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Tech Tonics — Health & Fitness
Tech Tonics

Tech Tonics, the Podcast, is a twice-monthly program focused on the people and passion at the intersection of technology and health. Hosted by Lisa Suennen and David Shaywitz (the co-authors of “Tech Tonics: Can Passionate Entrepreneurs Heal Healthcare With Technology?”) the show draws on their experience in business, medicine, and health-IT.

The Tech Tonics podcast seeks to bring the people in the digital health field to life and, ideally, elevate humanism in a healthcare world captivated by technology. “We deeply believe in what Robert Coles, an inspiration to us both, has termed ‘the call of stories,’” David Shaywitz says. “Our aspiration is to bring the spirit of Coles and Michael Lewis to the world of digital health.”

Together, Suennen and Shaywitz engage a range of intriguing guests in discussions that enable listeners to appreciate the stories behind the startups and the people behind the passion.

Lisa Suennen is the Managing Partner of Venture Valkyrie Consulting, LLC, a firm that provides advisory services to corporate and independent venture capital funds and to large and small companies around investment and product strategy, innovation spin-outs, market development, partnerships and financing. She is currently a member of the Qualcomm Life Advisory Board, the Sanofi Integrated Care Advisory Board, the Dignity Health Foundation Board, and an Advisor to the California Health Care Foundation Innovation Fund and a member of several private company Boards of Directors.

Dr. David Shaywitz is the Chief Medical Officer of DNAnexus, a company that makes it easier to work with genomic data using advanced bioinformatics and scalable compute systems based on the cloud. He received his M.D. from the Harvard-MIT Division of Health, Science, and Technology at Harvard Medical School, and his Ph.D. from the Department of Biology at MIT. He trained in internal medicine and endocrinology at the Massachusetts General Hospital, and conducted his post-doctoral research in Doug Melton’s lab at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute.

Tech Tonics, the Podcast is produced by Jason Lopez and syndicated by Connected Social Media. You can also find out more at venturevalkyrie.com and connectedsocialmedia.com.

Copyright: © ConnectedSocialMedia.com

Latest Episodes:

Tech Tonics: Atul Butte – When it Comes to Data, More is More Oct 23, 2017

Show notes

An infectiously exuberant champion of science, sharing, and entrepreneurship, Atul Butte is the Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg Distinguished Professor at the UCSF School of Medicine. Among the questions we explore on this episode of Tech Tonics: can the irresistible force of Atul Butte overcome the immovable object of health data silos?

Atul was born on Long Island, and grew up in New Jersey; he describes his parents as very “technology-supportive,” and (after “borrowing” time on computers at department stores), his first computer was an Apple II plus, which he taught himself how to program. He attended Brown University for both college and medical school, studying computer science and discovering a knack for entrepreneurship, inspired by several unusually exciting summer internships, including Microsoft and Apple.

After continuing his training in pediatrics and pediatric endocrinology at Children’s Hospital in Boston and picking up a PhD in bioinformatics in the Health Sciences and Technology program at Harvard/MIT, where he was mentored by previous Tech Tonics guest Zak Kohane (episode here), he moved out west, and joined the faculty at Stanford, rapidly developing a name for himself as a biomedical leader extracting insights from very large, often public, datasets. When David was in graduate school, he learned from his mentor that “more is more”; Atul clearly takes this principle to the next level. In April 2015, Atul moved from Palo Alto up 280 to the city, to his current role at UCSF.

In this episode, we also discuss entrepreneurship as core part of translational mission (even/especially in academia), the tradeoffs between data quantity and quality (“democratizing data” vs Dennis Miller’s “two of crap of crap”), whether data is the new oil or the new soil, the good and bad of consumer rating of healthcare providers, and whether, paradoxically, people may get “numbered out” and increasingly rely on brand perception.

We are delighted to welcome Atul Butte to Tech Tonics!

This episode is brought to you by DNAnexus, the secure and compliant cloud platform that enables enterprise users to analyze, collaborate around, and integrate massive amounts of genetic and other health data.

Additional Links:

“Digital Health is Dead” post here.

Maker Faire: here.

Entrepreneurship as translational vehicle – David in Forbes here.

Need to train med students in entrepreneurship – David in Nature Biotechnology here, Forbes here, here.

Need for palpable application to drive (health) tech adoption – David in Forbes here.

Tech Tonics: Amy Abernethy – Dosage, Disney & Data Sep 25, 2017

Show notes

If anyone can bridge the gap between technology and health, it just might be Amy Abernethy , oncologist and technologist, who has led the charge, first at Duke and now at Flatiron, for rethinking the way we collect and analyze clinical information.

