In modern America, “the bread” has changed. It is no longer found in a Parisian bakery but in a community health center, a pharmacy, or a hospital admissions office. It is insulin, chemotherapy, biologics and mental health care. Access to these essentials increasingly depends not only on medical need but also on administrative thresholds, shifting eligibility rules, and delay mechanisms that quietly determine who waits, who deteriorates, and who absorbs financial collapse as collateral damage.

When Illness Becomes Economic Collapse

Medical debt has become the most visible expression of this misalignment. More than 100 million Americans now carry health-related debt, much of it incurred despite having health insurance. For millions of Americans, a single diagnosis can be enough to destabilize their household finances permanently. Medical debt damages credit, constrains housing and determines employment options. It fuels chronic stress that contributes to poorer health outcomes. It punishes people not for recklessness, but for uninvited illness.

The consequences extend well beyond ledgers. Individuals carrying medical debt are significantly more likely to delay or avoid needed care, skip prescriptions or postpone follow-up visits. Families report cutting back on food, utilities or rent to manage medical bills. In this way, illness becomes an economic accelerant, pushing people already close to the edge into deeper instability. Survival may be possible, but recovery, both financially, emotionally, and psychologically, becomes elusive.

For patients with serious illnesses such as cancer, autoimmune disease, or rare conditions, the stakes are far higher. Financial toxicity has been associated with increased mortality among cancer patients, as out-of-pocket costs lead individuals to delay treatment or abandon therapy altogether. This occurs at the same time that medical innovation has never been more promising. Targeted therapies, biologics, and personalized medicine are extending life and improving quality of life. The contradiction is stark: scientific progress accelerates while access narrows.

How Administration Became a Barrier to Care

At the center of this contradiction sits prior authorization. Originally intended as a utilization management tool, it has evolved into a pervasive barrier to timely care. Physicians report that prior authorization routinely delays necessary treatment and consumes hours of clinical time, while patients wait often in pain, sometimes in medical crisis. In oncology, delays can mean missed treatment windows. In neurology, they can mean needless pain or irreversible decline. In mental health, they can mean crisis escalation and hospitalization.

Denial rarely arrives as a clear refusal. More often, whether intentional or not, care is slowed until the patient deteriorates, disengages, or pays out of pocket. The system follows the rule, but the consequence is the weight that the patient carries. What was designed as stewardship increasingly functions as deterrence, too often transferring the burden of cost control to those least equipped to carry it.

Public programs meant to stabilize access have not been immune to this dynamic. Medicaid and Medicare, established as pillars of the American safety net in 1964, now operate amid growing instability. Eligibility thresholds are a moving target. Redetermination processes remove coverage for administrative reasons, rather than due to changes in need. Patients in active treatment lose coverage mid-course, forcing physicians to scramble and patients to panic. Coverage churn disrupts care and erodes trust, encouraging people to delay engagement with a system that is no longer structured to protect them when they are most vulnerable.

Taken together, medical debt, administrative delay, and coverage instability are not isolated policy failures but a systemic pattern. The modern sick-care system excels at episodic intervention but struggles with continuity, predictability, and lived experience. It measures success in transactions rather than trajectories, focusing on efficiency rather than consequences. Innovation thrives, while access to these medicines frays.

Violence is Never Justified

Hugo warned of where this leads. When systems feel unreachable, when appeals are endless and context is stripped away, frustration hardens into despair—the search for bread. Despair does not always erupt visibly. More often, people delay care not because they are indifferent to their health, but because they are afraid of what seeking care will cost them financially and emotionally.

Violence is never justified. The murder of health insurance executive Brian Thompson must be condemned without qualification. It is a human tragedy, not a symbol, and should never be rationalized. At the same time, refusing to examine the conditions that fuel public rage that applaud the killer is a warning sign about how people experience health care as an institution that governs life-and-death decisions while feeling increasingly inaccessible and unaccountable.

In Les Misérables, bread was enough to keep Jean Valjean’s family alive, but it was the weight of rigid systems that nearly broke him. That distinction matters today. When access to health care is treated as something to be rationed through delay, instability, and administrative friction, survival may still be possible, but long-term stability is put at risk. Medical debt, coverage churn, and seemingly weaponized delays do not merely inconvenience patients; they reshape how people relate to illness, the government, and companies, and allocate care.

The path forward does not begin with sanctifying health care, nor with vilifying those who work within it. It starts with recalibration. Administrative tools must serve care rather than obstruct it. Eligibility for public programs must offer predictability, not whiplash. Access must be treated as infrastructure, something that must function under stress, not a privilege rationed through complexity. America’s health-care story is still being written. Its outcome will not be determined solely by innovation or cost control, but by whether systems are designed to work when people are most vuln

The post From Bread to Barriers: When Health-Care Access Becomes the Crime appeared first on Medika Life.

The NEJM paper shows that hypertension care delivered at home by community health workers (CHWs) delivers better results than care delivered through a clinic. It is reporting on interventions in rural South Africa. The team that did the research comes from the University of KwaZulu Natal and Harvard. Do not, though, expect to see people in Massachusetts benefit from the findings any time soon.

In the most sophisticated community model in South Africa, 83 percent of trial participants had their blood pressure under control after six months, an outcome that was sustained after a year. In that model, patients were seen by a nurse with decision-making authority; they were given an automated blood pressure monitor that sent regular messages to an app used by the nurses; CHWs — lay health workers who live in the communities where they work — helped patients use the machines and delivered medicines that the nurses had prescribed. The nurses got reminders about regular review of readings, prompts from a national management protocol and suggestions about prescribing updates. Medicines were sent automatically to the CHWs, who delivered them to patients.

In the world’s most expensive healthcare system, about 60 percent of Americans with hypertension knew they had it in 2024. About half of them were taking treatments and about 20 percent had their hypertension under control. Unsurprisingly, heart disease and stroke are the leading causes of death in the United States and hypertension is a major risk factor for both.

In a 2010 report, over 40 percent of Americans with hypertension were managed by internists, who now earn over $250,000 a year on average, although about one in eight were managed by cardiologists, with an average salary of about $420,000. A Journal of the American Medical Association paper in late 2024, reported that, “70% of adults with uncontrolled hypertension who were aware of their condition reported taking antihypertensive medication.”

Crudely — and I appreciate that we shouldn’t compare data from very different sources and different populations — Americans are about a quarter as likely to have successful treatment of their hypertension as are rural South Africans in this pilot. The Americans pay a fortune; the SA government pays very little, but uses technology wisely. This should not come as a surprise. It follows closely the track record of the two countries in treating HIV.

In 2022, 90% of South Africans living with HIV knew they had it; 91% of those aware of their status were on effective treatment (highly-active antiretroviral therapy or ART); and 94% of those on ART were virally suppressed. Suppression means that the virus cannot be detected in the person being treated; that the disease is unlikely to progress; and that it is virtually impossible to transmit it to another person. South Africa’s success is mostly the result of good community care, efficient delivery of medicines to convenient pickup points and strong leadership. It is doing well, especially given the vast number of its citizens living with HIV, but most of its neighbours are doing better.

