How It’s Med

Med Tech Talks Ep. 68: Anish Kaushal Pt.1

If you were given the option to move abroad, pursue an entire degree, come back and face the tribulations of getting a job related to your degree, and then FINALLY decide to pursue something completely different, would you take it?🤔
On our latest episode of Med Tech Talks, Geoffrey Ching sits down to have a conversation with Anish Kaushal, investment analyst at Amplitude VC and founder of A Niche Experience. Anish talks about his varied interests, from medicine, to drug discovery, to studying and evaluating start-ups, and sports analysis.
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Timestamps: 
01:00-03:54 - Anish’s likeness of Ted Lasso, and his most recent escapades around BC.
03:55-05:57 - The decision to not pursue medicine as a career, despite having an MBBS degree.
05:57-07:45 - Working at M Ventures, and the things Anish learned over there.
07:45-09:28 - Early familial influences, and why Anish decided to go into medicine in the first place.
09:28-12:34 - Choosing to go to a foreign university to get a medical degree, Anish’s reasons to do so.
12:34-18:20 - Coming back to Canada after MBBS, and the plethora of struggles that followed.
18:20-22:40 - Anish’s initial call to go for a Masters in drug discovery, abandoning those plans to go work for a Venture Capital in Amsterdam, and the beginning of his journey at Amplitude.
22:40-26:48 - Anish gives his pitch to a 5-year-old, inviting them to join the VC world.

Physician Founded Ep. 16: Dr. Yair Saperstein Pt. 2

To build a business based entirely on user inputs and feedback takes some guts, and evidently, Yair Saperstein has got plenty of it.
On part 2 of this week’s episode of Physician Founded, Yair Saperstein, the co-founder of AvoMD, tells us more about the evolution of AvoMD as a Software-as-a-Service platform, his learnings while building the platform along with his co-founder, and what he would rather be if he wasn’t in the field of medicine.
 
Discover more at - https://www.howitsmed.com/
 
Timestamps:
01:35-05:20 - Yair elaborates on the influences and experiences that led him to AvoMD.
05:21-10:22 - AvoMD, and the problem that it aims to solve, as explained to a 5-year-old.
10:23-13:10 - The greatest challenges that Yair has faced while building AvoMD, and the evolution of AvoMD as a SaaS platform.
13:11-20:02 - The importance of user experience and user feedback in building a platform like AvoMD, that focuses solely on inputs from the user itself.
20:03-21:32 - Yair advocates for health professionals and clinicians to expand their professional horizons beyond just medical practice.
21:32-23:35 - Yair’s alternate career choices, if he hadn’t pursued medicine.
23:36-25:59 - Working at a start-up vs working at a non-profit: Yair’s two cents.
26:00-27:23 - Yair invites feedback and new ideas at all times.
27:24-28:57 - Facing regulatory barriers as a SaaS platform in the field of healthcare.

Physician Founded Ep. 16: Dr. Yair Saperstein Pt. 1

To bring changes to the system, you gotta get into it first. And that’s exactly what Yair Saperstein has does, and continues to do with an unbridled passion for the field of healthcare.
Join us on the latest episode of Physician Founded, as Geoffrey Ching chats with Yair Saperstein, CEO and co-founder of AvoMD. Yair chats about his fascination with systems, how that shaped up his career choices, and his days as Chief Resident during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
Timestamps:
01:38-03:40 - A brief introduction of AvoMD, and what they’re currently up to.
03:40-06:38 - How growing up in a family of physicians has influenced Yair’s decisions over the years.
06:38-09:25 - Building systems begins at home…like they did for Yair.
09:26-11:43 - The early days of starting non-profits to bring a change, and how START Science and TEACH happened.
11:45-15:53 - Dabbling in various career paths, and choosing residency at the end of it.
15:53-17:08 - Yair elaborates on his learnings while pursuing his MPH and completing his residency.
17:08-18:15 - Being thrust into COVID right after finishing his residency, and how Yair dealt with it.
18:15-22:32 - Yair’s takeaways from the beginning of the COVID era, and the learnings he took from it.
22:32-23:57 - The grave importance of the well-being of our healthcare providers.