Born in Houston and raised by her mom in Orlando, Amy learned math by helping her mom write a textbook, “Dosage Calculation,” for nursing students. The book became the gold standard (now in it’s ninth edition) – and Amy is a co-author.

Her interest in math and science clearly took; she attended math camp (with co-host David) at Duke while in middle school, and also programmed computers for NASA.

After college at Penn, she attended medical school at Duke, and apparently really liked Durham, staying there for the rest of her medical training (internal medicine, oncology), then joining the faculty, focusing on how to improve the way oncology data are collected. (She did spend a few years in Australia doing her graduate work in evidence-based medicine and clinical research methods.)

In 2014, Amy joined New York-Based Flatiron Health as SVP and CMO, though she continues to live in Durham, and commutes to Manhattan weekly. We are delighted to welcome this clinician, scholar, executive – and former Disney Can-Can dancer (tune in for details)– to Tech Tonics.

This episode of Tech Tonics is sponsored by DNAnexus, the secure and compliant cloud platform that enables enterprise users to analyze, collaborate around, and integrate massive amounts of genetic and other health data.

And for some additional reading….
Dosage Calculation (9th Edition) by Pickar & Abernethy on Amazon here.
David’s reflections on math camp: Forbes post here, video here.
Interview with Lisa on diversity in Silicon Valley here.
Publication by Amy on challenges of using EHR data in oncology here.
Amy’s 2013 TEDMED talk on clinical data here.
Walt Disney News 1990 on Pleasure Island here.

Tech Tonics: Chris Cassel, Accidental Doctor to Ultimate Physician Leader Sep 11, 2017

Show notes

Dr. Christine Cassel never set out to be a doctor but a chance encounter between a kindly navy corpsman and her unexpectedly broken leg took her down the road to medicine. Over the years she has undergone an evolution from “Accidental Doctor” to the one of the nation’s most accomplished and recognized physician leaders, after an early experience at “shared decision making.”

Currently Chris is the Planning Dean of the Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine, a new medical school which will start its first class in 2019. Chris’ unique approach to modernizing medical education is rooted in her fundamental belief that “medicine is moral philosophy in action” and Chris is working hard to ensure that the next generation of physicians comes from that place, armed with healthy doses of both data and humanity. A key proponent of the “let technology flourish” approach to medicine, Chris is on a mission to ensure that newly minted physicians use the latest diagnostic, preventive and personalized technological solutions to enhance the patient experience and improve outcomes across the board, but especially among the geriatric and chronically ill population base with a full recognition of the importance of the social determinants of health and the importance of rational spending.

Her path on this journey has included stints as President and CEO of the National Quality Forum, as well as President and first female CEO of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) and the ABIM Foundation. Chris was one of 20 scientists chosen by President Obama to serve on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. And that is only a start to the list of career steps that led her to become a leading national expert in geriatric medicine, medical ethics, health policy and quality of care.

Among the programs Chris is most well-known for starting is Choosing Wisely, an effort to bring accountability and scientific validity to medical diagnosis process by ensuring the right tests are done at the right time for the right patients. Choosing Wisely is a joint initiative of the ABIM Foundation and Consumer Reports and provides a forum for over 500 medical specialty societies to define unnecessary services that are no longer supported by evidence-based best practices and to educate physicians and consumers about more appropriate alternatives. If anyone could get 500 medical specialty societies to collaborate, it is Chris.

She is also excited that her legacy will include leadership towards the passage of the Over the Counter Hearing Aid Act, a new law that will remove the onerous restrictions that limit access to hearing aids for older adults. Considering that hearing impairment leads to serious and costly medical issues including depression, social isolation and, potentially even dementia, this is an essential tool in helping the vast population of seniors live fuller, better lives.

We are grateful to AARP Market Innovation for sponsoring this episode of TechTonics. AARP’s Market Innovation team works to spark innovation in the market that will benefit the quality of life for people over 50.

