INTERVIEWS

Guest: Dr. Denis A. Cortese

Presenter: Neal Howard

Guest Bio: Dr. Cortese’s current positions include Foundation Professor at Arizona State University (ASU), Director of ASU’s Healthcare Delivery and Policy Program, and President of the non-profit Healthcare Transformation Institute based in Phoenix, AZ. He is an Emeritus President and CEO of the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Cortese also currently serves on the board of trustees of Dartmouth-Hitchcock, and the boards of directors for Cerner Corporation, Essence Global Holding Corporation, and Pinnacle West. An honorary member of the Royal College of Physicians (London) and the Academia Nacional de Medicina (Mexico). Education includes a BS from Franklin and Marshall, an MD from Temple University, and residency training in Internal Medicine and Pulmonary Diseases at the Mayo Clinic. Awards include an Ellis Island Award in 2007, the National Healthcare Leadership Award in 2009.

Segment overview: Dr. Denis Cortese, MD, Foundation Professor and Director of the Healthcare Delivery and Policy Program at Arizona State University and co-author of the book “Rescuing Healthcare – A Leadership Prescription to Make Healthcare What We All Want It to Be” talks about the book, why he wrote it with Antony Bell and what they want to accomplish.  

Guest: Lucas Litewka

Presenter: Tabetha Moreto

Guest Bio: As a Senior Medical Scientist, Lucas worked on a broad portfolio of clinical neurological research, including: co-registration of MRI/PET/CT/SPECT for epilepsy surgery; and volumetric analysis of MRI to track progression of various neurological conditions.

Lucas is a Director and Board Member of ARCS Australia Ltd, a professional development association for people working in the development of therapeutic goods. Lucas is a member of various internal/external advisory committees focusing on strategy development, ICT Health initiatives, finance and risk management and fundraising.

Lucas joined the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC) in 2015 as the inaugural Director of the USC Clinical Trials Centre.

Segment overview: Lucas Litewka talks about influenza and a new rapid detection device called ellume:lab Flu A+B Test, which was designed to promote early diagnosis of the treatable infectious illness in a point-of-care setting. This product includes a tool for taking a nasal sample, an eStick to detect flu antigens in the sample, and a phone-sized analysis unit. Lucas also talks about the difference between Influenza A and B, who are at risk of this disease, and how participating in clinical trials would help medical research in discovering better treatment options.

Guest: Michael Hough

Presenter: Neal Howard

Guest Bio: As the General Manager of Advance Medical North America, Mike Hough oversees all business operations and medical operations of the Company in the United States and Canada. Hough launched Advance Medical’s North American business in 2005 as part of Advance Medical’s international expansion. Hough brings operational expertise as well as vision and an intense passion for improving medical care delivery and the patient experience.

Prior to Advance Medical, Hough held Operations Strategy roles at Amgen, Biogen Idec, Onyx Pharmaceuticals and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.

Hough holds a Master’s degree in business administration from Boston University and Bachelor’s degrees in biochemistry and economics from the University of California at Davis.

Segment overview: Michael Hough, EVP of Advance Medical discusses the story of Advance Medical and how they are using digital technology in new ways, specifically to aid health care benefits and services that companies can offer their employees.

Guest: Jonathan Killion

Presenter: Neal Howard

Guest Bio: Jonathan Killion is a managing director at Carl Marks Advisors and has nearly 10 years of financial services experience, including deep expertise in financial restructuring and investment banking. Mr. Killion works closely with company owners, management teams, boards of directors, private equity groups, lenders, and investors on engagements spanning bankruptcies, workouts, loan restructuring, due diligence, strategic planning, and mergers and acquisitions.

He has experience providing financial advisory and investment banking services across a vast range of industries, specifically healthcare. He is currently working with the senior lenders to a privately held healthcare company that delivers cancer care to patients via state-of-the art proton therapy centers.

Mr. Killion earned a BS in Business Administration from Georgetown University and currently serves as the President of the Northern New Jersey Georgetown Alumni Club.

Segment overview: Jonathan Killion of Carl Marks Advisors discusses the current state of distress in the Healthcare System.

Guest: Dr. Greg Sommer

Guest Bio: Greg Sommer, PhD is the Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Sandstone Diagnostics, a Bay Area, California diagnostic and digital health company developing sophisticated connected wellness products that allow consumers to measure, monitor, and improve key health markers at home. Sandstone’s Trak® Male Fertility Testing System allows men to measure, track, and improve sperm count at home to boost a couple’s chances of conception. Prior to founding Sandstone, Dr. Sommer was a Senior Research Scientist at Sandia National Laboratories where he led R&D in point-of-care diagnostic technologies for biodefense and emergency preparedness applications, most notably the Sandia SpinDx system. Dr. Sommer received his PhD and MS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan, and BS from Iowa State University.