Med Tech Talks Ep. 67: Katie Greene Pt. 2

Building meaningful connections with businesses they’re funding is just one of the ways that Katie Greene and Thin Air Labs differentiate themselves by. And it does yield fruitful results, as Katie elucidates the impact that her work has created so far, and as she looks to do the same in the future.
On part 2 of our conversation with Dr. Katie Greene, we find out more about Katie’s role as Funding Catalyst at Thin Air Labs, the principles she follows at her workplace, and more about the world of VC, and how it’s very different from the general perception people have of Venture Capital firms.
 
Timestamps: 
01:37-05:35 - Katie sheds some light on Ph.D. students leaving academia and going into business, and her own experience doing so.
05:36-08:43 - The essential skills a researcher must have to make it as a VC.
08:43-12:36 - Katie tells us about what she enjoys most working at a VC firm.
12:36-14:29 - Explaining VC to a five year old, with an Apple.
14:29-17:33 - Overcoming failures and meeting challenges head-on; how Katie adjusted to the VC world.
17:34-19:56 - Making the decision to work at Thin Air Labs.
19:56-22:40 - Katie highlights the importance of empathy at her Thin Air Labs, and how it is essential to their decision making.
22:41-25:41 - The latest trends in med-tech and biotech that Katie has her eyes on, and the general direction the whole field is now taking.
25:41-28:27 - Playing the balancing act around regulatory framework with the start-ups that Thin Air Labs help in acquiring funding.
28:27-29:30 - What would Katie tell her younger self, if she had the chance to do so?
 

Med Tech Talks Ep. 67: Katie Greene Pt.1

Making the shift from academia to entrepreneurship isn’t easy, especially if you’re knee-deep in the field of medical research. However, Katie Greene did manage to find a way to make it possible.
On our latest episode of Med Tech Talks, Geoffrey Ching sits down in conversation with Dr. Katie Greene, Funding Catalyst at Thin Air Labs, and discovers what its like to have worked on both ends of the spectrum, one being the research and the other being the business end of things, literally.
 
Timestamps: 
00:57-01:44 - An introduction to Ph.D. by Dr. Katie Greene.
01:45-04:25 - From Ireland to Alberta, Katie’s academic journey: in her own words.
04:26-06:26 - Big pharma and academic research aren’t really isolated from each other, and Katie explains how.
06:27-10:18 - Working with people from different backgrounds, and how Katie bridged the gap between them and herself.
10:19-13:30 - Moving to Canada, and making the choice to pursue a doctorate at University of Calgary.
13:30-15:36 - Katie sheds light on what UofC offered in their research programs during her time there.
15:36-17:36 - Innovation v. Invention; Katie explains the difference between the two, and how she dealt with both at UofC.
17:36-22:20 - Changing her mindset about entrepreneurship, and how her research played a role in it.
22:20-28:19 - The final step towards where she is today; Katie’s shift from research to working at a VC firm.

Med Tech Talks Ep. 66: Crystal Phillips Pt.2

Shifting careers after being diagnosed with a serious illness is a mammoth task, and not everyone call pull it off. Luckily, Crystal Phillips’s skating experience definitely helped her manoeuvre her way through it.
Rejoin us on part two of this week’s episode of Med Tech Talks with Crystal Phillips. We learn about her career post speed-skating and how she aims to bring impactful changes in the field of health-tech, vide her role at Thin Air Labs.
 
Timestamps:
01:27-06:00 - Crystal’s career trajectory at Branch Out, and how she ventured into her role at Thin Air Labs.
06:02-08:27 - Crystal explains how Thin Air Labs function as a Venture Capital firm.
08:27-10:43 - The characteristics of an impactful company, and how they are parallel to the qualities that Crystal elaborates are also required to be a high performance athlete.
10:43-12:30 - How her personal experience with MS helps Crystal make informed decisions in her role at Thin Air Labs.
12:30-14:21 - Jumping through bureaucratic hoops, and navigating her way through it to make meaningful change.
14:22-18:23 - Crystal reminisces about the high points of her time at Branch Out and Thin Air, and the lessons she’s learned along the way.
18:23-20:41 - What’s next for Crystal at Thin Air, and her goal to focus more on health-tech.

Med Tech Talks Ep. 66: Crystal Phillips Pt.1

How do you go from being an Olympic speed-skater⛸ to building a neurological research foundation and sitting on the board of a VC firm? Well if you ask Crystal Phillips how she did it, she’d tell you that she just rolled into it…
This time around, on our latest episode of Med Tech Talks, Geoffrey Ching gets to chat with Crystal Phillips, founder of Branch Out Neurological Foundation and Health Lead at Thin Air Labs. We find out about her career as a speed skater and how a life-threatening illness completely changed the direction she then headed towards.
 
