Today’s episode is a conversation between Sope Eweje, one of the VP’s of Entrepreneurship and Ventures for Penn HealthX, and our guest, Dr. Josh Makower. 

Josh currently leads medical device investment as a general partner at NEA, one of the world’s largest and most active venture capital firms.  Josh is also the Founder and Executive Chairman of ExploraMed, a medical device incubator that has created 8 companies over the past 20 years. Notable transactions from the ExploraMed portfolio include Acclarent, acquired by J&J in 2009, EndoMatrix, acquired by C.R. Bard in 1997, TransVascular, acquired by Medtronic in 2003 and Neotract acquired by Teleflex in 2017. On-going ExploraMed/NEA ventures include NeoTract, Moximed, Willow and ExploraMed V. 

In addition to his role at NEA, Josh serves on the faculty of the Stanford University School as an Adjunct Professor of Medicine and is Co-Founder of Stanford’s Biodesign Innovation Program, a unique training and educational program for multi-disciplinary health technology innovation with trainees that have gone on to form 50 companies that have had an impact over 2.7 million patients. 

Josh holds over 300 patents and patent applications for various medical devices in the fields of cardiology, ENT, general surgery, drug delivery, obesity, orthopedics, women’s health, and urology. He received an MBA from Columbia University, an MD from the NYU School of Medicine, and a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from MIT.

In this episode, Sope and Josh discuss how he went from a music major to a prolific medical technology innovator and venture capitalist, and how each of the experiences he had along the way have shaped his passion for technological innovation in healthcare. We also discuss the role clinicians play in health care innovation and his view of invention as a skill that can be learned by technical and clinical stakeholders alike. We wrap up by discussing his thoughts on how COVID may impact the medical technology VC landscape and a piece of advice for students interested in using technology to improve healthcare. 

Footnotes
Josh’s Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-makower-14a0b7ba/

NEA – https://nea.com 

Willow wearable breast pump - https://shop.willowpump.com/

Stanford Biodesign Innovation Program - http://biodesign.stanford.edu/

78 - Josh Makower - A Career of Innovation in Med Tech and Venture Capital

Today's episode is a conversation between hosts Ziad Hassan and Habib Akouri and guests Michael Karamardian and Medha Sharma, previous Co-Presidents of PennHealthX.

79 - Michael Karamardian & Medha Sharma - Leveraging the MD/MBA in a Dynamic Medical Landscape

In this episode, hosts Ziad Hassan and Habib Akouri sit down with Dr. Ryan Henrici for an engaging conversation that bridges science, innovation, and personal journey. 

Ryan Henrici, MD, PhD, is a physician-scientist specializing in infectious diseases and hematology. A former Marshall Scholar, he serves as Vice President of Discovery Medicine at BigHat Biosciences, where he leads the development of next-generation antibody therapeutics using artificial intelligence and synthetic biology. Additionally, he is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine.

80 - Dr. Ryan Henrici - Biotech & Global Health

In this episode, hosts Ziad Hassan and Habib Akouri sit down with Dr. Ryan O'Keefe for an engaging conversation that takes the podcast back to its original roots.

Ryan O'Keefe, MD, MBA, is a hospitalist at Penn Medicine and creator of Point of Care Medicine. Point of Care Medicine is an online educational reference for students and physicians alike providing critical information in the form of clinical templates, graphics and podcasts to support proper decision making through both proactive learning and in-the-moment refreshers. He discusses his journey obtaining an MBA and the path he has taken to impact medicine through education.

81 - Dr. Ryan O'Keefe - From Podcast to Practice

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Daniel Hashimoto, Assistant Professor of Surgery at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Senior Fellow at the Institute for Biomedical Informatics. Dr. Hashimoto shares his journey at the intersection of surgery and artificial intelligence, exploring how computer vision and machine learning are reshaping surgical education and practice. He also reflects on his path to becoming a leading voice in the emerging field of surgical AI.

82 - Dr. Daniel Hashimoto - Surgery, Innovation, & AI

In this episode of the PennHealthX Podcast, hosts Ziad Hassan and Habib Akouri sit down with Dr. Rachel Kelz to discuss her path into surgery and the wide-ranging impact of her career. Dr. Kelz is the William Maul Measey Professor of Surgery and Executive Vice Chair of the Department of Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania. She also directs Penn’s Center for Surgery and Health Economics, where she applies advanced analytics and AI to improve surgical outcomes, health equity, and medical education. A nationally recognized surgeon, educator, and researcher, Dr. Kelz has authored more than 300 peer-reviewed studies and earned numerous awards for leadership, mentorship, and teaching.

83 - Dr. Rachel Kelz - Surgery, Equity, & Innovation

In this episode of the PennHealthX Podcast, Habib sits down with Dr. Kevin Volpp to discuss his career as a physician–economist and his pioneering work at the intersection of medicine, economics, and behavioral science. Dr. Volpp is the Mark Pauly President’s Distinguished Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, with joint appointments at the Perelman School of Medicine and the Wharton School. He founded the Center for Health Incentives & Behavioral Economics (CHIBE) and co-created Penn Medicine’s Nudge Unit—the first behavioral design team embedded in a health system. This episode explores how behavioral economics and incentive-based interventions are transforming healthcare decisions, improving outcomes, and shaping the future of medicine.

