"Closing the Digital Divide: Validation through Partnership” event

 

In recent years, we have witnessed an international explosion of digital healthcare solutions, many promising to transform healthcare delivery as we know it. As this number expands exponentially, providers and other stakeholders interested in leveraging these technologies are faced with one big issue: how do you determine which solutions can provide the greatest benefit to patients before scaling these technologies?

On October 19th, 2022, the Novartis Biome hosted “Closing the Digital Divide: Validation through Partnership,” an exciting half-day event [see agenda and speakers below] that highlighted challenges in testing digital solutions and explored opportunities to address these challenges through intentional, cross-industry collaboration. This event, held in downtown San Francisco, connected leaders from across the healthcare ecosystem, including health systems, digital startups, and tech innovation organizations, with Novartis business leaders discussing challenges and opportunities in the evolving digital health landscape.

Additionally, this event celebrated and highlighted recent initiatives driven by the Evidence Lab including updates and lessons learned through partnerships with UCSF, BeeKeeper AI, and Banner Health. Since the Evidence Lab’s launch in November 2021, it has expanded its network of health system partners from five to over a dozen, accounting for over 75 hospitals globally.

Beyond testing and validation, we also explored critical industry topics including health equity considerations in developing novel technologies, new and existing data sharing policies, and ongoing health system led innovation initiatives, among others.

The leaders from across the healthcare landscape who took part in our event shared valuable insights and lessons, from which we can share a few:

  • Cross-industry collaboration is absolutely necessary to achieve digital transformation in healthcare.
  • It will take an intentional, strategic approach to solve equity challenges as we build, implement, and scale digital technologies.
  • Persistence, grit, and a shared commitment to this bold vision are must-haves to reimagine healthcare.

The Novartis Biome team is excited to connect digital health leaders as they continue to drive the tough discussions required to make these solutions a reality. Change begins with opportunities to connect, discuss and act!
 

Schedule Tab

11:30 AM Networking Lunch

12:30 PM Opening Remarks

  • