural signals to restore neurological function for patients.Craig began his career as an MD-PhD at Harvard, where he studied at the intersection of biology and computation during the early genomics revolution. We talk about how that experience shaped his view that biology is increasingly becoming a data problem, and how that perspective carried into his work at Apple and Google. He breaks down what brain-computer interfaces actually are, the tradeoffs between different approaches, and why you don’t need perfect neural data to drive meaningful outcomes. Ultimately, this conversation explores how turning signals from genes to neurons into computable data is shaping the future of healthcare.

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Francisco Alvarez, a doctor and Chief Medical Officer at Regard, to explore a fresh perspective on how AI is actually being used inside real hospital workflows.We start by breaking down what it really feels like to practice medicine today: navigating fragmented systems and overwhelming amounts of patient data. We then dive into how Regard is building AI tools to surface insights, streamline documentation, and reduce the cognitive burden on clinicians. We also discuss why physicians aren’t looking to be replaced, but instead want better tools to support their decision-making. Finally, we explore the deeper structural challenges in healthcare, from interoperability to misaligned incentives, and what it will take for AI to truly improve patient care.

In this episode of The Healthcare Theory, we sit down with Nish, co-founder and CEO of Bunker Hill Health, a Seqouia-backed startup working to solve one of the biggest bottlenecks in healthcare innovation: translating AI research into real-world clinical tools.Before founding Bunker Hill Health, Nish was an AI researcher at Stanford, where he helped develop algorithms designed to identify cardiovascular risk from existing medical scans. While the model worked technically, it exposed a deeper issue - deploying AI in hospitals is often far harder than building the algorithm itself. We explore why healthcare systems struggle to adopt new technologies, the hidden operational and organizational barriers that prevent AI from being implemented, and why many venture-backed healthcare AI startups underestimate the difficulty of integration. Nish also explains Bunker Hill Health’s approach: building a platform and consortium of leading academic medical centers to help validate, regulate, and commercialize medical AI models so they can actually reach clinical practice.

In this episode, Dr. Francesca Beaudoin - emergency physician, clinical epidemiologist, and Dean of the School of Public Health at Brown University - joins us to examine the next phase of the American opioid crisis. We begin with her firsthand experience on the frontlines of emergency medicine, where she witnessed the shift from prescription opioids to a fentanyl-dominated drug supply, and how that transformation reshaped overdose care in real time. From there, Dr. Beaudoin shares why emergency departments represent a critical intervention window, and how mobile opioid treatment programs are expanding access to life-saving medications like methadone. We also explore the deeper structural drivers of addiction and why lasting recovery requires more than acute stabilization. Ultimately, this conversation reframes the opioid crisis not just as a public health emergency, but as a systems-level challenge that demands coordinated policy, clinical, and community solutions.

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Amit Etkin, founder and CEO of Alto Neuroscience ($450m, NYSE: ANRO) and former tenured professor at Stanford, to explore the emerging field of precision psychiatry. Instead of treating diagnoses as single diseases, Alto is using brain-based biomarkers, including EEG, cognitive testing, and machine learning, to identify which patients are most likely to respond to specific treatments. We discuss why psychiatry has historically lagged behind fields like oncology, how the DSM was never designed to reflect biology, and what it will take to move beyond trial-and-error drug development. We also dive into Alto’s clinical pipeline, including programs in treatment-resistant depression and cognitive impairment in schizophrenia — one of the most overlooked unmet needs in medicine.

Today's guest is the CEO of Vida Health, Joe Murad, who's raised over $200 million to build an integrated model for chronic care. A serial healthcare entrepreneur, he's served as CEO of PokitDok and WithMe Health, giving him a rare systems-level view of how healthcare actually works.In this episode, we unpack why healthcare doesn’t simply suffer from a lack of technology, but from fragmented incentives and broken accountability. Joe explains how most innovation today stacks point solutions rather than fixing the underlying structure of care. We discuss why no one truly owns the full patient journey — and why that failure is especially costly in chronic disease and mental health. Finally, we explore how integrated, value-based models may offer a path toward real longitudinal accountability and better outcomes.