84 - Dr. Kevin Volpp - Behavior, Incentives, & Systems

Today, we’re taking with Dr. Beschloss. Dr. Beschloss is a resident physician in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, and a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine and Wharton School, where he earned his MD/MBA. A Williams College alum, his work sits at the intersection of clinical care, health policy, and healthcare innovation. Before residency, he worked with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, focusing on healthcare financing and policy reform. He now serves as an Assistant Medical Director at Accompany Health, advancing value-based care models for dual-eligible and high-risk Medicare Advantage patients. In this episode, Dr. Beschloss shares how he brings a systems-level perspective to medicine—blending research, policy, and business insight to reimagine how care is delivered.

85 - Dr. Alex Beschloss - Insights, Policy, and Practice

We kick off the Penn Health-X Podcast with Dr. Fajgenbaum!

Map

4:30 – football at Georgetown, his mother’s illness, and starting AMF
8:45 – getting to Penn Med and being diagnosed with Castleman Disease 
13:40 – relapsing, and not being content with the state of research 
17:20 – mentors, the orphan disease center, and starting the CDCN with an email 
21:00 – getting the MBA and learning to manage a group of researchers 
23:30 – learning to negotiate
24:50 – how biomedical research funding needs to change 
31:00 – using the CDCN model for other orphan diseases 
34:00 – thoughts on high drug prices, right-to-try legislation, and FDA regulation, and off-label use 
39:55 – being compared to a Nobel Prize winner, and planning for another potential relapse 
43:45 – final thoughts 

Links:

LinkedIn Profile 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidfajgenbaum/

NYTimes Article: 
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/04/business/his-doctors-were-stumped-then-he-took-over.html

Actively Moving Forward (AMF): 
https://healgrief.org/actively-moving-forward/

CDCN Website:
http://www.cdcn.org/

Getting More by Stuart Diamond
https://www.amazon.com/Getting-More-Negotiate-Succeed-Work/dp/0307716902

The Castle Man Image 
http://files.www.cdcn.org/3590_SketchWarrior-process-s312x341.jpg

2017 Podcast 

Episode 1 - Dr. Fajgenbaum, Castleman Disease, and the CDCN

Dr. Kovarik tells us about her career, and how she became a leader in the teledermatology field.

Note: In the intro, I mistakenly said that the Accessderm Platform was rolled out both in Philly and Africa. It is a U.S only platform. Other local platforms are used in Africa. 

Map:
5:22 - Finding Dermatology at Baylor
8:39 - The beginning of telederm 
12:20 - Becoming a leader in the field 
14:45 - Issues in Derm field – shortage, long wait times, etc. and how telederm helps solve them
22:00 - Barriers to the growth of teledermatology 
37:30 - Aligning incentives
44:00 - Limitations of teledermatology


Links:
Dr. Kovarik Profile
https://www.pennmedicine.org/providers/profile/carrie-kovarik

Her Twitter 
https://twitter.com/carriekovarik?lang=en

Penn Med Teledermatology
http://healthcareinnovation.upenn.edu/projects/teledermatology

AlJazeera Article 
http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/10/17/teledermatology-helpspeoplefrommalawitophilly.html

Episode 2 - Dr. Kovarik and Teledermatology

Ryan Littman-Quinn tells us about how he became an mHealth expert, and the challenges of overseeing successful projects abroad in Botswana and other African countries.

Map:
5:20 – reaching out to click diagnostics and taking the job as graphic designer
8:20 – going to Botswana 
14:00 – what is mHealth?
21:00 - working for the UPenn Botswana partnership 
27:00 – Ryan’s first project – mLearning to support medical education 
32:00 – challenges in mHealth projects and learning on the job 
38:30 – Peak Vision 
51:00 – Funding projects that are mix of entrepreneurship and non-profit

Links:

LinkedIn Profile 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanlittmanquinn/

The Botswana-UPenn Partnership
http://www.med.upenn.edu/botswana/

Andrew Bastawrous TED Talk 
https://www.ted.com/talks/andrew_bastawrous_get_your_next_eye_exam_on_a_smartphone

Peek Vision Website 
https://www.peekvision.org/

Lancet Paper Framing the Need for Vision Care
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(17)30293-0/fulltext

Episode 3 - Ryan Littman-Quinn, mHealth, and Botswana

Dr. Debbie Kelly joins us to speak about her career, and the decision to leave clinical practice to work in pharma.

Map:
5:30 – finding ophthalmology 
9:45 – things that she didn’t like about clinical practice
12:30 – learning about GSK, industry, and the options for MD’s
21:00 – shifting to Pharmacovigilance 
28:30 – getting contacted by the headhunter and going to Spark 
34:15 – mulling the decision to leave clinical practice  
45:00 – choosing one path vs. the unknown
51:00 – finding work-life balance in medicine and in industry 
54:30 – challenges of pioneering gene therapy development

Links:

LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborah-kelly-47963922/

Pharmacovigilance
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharmacovigilance

Spark Therapeutics 
http://sparktx.com/

Lancelot the Dog 
http://www.blindness.org/glossary/lancelot

Episode 4 - Dr. Debbie Kelly, Leaving Clinical Practice for Industry, and Spark Therapeutics

Gregg Khodorov and Julia Tartaglia, the co-presidents of the Biomedical Entrepreneurship Network (BEN) at the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, join me to discuss their interests, BEN, and The Scientista Foundation.

Map:
4:00 – Gregg – getting the MBA before med school 
7:11 – working for Pfizer 
9:45 – undergrad at GW and deciding to go into medicine
12:15 – Julia’s path to medicine – studying human behavior, getting a post-bacc
15:45 – starting the Scientista Foundation 
20:05 – barriers she faced, and barriers women face in STEM careers 
24:00 – what does the Scientista Foundation do? 
28:00 – BEN, the summit, and cross-disciplinary programs 
37:00 – integrating business and innovation skills into medical school curriculum 
45:00 – things Gregg and Julia are looking forward to in the next year 


Links

Gregg's LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/greggkhod/

Julia's LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliatartaglia/

BEN Website 
http://benrwj.com/

BEN Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/BENRWJMS/

Scientista Foundation Website
http://www.scientistafoundation.com/

Wharton Business in Healthcare Conference - last year's site 
http://www.whcbc.org/conf2017/

Episode 6 - Gregg Khodorov and Julia Tartaglia, BEN and The Scientista Foundation

Tim Carlon joins us to talk about his MBA year, and his interest in value-based care. We touch on ACO's, bundled payments, MACRA, and other fun acronyms like MIPS. If you plan on being a physician, you will undoubtedly be impacted by the shift to value-based care. Take notes. 

4:45 – Tim’s interest in IR 
6:10 – why get the MD/MBA?
14:45 – becoming interested in value-based care payment models 
22:20 – explaining ACO’s
27:00 – how have ACO’s been doing? 
30:45 – what can med students and young physicians bring to the table?
32:55 – bundled payments 
36:00 – What is MACRA?
45:00 – should doctors be worried?

Links 

Tim's LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothy-carlon/

CMS Page on MACRA, MIPS, and APMS
http://go.cms.gov/1Gb6GDL

CMS Page on ACO's
http://go.cms.gov/2nf9mvC

Penn Bundled Payments Press Release
http://bit.ly/2ivGtZc

Episode 7 - Tim Carlon, Physician Payment Models, and Getting an MBA

Eric Heil joins the Penn HealthX Podcast to discuss his career, passion for systems engineering, and experience founding, and eventually exiting, RIghtCare Solutions. RightCare, a company focused on reducing acute care hospital readmissions, was acquired by NaviHealth.

2:45 – growing up in Iowa 
4:00 – going to Penn to play basketball 
5:45 – playing in the NCAA tournament 
7:15 – choosing to study engineering 
8:45 – what is systems engineering? 
10:15 – why focus on the healthcare space? 
11:45 – other jobs Eric took on after graduating from Penn
17:00 – from VC to becoming an entrepreneur 
22:00 – the idea to start RightCare 
24:45 – rationale for getting an MBA
27:20 – what exactly did RightCare do, and what problems did it solve? 
34:45 – challenges of being the leader of a health-tech company 
39:45 – exiting RightCare – being bought by NaviHealth (a Cardinal Health company) 
41:45 – starting a new project – trying to make lightning strike twice with BehaveCare
44:35 – lessons learned from successfully leading BehaveCare

Links:

Eric’s Linkedin 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/eheil/

Kathy Bowles – co-founder of RightCare
https://ldi.upenn.edu/expert/kathryn-h-bowles-phd-rn-faan-facmi 

RightCare Solutions Exit (article)
https://medcitynews.com/2015/12/rightcare-solutions-acquisition/ 

Domain Associates (website)
https://www.domainvc.com/

BehaveCare (website)
https://www.behavecare.us/about-us 

A Past Interview with Eric 
http://executiveleadersradio.com/heil-eric-4297.aspx

Letters to a Young Entrepreneur by Ricardo B Levy (Book)
https://www.amazon.com/Letters-Young-Entrepreneur-Succeeding-Business/dp/0996670602 

JP Morgan Healthcare Conference (old link)
https://www.jpmorgan.com/global/healthcareconference

Episode 8 - Eric Heil, RightCare Solutions, Systems Engineering, and Reducing Readmissions

Ryan is joined by Dr Saurabh Jha to discuss writing and tweeting as a physician, and how medical students can most effectively ease themselves into that world. We discuss a number of Dr. Jha's articles, touch briefly on the future of radiology, and learn about some of Dr. Jha's favorite writers. 

Map

3:15 – coming to the U.S and choosing radiology 
7:00 – when and why did he become interested in writing about the healthcare system and his first article on the Breast Density Law 
10:30 – why share your thoughts publicly if there is a risk in the modern political climate, and how to even start? 
14:00 – Twitter as a platform for building a community and getting information 
18:30 – where should med students start? – how to get your news, and who to follow
 22:15 – Ryan discusses his article on KevinMD and his concerns about alienating others through expressing political opinions 
24:00 – how to deal with political topics knowing full well that medicine is wildly political 
30:00 – med students are quite savvy these days, and should be entitled to an opinion 
32:45 – Dr. Jha’s article on the hospital “Chargemaster” and costs in healthcare; learning from everyone around you, including cabdrivers 
42:45 – the field of radiology – where is it heading? Will radiologists be replaced? 
50:00 – what would Dr. Jha do if he was starting in 2017? – hint: still radiology, but through global health 
52:00 – Dr. Jha’s most popular blog post and tweet 
54:25 – what other writers does he read and respect? 
58:10 – last thoughts and advice for future physicians 

Links

Dr. Jha’s KevinMD portfolio -
https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/dr-saurabh-jha

Dr. Jha's first article on the Breast Density Law - https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2013/11/breast-density-laws-based-anecdote.html 

Dr. Jha's twitter account - 
https://twitter.com/RogueRad 

HealthNewsreview.org -
http://www.healthnewsreview.org/ 

Ryan's first article on KevinMD – https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2017/10/want-change-medicine-work-finance.html 

Dr. Jha’s KevinMD article on the "chargemaster" - https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2017/07/chargemaster-health-cares-evil-component.html 

The Patient Will See You Now (book) – https://www.amazon.com/Patient-Will-See-You-Now/dp/0465054749 

Dr. Jha's most popular blog post – topic of public reporting - https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2015/07/when-a-bad-surgeon-is-the-one-you-want-propublica-introduces-a-paradox.html 

Atul Gawande’s Complications (book) – “required reading” according to Dr. Jha 
https://www.amazon.com/Complications-Surgeons-Notes-Imperfect-Science/dp/0312421702 

Theodore Dalrymple – one of Dr. Jha’s favorite writers - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Dalrymple 

Dr. Lisa Rosenbaum Twitter - 
https://twitter.com/lisarosenbaum17?lang=en 

Dr. Anish Koka -
 http://thehealthcareblog.com/blog/tag/anish-koka/

Episode 13 - Dr. Saurabh Jha, Writing and Tweeting about Medicine, and the Future of Radiology

In this episode, I had a once in a lifetime opportunity to sit down with one of the most successful and respected healthcare leaders out there, Dr. Arthur Rubenstein. 

His accolades are too extensive to list in detail, but in short, Dr. Rubenstein is internationally known for his research achievements in endocrinology and diabetes, as well as for his role as the Dean of Penn’s Med School and as Executive Vice President of the University of Pennsylvania Healthcare System (UPHS) in the early 2000’s. 

We were able to touch on his upbringing and medical training in South Africa, how he found himself practicing in the U.S, being recruited to Penn Medicine to steer the system away from financial disaster, where he learned his leadership skills, and a bit about the roles that large academic medical centers play in their communities.

Map

3:00 – Growing up in South Africa – playing cricket, choosing medicine, and his parent’s influence 
7:50 – The influence of Apartheid, and the decision to leave South Africa 
12:40 – Life in London, getting involved with research, and coming to the United States 
18:35 – Dr. Rubenstein’s world-renowned diabetes research - the discovery and clinical usefulness of C-peptide 
24:15 – Transitioning to administrative roles as a clinician 
29:35 – Where did Dr. Rubenstein learn his leadership skills? 
34:45 – Being recruited to Penn, and the dire financial situation of UPHS in the early 2000’s 
41:45 – Changing the culture of a large institution – “the distributive leadership model”
48:30 – Building an outpatient center and raising money – enter Raymond Perelman and the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine 
54:30 – a second donation from Raymond Perelman – renaming Penn’s medical school, and boosting morale 
1:00:00 – recruiting Ralph Muller, the CEO of UPHS, and the importance of their working relationship 
1:07:05 – settling disagreements between the leaders of hospitals – the most common issues 
1:11:20 – the role of large health systems in their communities 
1:18:00 – What would you change about the current healthcare system?  - coverage for everyone 
1:20:20 – If you could only read 3 things for the rest of your life? – Shakespeare, Churchill, and William Osler 
1:22:20 – Book recommendations – The Undoing Project, Good to Great, The Four 
1:24:40 – What would Dr. Rubenstein do if he were starting his medical career in 2017?


Links

Apartheid in South Africa 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apartheid 

Summary of Dr. Rubenstein’s Research Accomplishments in Diabetes 
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3484474/ 

Article that Discusses Penn’s Financial Issues in the Early 2000’s
http://impakter.com/adding-humanity-into-medicine/ 

Raymond Perelman 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_G._Perelman

Ralph Muller, CEO of UPHS
https://www.pennmedicine.org/about/leadership-and-organization/meet-our-ceo

Judith Rodin’s (previous President of Penn) Book – The University and Urban Revival 
http://www.upenn.edu/pennpress/book/14337.html 

Kahneman and Tversky 
https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/the-two-friends-who-changed-how-we-think-about-how-we-think

The Undoing Project – Michael Lewis 
https://www.amazon.com/Undoing-Project-Friendship-Changed-Minds/dp/0393254593

Good to Great – Jim Collins 
https://www.amazon.com/Good-Great-Some-Companies-Others-ebook/dp/B0058DRUV6 

The Four: The Hidden DNA of Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Google – Scott Galloway 
https://www.amazon.com/Four-Hidden-Amazon-Facebook-Google/dp/0735213658

Other Coverage of Dr. Rubenstein 
https://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/blog/john-george/2011/06/rubenstein-reflects-penn-medical.html

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uops-pah110509.php 

https://news.upenn.edu/news/arthur-h-rubenstein-mbbch-named-executive-vice-president-university-pennsylvania-health-system-

17 - Dr. Arthur Rubenstein, Leading a Struggling Hospital System to Greatness

For our last episode of 2017, I hosted Dr. Patrick Brennan, the current Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS). We touch on Dr. Brennan’s passion for infectious disease, how he began to take on leadership roles in medicine – including those with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, and as an advisor to the CDC and Secretary of Health and Human Services – the role of a CMO at a large non-profit hospital, high-level coaching in healthcare, and advice for future healthcare leaders. It’s an episode packed with amazing takeaways and insights.

Map

2:30 – Dr. Brennan’s novelty baseballs in his office and growing up a Philly sports fan 
6:10 – Memories and epiphanies from medical school and residency at Temple University 
10:30 – What influenced Dr. Brennan to focus on infectious disease and infection control? 
15:05 – How do you get involved with administrative roles, and what do you have to watch out for? “Busy people get asked to do more.”
19:20 – Advising the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS)
25:15 – The role of the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) in a large hospital system 
30:00 – Pulling back the curtain on the day-to-day role of a CMO – what do you have to give up?
35:15 – The roles of coaches on Dr. Brennan’s life and career, and the role they serve at Penn Medicine – the “360 evaluation” 
41:15 – What did Dr. Brennan need to improve upon to be a more effective leader? - giving feedback
44:55 – What would surprise people about how hospitals function?
47:30 – How has the ACA been both good and bad for hospitals? 
50:30 – What would Dr. Brennan fix about the U.S healthcare system?
52:05 – What would Dr. Brennan do if he were starting his medical career over in 2017?
53:20 – Last thoughts and advice for future healthcare leaders. 