The US Centers for Disease Control do not report data in the same format, but in 2023, only 67% of Americans living with HIV were virally suppressed. About a quarter received no medical care at all that year. A US government webpage lists at least 10 kinds of professionals who may make up an HIV care team. Almost all will include an infectious disease doctor, who earns about $250,000 a year, a bargain in American terms.

I could keep giving examples — open heart surgery in a production line model for under $2,000; one-stop breast care clinics to diagnose early-stage breast cancer and manage it; AI-powered skin lesion analysis by CHWs. All deliver better results at a fraction of the cost. We should also not just pick on the USA as a comparator: France and Germany don’t do much better. Worst of all, some of these examples are over a decade old but entrenched medical interests have stopped advanced economies from adopting models of frugal innovation that would improve quality of life and avoid premature deaths.

There are examples in the other direction. For example, about 90 percent of children with cancer survive at the very best treatment centres in the USA; fewer than 20 percent do in some low-income countries. (A coalition involving St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the WHO and partners are working on exactly this) The patterns are not so stark in adult cancers and neurological diseases, but also clearly favour the advanced economies. However, risk stratification based on big data, standardised treatment protocols and the rapid introduction of some new diagnostics all seem likely to happen faster in middle-income countries than outside centres of excellence in high-income ones.

There is little appetite to take on the vested interests in most countries and concern over making so much current investment redundant. For example, many GPs in Ireland, where I live, won’t rely on validated smartwatch readings to monitor blood pressure because all have bought devices that patients take home for 30 hours and that inflate a cuff every hour.

Change will accelerate rapidly from here on. The innovators will come from middle-income countries without our sunk investment or our abundant human resources. If we, in the advanced economies, want to be early adopters or even part of the early majority, we’ll need to be more willing to disrupt entrenched and dysfunctional systems.

The post Restrictive practices in medicine are holding high-income countries back appeared first on Medika Life.

The schedule for the two-day gathering, which attracts 1,200 people, is jam-packed with sessions that range from an overflowing mainstage room to roundtables featuring four to five panelists who are at the top of their fields and could occupy a mainstage and dynamic, edgy topics breakout.

The expected question from someone who has not attended a “Summit” is, do the conversations lead to outcomes? The short answer is “Yes.”  The longer answer is found in the volume of partnerships among corporate attendees in forming coalitions and consortiums that draw in not-for-profit attendees. In many situations, company executives recognized that to “make things happen,” collaboration is required with third parties dedicated to a common concern. 

Aside from the set program, plenty is happening during the coffee and lunch breaks.  Attendees rub shoulders with leaders such as Candace Dixon from Command Shift, a national consortium advocating for strategies that inspire the advancement of young women of color in tech careers; Laura Wlling, Esq from Goodwill Industries International, whose societal contributions encompass a vast range of services – from employment training to supporting sustainable communities that reduce landfill and offer affordable consumer goods to struggling households.  

There are also incredibly compelling stories that magically appear over lunch. One young woman who will be a national inspirational speaker, Aliscia Brorman, spent her childhood shuttling from foster home to foster home. Foster Love sponsored Aliscia to attend the Social Innovation Summit. As an attendee, she mesmerized her lunch table with her journey of overcoming challenge after challenge. Foster Love arranged for Aliscia to complete a college degree.  Here’s an interview that traces her journey from an abandoned child to a societal role model:

Who is Behind the Social Innovation Summit

Landmark Ventures is the magic behind the Social Innovation Curtain.  An investment banker and strategic consultancy, Zeev Klein, chief executive officer, expresses his passion for the Summit, calling it “The organization’s contribution to conversations that can change society for the better.” Unlike other curators and high-tier meetings, Klein can be seen among attendees, usually chatting and seeking to help people make connections.  He does not step to the main stage for applause.  Gratification comes from advancing the Summit’s mission.

Klein recalls that the original Summit meetings were hosted by the United Nations and even once held in the General Assembly room.  He and his senior team attend the Summit looking to introduce and make connections among the attendees, including many significant health, consumer, and high-tech manufacturing companies with edgy start-ups and NGOs.

Waves of Inspiring Leaders and Stories

Story after story unfolds at the Summit.  For example, with nearly one billion people living without access to reliable electricity, families in poverty spend up to 30 percent of their income to light their homes.  They sacrifice food, medicine, and education to function in the dark. Watts of Love Founder Nancy Economou is equipping people with the resources they need to end the cycles of poverty with a simple, sustainable solution that has an immediate impact.

Through a financial literacy program combined with a patented solar light, Watts of Love empowers women and families and puts them on a path to economic sustainability.

“I am invigorated by the energy and enthusiasm of the Social Innovation Summit and feel privileged to be part of the conversation. Surrounded by others committed to promoting solutions to social challenges, we are reminded of our shared responsibility to be catalysts for positive social change, says Economou. “The Summit’s focus on fostering collaboration, sharing best practices, and highlighting innovative approaches to creating positive social impact is truly inspiring.”

Learn more here about Watts of Love:

Post-COVID lockdowns, accelerated online shopping continues, and a new ” wardrobing ” trend is growing. E-commerce customers purchase multiple clothing items to return most items after trying them on at home. Retail returns doubled from 8% in 2019 to 16% in 2022, generating 24 million metric tons of planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions in 2022 alone. Carbon emissions are linked to significant environmental issues and public health challenges. 

An advanced live virtual try-on (LVTO) technology platform, GEENEE, serves major fashion brands, behemoth SHEIN, luxury eyewear conglomerate Luxottica, and global beauty brands such as L’ORÉAL to reduce emission-producing product returns.  GEENEE tackles the fragmented device ecosystem dilemma, where mobile phones, laptops, and desktops have different camera modules with varying focal lengths and specs.  Data show that 40% of product returns are due to the customer’s dissatisfaction with the product’s look and style.

After trying GEENEE’s product firsthand, I saw how fast products instantly appear and how far the tech has evolved since pockets of early adopter brands introduced the public to online VTO experiences nearly a decade ago.    

Ultimately, GEENEE CEO Cory Grenier states, “Whatever the technical tools applied—AR, AI, ML or others—these are just features, not products. GEENEE’s product and service is ‘personalization.’ Personalized product experiences speak to customers because people are served products that align recommendations with their expectations, leverage purchase history, save time, and eliminate frustration. Personalization can also help make our environment healthier by reducing rampant returns.”   

Partnerships Are the Currency of Success at the Social Innovation Summit

Curt Ellis, Co-Founder and co-CEO of FoodCorps, is partnering with Alex Amouyel, CEO of the Newman’s Own Foundation, to host a SIS roundtable on food justice. FoodCorps currently taps into more than 520,000 students in its work, helping them experience food as a daily source of joy and power in school. Through its AmeriCorps direct impact program, its power-building work with students, families, and BIPOC school nutrition leaders, and its policy and advocacy work, FoodCorps is pursuing a bold 2030 goal: achieving a future by the end of this decade where every child has access to food education and free, nourishing meals in school.