In this episode, we're speaking with Dr. Bapu Jena — a Harvard physician-economist and former host of Freakonomics, MD — to explore the hidden forces that shape how medicine actually works. Drawing from his research and his book Random Acts of Medicine, Dr. Jena explains how healthcare's interactions with chance and incentives aren't always intuitive.The conversation spans natural experiments in healthcare, why more care isn’t always better care, how physician training and demographics can affect outcomes, and what we often misunderstand when we read medical studies or headlines. Along the way, Dr. Jena shares how curiosity (not policy agendas) has driven his work, and why asking the right questions matters more than having easy answers. This episode is a deep dive into the “Freakonomics of Medicine," and a reminder that understanding healthcare requires looking beyond intuition, averages, and assumptions.

Today's guest is Jennifer Byrne, a veteran clinical research leader and CEO of Javara, an integrated research organization that has raised over $100 million to modernize how clinical trials are run inside health systems. Drawing on nearly three decades of experience, Jennifer explains why clinical trials remain largely invisible to patients and clinicians, despite being central to drug and device development. The conversation unpacks how changes in healthcare delivery, increasing trial complexity, and physician burnout have made access to research harder rather than easier. We also explore why patient recruitment isn’t just a technology problem, but a question of trust, infrastructure, and incentives. Ultimately, this episode reframes clinical trials not as a niche research activity, but as a core part of public health, and a test of whether innovation in medicine is truly accessible.

We're speaking with Dr. Benjamin Sommers, a primary care physician, Harvard health economist, and former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health Policy at HHS, about Medicaid’s role as America’s health care safety net. Drawing on more than a decade of research and firsthand experience inside government, Dr. Sommers explains what the evidence actually shows about Medicaid expansion, access to care, and lives saved. The conversation unpacks why Medicaid doesn’t reduce spending, but remains one of the most cost-effective ways to improve population health. They also explore the unintended consequences of work requirements and resulting administrative barriers. Ultimately, this episode reframes Medicaid not as a political talking point, but as a foundational pillar of the U.S. social safety net, and a test of how we decide who deserves care.

In this episode, we’re joined by Erez Druk, founder and CEO of Freed, to explore what happens when healthcare technology is built for clinicians: not hospitals, payers, or administrators.Erez shares the lessons from his first startup, why “who you build for” is the most important decision a founder can make, and how watching physician burnout up close through his wife and close friends in medicine led to the creation of Freed. We dive into why clinician burnout is a structural problem, how misaligned incentives and system complexity drive doctors out of medicine, and why AI may be one of the few tools capable of absorbing the complexity humans shouldn’t have to carry. The conversation also covers product-led growth in healthcare, building technology clinicians actually love, and what a truly clinician-first healthcare system could look like over the next decade.

In this episode, we sit down with Iman Abuzeid, physician turned founder and CEO of Incredible Health, the $1.7B AI-powered platform transforming how nurses get hired in the U.S. We explore how a broken hiring system—and not a lack of workers—sits at the center of healthcare’s staffing crisis.We discuss why healthcare faces one of the most severe labor shortages in the country, despite being its largest employer. Iman shares how a failed first startup helped her find a clearer North Star and led to building a two-sided marketplace where employers apply to nurses. We also break down how Incredible Health is embedding AI into hiring—from AI career agents that help nurses prepare for interviews to AI interviewers that dramatically speed up hospital hiring timelines. Finally, we examine why AI in healthcare works best when it changes job descriptions rather than replacing people—and what that means for the future of healthcare work.

In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Ami Bhatt, a cardiologist who practiced for years at MGH and now serves as the Chair of the FDA's Digital Health Advisory Committee and CIO of the ACC Dr. Bhatt brings a rare perspective of how digital health can navigate clinical care, AI, and regulation.We explore why modern healthcare feels increasingly strained despite unprecedented advances in data and technology, and how the explosion of information has pushed medicine beyond what any human can reasonably process alone. Dr. Bhatt explains where AI is already creating real value, particularly in administrative workflows and diagnostics, and why its most important role is augmenting clinicians rather than replacing them. Finally, we look ahead to what the future could hold: from AI-enabled clinicians and personalized health baselines to digital twins and a more patient-centered, preventive healthcare system.