Tech Tonics: Rachel Francine and the Many Applications of Music Therapy Aug 28, 2017

Show notes

For many, music as medicine has long been put in that category of things that seem nice but not like “real medicine” We all know that music can make us feel better individually, but there is an accumulating body of scientific evidence demonstrating the clinical value of structured music therapy. The world is beginning to heed the tune of companies like SingFit (aka Musical Technologies, Inc.), led by Rachel Francine, who are seizing to the opportunity to deliver digital therapeutics with a musical twist. As Rachel says, “I look at SingFit as a pharmaceutical (digi-ceutical) company that has one molecule that we can configure to provide treatments for a variety of medical conditions. And we get to customize it Bob Dylan and Pharrell. “

The whole idea of music as medicine has been around for millennia, but finally we are seeing more significant programs and companies dedicated to making it mainstream. Rachel has had this idea in her family since childhood. Her career is the melting pot of her family’s interests in music and entrepreneurship and digital entertainment, and her company, like so many in healthcare, was inspired by a personal experience – in this case her co-founder and brother Andy’s discovery that music was making a difference in the recovery of a friend with brain injury (Andy was sneaking into his hospital room and playing guitar for his friend). And, of course, there was Rachel’s experience working in the family karaoke business that fed the stream that led to SingFit.

We are starting to see numerous major health systems invest actively in music therapy programs to address dementia, Alzheimer’s, brain injury, pain, behavioral health, cardiovascular disease and numerous other conditions, with SingFit leading the way. Functional MRI studies and other scientific research have demonstrated both impact and value, driving greater willingness to pay for this approach to treatment.

We are grateful to AARP for sponsoring this episode of TechTonics. AARP’s Market Innovation team works to spark innovation in the market that will benefit the quality of life for people over 50.

Tech Tonics: While Designing the Clinic of the Future In New York, Joel Dudley Remains a Cheesehead at Heart Aug 14, 2017

Show notes

From the frozen tundra of Wisconsin, to the desert of Arizona, to the Eden that is Palo Alto, to his current home in the greatest city on earth, Joel Dudley has followed his interests and instincts to become a pioneer in the thoughtful application of data science to biology and medicine.

In this episode of Tech Tonics, Joel discusses not only his fascinating journey, but also his current work at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York – the hospital where David Shaywitz was born almost exactly five decades ago – and where today Joel leads the Institute for Next Generation Healthcare, an ambitious effort that’s essentially trying to sculpt the data-inhaling clinic of the future.

We also examine some of the unusual twists and turns of his journey, including the role of remarkable (and remarkably generous) mentors (Atul Butte in particular), and the impact of Crohn’s Disease (which he has) in shaping his interdisciplinary perspective. We also learn about the experiences Joel has had as scientist, proud of his midwestern roots, living among the coastal elites (tl;dr: ready availability of takeout is a plus).

Today’s episode is brought to you by DNAnexus, the secure and compliant cloud platform that enables enterprise users to analyze, collaborate around, and integrate massive amounts of genetic and other health data.

You can find references from the podcast in these additional links:

AI and healthcare: David’s May 2017 take on the clinic of the future.

Orgasmatron (sadly not yet a component of Joel’s “Clinic of the Future”): clip

NIH Toolbox (for cognitive function) – link here

Incidentalome (instant classic paper from Kohane et al) – here

US Climate data: Oshkosh, WI; Palo Alto, CA

Brett Favre on Wheaties Cereal Box – here

Tech Tonics: Jeff Reid and the Impassioned Pursuit Of Bad Music and Great Science Jul 24, 2017

Show notes

From tinkering with computers as a kid, to matriculating at Johns Hopkins while his peers were entering 11th grade, to his PhD in physics, to his current work at drug discovery at Regeneron, Jeff Reid has always embraced his inner nerd.

Today, Jeff is head of genomics informatics at the Regeneron Genetics Center (RGC), which he describes as “an academic genome center embedded inside of a pharma company.” The RGC combines Electronic Health Record (EHR) data from consented patients at Geisinger (a foundational partner in this project, and described by Jeff as “absolutely visionary”) and other medical centers with genetic (exome) data the RGC generates from these patients; it then integrates these data (utilizing – disclosure – the DNAnexus platform) to generate and prioritize drug targets. So far, it seems to be working phenomenally well based on the work published in top tier journals and presented at prominent scientific conferences. And much of the credit belongs to Jeff.

On today’s show, we review Jeff’s multifaceted journey – from physics to genetics and from Seattle to New York, as well as his experiences as an openly gay leader in industry. We’ll also discuss Jeff’s terrible taste in music and exceptional taste in cocktails, and learn where to get the best mixed drink in Houston (spoiler alert: it’s Anvil).

This episode of Tech Tonics is sponsored by DNAnexus, the secure and compliant cloud platform that enables enterprise users to analyze, collaborate around, and integrate massive amounts of genetic and other health data.

Tech Tonics: Margaret Laws, Where Non-Profit & For-Profit Healthcare Innovation Collide Jul 10, 2017

Show notes

Margaret Laws has been working at the intersection of the for-profit and not-for-profit healthcare world for many years. This world has had an explosion of activity to find solutions to major public health and personal health challenges; according to Margaret, these worlds are beginning to blur and the newest foundations and non-profits are actively trying to bring the resources and discipline of private business sector to the big problems we are facing in the social sector. Her life’s work has been to straddle both of these worlds and try to bring them together.

