How It’s Med

Med Tech Talks Ep. 64: Dr. Nina Vellani Pt.1

How many virus cultures in a lab are too many virus cultures in a lab? According to Dr. Nina Vellani, there are never too many of them!
On this week’s episode of Med Tech Talks, Geoffrey Ching chats candidly with Dr. Nina Vellani, founder and president of NELSA Investments (VCC) Inc., as she throws some light on the illustrious career that she’s had so far, taking us through the various responsibilities that she has taken over, from being an HIV researcher to the treasurer of a business and finally as an angel investor.
 
Timestamps:
2:11 - 4:55 - A brief overview of Nina’s educational journey after moving to Canada.
4:55 - 7:38 - Going from an undergrad in medical microbiology to HIV research at the BC Centre of Excellence.
7:39 - 9:06 - Nina reminisces her journey through her Ph.D., and about how much she learned about viruses.
9:07 - 15:01 - A close encounter with the enemy; how a mix-up at the lab almost exposed Nina to the HIV virus cultures she was working on.
15:02 - 22:50 - The workplace difficulties Nina had to face during her research, and the health issues that came along with it.
22:55 - 27:52 - Learning how to be a businesswoman, and pivoting from research to saving a metal fabrication company from going under; Nina has done it all.

Physician Founded Ep. 14: Dr. Harvey Hawes Pt. 2

When you think of scaling up medical innovation, think of LHS Labs!
This time around, on part 2 of our conversation with Dr. Harvey Hawes, find out about the inception of LHS Labs and what they aim to do. Dr. Harvey also sheds light on the need for healthcare infrastructures to adapt to new models of technological advancements, and how LHS Labs plan to work in alliance with healthcare systems around the world to provide scalable solutions and improve the quality of care provided to the public.
 
Timestamps: 
1:29 - 6:19 - Harvey elaborates on his aim to develop the medical learning systems in addition to charity and aid to bring healthcare systems around the world up to an acceptable standard of care.
6:30 - 13:55 - The effect of COVID on the demand of ventilators across healthcare systems around the world; and how Harvey and his team began a conversation which eventually led to the beginning of LHS Labs.
13:55 - 18:20 - The conundrum of tackling complex problems in a largely conservative healthcare system, and how LHS Labs aims to change that by offering innovative solutions that cover all bases.
18:20 - 26:25 - Harvey explains how procurement for medical equipment works, and what new manufacturers and designers must keep in mind while developing new technologies for healthcare systems.
26:25 - 30:05 - Abandoning the frugal mindset of building a new start-up, and bringing in interdisciplinary experts to create meaningful impact in the healthcare system.
30:05 - 32:22 - How LHS Labs plan to scale up their business model to other countries by forming alliances and products that cater to the specific needs of the country they’re working with.

Physician Founded Ep. 14: Dr. Harvey Hawes Pt.1

A trauma surgeon, an innovative problem solver and a humanitarian, when you combine these three things, you get Dr. Harvey Hawes!
Join us on part 1 of our enthralling conversation with Dr. Harvey Hawes, founder and Chief Medical Officer at LHS Labs, as we get to know his background and learn more about his journey from software to an oil drill, and then getting into the field of medical systems innovation.
 
Timestamps:
1:58 - 4:40 - How his early days doing jobs at bizarre hours and being the first responder to road accidents influenced Dr. Harvey Hawes to go into trauma surgery.
4:40 - 7:30 - The road to software engineering via a childhood fascination of code and computers and a genuine inclination to solve problems.
7:32 - 10:30 - Harvey reflects upon his educational path, from dropping out to working on an oil drill to going back to grad school.
10:30 - 12:46 - The impetus behind combining technological innovation and medicine to solve problems that Harvey encountered as a resident surgeon.
12:46 - 18:25 - Formulating a week-long surgical innovation program at UBC to train resident surgeons in the art of real-world problem solving.
18:35 - 24:25 - The first step towards using technology for medical humanitarianism, courtesy of experiencing the gravity of medical equipment shortages at a hospital in Fiji.

