Empowered Patient Podcast

Rae McMahan , Senior VP for Payer Solutions at Prescryptive,  points out how the surge in demand for GLP-1 medications has exposed the strengths and weaknesses of the pharmaceutical ecosystem.  Rae highlights the growing role of direct-to-patient and manufacturer-sponsored programs as an alternative to the traditional pharmacy benefits manager model. Looking ahead, there are opportunities to trans...

Rae McMahan , Senior VP for Payer Solutions at Prescryptive,  points out how the surge in demand for GLP-1 medications has exposed the strengths and weaknesses of the pharmaceutical ecosystem.  Rae highlights the growing role of direct-to-patient and manufacturer-sponsored programs as an alternative to the traditional pharmacy benefits manager model. Looking ahead, there are opportunities to trans...

John Hanna , President and CEO of CareDx, discussed how the company's blood-based molecular diagnostic testing is transforming patient monitoring for organ transplantation, HPV-driven cancers, and hematologic malignancies. These molecular tools provide early warning signals months ahead of conventional methods, enabling clinicians to intervene proactively rather than reactively. Longitudinal data...

John Hanna , President and CEO of CareDx, discussed how the company's blood-based molecular diagnostic testing is transforming patient monitoring for organ transplantation, HPV-driven cancers, and hematologic malignancies. These molecular tools provide early warning signals months ahead of conventional methods, enabling clinicians to intervene proactively rather than reactively. Longitudinal data...

Samantha Dale Strasser , VP of Strategy at Cellular Intelligence, is developing an AI-native platform to decode how cells communicate and signal with each other using a proprietary capsule technology to collect massive datasets on cellular behavior.  The data is used to train functional virtual cell signaling models that predict and control cell fate, accelerating drug discovery and regenerative m...

Samantha Dale Strasser , VP of Strategy at Cellular Intelligence, is developing an AI-native platform to decode how cells communicate and signal with each other using a proprietary capsule technology to collect massive datasets on cellular behavior.  The data is used to train functional virtual cell signaling models that predict and control cell fate, accelerating drug discovery and regenerative m...

Steve Beard , CEO of Covista, is addressing the growing healthcare workforce shortage through centers of learning that serve working adults, veterans, career changers, and internationally trained clinicians seeking domestic certification. Steve challenges the assumption that scale and quality are mutually exclusive and emphasizes that expanding training opportunities is essential to provide compet...

Steve Beard , CEO of Covista, is addressing the growing healthcare workforce shortage through centers of learning that serve working adults, veterans, career changers, and internationally trained clinicians seeking domestic certification. Steve challenges the assumption that scale and quality are mutually exclusive and emphasizes that expanding training opportunities is essential to provide compet...

Dr. John Friend , CEO of Kazia Therapeutics, is investigating how to change the underlying biology that lets cancers resist treatment and evade the immune system. A central challenge in oncology is that cancer cells adapt and suppress immune recognition. Reprogramming the biology includes altering immune evasion mechanisms and the tumor microenvironment. Their lead drug candidate is showing reduct...

Dr. John Friend , CEO of Kazia Therapeutics, is investigating how to change the underlying biology that lets cancers resist treatment and evade the immune system. A central challenge in oncology is that cancer cells adapt and suppress immune recognition. Reprogramming the biology includes altering immune evasion mechanisms and the tumor microenvironment. Their lead drug candidate is showing reduct...

Leo Petrossian , CEO of Kandu, discusses a groundbreaking approach to stroke recovery that uses an FDA-cleared, non-invasive EEG headset combined with a robotic glove that detects when a patient visualizes moving their impaired arm and simultaneously moves the arm mechanically. Traditional rehabilitation has treated the arm rather than the brain, which is the source of the damage. This brain-compu...

Leo Petrossian , CEO of Kandu, discusses a groundbreaking approach to stroke recovery that uses an FDA-cleared, non-invasive EEG headset combined with a robotic glove that detects when a patient visualizes moving their impaired arm and simultaneously moves the arm mechanically. Traditional rehabilitation has treated the arm rather than the brain, which is the source of the damage. This brain-compu...

Dr. Sandeep Palakodeti , Chief Medical Officer for Los Angeles-based Bold,  discusses the company's comprehensive approach to healthy aging which centers on movement, nutrition, and clinical care. Bold is supported by an AI-enabled platform that personalizes the patient experience and enables a hybrid approach for high-quality care.  A particular focus is the growing use of GLP-1 medications among...