Links 

Release when Dr. Brennan was named CMO in 2005 (Bio) 
https://almanac.upenn.edu/archive/volumes/v52/n02/pb.html 

Atul Gawande’s New Yorker Article on Coaching in Medicine 
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/10/03/personal-best

360 Degree Feedback 
https://www.custominsight.com/360-degree-feedback/what-is-360-degree-feedback.asp

18 - Dr. Patrick Brennan, The Role of a Chief Medical Officer(CMO), and Coaching in Healthcare

Today’s episode is a conversation I had with Dr. Jake Brenner, who is pulmonary and critical care physician at Penn who splits his time between clinical work, developing technologies in the lab, and founding companies to bring those technologies to market. He completed his MD/PhD at Stanford, and participated in their Stanford Biodesign Fellowship program. He was able to spin two separate companies out of his involvement with that program, and is currently working on another called RightAir. 

In the episode, we hit on the Stanford Biodesign program, how to think like an entrepreneur, the companies he’s founded, advice for young medical entrepreneurs and engineers, and a bit on his future goals. This is an incredible episode for anyone interested in using their clinical knowledge to design, build, and commercialize medical technologies.

Map

2:30 – Dr. Brenner’s Background and why he chose medicine and the MD/PhD
9:05 – Stanford and moving away from strictly biomedical research
14:35 – What does it mean to be an engineer?
19:00 – The Stanford Biodesign Fellowship 
28:00 – Getting the inspiration to found Pevalon to help treat fecal incontinence in women 
37:00 – Narrowing down the list of ideas from 300 to 8 - what makes a good idea? 
44:00 – Choosing to specialize in pulmonary medicine and critical care, coming to Penn, and balancing having a family with the risks of being an entrepreneur 
50:00 – Penn Health Tech, founding RightAir, and future goals 

Links

Dr. Brenner’s Bio 
https://www.med.upenn.edu/apps/faculty/index.php/g353/p8561789

Br. Brenner’s LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakebrennermdphd/

Penn Health Tech Website 
https://healthtech.upenn.edu/

Stanford Biodesign 
http://biodesign.stanford.edu/

Pevalon and Fecal Incontinence 
http://eclipsesystem.com/ 

RightAir
https://entrepreneurship.wharton.upenn.edu/startup-challenge-semifinalist-rightair/ 
https://www.design.upenn.edu/news/post/2016-idesign-finalist-spotlight-rightair 
https://soundcloud.com/user-414944777/thomas-uhler

22 - Dr. Jake Brenner, Thinking Like a Medical Entrepreneur, and Penn Health Tech

Today we bring you a long-awaited, and incredibly special episode! This is an interview I, along with the new co-VP of curriculum for Penn HealthX, Raymond Liu, did with Dr. Alan Flake after he spoke at the Penn HealthX conference last semester. 

Dr. Flake is an attending pediatric and fetal surgeon in the Division of Pediatric General, Thoracic and Fetal Surgery at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He serves as Director of CHOP’s Center for Fetal Research and is a professor of Surgery and Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Today, he spearheads an active research laboratory focused on fetal stem cell and gene therapy. He has been at the forefront of cutting-edge studies aimed at treating genetic disorders before birth. 

Among all of his accolades, he is probably most known for his current work on development of an artificial womb. Though the research is still being done with lambs, the hope is that in the coming years, a device will be available for preterm human babies to improve their morbidity and mortality.

Links

Press: 

https://www.cnn.com/videos/health/2017/04/26/lamb-artificial-womb-study-jnd-orig-vstan.cnn

https://www.theverge.com/2017/4/25/15421734/artificial-womb-fetus-biobag-uterus-lamb-sheep-birth-premie-preterm-infant

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/sep/04/artifical-womb-women-ectogenesis-baby-fertility

CHOP's Center for Fetal Research 
http://www.chop.edu/pages/center-fetal-research

Artificial Wombs 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_uterus

28 - Dr. Alan Flake - The Artificial Womb and Innovation in Fetal Medicine

This episode is the final internship minisode with Christina Bax, who spent last summer working in Botswana with Peek Health, a company originally discussed on this podcast in one of our first episodes with Ryan Littman-Quinn. Christina talks about how she approached figuring out what to do over the summer, her role as a medical student with the Peek team, working with design students, and how she transitioned to living in Africa!

Links

Peek Vision 
https://www.peekvision.org/

Upenn-Botswana Partnership 
http://www.med.upenn.edu/botswana/

Episode with Ryan Littman-Quinn
https://soundcloud.com/pennhealthxpodcast/episode-3-ryan-littman-quinn-mhealth-and-botswana

30 - Internship Minisode - Christina Bax, Bringing Sight to Africa with Peek Vision

Today’s episode is Part 2 of a conversation Logan and I had with Dr. Shivan Mehta, who is the Associate Chief Innovation Officer at Penn Medicine. A gastroenterologist by training, Dr. Mehta is also the Director of Operations at the Penn Center for Healthcare Innovation, and works with the Leonard Davis Institute Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics. He received his MD, MBA and Masters in Health Policy all from Penn. We had a great conversation with topics ranging from his background, The Center for Healthcare Innovation, and behavioral economics research and how it can be used to improve patient care.