“The Social Innovation Summit brings together the dreamers and partners we need to realize our ambitious vision for shifting the school food system on behalf of the 50 million kids who show up in school every morning needing not only to learn but to eat,” says Ellis.

Investing in Global Health from the Ground Up

Plenty of attendees addressed the very granular health and environmental issues faced by people in developed and emerging countries. Moderated by FINN Partners’s Amy Terpeluk, a social impact pioneer, The World Shoe shared insights at a roundtable conversation tackling an overlooked problem – the dangers of 600,000,000 going shoeless.  Without suitable footwear, more than one billion people face deadly diseases due to bacteria, insects, and unhealed sores.

“This first day at SIS was a great reminder of the WHY behind all our work for collective betterment. Building with other disruptive minds moves us from healthy competition to coop petition is infectious. The dynamic solutions being shared have increased my desire to push the envelope of change with what we are doing with World Shoe,” shares Astor Chambers, vice president of marketing at World Shoe.

Chambers is no stranger to footwear. Prior to World Shoe, he helped rally consumers to mega-sport shoe brands such as Nike and Adidas. At NIKE, Inc., he drove the overall strategy and leveraged all three basketball brands within the “Just Do It” giant.  He’s now making it happen for tens of millions of people.

Police with a Heart

Police2Peace is a transformational program geared to change law enforcement culture for police and sheriffs by reframing officers as “peace officers.  Its mission is for every cop in America to deliver policing that’s practical, empathetic, and just. The five-year-old, DC-based nonprofit does police culture training for cities and states and is a federal government contractor. Its training also includes compassionate mental health, homeless and domestic violence response. 

Lisa Broderick founded the organization after a 30-year stint as a high-tech executive.  Broderick’s career began at Apple Computer as a student at Stanford in the 1980s. Then she realized the words “peace officer” could be a disruptive technology for policing, and she believed the term “peace officer” could change how the public saw “cops” and how “cops” see themselves.  Some 80% of states historically refer to their law enforcement officers as “peace officers” in state statutes—while none use the term as a label when describing the cops to the public.  Lisa, community members, and police leaders set out to change that mindset.  

“America wants to see the heart behind the badge,” said Broderick.  “And cops can be on the lookout for the heart behind the person,” referring to the need for compassionate police response in tough situations like mental health-related calls for service.  “It’s a win-win.”

Journey to the Stars – a Summit Launch

The meeting is oversubscribed, but societal needs—from making caregiving accessible and ensuring a working wage to pursuing sustainable manufacturing best practices to women’s rights and realizing the terror of the penitentiary system to paving the way for talented people like Katya Echazarreta, the first Mexican-born woman to travel to space—ignites the imaginations of millions to pursue life journeys filled with purpose. It’s all magically happening at the Social Innovation Summit.

The post The Social Innovation Summit is the Other UN Changing the World appeared first on Medika Life.

This year is no exception. Thought leaders, innovators, philanthropists, and community activists from around the globe, united in their quest for solutions, will meet in Chicago on June 4-5^th. An impressive roster of C-Suite and policy leaders are delivering keynotes and moderate roundtables, including Dr. Chelsea Clinton, vice-chair of the Clinton Foundation, and Governor JB Pritzker of Illinois, both well-known for their longstanding commitment to social impact efforts.

Landmark Ventures follows a unique model combining business development services, investment banking, and special events, also hosts the CIO Summit, which convenes business, technology, venture capital, and innovation leaders. These two gatherings enable Landmark to bring diverse voices together to advance needed change.

Spirit of Collaboration

The Summit’s true power lies in assembling participants from diverse sectors, each bringing their perspectives and expertise. Entrepreneurs with groundbreaking ideas, non-profit leaders with deep community insights, corporate executives bringing resources and economic clout to the table, and policymakers able to effect change converge, contributing to a tapestry of perspectives and complementary skills. The resultant cross-pollination of ideas leads to innovative solutions that would likely not emerge in more homogenous settings.

Beyond buzzwords, inclusivity and diversity are the essence of the Summit’s ethos. The complex, multifaceted problems our world faces require input from a broad range of stakeholders, and those who attend believe that every voice, regardless of its size, matters and contributes to the collective impact the gathering seeks. 

Fostering Innovation and Driving Impact

Innovative ideas that lead to action are the lifeblood of the Social Innovation Summit. The event serves as an incubator, providing a platform to present ideas in motion and receive feedback from a policy- and business-savvy audience. This supportive environment can help refine concepts into viable, effective solutions.

The Innovation Showcase, a Summit highlight, offers startups and social enterprises an opportunity to pitch their projects to a receptive panel of judges and an audience of interested investors and potential partners. The showcase provides high-level exposure, valuable feedback, and a chance to secure funding essential for scaling solutions.

Social Innovation Summit impacts reverberate well beyond the event itself. Discussions and connections often lead to collaborative projects that effect change, from local community initiatives to global movements. This is the Summit’s greatest strength. Collaborations that took root at the Summit have led to education, healthcare, and environmental sustainability initiatives, benefiting underserved communities worldwide.

According to Barb Short, senior director, Corporate Social Responsibility at Sanofi, who is attending her third Summit and speaking at a Day One Roundtable titled HEALTH EQUITY & ACCESS: “The Social Innovation Summit has always been my go-to to learn from changemakers who are not only bold, but also are sleeves-rolled, connecting across sectors to understand nuance and innovate new collaborative methods toward meaningful movement.”

Models for Success and Agents of Change

The Summit also spotlights successful social innovation models, providing practical examples for others to follow. These case studies demonstrate how meaningful change is achieved, providing a roadmap for replicating or adapting successful strategies in other communities.

A notable success story: a not-for-profit social enterprise that developed a low-cost water purification system for use in developing countries attracted investors and partners during the Summit, leading to partnerships that drove broad adoption of its technology. Today, millions have access to clean drinking water thanks to conversations and connections made during the two-day meeting.

Empowerment is also a key theme at the Summit. Participants gain the skills and confidence to drive community change through workshops, mentoring sessions, and networking opportunities. This is vital for young leaders and emerging social entrepreneurs, who often face significant barriers to achieving their goals.

The Leadership Lab, one of the Summit’s standout sessions, provides intensive training and mentorship to these emerging leaders. Participants learn about project management and social impact strategies, which equip them with the tools to lead successful initiatives. Many alum have gone on to create successful projects in their communities, underscoring the Summit’s lasting influence.

Systemic Challenges

While celebrating individual innovations, the Summit recognizes the need to tackle systemic challenges, such as poverty, inequality, and climate change. It provides a forum for discussing these broader issues and developing strategies for effectively tackling them.

The Summit facilitates dialogue between different sectors that must be involved in addressing systemic change. For example, a panel might bring together policymakers, business leaders, and activists to discuss strategies for reducing income inequality. By fostering these cross-sector dialogues, the summit helps build the coalitions needed to address challenges of the greatest possible scope.

Is it a Meeting or a Movement?

Finally, the Social Innovation Summit serves as a powerful platform for advocacy. The summit shapes public discourse and influences policy by spotlighting critical social issues, exploring innovative, collaborative solutions, and—critically—building the foundation for empowered advocacy. Many speakers use their platform to serve as agents for change, raising awareness and mobilizing support for worthy causes addressing the most important issues of our time.

For example, a recent Summit speaker used their platform to call for criminal justice reform, highlighting the need for systemic changes to more comprehensively address the challenges of mass incarceration. This speech raised awareness and inspired participants to advocate for change, demonstrating the Summit’s ripple effect.

The Social Innovation Summit in Chicago is more than an event; it’s a movement driving societal change. By uniting diverse participants, fostering innovation, and addressing systemic challenges, the Summit’s impacts reverberate. Its emphasis on inclusivity, collaboration, and empowerment ensures that a wide range of voices are heard and that innovative solutions receive the support they need to succeed.

As the Summit continues to grow and evolve, its influence will only increase, inspiring more individuals and organizations to join the movement to work toward social good. In a world that faces complex, interconnected challenges, the Social Innovation Summit stands as a testament to the power of collaboration and innovation in creating a better future for all.

Attending the Summit with a story to share on how this gathering has influenced your purpose and social impact efforts – reach out!

[Special thanks to John Bianchi for his review of this preview piece and to the Landmark Ventures team for inviting Medika Life to attend this inspiring gathering of changemakers.]

The post The Social Innovation Summit: Catalyzing Societal Change appeared first on Medika Life.

“Culture crushes innovation.”  Here, we must not point the finger of blame for the dysfunctional health ecosystem at physicians, nurses and allied health professionals on the hospital floor.  Healers want to heal as much as those who need their help seek answers and solutions. The shared problem is not how to utilize this “hot” evolving technology but are we prepared to make the investment in time and training!  Time to input (usable) data into EMRs and learning technologies that can sort and “scrape” through and highlight information to accelerate clinical decision-making. 

Using AI to Reject Patient Claims and Care

One part of the challenge is understanding how to cognitively maximize and explore vast amounts of information is another. The other is to come to agreement in how AI can and cannot be used ethically and responsibility. As we saw recently, a nascent AI system must not be used by major health insurance companies to deny patients coverage for medicines and procedures.

While the “system” is resistant to significant change and science has become politicized and misunderstood, we must rally to the dual-goal of saving lives and reducing costs.  Can information technologies and “intelligent health systems” do what people in power have not achieved?  Are we able to educate consumers about being partners in data security? Can information bring people – professionals and consumers – together and transform this country’s post-WWII build health system? Yes!

Cardiologist Eric Topol, MD, reflects on the tension between patient care and AI in a Time Magazine interview about his bestselling book Deep Medicine:

“AI will always need human backup. A machine could handle certain things autonomously–diagnosing a skin rash, for example. Doctors shouldn’t be dealing with things that machines will do better than them. But serious conditions, like getting a cancer diagnosis, are what doctors should be working on. I think once patients understand that there are things they don’t need doctors to do, they would love it–once they get used to it.”

Many health professionals (and patients) are understandably wary! In one Medscape interview a physician shared this experience:

“We’ve played around with it. It was very early on in AI and we noticed it gave us incorrect information with regards to clinical guidance,” said Monalisa Tailor, MD, an internal medicine physician at Norton Health Care in Louisville, Kentucky. “We decided not to pursue it further,” she said.

Don’t close the door on an evolving technology! Care professionals work within a system that hinges on economics – how the institution is paid and how it must cover costs.  What is to be done if the system cannot support the health professional’s efforts or make the best use of their training, abilities, energy and dedication?  What will happen as more and more health professionals ghost the provider system that they feel no longer addresses their emotional and economic needs? These are questions that must be addressed sooner than we think! AI is inescapable. It’s an evolutionary process that will improve – improve health professionals and care output – over time.

Perhaps the biggest question is whether we can wait to resolve all these questions while health costs soar and people risk dying from treatable illnesses.  We should already know that answer! If you’re living in the question, that’s great. One way to resolve your angst and uncertainty is to follow people – some pioneers and others pundits – who are also asking those questions, doing the necessary research and exploring sensible possibilities.

20 AI/ChatGPT Champions to Follow

It was a challenge to select only 20 influentials for this listing. There countless people writing, speaking and commenting about AI and ChatGPT. It’s a hot topic and “trendy.” This list is not about “trends” and it isn’t an exclusive roster of people. However, these people are key voices of influence at the frontlines of AI and ChatGPT and are boldly considering how the health sector will need to support and adapt to these technologies ethically. It is important to follow their social posts, speeches and writings. They are theorists, physicians and teachers. What they say and where they say it can inform your opinion and direction. Follow them and get smarter faster!

Acknowledgements

As always, thanks to my friend and Medika Life Founding Editor-in-Chief Dr. Robert Turner, and Cullen Burnell for their encouragement and suggestions, and to Carolyn Neugarten, Medika Life Editorial Assistant for her efforts in making this feature possible, and Tyler Mayers, whose expertise sharing content across social platforms makes important information widely accessible. Special appreciation to colleagues from numerous professional circles who shared their thoughts and contributed recommendations. Special acknowledgement to people who appeared on previous Medika Life Lists and continue on the path to improve the wellbeing of people and planet. These exemplary people are dedicated to improving people’s health and know their efforts will make a difference.

AI and ChatGPT are frightening to some and mysteries to others. Humanity must decide how to best deploy these evolving and “thinking” technologies. What to do next is a mindful choice in the hands of people, and must be for the sake of people.

Gil Bashe, Editor–in-Chief, Medika.Life

AI and ChatGPT Global Voices of Influence

Here is our Medika Life roster of 20 people to follow in alphabetical order; all-important voices – to track and learn from in the coming years We have included wherever available links to the social media platforms and bios.

Follow these Voices and Leaders of Influence – They are writing the future of how AI and ChatGPT will be essential to health care delivery.

Ran D. Balicer, MD

Dr. Ran D. Balicer, a public health physician, executive and researcher, serves as Chief Innovation Officer & Deputy-DG at Clalit – Israel’s largest health insurance organization, and is Founding Director of the Clalit Research Institute.

• LinkedIn
• Twitter

Regina Barzilay, MD

Dr. Regina Barzilay is a School of Engineering Distinguished Professor for AI and Health in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and a member of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

• LinkedIn
• Twitter

Kirk Borne, PhD

Dr. Kirk Borne is a Data Scientist, providing thought leadership, global speaking, content creation, mentoring, training, and consulting activities in data science, machine learning, and AI across multiple disciplines.

• LinkedIn
• Twitter

Atul Butte, MD, PhD

Atul Butte, MD, PhD is the Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg Distinguished Professor and inaugural Director of the Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute (bchsi.ucsf.edu) at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). 