Timestamps:
00:52-03:52 - Crystal’s initial days as a speed skater.
03:52-08:52 - Being diagnosed with MS and giving up speed skating for the time being.
08:52-12:39 - Taking an alternative route towards recovery, and almost making it to the 2010 Olympics.
12:40-14:32 - Drawing the curtains on her skating career, and starting Branch Out Foundation.
14:32-18:33 - Crystal elaborates the path that Branch Out took, going more towards research rather than pharmacology, and the hardships that they have come across.

Physician Founded Ep. 15: Dr. Jehangir Appoo Pt. 2

Giving Tony Hawk🛹 a run for his money by performing a 180° career flip… sounds like a fair metaphor for Jehangir Appoo’s illustrious career.
On part 2 of Geoffrey and Abdo’s conversation with Dr. Jehangir Appoo, we find out about his pivot from surgery to founding a venture capital firm. Jehangir elucidates for us the intricate details that go into running a business, and how his years as a surgeon have helped him achieve success elsewhere, in a field relatively unattached from medicine.
 
Timestamps:
 
01:37-04:57 - Jehangir explains how he fit himself into the venture capitalist role, courtesy of gaining appropriate knowledge and expertise.
04:58-07:44 - How Jehangir made his way navigating through the learning curve of building a business.
07:45-13:12 - In the words of a VC himself: Jehangir defines what a venture capital firm is, and what it essentially does.
13:13-15:22 - The difference between a general partner and a limited partner, in the context of AIoT Health.
15:23-19:44 - Building relationships with different businesses as a VC, and how their decisions are influenced when it comes to medical investments.
19:47-26:11 - Asking the right questions and adopting a cohesive approach; Jehangir’s advice to companies looking to work with physicians.
26:12-27:22 - Jehangir sheds light on AIoT’s future goals and prospects.

Physician Founded Ep. 15: Dr. Jehangir Appoo Pt.1

If the sight of blood🩸 made you feel queasy, would you still want to become a surgeon?👨‍⚕️
On this week’s episode of Physician Founded, we chat with Dr. Jehangir Appoo, MD and founding partner of AIoT Health, a venture capital firm heavily invested in health technology and innovation. Jehangir talks about his childhood and his inclination towards achieving excellence, and how that has shaped his career for him so far.
 
Timestamps:
01:20-05:24 - Growing up in different countries, and how that shaped Jehangir’s early years.
05:25-09:51 - Jehangir explains the influence he had behind studying medicine.
09:53-15:09 - Making the choice of choosing cardio-thoracic surgery, and how that decision has turned out since.
15:10-17:48 - How health issues led to Jehangir quitting surgery.
17:48-23:31 - Getting into venture capitalism after quitting surgery; the why, what and how.
23:32-25:11 - Jehangir’s major source of inspiration behind everything he does: excellence.

Med Tech Talks Episode 64 - Dr. Nina Vellani Pt. 2

If the answer was financial nurturing and astute business guidance, what would the question look like?🤔
If you ask Dr. Nina Vellani, she would tell you that it’s the role an angel investor plays in the life cycle of a start-up.
Join us on part 2 of our conversation with Dr. Nina Vellani, where we get to know more about how she ventured into angel investing, coursing her way through various hurdles in her professional life. Nina also highlights how important gender equality is in today’s start-up ecosystem, and how she is implementing the same in every business she invests in.
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1:25 - 6:40 - How Nina stepped into the role of an angel investor, courtesy of her prior experience of managing a metal fabrication company.
6:40 - 10:04 - Finding partners to work with who shared a similar passion towards science, and how workplace disadvantages for women in other fields worked for Nina to build her team.
10:05 - 12:40 - Taking start-ups from the angel investment incubator program to venture capitalists, through the “valley of death”.
12:40 - 18:31 - Nina highlights her role in helping out new start-ups to go from angel investing to venture capitalists, and the checklist these companies must fulfil.
18:31 - 20:48 - The first ever investments that Nina made in start-ups started by her professors at UBC, and how she made the decision to do so.
20:48 - 23:04 - Nina’s word of advice to up and coming pharmaceutical start-ups.
23:05 - 26:58 - The importance of having gender equality in the start-up space, and how women, when given equal opportunities, can prosper in the start-up world.