In Part 2 we discuss more of his work and the role of behavioral economics in healthcare.

Links

Part 1 
https://soundcloud.com/pennhealthxpodcast/34-dr-shivan-mehta-part-1-using-behavioral-economics-to-improve-healthcare

Dr. Mehta's Bio 
healthcareinnovation.upenn.edu/bio/shiva…-mba-mshp

35 - Dr. Shivan Mehta Part 2 - Using Behavioral Economics to Improve Healthcare

POHPS Website
www.pohps.org

Today, we are finally getting some COVID-related material. Over the next few weeks, we are going to continue highlighting some of the amazing work healthcare students and staff are doing in the Philadelphia area to help address the coronavirus pandemic. 

First, we are sharing a conversation Wakim, a 1st year Penn Medical student and VP of Strategy for HealthX, and I had with Ramie Fathy. Ramie is a 3rd-year medical student at Penn. He is the founder of POHPS, which stands for the Philadelphia Organization of Health Professions Students (POHPS). POHPS is an independent student-driven coalition born out of the COVID pandemic. The group includes students in the Philadelphia area who collaborate to meet community and health care worker needs, provide volunteer opportunities to fellow students, and promote holistic professional and personal wellness.

In the conversation, we talk about his background, research interests and hobbies, how he and others came together to form POHPS, and what you can do to get involved. 

Check out the website, www.POHPS.org and join the Facebook group.
 
In our ongoing COVID series of episodes, we will be sharing interviews with other members of the POHPS leadership, including those who are creating medical guidelines, compiling and organizing all volunteer opportunities, gathering PPE, sewing facemasks, and leading wellness initiatives, among many other projects. 
We will also highlight some of the groups of students who are innovating in the med device and med-tech space to address PPE and ventilator shortages, students who are working on developing an eICU elective, students who are working on developing a ChatBot for the Penn website, and those who are getting involved with new clinical trials happening at Penn. We will even speak with a few residents and faculty to hear what it is like in the hospitals and emergency departments now, and how they are preparing for an influx of patients. 

We’re excited to share these amazing stories with you all. 

- Ryan O'Keefe

Footnotes

Ramie’s website 
https://www.ramiefathy.com/aboutramie

Ramie’s LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramiefathy/

POHPS
https://www.facebook.com/groups/POHPS/

POHPS Website
www.pohps.org

49 - COVIDCast #1 - Ramie Fathy - Founding POHPS to Organize the Student Response to the Pandemic

For this episode, we are continuing our series featuring healthcare students and workers who are helping in the response to COVID-19. 

I spoke with Casey Kim, who is a 3rd-year medical student. She is on the leadership board for POHPS, the Philadelphia Organization of Health Professions Students and has taken the lead on creating guidelines for both medical professionals and the public regarding COVID-19. She has also created CoviDigest which is a daily summary of news, announcements, and other takeaways regarding the coronavirus. 

Be on the lookout for future COVID episodes where we speak with more of the POHPS leadership, teams of students designing solutions to address PPE and ventilator shortages, those developing the eICU elective, and more.

Foot Notes

Casey’s LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/casey-kim-b235a8149/

COVIDigests
https://www.pohps.org/covidigests?fbclid=IwAR0JFk3dxWvSHbAIuhvtDU_IrrIQAkzd2Da42Dy3Yi2hSS7MFxk2a4eZot4

50 - COVIDCast #2 - Casey Kim - Developing Educational Guidelines and Daily COVIDigests

Today’s episode is a quick one we recorded with Nicole Jochym to highlight the work she has done as the co-creator of Sew Face Masks Philadelphia (SFMP). Nicole is currently a 3rd-year medical student at Cooper Medical School just across the river from us in Camden, New Jersey. She holds a Masters of Bioethics from UPenn. 
Be on the lookout for a lot more COVID content to be released soon, highlighting other work students, residents and faculty have been leading here in Philly and beyond.

Footnotes
Nicole’s LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolejochym/
SFMP Website
https://www.sewfacemasksphilly.com/

51 - COVIDCast #3 - Nicole Jochym - Co-Creator of Sew Face Masks Philadelphia (SFMP)

This episode is a continuation of our series of COVID-related content. Jonathan Wakim and I speak with the SaniPack team, consisting of Omar Abdoun, Khaled Abdoun, Lina Ibrahim, Ahmed Aly,  Zonia Moore, and Doreen Lam. 

Each of the team members is a student at the Perelman School of Medicine, and Doreen Lam is currently one of the VPs of Curriculum for Penn HealthX. Together, their group developed the Sanipack, a pouch that can rapidly decontaminate an N95 mask and enhance its usability and shelf life to help protect healthcare workers. HealthX actually provided some tiered, non-dilutive grant funding so that the team could rapidly prototype the device to begin testing them and piloting them in the clinics. 

In the episode, we chat about how the team formed, the problem they were looking to solve, how they came up with the solution, how they worked as a team to put together a pitch for the Johns Hopkins COVID competition in under a week, and what the next steps are to get the device created and ready for use. 

It was a lot of fun to have everyone on one zoom call, and I’m glad we have such thoughtful and innovative students at Penn who are heeding the call to help in the COVID crisis.

- Ryan O'Keefe

53 - COVIDCast #4 - Prototyping the SaniPack to Help Protect Frontline Healthcare Workers

This episode was created for The Perelman School of Medicine’s online Health Systems curriculum for second-year clerkship students. In it, third-year medical student Casey Kim (who was previously featured on the Podcast for her work with POHPS and creating COVIDigests) and I interviewed Caryn Douma and Cynthia Line. 