• LinkedIn
• Twitter

Lex Fridman, PhD

Lex Fridman, PhD, is a Russian-American computer scientist, podcaster, and artificial intelligence researcher. He is a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and hosts the popular Lex Fridman Podcast, a podcast and YouTube series.

• LinkedIn
• Twitter

Mo Gawdat, MBA

Mohammad “Mo” Gawdat is an Egyptian entrepreneur and writer. He is the former chief business officer for Google X and author of the bestselling business books Solve for Happy and Scary Smart – The Future of Artificial Intelligence and How You Can Save Our World.

• LinkedIn
• Twitter

John Halamka, MD, MS

John D. Halamka, M.D., M.S., president of the Mayo Clinic Platform, was trained in emergency medicine and medical informatics, Dr. Halamka has been developing and implementing healthcare information strategy and policy for more than 25 years.

• LinkedIn
• Twitter

Eric Horvitz, MD

Microsoft’s Chief Scientific Officer and an early AI champion for health and medicine going back many years, Dr. Eric Horvitz is among the founders and funders of Stanford’s 100-year longitudinal study of the impact of AI on Society.

• LinkedIn
• Twitter

Daniel Kraft, MD

Daniel Kraft, MD, is a Stanford and Harvard-trained physician-scientist, inventor, entrepreneur, and innovator and is serving as the Chair of the XPRIZE Pandemic & Health Alliance. With more than 25 years of experience in clinical practice, biomedical research and health innovation.

• LinkedIn
• Twitter

Tom Lawry

A leading AI transformation advisor to health and medical leaders around the world. Lawry is the best-selling author of Hacking Healthcare – How AI and the Intelligent Health Revolution Will Reboot an Ailing System, former Microsoft National Director of AI and now the managing director of Second Century Tech LLC, and partner in Aspire Health Innovations.

• LinkedIn
• Twitter

Fei-Fei Li, PhD

Dr. Fei-Fei Li is the inaugural Sequoia Professor in the Computer Science Department at Stanford University, and Co-Director of Stanford’s Human-Centered AI Institute. She served as the Director of Stanford’s AI Lab from 2013 to 2018.

• LinkedIn
• Twitter

Berci Mesko, MD, PhD

Bertalan Meskó, PhD is known as “The Medical Futurist” and the Director of The Medical Futurist Institute analyzing how science fiction technologies can become a reality in medicine and healthcare. He holds a PhD in genomics and is an Amazon Top 100 author. 

• LinkedIn
• Twitter

Mira Murati

Mira Murati is the Chief Technology Officer at OpenAI, and one of the most influential innovators in technology and AI. She oversees efforts to commercialize OpenAI products and improve them through human feedback. She serves on the leadership teams that developed the OpenAI ChatGPT and Dall-E systems.

• LinkedIn
• Twitter

Andrew Ng, PhD

Dr. Andrew Ng is a globally recognized leader in AI. He is Founder of DeepLearning.AI, Founder & CEO of Landing AI, General Partner at AI Fund, Chairman and Co-Founder of Coursera and an Adjunct Professor at Stanford University’s Computer Science Department.

• LinkedIn
• Twitter

John Nosta

John Nosta is a cutting-edge thinker in the world of technology, science, medicine and innovation. He is a globally recognized among the foremost voices constantly pushing the envelope on how AI and ChatGPT will transform health settings and work flow. Nosta is non-stop power thinker (and contrarian) and has more than 500 articles published on innovation topics.

• LinkedIn
• Twitter

Tam C. Nguyen

Associate Professor Tam Nguyen has more than 20 years of working in clinical trials, health and medical research and research management sector including tertiary teaching hospitals, medical research institutes and universities across Australia. He is the co-editor of the recent book: AI in Medicine (Springer).

• LinkedIn

Ziad Obermeyer, MD

Ziad Obermeyer, MD, is the Blue Cross of California Distinguished Associate Professor of Health Policy and Management. He is a physician and researcher who works at the intersection of machine learning and health.

• Twitter

Brian Roemmele

Brian Roemmele is a scientist, researcher, analyst, connector, thinker and doer. Brian became an early adopter of AI and neural networks and pioneered Prompt Engineering technologies and techniques to understand and extract information from AI platforms.

• LinkedIn
• Twitter

Mihaela van der Schaar, MD

Mihaela van der Schaar, MD, is the John Humphrey Plummer Professor of Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence and Medicine at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow at The Alan Turing Institute in London. In addition to leading the van der Schaar Lab, Mihaela is founder and director of the Cambridge Centre for AI in Medicine (CCAIM).

• LinkedIn
• Twitter

 Eric Topol, MD

Eric Topol, MD, is the founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute; Executive Vice President, Scripps Research; Professor, Molecular Medicine, Scripps Research; and the Gary and Mary West Endowed Chair of Innovative Medicine, Scripps Research. In many ways, Dr. Topol was he kindled that started the AI transformation with his more than 1,300 publications and bestselling books.

Dr, Topol appears last – alphabetically – on this Top 20 Voices in AI and ChatGPT to follow. His ideas and prodding the system, perhaps place him first!

• LinkedIn
• Twitter

Spot a broken link, typo, forgotten degree or name misspelled?

Oops! Apologies! While care has been taken in compiling this list and adding social media links, things go wrong or a name is misspelled or a link broken. Please do get in touch to address typos, amendments, or omissions by reaching gil.bashe@medika.life.

Thanks in advance and be healthy!

The post Medika’s Top 20 AI Voices to Watch. Follow These Experts as They Demystify AI and Its Future appeared first on Medika Life.

The most notable health discoveries center around therapies and technologies that enable the health system to better address rare diseases, non-communicable diseases, chronic conditions and public health urgencies that demand attention. Yet, many – not all – of these conditions and situations might be prevented through preventive healthcare delivery and wellness strategies.

Longevity – healthy years – has long been a quest since Ponce De Leon searched out the healing waters that might magically maintain a youthful appearance. We are fascinated with the possibilities of longevity and the well-being of mind, body and spirit. Is this only a fantasy? Today’s research and science suggest otherwise. Like all great things; it takes work – personal investment in diet, exercise, mindfulness and preventive care. Why focus only on sick care. This is why Medika Life highlights 30 outstanding individuals whose efforts are transforming how we approach health and wellness.

Ambassadors of a Wellness Movement

All selected for the 2022/2023 Top 30 Influencers Transforming Health and Wellness roster have demonstrated commitment to improving people’s well-being and advancing the global wellness movement. This list recognizes and celebrates their achievements and encourages their journey! All of them originate and share bold ideas, engaging the diverse sphere of wellness in productive – sometimes controversial – conversation.

Those selected are pioneers and explorers who advance the sectors of beauty, diet, food, fitness, mental and medical health, relaxation and travel. Wellness isn’t only a “nice thing to do.” Done persistently, it has multiple levels of ROI. The Global Wellness Institute estimates that as we emerge from the pandemic, the wellness economy will reach nearly $7.0 trillion in 2025. Global Wellness Institute estimates that as we emerge from the pandemic, the wellness economy will reach almost $7.0 trillion in 2025. Wellness isn’t only a “nice thing to do.” Done persistently, it has multiple levels of ROI.