Developing a vaccine is one challenge. Delivering it to billions is another entirely. Dr. Seth Berkley, former CEO of Gavi, joins us to unpack his new book Fair Doses, which discusses the hidden systems, politics, and economics behind global immunization.Gavi’s work has helped deliver over 7 billion vaccine doses and immunize more than 3 billion children, reshaping access across the world’s poorest regions. Dr. Berkley explains why vaccine mistrust has persisted for centuries, and why today’s misinformation environment is uniquely dangerous. He breaks down how Gavi’s alliance model coordinates WHO, UNICEF, and manufacturers to move vaccines across continents. We also go inside COVAX, from vaccine nationalism to the supply-chain barriers that defined COVID-19 distribution. Finally, Dr. Berkley looks ahead to how mRNA, synthetic biology, and AI could transform our response to the pandemics to come.

We're sitting down with Gary Daniels, the former CEO of UnitedHealthcare and now Chief Growth Officer at Thatch, a consumer-centric health benefits startup reshaping how employers fund coverage through ICHRAs and modern infrastructure.In this episode, Gary breaks down the hidden mechanics of the U.S. insurance system: why employer-sponsored coverage often fails the individual and how different lines of business create massive structural complexity. He walks through the industry’s biggest shifts over the past decade, from the rise of self-funding to ACA dynamics, reimbursement cuts, and the role of vertical integration. We discuss why the real failure point in healthcare is transactional infrastructure, not just policy design, and why ICHRAs unlock consumer choice for the first time. Finally, Gary explains why he left a top role at United to join a startup, and why he believes the future of insurance will be built on transparency, choice, and AI-powered operations.

Today’s guest is Tylon Wang, co-founder and CEO of Angle Health - an AI-native health plan that raised a $60m Series A with one goal: rebuild health plans from the ground up.Ty shares how early experiences in engineering and federal government work shaped his problem-solving mindset, and how his time at Palantir exposed the deep fragmentation and misaligned incentives inside large healthcare organizations. We discuss why legacy insurers can’t innovate, how Angle built an AI-native full-stack health plan with a canonical data model, and why alternative funding models are reshaping employer-sponsored coverage. If you want a clear look at the future of payers, data infrastructure, and tech-enabled care, this episode is for you.

In this episode, we’re speaking with Dr. Mark Pauly, - a founding figures of modern health economics - about how we can build a better healthcare and insurance system.From the origins of moral hazard to the political journey of the individual mandate, Dr. Pauly explains how policy choices ripple across the system. He breaks down why healthcare markets defy Econ 101 logic, why costs feel higher even when spending has flattened, and how externalities, from contagion to altruism, justify public involvement. He also reveals why tax subsidies for employer insurance quietly distort the market more than most people realize, and why fixing incentives may matter more than any new program.

In this episode, we're speaking with Dr. Maria Polyakova, Professor of Health Policy and Economics at Stanford, about how insurance design influences far more than access to healthcare.  Simply put, what if health insurance isn’t just about paying for care, but it's one of the biggest levers shaping the economy itself?From Germany’s expansion of long-term care insurance that unexpectedly reduced unemployment, to IVF coverage that reshaped who gets to have children, Dr. Polyakova reveals how health policy acts as both economic stimulus and social design. She also explores why inefficiency, not just ideology, is one of the greatest barriers to reform in the U.S., and why fixing administrative waste might do more for Americans than any new program.