Caryn is Corporate Director of Patient Safety for Penn Medicine, and Cynthia is the Senior Improvement Advisor for Clinical Effectiveness Quality Improvement.
In the episode, we discuss how the health system has responded to the COVID pandemic to ensure both patients and healthcare workers are as safe as they can be. 

Caryn and Cynthia share a few examples of how they have adapted to unique safety concerns due to COVID, and what lessons they’ve had to rapidly learn in the last few months. 

We hope you enjoy this conversation with Caryn Douma and Cynthia Line.

Footnotes

Caryn Douma’s LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/caryn-douma-0398a021/

Cynthia Line’s LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthialinephd/detail/photo/

61 - COVIDCast #12 - Adapting to the Unique Safety Concerns of COVID-19

This episode was created for The Perelman School of Medicine’s online Health Systems curriculum for second-year clerkship students. In it, third-year medical student Casey Kim (who was previously featured on the Podcast for her work with POHPS and creating COVIDigests) and I interviewed Dr. Kirstin Knox, Dr. Anna Morgan, Amber Kuestner who is an RN, and Catherine Stieglitz who is a social worker at Penn Med.
In part 1 of this episode, all our guests discuss their roles, how they have changed due to the coronavirus, and then we discuss the STEP 19 program which is an offshoot of the STEP program designed to better assist patients who frequently present to the emergency department for care. 

We touch on how the program began, the challenges of coordinating care during the pandemic, and what the future holds. 

We hope you enjoy.

Footnotes
 
Dr. Kirstin Knox
https://www.med.upenn.edu/apps/faculty/index.php/g275/p8338155

Dr. Anna Morgan 
https://www.pennmedicine.org/providers/profile/anna-morgan

Amber Kuestner’s LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/amber-kuestner-034b7640/

Catherine Stieglitz’s LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-stieglitz-lcsw-2baa9138/

62 - COVIDCast #13 - The STEP-19 Program for Patients with the Highest Needs

This episode is a recording of a virtual talk hosted by Penn HealthX with Professor Mauro Guillen. In the talk, Professor Guillen discussed the economic impacts of the pandemic and makes the case for opening the economy as soon as we can do so safely. 

Though the presentation included slides, the audio is easy to follow along with. The intended audience for the talk was medical students without a background in economics, and many of the questions asked and discussion that resulted from them are relevant to any healthcare provider, or anyone who wants to learn from one of the most respected economists at Wharton. 

Professor Mauro Guillen's Bio 
http://www-management.wharton.upenn.edu/guillen/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauro_Guill%C3%A9n

65 - COVIDCast #16 - Prof Mauro Guillen - The Economic Impact of the Pandemic

In this episode, I interview Zack Gray, who is the Co-Founder and CEO of Ophelia, which seeks to address the opioid epidemic by making medication-assisted treatment (MAT) private, convenient, and affordable for patients. Zack is a graduate of Columbia where he studied Astrophysics and Philosophy. After being in the working world for a few years, he pursued an MBA at Wharton. During this time, he was able to work on building Ophelia.

Ophelia took the 1st Place prize at the Penn HealthX Conference Pitch competition last year when Ophelia was still in the works. Thus, I was excited to catch up with Zack to see how Ophelia has been doing since. 
The conversation is loaded with tons of information about the opioid epidemic, the many barriers that exist which keep innovators from helping patients who are addicted to opioids, and what he has learned along the way as he has started a healthcare company from scratch. 

I was so impressed by Zack’s dedication to solving the problem, and his approach to overcoming the obstacles inherent in the space and am excited to see what he and the Ophelia team are able to achieve in the coming years. We’ve linked off to many resources and articles that we discuss in the show notes – so please take a look if you are interested in learning more. 

Host: Ryan O'Keefe

Foot Notes

Zack’s LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/zack-gray-58437936/

Ophelia Website 
https://www.meetophelia.com/

Article Covering Ophelia’s Raise 
https://www.forbes.com/sites/berenicemagistretti/2020/05/12/rehab-20-yc-backed-ophelia-raises-27-million-to-help-people-quit-opioids-without-the-burden-and-cost-of-rehab/#8b248551ee82

Zack’s Explanation for Why He Founded Ophelia and What They Do
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22570133

Zack’s Graduation Speech 
http://media.licdn.com/embeds/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2Fa2kxSycPey0%3Ffeature%3Doembed&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Da2kxSycPey0&amp;type=text%2Fhtml&amp;schema=youtube

Evidence/Research for the Efficacy of MAT with suboxone
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29934549

Atlantic Article on the Opioid Crisis
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2018/11/why-heroin-and-fentanyl-addicts-cant-get-treatment/576118/

Book by Dr. Bisaga - Overcoming Opioid Addiction: The Authoritative Medical Guide for Patients, Families, Doctors, and Therapists
https://www.amazon.com/Overcoming-Opioid-Addiction-Authoritative-Therapists/dp/1615194584

Article on Primary Care Providers Not Prescribing MAT
https://www.statnews.com/2020/04/20/opioids-addiction-physicians-doctors-naltrexone/?utm_source=STAT+Newsletters&utm_campaign=f5e5d9e1cc-MR_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8cab1d7961-f5e5d9e1cc-149667945

70 - Zack Gray - Co-Founding Ophelia to Improve Access for Patients Addicted to Opioids

This episode is a conversation I had with one of my friends and Wharton colleagues, Catherine Bryt. Catherine is the CEO and founder of Sibi Health. Put simply, Sibi Health is a marketplace for healthcare services, now serving the Philadelphia area. You can compare local doctors and pre-set service prices for both in-person and video visits, select, book, and pay in advance using a credit card or HSA/FSA card, and then receive care.