Dr. Sandeep Palakodeti , Chief Medical Officer for Los Angeles-based Bold,  discusses the company's comprehensive approach to healthy aging which centers on movement, nutrition, and clinical care. Bold is supported by an AI-enabled platform that personalizes the patient experience and enables a hybrid approach for high-quality care.  A particular focus is the growing use of GLP-1 medications among...

Adrian Mendes , Chief Executive Officer at Perimeter Medical,  has developed a platform that uses AI and optical coherence tormography (OCT) imaging to provide surgeons with real-time visualization of tumor margins during breast cancer surgery.  By scanning while the patient is still in the operating room the platform enables surgeons to identify cancerous cells at the margins and remove addiional...

Adrian Mendes , Chief Executive Officer at Perimeter Medical,  has developed a platform that uses AI and optical coherence tormography (OCT) imaging to provide surgeons with real-time visualization of tumor margins during breast cancer surgery.  By scanning while the patient is still in the operating room the platform enables surgeons to identify cancerous cells at the margins and remove addiional...

Dr. Neil Inhaber , VP and Head of Global Medical Affairs at Takeda,  highlights the complexities of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection following organ transplantation when a patient's immune system is suppressed. Managing post-transplant CMV is particularly challenging because treatments must balance the risk of organ rejection and the need for immunosuppressive and anti-CMV therapies.  Neil explains...

Dr. Neil Inhaber , VP and Head of Global Medical Affairs at Takeda,  highlights the complexities of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection following organ transplantation when a patient's immune system is suppressed. Managing post-transplant CMV is particularly challenging because treatments must balance the risk of organ rejection and the need for immunosuppressive and anti-CMV therapies. Neil explains,...

Dr. Craig Tanio , Co-Founder of Rezilir Health,  is taking a precision medicine approach to cognitive decline that combines objective performance metrics, identification of root causes, and practical interventions to achieve measurable improvements. This strategy addresses fundamentals including diet, exercise, sleep, cognitive engagement and stress management while looking at underlying drivers s...

Dr. Craig Tanio , Co-Founder of Rezilir Health,  is taking a precision medicine approach to cognitive decline that combines objective performance metrics, identification of root causes, and practical interventions to achieve measurable improvements. This strategy addresses fundamentals including diet, exercise, sleep, cognitive engagement and stress management while looking at underlying drivers s...

Dr. Paul Peter Tak , President and CEO of Candel Therapeutics, discusses the company's virus-based approach for treating multiple tumor types. Their lead therapy is an oral drug and an engineered adenovirus injected into tumors to deliver a gene that educates the patient's immune cells to recognize and eliminate cancer cells throughout the body. Unlike personalized tumor vaccine approaches, this d...

Dr. Paul Peter Tak , President and CEO of Candel Therapeutics, discusses the company's virus-based approach for treating multiple tumor types. Their lead therapy is an oral drug and an engineered adenovirus injected into tumors to deliver a gene that educates the patient's immune cells to recognize and eliminate cancer cells throughout the body. Unlike personalized tumor vaccine approaches, this d...

Al Gianchetti , CEO of Nuevocor,  discusses genetic cardiomyopathies, an underdiagnosed condition that might explain multigenerational heart failure. Current treatments include beta blockers, pacemakers, and heart transplants but do not alter the course of the disease.  Because of multiple gene mutations, Nuevocor is developing a precision therapy for LMNA-related cardiomyopathy based on mechanobi...

Al Gianchetti , CEO of Nuevocor,  discusses genetic cardiomyopathies, an underdiagnosed condition that might explain multigenerational heart failure. Current treatments include beta blockers, pacemakers, and heart transplants but do not alter the course of the disease.  Because of multiple gene mutations, Nuevocor is developing a precision therapy for LMNA-related cardiomyopathy based on mechanobi...

Rakshith Yashvanth , Senior Product Manager, Advanced Analytics & AI at ZeOmega, emphasizes that effective AI implementation in clinical settings requires comprehensive data across clinical, social, utilization, and behavioral elements, not cherry-picked variables. Real-world data indicates that traditional social determinants of health often miss critical behavioral patterns and healthcare engage...