Today's guest is Cedric Kovacs-Johnson, the founder and CEO of Flume Health - a software platform that orchestrates data through a universal translation layer for payers. We discuss the administration problem in healthcare, Flume's product Relay, and why over 80% of enterprise data in healthcare is locked inside disconnected systems.Cedric shares how his sister’s healthcare journey revealed the true bottleneck in care - the administrative web behind coverage decisions - and how Flume’s platform is helping health plans and vendors speak the same data language. We talk about what happens when innovation meets legacy infrastructure, why trust and simplicity are the keys to unlocking progress, and how startups can bring clarity to one of the world’s most jargon-filled industries. Cedric also reflects on his transition from 3D printing to healthcare and what it takes to turn complex systems into simple, human solutions.

In this episode, we sit down with Ashok Subramanian, founder and CEO of Centivo, a company rebuilding employer-based healthcare to make it radically more affordable. Before founding Centivo, Ashok launched Liazon, a benefits marketplace acquired by Willis Towers Watson, and began his career at McKinsey.Ashok shares how Centivo is tackling the root causes of rising healthcare costs by centering plans around primary care, eliminating deductibles, and aligning incentives between employers, employees, and providers. He explains why the current “one-size-fits-all” model of employer coverage fails a diverse workforce, and how a more personalized, coordinated approach can improve both cost and quality. Finally, Ashok offers a vision for the future of employer-based care: one where affordability, access, and trust define the healthcare experience.

Dr. Katherine Baicker is the Provost of the University of Chicago and one of the most respected voices in health economics. Dr. Baicker explains that we shouldn't just be asking if healthcare is a right. It's time to set a coverage floor based on "how much of a right it is."As a former member of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers and Principal Investigator for the Oregon Health Insurance Experiment, Dr. Baicker explores what makes the U.S. healthcare system so complex — and why comparisons to other countries often miss the mark.  She discusses her vision for a “Medicaid-for-All” model that balances universal access with innovation and fiscal sustainability. Finally, we dive into how economics can help us navigate the hard trade-offs between equity, efficiency, and innovation in healthcare’s future.

Syam Palakurthy is the CEO of SamaCare, a platform simplifying the prior authorization process for healthcare providers, payers, and patients. Last year, his team raised a $17M Series B with the goal of making paying for healthcare as simple as a credit card swipe.In this episode, we explore how Syam went from Bain & Company and ClearCost Health to tackling one of healthcare’s most hated administrative burdens. He breaks down why prior authorization exists, why it’s so entrenched in our system, and what it would take to increase transparency. We talk about the coordination failures across insurers, providers, and pharma companies - and how AI and automation are finally closing those gaps. Syam also shares how scaling a solution in such a fragmented ecosystem requires both deep empathy for providers and a systems-level understanding of healthcare economics.

Today's guest, Dr. Joseph Newhouse, is a longtime Harvard professor whose research has shaped U.S. health policy for decades. He is best known for leading the RAND Health Insurance Experiment, the largest study ever conducted on health insurance and cost-sharing.In this episode, we explore the story behind the RAND experiment - how it came to be, the challenges it faced, and what its findings revealed about how patients respond to cost-sharing. Dr. Newhouse explains why more care doesn’t always mean better health, and why outcomes varied so sharply for low-income patients with chronic conditions. We also discuss how RAND’s lessons still influence today’s debates over Medicaid, Medicare, and employer insurance, and where he thinks the study’s findings hold true. Finally, Dr. Newhouse reflects on what he might change if the experiment were run today, including how Medicare and value-based insurance design could be studied in new ways.

In this episode, we sit down with Professor Dr. Carol Heimer, a sociologist whose pioneering book Reactive Risk and Rational Action reshaped how scholars think about insurance, trust, and moral hazard. We chat about how concepts like moral hazard can affect consumers and physicians, and why insurance rules often lead to both overuse and underuse of care.Dr. Heimer offers a rare lens on the U.S. healthcare system, explaining how insurer rules and reimbursement policies can affect medical practice and change physician discretion. We also discuss her research on neonatal intensive care units, where she shows how financial incentives, hospital policies, and insurance decisions shape care for critically ill infants, leaving parents to navigate trade-offs between quality and coverage. We close with her reflections on how healthcare is fundamentally interdependent, and why rethinking who sets the rules could help us build a fairer, more functional system of care.See more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_Heimer