In the episode, we discuss Catherine’s background studying neuroscience and economics, some of the jobs she had before Wharton, and what her experience has been like starting a company in the Wharton environment, and during the COVID pandemic. 

To learn more about Sibi, check out their website sibihealth.com.
Also check out their instagram @sibi.health.

Footnotes

Catherine’s LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cbryt/

Sibi Health website
https://www.sibihealth.com/

Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/sibi.health/

MM.LaFleur
https://mmlafleur.com/

Create Health Plans
https://createhealthplans.com/

72 - Catherine Bryt - Creating a Healthcare Services Marketplace with Sibi Health

Today’s episode is one I co-hosted with Mariam Alausa, who is the current co-VP of Curriculum for Penn HealthX. Our guest was Kwaku Owusu, who is the founder and CEO of DrugViu and TrialViu. 

Drugviu aggregates patient-related outcomes for people of color who take specific pharmaceutical drugs. TrialViu is a companion site that then educates those same patients about clinical trials, and then matches them to trials they may qualify for using AI. 

Their lofty mission is to eliminate underrepresentation in medicine

Reading from DrugViu’s website to share more about the problem they are looking to solve: 

Racial and ethnic minorities are 40% of the US population and growing, yet represent less than 8% of the participants in pharmaceutical clinical trials. Especially concerning are clinical trials for diseases that disproportionately affect minorities. Here are few more examples:
Per the National Cancer Institute, African-American men are twice as likely as their white counterparts to die from prostate cancer but represent 4% of clinical trial participants.
The CDC reports that suicide is one of the leading causes of death among Asian-American women under 45 years of age. Yet, Asian-Americans constituted less than 1% of trials for CDER-approved treatments of major depressive disorders in the last two years.
Cancer is the leading cause of death among Hispanics, yet Hispanic cancer patients only make up 4% of participants in cancer clinical trials in the U.S., according to the National Cancer Institute.
Native Americans are often not represented in studies at all
Without enough minority participants, it’s virtually impossible to determine the effectiveness and side effects of a particular medication to that group. To compound this, there is no place online for minorities to research drug information specifically targeted for them. There is no online community where users can read and contribute to side effect/drug efficacy reviews by people that look like them.

In the episode, we discuss Kwaku’s background, more about what made him interested in this area of medicine, and what he has learned along the way getting these companies off the ground. 
Now, let’s get to our conversation with Kwaku Owusu.

FootNotes

Kwaku’s LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kwaku-owusu/

DrugViu Website
https://www.drugviu.com/

TrialViu Website
https://www.trialviu.com/

74 - Kwaku Owusu - CEO of DrugViu - Eliminating the Underrepresentation of POC in Clinical Trials

Today’s episode is a conversation I had with Dr. Arpan Parikh. Dr. Parikh was a colleague of mine at Wharton last year. He has since graduated and moved on to a role with CareMore Health. Dr. Parikh got his MD at Ohio State, and completed his residency in Psychiatry at Mt. Sinai in New York City. 

In the episode, we discuss what drew him to medicine and psychiatry, memories he had as a student, clinical roles he took on, why he chose to get an MBA, and how he will use his skills at CareMore Health. 

It was an absolute pleasure for me to speak with Dr. Parikh and learn from him.

Host - Ryan O'Keefe

Show Notes

Arpan’s LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/arpan-parikh-724897125/

Mt. Sinai Addiction Institute
https://www.mountsinai.org/locations/addiction-institute

CareMore Health
https://www.caremore.com/

76 - Dr. Arpan Parikh - Using Business Skills to Improve The Future of Psychiatry

Today’s episode is a conversation with one of my colleagues, Sandy Varatharajah. Sandy is a 2nd year MBA student and a member of the Healthcare Management program at Wharton. In the episode, we discuss what drew her to the healthcare space, her previous experiences, including interning at the white house, consulting, and working for CityBlock. We also discussed the decision to get an MBA, and some of the interviews she has done for the Pulse Podcast by the Wharton Digital Health club. We end with some things she is most looking forward to in the coming years. 

If you like The Penn HealthX Podcast, you should check out Pulse, a podcast created and maintained by The Wharton Digital Health Club where they interview leaders in the digital health space.

Show Notes

Sandy’s LinkedIn Profile 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandyvaratharajah/

The Pulse Podcast - Soundcloud
https://soundcloud.com/wharton-pulse-podcast 

The Pulse Podcast - Medium Page
https://medium.com/wharton-pulse-podcast 

Sandy’s Medium Profile
https://medium.com/@sanvrajah

77 - Sandy Varatharajah - Planning For a Career to Transform Healthcare Via Digital Health

The Penn HealthX Podcast focuses on the intersection of medicine and business, with an emphasis on healthcare management, entrepreneurship, and technology (H-MET). This podcast has two aims.

First, we want to highlight excellent work happening at The University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, and beyond.  

Second, we want to help students and those early in their medical careers understand how to become leaders in the field, and use their skills outside of strictly clinical medicine.

We intend to achieve these goals by interviewing students and faculty members who are working in the H-MET space. We also plan to discuss current events, trends and opportunities in healthcare, and other topics future healthcare leaders need to know about.

Penn Health-X is supported by our generous donors - Dr. Wong. Dr. Slevin, Dr. Anand, and Dr. Wills. 

Find us on iTunes! 
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-penn-healthx-podcast/id1271378904?mt=2

The Penn HealthX Podcast

Pinned to spotlight

Popular tracks