Wellness is often debunked as too “touchy-feely” and lacking scientific substance. We counter by asking whether sickness is a wiser financial investment – letting the downslide of health take its course. According to the Global Wellness Institute, there is an estimated ROI of $4-$14 for every $1 in public health, prevention, managing non-communicable diseases, and health promotion. At a time when the United States dedicates almost 20 percent of its GDP toward “health,” it is questionable whether that is sustainable. We may need to invest more time, money and policy development in nutritional education, women’s health, overcoming mental health stigma and encouraging a better balance between work and downtime. These 30 Wellness Influencers have the courage and entrepreneurial savvy to raise their voices and open their bank accounts to keep people on track to living longer and healthier.

The Challenge to Select Only 30 Influencers

Wellness and our life choices are complex. America is not a frontrunner in the wellness field – but the interest is strong. There is a science to wellness; however, the byproduct of its efforts aren’t quick fixes. Technology has a place in the wellness movement, yet the simple pleasure of community and conversation are also healing. To arrive at 30 individuals of influence was a process that took months! Those selected are ambassadors for a movement that includes hundreds, thousands, and, we hope, millions of advocates. Medika Life is privileged to champion these pioneering voices.

Analytics and Research

To compile this roster, Medika Life used analytical tools to review data from varied sources – from search to these individuals’ social impact and reach. We examined their readiness and effectiveness in engaging others and supporting wellness through presentations, podcasts, webinars, written content, and willingness to share insights in public forum. We include names that appeared in previous Medika Life lists when nominees focused on wellness policy, communications and outreach. However, priority has been given to highlighting influencers who have not appeared on our previous lists.

We considered geography.  We wanted to ensure that voices from around the globe are included. We looked to ensure diversity and equity. We focused on people with the courage to share their ideas through research, investment, art, music, and literature (backed by science) that inspire wellness, launched new companies and NGOs and advocated for beleaguered industries during the pandemic, such as the leisure and travel sectors.

Appreciation

As always, thanks to my friend and Medika Life Founding Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Robert Turner, for assisting me in preparing this roster of exceptional contributors to the wellness conversation. Also, appreciation to Medika Life authors and colleagues Cullen Burnell and Jordan Forbes for their support. Special thanks to the colleagues from professional circles who shared their thoughts and contributed their nominations, particularly those from the Global Wellness Summit community, which serves as a home to many wellness advocates.

Please also look at the Medika Life 2022 2021 Most Influential Voices in Healthcare and Women Transforming Healthcare lists. People who appear on those lists are incredible voices in health transformation. Many need no introduction, and others will be on your radar screen. All these individuals have an impact and are important to watch, follow, amplify and engage. Follow them all and chart their influence.

Gil Bashe, Editor-in-Chief, Medika Life

Top 30 Wellness Influencers Downloadable Banner

All influencers on the 2022/23 Top 30 Wellness Influencers list have a personalized banner that can be downloaded via the “clicking here” link below. We provide these individualized banners to acknowledge and thank them for their efforts toward improving patient experience and healthcare outcomes. Instructions on how to add the banner are shown on the page.

Influencers listed below can download their banners by clicking here. This is one example – there are 30 banners available – for each person – via the unique link.

Top 30 Wellness Influencers

Here is our Medika Life roster of 30 people to follow – not ranked, presented in alphabetical order, all-important voices – to have on your radar screen for future years. Follow their content and voices – these are amazing advocates for patient care and health innovation:

Belgin Aksoy

Creative Director, Richmond International; Founder Global Wellness Day

Wellness is a global movement, and Aksoy raised its banner by creating Global Wellness Day. In 2016, the Global Wellness Summit honored Aksoy and presented her with the “Leading Woman in Wellness” Award. That same year, Aksoy received the “Most Influential Spa Leader” Award from American Spa. Aksoy owns Richmond Nua Wellness-Spa, the award-winning wellness spa brand in Turkey. Her commitment to wellness and the community is well demonstrated.

Ken Dychtwald, PhD

Founder and CEO, Age Wave

Since 1986, Dr. Dychtwald has been the Founder and CEO of Age Wave, an acclaimed think tank and consultancy focused on the social and business implications and opportunities of global aging and rising longevity. His client list has included more than half the Fortune 500. He has served as a fellow of the World Economic Forum and was a featured speaker at two White House Conferences on Aging. Dr. Dychtwald has emerged as North America’s foremost visionary and original thinker regarding the lifestyle, marketing, health care, economic and workforce implications of the age wave. He is a psychologist, gerontologist, and best-selling author of 19 books on aging-related issues. Before longevity was a popular topic, Dr. Dychtwald was in the vanguard of elevating its importance.

• Twitter
• LinkedIn

Thirty Inspiring Wellness-Sector Role Models

We hope you find these 30 Influencers of Wellness inspiring role models. Seeing the possibilities of extended health over many years is a better way to live. Still, we must continue to direct our eyes toward societal injustices that impede the ultimate goal of a health ecosystem that addresses physical and emotional needs. These wellness leaders champion a life filled with adventure, tasty food, and companionship must also join other health influencers who question the status quo of discrimination, disparities and disruption.

Let’s do our part to ensure these incredible people are heard and supported. Follow and engage with these outstanding advocates of a world filled with wellness. Also, follow people they follow – those people are future candidates for the Medika Top 30 and 50 lists. Again, with a list of 30 people, it’s impossible to include everyone we considered – there were many, and we look forward to featuring their efforts. That is why we urge everyone to visit past lists and engage.

This Spring, Medika Life hopes to release its 30 Voices in Digital Health Health List for 2023, featuring fearless life science innovators seeking to advance access to care, champion new therapies and accelerate diagnosis and alternative treatment approaches. Stay tuned! Follow Medika on Twitter and LinkedIn and follow our editorial staff for updates.

Spot a broken link, typo, forgotten degree or name misspelled?

Oops! Apologies! While care has been taken in compiling this list and adding social media links, things go wrong, or a name is misspelled or a link broken. We seek to honor those listed! Please do get in touch to address typos, amendments, or omissions by reaching gil.bashe@medika.life.

Thanks in advance and be healthy!

The post The Medika Life Top 30 Voices Transforming Wellness for 2022/23 appeared first on Medika Life.

The 25-year-old blogger and college student has autism and several chronic illnesses, and with the support of her grandparents and friends, who help her access a complex network of social services, she lives relatively independently in Johnson City, Tennessee.

“If something happens to them, I’m not certain what would happen to me, especially because I have difficulty with navigating things that require more red tape,” she said.

Johnson said she hasn’t made plans that would ensure she receives the same level of support in the future. She especially worries about being taken advantage of or being physically harmed if her family and friends can’t help her — experiences she’s had in the past.