Med Tech Talks Ep. 64: Dr. Karolina Valente Pt. 2

🖨️ How can 3D printing help with cancer research? A hint from Dr Karolina Valente: think small - about as small as your tiniest blood vessels! 🩸
This time, on part 2 of our conversation with Dr. Karolina Valente, founder of VoxCell BioInnovation, we find out more about her career and how her need for an extremely precise 3D printer spurred her to make one herself. Karolina tells us more about what VoxCell does, and how their innovations are a step towards accelerating cancer treatment and drug development in the future.
Timestamps:
1:45 - 6:20 - Karolina explains how she pivoted from a Ph.D. in microfluidics to making her own 3D bio-printer.
6:30 - 12:50 - The decision to stay in Canada, teach at UVic, and establish VoxCell, despite other offers from competing companies and from the US.
12:50 - 15:20 - A layman’s guide to what VoxCell does, from the founder herself.
15:20 - 20:40 - Karolina elaborates on how VoxCell is trying to advance drug development with the help of their bio-printers.
20:40 - 22:50 - What the future holds for VoxCell’s bio-printers.
22:50 - 27:30 - Karolina explains what being a team leader is like, and her approach towards personnel management.

Med Tech Talks Ep. 64: Dr. Karolina Valente Pt. 1

🐀 Move over lab rats, 3D printers are here to take your jobs 🤖
3-D printing microvasculature for cancer drug testing is no longer the stuff of Gray’s Anatomy - in Part 1 of Geoffrey Ching’s conversation with Dr. Karolina Valente, CEO and founder of VoxCell Bio Innovation, we find out how she began her journey as an engineer and later steered into the field of biomedical research and innovation at the University of Victoria, to finally founding VoxCell BioInnovation.
 
Timestamps:
1:42 - 4:30 - Karolina explains what a normal day looks like for her: acquiring funding for VoxCell, managing an expanding team, and dealing with two jobs at the same time
4:30 - 7:40 - From humanities to chemical engineering to biomedical innovation, a snippet of Karolina’s unique educational journey.
7:40 - 10:30 - Brazil → Portugal → Canada; how a co-op in biomedical engineering during her graduation set Karolina on her path to her Ph.D.
11:00 - 15:55 - UVic over University of Toronto - why Karolina chose to become a big fish in a smaller pond
15:55 - 28:38 - How Karolina’s personal attitude toward work and the science that she encountered during her PhD led to the inception of VoxCell.
 
 

Physician Founded Ep. 13: Dr.Joshua Landy Pt.2

🍽️ From dinner table to 100,000 users 📈 in a few months, sending a Bat-signal 🦇 across the globe for help on curious cases - how did Josh Landy and the Figure 1 team accomplish so much in so little time? 🤔
This time, we rejoin Joshua Landy’s journey from a dinner table discussion with his friends to actually building an online community of medical learners and physicians across the world. We also learned more about his role at Figure 1, and how the app has drastically evolved since it first launched in 2013.
 
Timestamps:
1:30 - 5:20 - How Josh juggled the two full-time jobs of being a clinician and building Figure1.
5:25 - 11:35 - Josh elaborates on the fit of physician skills and experiences in a CMO role.
11:38 - 16:50 - Incubators as a haven to hatch a start-up and possibly a limitation - the Figure1 perspective.
17:00 - 21:00 - What it takes other than product-market fit to find supportive investors - and to build relationships with them.
22:05 - 24:25 - The importance of speed in building a start-up, and how Josh as a physician influences administrative decisions at Figure 1.
24:30 - 28:25 - From learning to paging and case-following: how Figure1 used community feedback to evolve with their audience’s needs.
28:50 - 30:40 - Perverse incentives and unintended consequences - the trials and tribulations of Figure1.
30:40 - 32:45 - What’s new with Figure 1?

Physician Founded Ep. 13: Dr.Joshua Landy Pt. 1

🖥️ Programmers have StackOverflow, doctors have Figure1 👩‍⚕️.
Technology has allowed us to share our experiences with others at a scale larger than ever before, and it has great benefits for professionals in every field. This week, we talk to Dr. Joshua Landy, co-founder of Figure1, an application democratizing medical education and connecting doctors together.
Find out how he got into medicine, came up with this new idea, and dealt with the challenges of starting a new company on Part 1 of a scintillating conversation.
 
3:50 - 9:50 - Learning best done “the hard way” through real-world experiences, right? Dr. Josh Landy shares why he doesn’t think so - and also the reasons for his passion for internal medicine.
10:25 - 15:20 - Discussing stocks has nothing to do with medical learning, right? Wrong again! Josh shares the story behind the founding of Figure 1, a case sharing platform for medical professionals.
15:40 - 18:00 - The making of - what goes into making a new app, and getting people to use it at the start? The road to Figure 1 was perhaps smoother than most, but Josh shares the lessons he learned about gaining traction and product-market fit in the context of a medical learning tool.
18:50 - 25:00 - Growth isn’t necessarily something that we normally associate with healthcare (apart from expenditures) - but how can an audience of a medical learning app be coaxed into growth? Josh shares the design trials and tribulations he and his team faced around this issue.