Segment Overview: Dr. Greg Sommer, Chief Scientific Officer with Sandstone Diagnostics, discusses a new study report that shows significant declines in sperm count among men from Western countries.

Guest: Daniel Schwartz

Presenter: Neal Howard  

Guest Bio: Daniel Schwartz is a practicing nephrologist/internist, clinical assistant professor at the University of British Columbia, as well as the co-founder & medical director of QxMD. He received his training at the University of British Columbia and the University of Toronto. His clinical interests are focused on peritoneal dialysis and interventional nephrology.  As well, his keen interest in knowledge translation at the point of care and the intersection of information technology with clinical medicine led to the founding of QxMD.

Segment overview: Dr. Daniel Schwartz talks about QxMD and how his company creates point-of-care digital solutions for practicing health care professionals.

Guest:  Sof Andrikopoulos

Presenter: Henry Acosta

Guest Bio: Sof Andrikopoulos is the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Diabetes Society and Director of Corporate Affairs of the National association of Diabetes Centres and Head of the Islet Biology and Metabolism Research Group at the University of Melbourne; Department of Medicine (Austin Health) which investigates the genetic susceptibility of islet dysfunction using animal models of diabetes. Dr Andrikopoulos has had grant support from the NH&MRC since 2000, is Editor-In-Chief of the Journal of Endocrinology/Journal of Molecular Endocrinology. Dr Andrikopoulos was awarded a NHMRC award for research excellence in 2008 and a Diabetes Australia research Trust millennium award in 2010.

Segment overview: Annual Scientific Meeting brings together scientists, clinicians, doctors, nurses and diabetes educators in Australia who have interest to contribute and learn about the best management practices of diabetes. This 3-day event will take place at the Perth Convention Center from August 30th to September 1st with five international speakers from US and Europe presenting very important topics about diabetes.

Guest: Dr. Alan Barclay

Presenter: Henry Acosta

Guest Bio: Dr. Alan Barclay is an accredited practicing dietitian and nutritionist with over 21 years of experience. He completed a PhD at the University of Sydney in the mid 2000’s on the association between glycemic carbohydrate (e.g., sugars and starches) and the risk of developing lifestyle-related diseases (e.g., type 2 diabetes and heart disease) and continues to conduct research in this area.

He lectures part-time at the University of Sydney and is a consultant to the Glycemic Index Foundation, which licenses its Certified Low GI logo for use on healthy, low GI foods. Alan also works in clinical dietetics maintaining a private practice in Sydney since 1995.

Alan has appeared frequently in newspapers, magazines, radio and television news. He has authored or co-authored more than 30 peer reviewed articles in the scientific literature, and has presented the research at scientific conferences around the globe. Alan is also the author or co-author of 5 books for consumers and also manages a monthly blog.

Segment overview: Ketogenic Diet is a type of eating pattern, where you consume about 80% of your daily energy from fat and carbohydrate intake is restricted, meaning a high percentage of total energy (kilojoule) intake comes from fat. In theory, it forces your body to use fats and convert it into ketones, which can be used to fuel various organs in your body including the brain. Listen to our interview with Dr. Alan Barclay as he talks more about Ketogenic Diet, what it is, how it works, who can adapt this type of diet, and its link to some cases of epilepsy.

Guest: Carole Renouf 

Presenter: Tabetha Moreto

Guest Bio: Carole Renouf was appointed as the inaugural Chief Executive Officer of Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA) in 2016. Carole has dedicated most of her career to the not-for-profit sector, specialising initially in health education, consumer advocacy, marketing, communications and fundraising before transitioning to senior executive management and leadership roles. Some of the organisations Carole has worked for include NSW Health, the Consumers’ Association (CHOICE), WWF Australia and UNSW. She was CEO of Garvan Research Foundation 2005-2010 and this was the beginning of her reputation with major gifts to medical research. During her tenure, the Foundation’s annual revenue increased from $2.5 million to $15 million and Carole also ran the capital campaign to raise $40 million in philanthropy to build the Kinghorn Cancer Centre. Carole was CEO of the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) 2011-2015, successfully raising its profile, fundraising revenue and research grant disbursements so that NBCF became ranked as the fourth most respected charities in Australia. Prior to taking up her position at MIA, Carole spent a year leading the capital campaign for the redevelopment of St Vincent’s Private Hospital

Segment overview: Carole Renouf, CEO of Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA), talks about the causes, symptoms, and treatment of melanoma. Melanoma is a form of cancer that develops in the skin’s pigment cells (melanocytes). She also talks about the Leave Your Hat On, a national campaign to raise awareness and help people fighting the disease.