“I like being able to know what to expect, and thinking about the future is a bit terrifying to me,” she said.

Johnson’s situation isn’t unique.

Experts say many people with intellectual and developmental disabilities do not have long-term plans for when family members lose the ability to help them access government services or care for them directly.

Families, researchers, government officials, and advocates worry that the lack of planning — combined with a social safety net that’s full of holes — has set the stage for a crisis in which people with disabilities can no longer live independently in their communities. If that happens, they could end up stuck in nursing homes or state-run institutions.

“There’s just potential for a tremendous human toll on individuals if we don’t solve this problem,” said Peter Berns, CEO of the Arc of the United States, a national disability-rights organization.

About one-quarter of adults in the U.S. live with a disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly three-quarters of Americans with disabilities live with a family caregiver, and about one-quarter of those caregivers are 60 or older, according to the Center on Developmental Disabilities at the University of Kansas.

But only about half of families that care for a loved one with disabilities have made plans for the future, and an even smaller portion have revisited those plans to ensure they’re up to date, said Meghan Burke, an associate professor of special education at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign.

“Engaging in it once is good, right? But you can’t only engage in it once,” she said. “It’s a living document, because things change, people change, circumstances change.”

Burke’s research has found several barriers to planning for the future: financial constraints, reluctance to have hard conversations, trouble understanding government services. Creating plans for people with disabilities also is a complex process, with many questions for families to answer: What are their relatives’ health needs? What activities do they enjoy? What are their wishes? Where will they live?

Burke has firsthand experience answering those questions. Her younger brother has Down syndrome, and she expects to become his primary caregiver in the future — a situation she said is common and spreads the work of caregiving.

“This is an impending intergenerational crisis,” she said. “It’s a crisis for the aging parents, and it’s a crisis for their adult offspring with and without disabilities.”

Nicole Jorwic, chief of advocacy and campaigns for Caring Across Generations, a national caregiver advocacy organization, said the network of state and federal programs for people with disabilities can be “extremely complicated” and is full of holes. She has witnessed those gaps as she has helped her brother, who has autism, access services.

“It’s really difficult for families to plan when there isn’t a system that they can rely on,” she said.

Medicaid pays for people to receive services in home and community settings through programs that vary state to state. But Jorwic said there are long waitlists. Data collected and analyzed by KFF shows that queue is made up of hundreds of thousands of people across the country. Even when people qualify, Jorwic added, hiring someone to help can be difficult because of persistent staff shortages.

Jorwic said more federal money could shorten those waitlists and boost Medicaid reimbursements to health care providers, which could help with workforce recruitment. She blamed chronic underinvestment in Medicaid disability services for the lack of available slots and a dearth of workers to help people with disabilities.

“It’s going to be expensive, but this is four decades of funding that should have been done,” she said.

Congress recently put about $12.7 billion toward enhancing state Medicaid programs for home- and community-based services for people with disabilities, but that money will be available only through March 2025. The Build Back Better Act, which died in Congress, would have added $150 billion, and funding was left out of the Inflation Reduction Act, which became law this summer, to the disappointment of advocates.

Jeneva Stone’s family in Bethesda, Maryland, has been “flummoxed” by the long-term planning process for her 25-year-old son, Rob. He needs complex care because he has dystonia 16, a rare muscle condition that makes moving nearly impossible for him.

“No one will just sit down and tell me what is going to happen to my son,” she said. “You know, what are his options, really?”

Stone said her family has done some planning, including setting up a special needs trust to help manage Rob’s assets and an ABLE account, a type of savings account for people with disabilities. They’re also working to give Rob’s brother medical and financial power of attorney and to create a supported decision-making arrangement for Rob to make sure he has the final say in his care.

“We’re trying to put that scaffolding in place, primarily to protect Rob’s ability to make his own decisions,” she said.

Alison Barkoff is acting administrator for the Administration for Community Living, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Her agency recently released what she called a “first ever” national plan, with hundreds of actions the public and private sectors can take to support family caregivers.

“If we don’t really think and plan, I’m concerned that we could have people ending up in institutions and other types of segregated settings that could and should be able to be supported in the community,” said Barkoff, who noted that those outcomes could violate the civil rights of people with disabilities.

She said her agency is working to address the shortages in the direct care workforce and in the supply of affordable, accessible housing for people with disabilities, as well as the lack of disability-focused training among medical professionals.

But ending up in a nursing home or other institution might not be the worst outcome for some people, said Berns, who pointed out that people with disabilities are overrepresented in jails and prisons.

Berns’ organization, the Arc of the United States, offers a planning guide and has compiled a directory of local advocates, lawyers, and support organizations to help families. Berns said that making sure people with disabilities have access to services — and the means to pay for them — is only one part of a good plan.

“It’s about social connections,” Berns said. “It’s about employment. It’s about where you live. It’s about your health care and making decisions in your life.”

Philip Woody feels as though he has prepared pretty well for his son’s future. Evan, 23, lives with his parents in Dunwoody, Georgia, and needs round-the-clock support after a fall as an infant resulted in a significant brain injury. His parents provide much of his care.

Woody said his family has been saving for years to provide for his son’s future, and Evan recently got off a Medicaid waitlist and is getting support to attend a day program for adults with disabilities. He also has an older sister in Tennessee who wants to be involved in his care.

But two big questions are plaguing Woody: Where will Evan live when he can no longer live at home? And will that setting be one where he can thrive?

“As a parent, you will take care of your child as well as you can for as long as you can,” Woody said. “But then nobody after you pass away will love them or care for them the way that you did.”

The post ‘Impending Intergenerational Crisis’: Americans With Disabilities Lack Long-Term Care Plans appeared first on Medika Life.

One of the foremost psychologists who made his research papers more than understandable was Lewis Terman, an educational psychologist. Perhaps it was his field that directed his writing, but whatever it was, I always found Terman fun to read, and, in the process, I learned things. Should curiosity push you to read his work, you can download his free “The Measurement of Intelligence.” I’d suggest his papers rather than the book.

Following my own advice, I’ll get right to the heart of the matter, how to read a research paper in a few steps that won’t leave you bleary-eyed. No, you do not need to know what a “p” value is or any of the math involved. Leave that to anyone who wishes to explore these areas.

What you want to know are three simple things; what did the research set out to do, how did they do it, and what were the results? Also, you’d like to know where they felt they failed or what future journey research in that area should take.

One of my professors in graduate school took pity on his new charges and passed out a paper explaining how to read research reports. I don’t have it, but I remember the simple basics of it.

The Abstract at the beginning should squeeze everything nicely into a summary of the entire project. Here you find the fundamental question on the chopping block for exploration. What were they looking for?

Next, you can skip to the Methods and check out a few essential areas; the sample (and its size) or “N,” how it was collected or recruited, and whether there was a control and an experimental group. Controls mean nothing was done to them (or a ruse was used), but the experimental group was exposed to something to check their reaction. Also, who funded the research? Very important to consider any influence on the results.