In this episode, we sit down with Professor Dr. Ricardo Nuila, the best-selling author of The People's Hospital, which discusses Dr. Nuila’s experience as a physician at Houston’s Ben Taub Hospital, the difficulties of accessing healthcare in the US, and his vision for a more equitable health insurance model.Dr. Nuila shares his journey from a three-generation medical family to working at Houston’s largest safety-net hospital, where patients can receive treatment regardless of their ability to pay. We explore why Texas presents unique challenges with its lack of Medicaid expansion, how local systems like Harris Health have stepped in to fill the gap, and what makes Ben Taub a trusted institution in the community. Through patient stories, from a restaurant manager overwhelmed by costs despite being insured, to a young college student blindsided by illness, Dr. Nuila illustrates the cracks in our system that affect both the uninsured and underinsured. We close with his perspective on what a sustainable two-tier model of public and private care could look like, and how storytelling through medicine and writing can help us reimagine a better future for healthcare.

Health insurance in America seems broken because it was never really designed. Instead, it grew out of accidents, compromises, and changing American values. That’s why we’re kicking off a new series on The Healthcare Theory that dives deep into the politics, economics, and innovation behind health insurance in America.In this first episode, Nikhil traces the roots of insurance back to ancient guilds, through the rise of European health systems, and into the uniquely American story of employer-sponsored insurance taking off during WWII. Along the way, we’ll explore why U.S. healthcare costs so much, why anger often lands on insurers, and how a system once rooted in community evolved into a fragmented marketplace of misaligned incentives. This is Part 1 of our multi-episode exploration of health insurance: where it came from, why it looks the way it does today, and what leaders are doing to fix it.

In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Arpit Rao, oncologist and co-founder of Ankr Health, a Y Combinator-backed startup using AI to transform cancer care.We explore his path from running FDA clinical trials to launching a platform that predicts treatment-limiting side effects before they happen. He also discusses the startup’s go-to-market journey, including their first major deal with AstraZeneca, and how they’ve built a solution tailored specifically for the pharma industry. This conversation is a powerful look into how machine learning can improve outcomes, reduce patient drop-off, and reimagine the future of oncology care.

Today’s guest is Dr. Amar Setty, an anesthesiologist who trained in medicine and worked on Capitol Hill before co-founding Patient Premier, a startup reimagining how we measure and manage pain. Patient Premier provides anesthesiologists with standardized, data-driven assessments to track pain, activity, and moodIn this episode, we explore his path from medical school and health policy to launching a data-driven pain tracking platform that helps patients and providers make smarter decisions. Amar shares how Patient Premier’s “Pain Scored” platform goes beyond the traditional 1–10 scale to capture a fuller picture of pain using remote monitoring and behavioral data. He also discusses the challenges of building a startup in healthcare, from navigating reimbursement models to integrating with clinical workflows. This conversation offers a grounded look at how better data can improve care, reduce opioid dependence, and reshape how we think about value in medicine.

In this episode of The Healthcare Theory, we’re joined by Maitreyee Joshi, founder and CEO of Avon Health, an AI-powered EMR platform built to be fully customizable for modern healthcare teams. Maitreyee shares her journey from working at Microsoft and PathAI to launching Avon, where she's rethinking what an EMR should do—from a rigid system to a flexible, low-code platform that adapts to each clinic’s unique needs. We dive into how her team validated the product with early design partners, scaled the company without a traditional sales team, and embedded AI to streamline charting, analytics, and more. Maitreyee also offers powerful insights into founder–market fit, building lean, and why fast iteration is key to long-term success. Whether you're a healthcare builder, clinician, or just curious about how software can transform care delivery, this episode offers both strategic depth and inspiration.

This episode, we sit down with Albert Katz, founder and CEO of Flagler Health, a startup revolutionizing musculoskeletal (MSK) care. With an operating system designed specifically for MSK providers, Flagler uses AI-powered triage tools to reduce readmissions, optimize patient care, and boost clinic efficiency—all while navigating the complexities of the healthcare ecosystem. Albert shares his unexpected journey into healthcare, the tough realities of building a startup, and the challenges of working with physician workflows. He dives into how Flagler partners with medtech giants, differentiates itself from virtual PT players like Hinge Health and Sword Health, and builds sticky, value-driven solutions that clinicians actually use. 

