INTERVIEWS

Dr. Gary Lelli, Vice-Chair of Ophthalmology at Weill Cornell Medicine, discusses the Horizon Therapeutics and Prevent Blindness launch of FOCUS, an initiative created to help those living with Graves’ Disease recognize the symptoms of a separate, but related disease called Thyroid Eye Disease (TED), a serious, progressive and vision-threatening rare autoimmune disease that, in rare cases, can lead to blindness.

Dr. Lisa Ravindra, Primary Care Physician and Physician lead for Virtual Care Programs at Rush University Medical Center, discusses the dramatic dip in U.S. cancer screening, due mostly to people staying away from the doctor’s office because of COVID-19.  She talks about new guidelines published by The National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable and the important role that telehealth and at-home screening tests can play in detecting colorectal cancer earlier amidst this new normal. Learn more at Cologuard.

Returning guest, Dr. Gwen Nichols, Chief Medical Officer at the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) discusses the Children’s Initiative, a $100M dollar effort to address the lack of treatments for pediatric blood cancers.  She also talks about the PedAL trial that is part of the Children’s Initiative. This master clinical trial will test simultaneously multiple targeted therapies for children who experience a relapse of their acute leukemia.   The study will take place at more than 200 sites worldwide that are part of the NCI-supported Children’s Oncology Group (COG) network of children’s hospitals, including those in the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. 

Dr. Gwen Nichols, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society discusses blood cancers, the progress in blood cancer therapies, and the impact COVID has had on research.

Clinician safety is the top priority during the COVID-19 crisis. Ariel MacTavish, VP/GM of Respiratory Interventions in the MITG division and  Frank Chan, VP/GM of Patient Monitoring at Medtronic discuss Medtronic’s first-of-its-kind software solution that enables doctors and nurses to manage and adjust ventilators remotely.  This reduces room entries and exposure and conserves PPE.  In addition, Medtronic is taking the lead to protect healthcare workers and prepare them for the potential next wave of COVID-19 by partnering with hospitals like Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Minn., where healthcare providers have access to a range of remote monitoring devices such as remote-access solutions for pulse oximeters, used to measure oxygen levels in the blood, and the latest in capnography to monitor carbon dioxide levels in the airways.

Recent research suggests that the loss of muscle mass is associated with compromised immunity and infections.  Dr. Suzette Pereira, Ph.D., a muscle health researcher and scientist, discusses how muscle mass can impact health status and outcomes, especially amongst older, high-risk, and chronically ill patients.  She talks about the type of lifestyle changes that can be made to maintain or improve muscle mass to help strengthen the immune system, and supplements that healthcare providers can recommend when seniors can’t get the nutrition they need to support muscle growth from diet alone. 

Returning guest, Dr. David Spetzler, President and Chief Scientific Officer at Caris® Life Sciences discusses partnering with Merus, a clinical-stage oncology company, to detect neuregulin 1 (NRG1) fusions in cancer patients using Caris’ whole exome and whole transcriptome sequencing. The goal of this collaboration is to use Caris’ extensive suite of breakthrough next-generation sequencing technology to identify patients who may be eligible for Merus’ bispecific antibody Zenocutuzumab (“Zeno”) Phase 1/2 eNRGy trial and Early Access Program.

Dr. Avi Fischer, M.D., Divisional Vice President, MedicalAffairs, and Chief Medical Officer for Cardiac RhythmManagement (CRM) at Abbott discusses the recent FDA approval of the next-generation Gallant™ implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) and cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D) devices. The new devices offer built-in smartphone connectivity via Bluetooth for increased patient-physician engagement and streamlined communications. The Gallant high voltage platforms connect to Abbott’s secure myMerlinPulse™ mobile app to allow for continuous remote monitoring and seamlessly integrates into people’s day-to-day lives.

Ruby Gadelrab, CEO and Co-founder of MDisrupt, the first-of-its-kind medical diligence company, discusses how they are helping health-tech startups demonstrate viability and bring health products to market faster and more responsibly.  The company is also launching an on-demand health industry expert platform to connect a wide range of highly specialized medical and scientific professionals with emerging health tech companies that will most benefit from their expertise.

Wesley Gilson, Ph.D., Artificial Intelligence Lead for Siemens Healthineers North America discusses the idea that an AI revolution in healthcare is not inevitable. He talks about why AI in healthcare can only properly be implemented with investment, collaboration, and a human-focused approach. Siemens Healthineers has been working with collaboration partners in France, New York, Switzerland, and Canada to develop a new algorithm for use in chest CT imaging to help healthcare professionals more quickly and easily identify pneumonia and measure disease severity in patients with suspected COVID-19 infection.