Today Margaret is CEO of HopeLab, an Omidyar Group entity, focused on improving the health and well-being of kids by creating engaging technologies backed by rigorous research. They rely on a combination of rigorous science, user-centered design and strategic partnerships to drive broad impact. The organization works on a wide variety of themes that benefit from the intersection of technology and health, from early childhood health to the mental health of teens. Margaret is well known in the venture capital world as well, having led the California Health Care Foundation for many years. She is driven by a curiosity to keep learning and a passion for improving how people live and thrive.

We are grateful to our sponsor, AARP Market Innovation. for supporting this episode of Tech Tonics. AARP Market Innovation, which works to spark innovation in the market that will benefit the quality of life for people over 50.

Tech Tonics: Deneen Vojta – Skating to Where the Healthcare Puck is Going Jun 19, 2017

Show notes

Deneen Vojta has played virtually every possible position in the healthcare world. She has at various times been a physician, an entrepreneur and a payer. Today it’s a hat trick, bringing all three of these roles together to bring new clinically valid, evidence-based technologies and services to patients through her current role as Executive Vice President of Enterprise R&D for United Health Group.

Deneen has long been out there ahead of the pack, whether serving as the first female meat slicer at Greenman’s Deli or starting the first direct-to-consumer pediatric and family obesity-prevention technology company long before it was cool. Today she is charged with solving the nation’s biggest healthcare challenges from what is arguably one of the nation’s largest platforms. And skating to where the puck is going is exactly what drives a rabid hockey fan like Deneen.
We are delighted to host Deneen on Tech Tonics today.

We are grateful to our sponsor, AARP Market Innovation. for supporting this episode of Tech Tonics. AARP Market Innovation, which works to spark innovation in the market that will benefit the quality of life for people over 50.

Tech Tonics: Zak Kohane On Medicine and Computers Jun 05, 2017

Show notes

The son of Eastern European immigrants, Zak Kohane was born and raised in Switzerland; he then came to the United States where he’s nurtured a passion for medicine and computers to become one of the nation’s leading thinkers, innovators, and mentors at this important and rapidly evolving interface.

Join us this week as we discuss Zak’s fascinating personal journey, but also learn his perspective on why EHRs are so bad (and what might be done to improve them), why data sharing seems to be so difficult (and how it could be made better), why he championed entrepreneurship at Harvard long before it was viewed as a (somewhat) acceptable pursuit, and why he recently founded the Department of Biomedical Informatics at Harvard (where co-host David serves as an Adjunct Scholar).

Zak also discusses the value of great mentors, such as Joe Majzoub and the late Judah Folkman, both of Children’s Hospital, and explore Folkman’s explanation of the difference between persistence and obstinance.

Zak brings a unique blend of technological sophistication and impassioned humanism to everything he pursues; we are delighted he joins us this episode to share this insight and energy with our listeners!

This episode of Tech Tonics is sponsored by DNAnexus, the secure and compliant cloud platform that enables enterprise users to analyze, collaborate around, and integrate massive amounts of genetic and other health data.

Tech Tonics: Glen de Vries – A Series Of Quite Fortunate Events May 23, 2017

Show notes

Glen de Vries grew up in Manhattan, a nerdy kid who admired Richard Feynman, loved his TRS-80, and went to Carnegie Mellon University planning to study chemistry and computer science. A summer of molecular biology inspired him to switch his major to biology and, after graduation, he found himself in a lab at Columbia University trying to help a productive distributed research team organize their data.

The geek in Glen was sure there must be a better way and, in partnership with Tarek Sherif, he co-founded a cloud-based clinical research company, Medidata Solutions, in 1999. Over the last eighteen years Medidata has become a leading player in the clinical trials market; the New York-based company is today worth nearly $4 Billion.

Today we’ll hear from Glen about the series of quite fortunate events that led to Medidata’s formation, the challenges he faced in breaking into a traditional conservative space, and the opportunities he sees at the intersection of precision medicine, digital health, and value based care. Listeners interested in learning more about Glen’s story are encouraged to listen to Glen on Janelle Anderson’s always-insightful Human Proof of Concept podcast.

This episode of Tech Tonics is sponsored by DNAnexus, the secure and compliant cloud platform that enables enterprise users to analyze, collaborate around, and integrate massive amounts of genetic and other health data.

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