We sit down with Aasim Saeed, CEO & Founder of Amenities Health, to explore how his company is transforming patient-provider relationships and hospital economics. With experience in medicine, policy, McKinsey, and digital health at Baylor Scott & White, Aasim shares how health systems undervalue patient loyalty, why primary care is a loss leader, and how technology can drive both engagement and profitability. We discuss insights from 6,000 patient surveys, revealing that price transparency and convenience matter more than access, and why hospitals struggle to implement patient-first solutions. Aasim also explains how premium memberships can build patient retention, why hospitals mistakenly fund competitors like One Medical, and what it takes to create a true digital front door for healthcare.

We sit down with Abhishek Mohanty, the founder of CareFlick, a startup leveraging AI to combat loneliness and isolation among seniors.Abhishek shares his unconventional journey into healthcare, from running a design firm and a D2C brand to leading a senior care startup before launching CareFlick. We dive into how Yana (aka You Are Not Alone), CareFlick’s AI-powered digital companion, is redefining senior care by providing engagement, companionship, and proactive health monitoring. Abhishek discusses the evolution of Yana—from a team management tool for caregivers to a culturally adaptable AI assistant capable of analyzing facial expressions and conversation tone to detect emotional and mental health changes in real time. Tune in to hear how AI is transforming senior care and how CareFlick is paving the way for a more connected and compassionate aging experience.

How does our brain turn limited sensory data into a rich visual experience? In this episode, we sit down with Dr. David Brainard, a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, to dive deep into the world of visual perception, inference, and computational modeling.Dr. Brainard shares his journey from physics to psychology and explains how his research explores how the brain processes light, interprets color, and makes inferences about the world around us. We also discuss his work in computational modeling, which is transforming our understanding of retinal function, neural efficiency, and AI-driven vision systems. From cutting-edge research to the future of brain-computer interfaces and neurodegenerative treatments, this episode is packed with fascinating insights into how we see and how AI is learning to see.

In this episode of The Healthcare Theory, we're speaking with Erica Jain, the co-founder and CEO of Healthie, a New York-based software platform enabling telehealth and virtual care. Erica shares her journey from studying international health disparities to working in healthcare consulting at BCG and launching Healthie to improve patient-provider interactions. She discusses the challenges of scaling a healthcare technology company, the evolving landscape of virtual care, and Healthie’s mission to empower clinicians with modern digital tools. This conversation covers the impact of COVID-19 on virtual care, how Healthie differentiates itself from traditional EHR systems, and the balance between profitability and long-term healthcare innovation.

We're joined by Professor Allison Bauer of Northeastern's College of Health Sciences to explore how social determinants impact health delivery.Professor Bauer shares her journey from law to healthcare policy and philanthropy, highlighting how community health centers are revolutionizing care through innovative, community-centered approaches that tackle food insecurity, housing instability, and healthcare access. Through her work at the Boston Foundation and the government, she demonstrates how addressing social determinants of health can transform healthcare outcomes. Learn how she's shaping the next generation of healthcare professionals while tackling pressing challenges in mental health, environmental health, and community care accessibility.

We’re joined by Julius Bruch, co-founder of Isaac Health, to discuss their pioneering role in brain health care by providing virtual and in-home solutions that address the critical gaps in dementia care.Isaac Health is revolutionizing dementia care through innovative, patient-centered approaches that tackle specialist shortages, accessibility challenges, and care fragmentation. Julius shares his journey from neuroscience at Cambridge to healthcare entrepreneurship, highlighting how Isaac Health combines AI-driven insights, comprehensive care models, and a focus on caregiver support to transform the dementia care experience. Learn how they are scaling specialist dementia care while addressing the broader challenges of healthcare accessibility and outcomes.