Med Tech Talks Ep. 63: Michael Fergusson Pt. 2

The technological revolution 🤖 has happened. How do we ensure widespread adoption of technology in healthcare 🏥? According to our guest Michael Fergusson, the onus is on healthcare workers.👩‍⚕️
Join us as Geoff and Abdo continue the conversation with Michael, Entrepreneur and CEO of Ayogo, a company building an application to drive behavioral change - something that can help you live a longer and better life.
 
1:49 – 8:52 - How can AYOGO modify behavior for its users in an ethical fashion? How does this all benefit the end-users of AYOGO? Michael tells us all about the challenges he and his company face in the digital health realm.
9:33 – 13:11 - Are understanding psychology and behavioral changes key to the devleopment of AYOGO? How does regulation affect the company? Michael shares with us a little about how these factors affect his company’s mission.
13:16 – 14:33 - What is AYOGO currently working on?
14:58 – 17:41 - What can healthcare providers or digital technologies do to help advance the adoption of tools to improve patient outcomes?
18:00 – 19:53 - What can technical experts do to advance the field of digital therapeutic and the adoption of these tools?

Med Tech Talks Ep. 63: Michael Fergusson Pt. 1

Digitally driven behavior change - that’s the nefarious realm of Facebook and Black Mirror. Right? 😨
Michael Ferugsson, and his team disagree. They believe that instead, ethical behavior change driven by Lifeplan, a HIPAA and PIPEDA compliant application, can help you live longer and healthier.
This week’s guest, Michael Fergusson, Entrepreneur and CEO of Ayogo, is the mind behind this innovative product that might change how we support lifestyle modification and medication compliance to improve the effectiveness of our healthcare in the future.
Join our very own Geoffrey Ching and Abdo Elhosary as they engage in a fascinating conversation about his life, his generalist skillset, and ethical implications of building applications surrounding behavioral science.
 
Timestamps:
1:40 – 10:30 - How did Michael make it from Jamaica to Vancouver, to the heights of his now health-tech-focused career? Michael, the high school dropout-turned product manager-turned founder tells all.
10:38 – 12:15 - “It’s not to see what nobody else sees, but it’s to think what no one has yet thought about what everybody sees”. Michael explains his take on T-shaped skillsets and dash-shaped skillsets.
12:36 – 19:45 - How does Michael’s generalist approach fit the medical field - a field that requires a sub-specialized approach? Michael shares with us how AYOGO hits the spot, and some of the ethical quandaries he and his team navigate.

Med Tech Talks Ep.62: Dr. Amol Deshpande Pt.2

💵$308 billion yearly - yet not all Canadians 🇨🇦 can get the healthcare they need or expect. Can Canadian innovation backed by VCs such help solve this? 🤔
 
What does MD, Senior Director of the Health-Tech Ecosystem at @Mars Discovery District, host of the @Reboot Health Podcast, and co-chair of HaloHealth @Dr. Amol Deshpande think about this? Moreover, how would he explain VC to you - if you didn’t know what venture capital was? Tune in this time for our episode with Dr. Amol Deshpande to find out!
 
Timestamps:
1:42 - 4:30 - What is due diligence? Amol relates how in his eyes, due diligence is an assessment of the probability that a startup will make it to the other end.
5:25 - 12:35 - What is the goal of HaloHealth, AiOT and other similar physician-driven innovation communities? Amol relates the power of a diverse community of physicians which can serve companies and VCs with feedback to provide product validation.
12:55 - 15:40 - What are the pain points of being an early-stage investor? As an angel, Amol believes that angel investing is tough but rewarding given the opportunity to support great founders.
16:03 - 18:49 - What tribulations do angels face when interacting with investors? Amol provides insight into the biases and perspectives that angels bring to conversations with startups.
19:00 - 21:25 - What separates and exponential startup from a non-exponential startup? Amol lays out what he means by those terms, and what the facets by which he evaluates potentially exponential companies.
21:40 - 25:20 - Why Reboot Health? Why Podcast? Amol lays out his rationale for starting his health tech podcast.
25:40 - 29:44 - What is the MaRS Innovation District, and what does Amol do as the Health Tech Ecosystem Senior Director? Amol gives us a deep dive of his behind-the-scenes work to support healthtech startups and the healthtech ecosystem.