The third thing you jump to is Conclusions. What were the results of their project, and did they find or not find what they sought? It’s a bit of a reveal, and researchers must admit failure if the study or experiment was published.

They will also show what future research in this area should explore (great ideas for dissertation topics), either using a type of spin-off of this study/experiment or a different design with additional factors included. What did they fail to consider, and what was left out and needs to be explored?

No, this is not the most erudite bit of information on reading research. It is meant as an introduction to quickly picking up facts for a basic understanding of the work.

The post The Three Key Elements to Reading Research Reports appeared first on Medika Life.

Finding enough people to fill trials is one of the highest hurdles in research; nearly eight out of ten trials don’t meet enrollment deadlines. But it’s not only a challenge to find enough participants, it’s also extremely difficult to assemble a truly representative group, meaning that therapeutics are too often developed for a smaller, less diverse patient population – rather than for *all* the patients who need and will use these new medicines.

Drug developers are well aware of this critical shortcoming. And while their commitment to making trials more inclusive is increasingly expressed, what may not always be clear is the path forward with concrete, achievable steps that lead to making inclusivity a reality.

Ultimately, driving inclusivity is dependent on reimagining research infrastructure. Before we can bring a greater and more representative number of patients into the system, we need to fortify the system with new avenues of access and engagement. Clinical trials 2.0 must be about increasing access for both the physicians and patients in the communities most likely to be excluded from research today.

A recent STAT article highlights health tech startups – including Acclinate, Power, and Trial Library – that are taking important early steps to drive better engagement and community partnerships. Their efforts should be encouraging and exciting to all of us who work in clinical research or depend upon it. We are all pursuing the same mission; viewing likeminded organizations as competitors is an outmoded way of thinking and will hold back the acceleration of clinical development. The challenge of bringing more  opportunity for participation in clinical trials to historically underrepresented groups is big enough that we need all players with good ideas to share best practices and collaborate on behalf of patients.

The need for multiple approaches is laid bare in the statistics. Considering that 50 percent of clinical trials are conducted in only two percent of US zip codes, technologies that bring trials to patients, rather than patients to trials, have the potential to make clinical research more accessible to a pool of participants with greater geographic, economic, ethnic, and racial diversity. This is critical, as recently developed drugs can have a different effect on patients, depending on their race and ethnicity.

It is worth noting that if history is a teacher, technology alone won’t solve for inclusivity on a large scale; even with the apps, smart devices, and internet access that make patient participation easier, we *still* need to find these patients in the first place and engage with them in high trust environments. Successfully engaging, listening, and educating these potential participants is where our current system fails us.

The equation for successfully reimagining clinical trials – making them more representative for researchers and more accessible for patients as a care option – must put community engagement and awareness building at the center of efforts. This requires authentic, long-term investment in communities, and, importantly, increasing exponentially the number of community-based physicians and clinics participating in research as investigators and trial sites.

Strikingly, less than five percent of US cancer patients have participated in a clinical trial, despite more than 7o percent of patients expressing their willingness. A big part of the problem in accessing trials is that patients simply never find out about them, and the source with the greatest potential to convey opportunities to patients is physicians.

After some initial exposure in medical school, most physicians never take part in a clinical trial again. This means that there’s a shortage of doctors doing research, further reinforcing the concentration of clinical trials at existing sites. By identifying and enlisting the participation of physicians in communities that have been shut out of research and would benefit from it, we have the opportunity to put clinical research into the offerings of standard medical care. This enables more people from more diverse backgrounds to hear about trials and helps make it possible for them to participate.

We need a new generation of physicians to help conduct clinical research and reach patients who are willing to take part – and a new, integrated approach to research as a care option.  Existing trial sites are not numerous or accessible enough to meet existing research needs, limiting patient access and causing a dangerous chokepoint in the development of new, much-needed therapeutics. But, through a synthesis of digital remote technologies, data, and targeted community and physician outreach, we can create a network of additional clinical trial sites. These range from doctor’s offices to patients’ homes to local pharmacies and urgent care facilities, expanding the number, diversity, and location of patients in research.

Building the necessary trust across the drug development ecosystem to allow for new investigators, new sites, and new participants to access and participate in clinical trials will not be easy, but it can be done and we are already seeing signs this is happening. Embracing new site infrastructure that opens up clinical trial participation to everyone holds the promise of solving the crisis of people waiting for the development of life-saving drugs. It is worth the effort to evolve our process and broaden our circle of inclusion; partnering with these physicians, patients, and their communities to accomplish our shared goals of improving and extending lives looks to be the next great innovation in clinical trials.

The post Increase Inclusivity in Research by Reimagining Clinical Trials appeared first on Medika Life.

Ivy League universities include Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Brown, Dartmouth, Cornell, and the University of Pennsylvania. Columbia University admitted women in 1980 and was the last to do so. The others began accepting women in the 1960s and 1970s.

Why do you suppose we have Barnard college and Radcliffe (now Harvard Radcliffe Institute)? If women wanted an education, they had to create their colleges, and the Seven Sisters were born. Men in Ivy League schools thought of them as a means to find appropriate wives. But women in those colleges had other ideas. They wanted to use their abilities not in the home necessarily, but professions.

Medicine was one of the lone holdouts in the professions that began admitting more women after medicine may have lost some luster as lucrative and did not attract as many male applicants as before. Women were sought to fill all those empty seats. Changes in reimbursement related to the DRGs, health insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid decreased physician income, and the pandemic will indeed have an effect, too.

Now, research points out an uncomfortable aspect of medical practice that has to do with who cares for you, how well you are cared for, and possibly how well you would do after your treatment with that physician. And it does relate to women in medicine, the slow admission rate, and the number of women in some specialties that has been dismal.

Medical Specialties Still Underrepresented

In the mid-1960s, only 6 percent of the students enrolled in U.S. medical schools were women. By the mid-1970s, the number of women graduating from U.S. medical schools had risen to only 16 percent. Fifty percent of applicants to medical school in 2004–2005 were women, 49 percent were medical students with 47 percent graduated.

During the 2019–2020 application cycle — the most recent year for which data is publicly available — more than 53.5% of applications to MD-granting medical schools came from women, who made up 53.7% of the number of students matriculating. But there is still a gap in the medical specialties.

The lowest percentage of women in 2017 was orthopedic surgery, with just 5.3 percent. Similarly, only 7.0 percent of thoracic surgeons and 7.7 percent of the active interventional cardiology workforce were female. In urology, only 8.5 percent of the physicians are women, with 3.99 per 100K patients.

As sexism persists in medicine, where women have lower incomes than men, work longer with each patient, and longer hours, research is recouping other positive information.

Patients of women physicians appear to have better health outcomes than those treated by male physicians. Women’s surgical patients were 32 percent less likely to die. A study of almost 3K surgeons with over one million patients concluded there might be a relationship between outcomes and the difference between the sex of the surgeon and that of the patient.

The post Would Having a Female Physician Be Better for Your Health? appeared first on Medika Life.