We’re joined by RJ Kedziora, co-founder of Estenda Solutions, to discuss his role in offering custom software solutions that innovate healthcare delivery.Estenda Solutions is transforming healthcare software development by addressing challenges like data fragmentation, biases, and interoperability. RJ shares his journey from aspiring AI researcher to healthcare-focused entrepreneur, highlighting how Estenda’s commitment to empathy and altruism drives impactful solutions. Learn how they tackle complex problems like diabetic retinopathy detection, AI-driven insights, and patient-centric designs while navigating the evolving landscape of healthcare technology.

We’re joined by Joshua, CEO of TMA Precision Health, to explore their innovative approach to tackling the diagnostic odyssey for rare disease patients through tech-enabled solutions and AI-driven insights.TMA Precision Health is revolutionizing rare disease care by reducing the diagnostic timeline from seven years to just a few months, addressing gaps in accessibility and healthcare equity. Joshua shares his journey from research at Harvard to founding TMA, his personal connection to rare disease through his son, and the company’s mission to democratize healthcare. Discover how TMA leverages precision medicine, whole genome sequencing, and AI to create a scalable, patient-centric system that bridges the gap between innovation and care.

In this episode of The Healthcare Theory, we’re joined by Jasdeep Singh, CEO of STMP Patch, to explore their innovative approach to vaccine delivery through microneedle technology.STMP Patch is addressing critical challenges in healthcare, such as reducing reliance on cold chain logistics and improving accessibility in human and now animal health markets. Jasdeep shares the journey of pivoting from human-focused healthcare to animal health, the lessons learned from earlier ventures, and how STMP Patch is revolutionizing vaccine delivery for underserved populations and livestock. Don’t miss this insightful discussion on adapting innovation to meet market demands and drive impact in healthcare.

In this episode of The Healthcare Theory, we’re joined by Iain MacLeod, co-founder of Aldatu Biosciences, to explore their groundbreaking work in diagnostics for HIV and emerging diseases. Aldatu addresses the global challenge of affordable and accessible drug-resistance testing, focusing on resource-limited settings. Iain shares insights on the innovative Panda technology, which enables rapid and accurate detection of resistant strains even in the most variable viruses. We discuss the journey of developing diagnostics like COVID-19 tests, the role of public benefit corporations in social impact, and navigating global healthcare markets. Don’t miss this in-depth discussion on transforming healthcare through innovation in diagnostics.

In this episode of The Healthcare Theory, we’re joined by Jason Sager, founder of Sagely Health, and Ariana Paness to discuss their groundbreaking work in transforming cancer care. Sagely Health addresses a critical gap in the healthcare system: the lack of visibility into drugs and clinical trials that target new genetic mutations. Even when a perfect treatment exists, many patients and providers remain unaware of these options. We explore how their platform leverages AI-driven clinical decision support to bridge this knowledge gap, connect patients with life-saving therapies, and empower oncologists to deliver personalized care. Don’t miss this deep dive into the future of precision oncology and the challenges of navigating innovation in cancer treatment.

In this episode of The Healthcare Theory, host Nikhil Reddy dives into the cutting-edge world of neurotechnology with Chad Bouton, a pioneer in brain-body interface (BBI) systems and the founder of Neuvotion. Chad shares his groundbreaking journey from advanced robotics to healthcare innovation, detailing his pivotal work on neural bypass technology that enables paralyzed individuals to regain movement and sensation. From life-changing research published in Nature to creating non-invasive wearable solutions, Chad discusses how Neuvotion is redefining independence for patients with neurological injuries. Tune in to explore the intersection of AI, neuroplasticity, and the future of brain-computer interfaces, along with the ethical considerations shaping this transformative field. Don't miss this inspiring conversation about how innovation can restore hope and independence.

In this episode of The Healthcare Theory, we sit down with Anna Li, founder of Korion Health, to explore how her at-home stethoscopes are breaking down barriers to preventive healthcare. Anna discusses the challenges many patients face, including the lack of access to essential tools like stethoscopes for home monitoring, which can leave critical health issues undetected until it’s too late. Korion Health addresses this gap by providing an accessible, AI-powered solution that empowers patients to engage in preventive health from the comfort of their homes. Anna shares how the platform combines advanced health monitoring with personalized insights, enabling early detection and actionable steps that improve outcomes. By bridging the gap between patients and providers, Korion Health ensures that even those with limited resources can take control of their health journey.

In this episode of The Healthcare Theory, we sit down with Adi Wallach, CEO and founder of Calmigo, to discuss her mission to transform anxiety management with an innovative, accessible device that empowers users to self-manage anxiety on their own terms.Adi shares her unique journey from tech startup founder to mental health advocate, emphasizing the importance of developing solutions that are adaptable to each person’s needs. She delves into Calmigo’s user-centered design, which combines adaptive breathing, grounding techniques, and scent to provide immediate, discreet anxiety relief. Adi explains how Calmigo’s real-time, AI-powered adaptivity makes it effective across various user demographics, from children to seniors. Learn how Calmigo is paving the way for accessible mental health support by integrating technology with both direct-to-consumer and healthcare partnerships. Adi’s advice for aspiring health tech entrepreneurs? Focus on genuine problems and create solutions that empower individuals in their day-to-day lives.

In this episode of The Healthcare Theory, we sit down with Calvin Harjono, Chief of Staff at Backpack Healthcare, to explore the transformative approach Backpack is taking in pediatric mental health, especially within underserved Medicaid populations. Calvin shares his journey from public health studies at Harvard to venture capital and operational roles, discussing how these experiences shape his mission at Backpack. He delves into Backpack’s innovative mental health app, which offers therapy, psychiatry, and self-care tools designed with a culturally competent and tech-forward approach. Calvin explains their unique clinician residency program, aimed at addressing the therapist shortage while building cultural competency within the Medicaid system. Learn how Backpack is pioneering accessible mental health solutions by combining technology with value-based care models, creating sustainable, scalable support for youth. Calvin’s advice for aspiring healthcare entrepreneurs? Find your “why” and let it drive you to reshape the future of care.

In this episode of The Healthcare Theory, we sit down with David Longo, co-founder and CEO of Ordaos Bio, a drug company using AI to accelerate the reduction of disease burden.David shares his unconventional journey from computational mathematics to biotech entrepreneurship, and how Ordaos is using AI to design mini-proteins that accelerate the drug development process. We delve into the inefficiencies of traditional drug discovery, the shift toward drug design, and how AI is reducing the time it takes to bring life-saving therapies to patients. David also shares insights on overcoming skepticism in the pharma industry and the exciting future of AI in healthcare. Tune in to learn how Ordaos Bio is changing the game in biotech through innovation and first-principles thinking.

In this episode of The Healthcare Theory, we sit down with Chris Lucas, co-founder of Ompractice, a platform offering innovative mental health and at-home yoga solutions. Chris shares his journey from working in public policy to launching a wellness company that uses AI and machine learning to make yoga and movement therapy accessible to everyone. We discuss the importance of population health, the challenges of scaling wellness solutions, and how Ompractice is breaking down barriers to better health for all. Tune in to learn how technology is reshaping the future of mental and physical health!

In this episode of The Healthcare Theory, we chat with Teresa Prego, the CEO of EpiWatch, a revolutionary A_driven medtech startup spun out of Johns Hopkins. Teresa shares the story behind EpiWatch, a cutting-edge platform using the Apple Watch to detect early warning signs of seizures for those with epilepsy. She delves into the personal motivations and professional experiences that shaped her journey, including her background in engineering and healthcare consulting. Teresa also explains the challenges of developing wearable tech, navigating FDA regulations, and the goal of making EpiWatch accessible to patients worldwide. With her passion for neurology and chronic diseases, Teresa discusses the future of EpiWatch and its potential to transform epilepsy care, as well as her broader vision for leveraging technology to improve patient outcomes. This episode offers a deep dive into the intersection of healthcare and innovation, making it a must-listen for anyone interested in medtech and the future of personalized health.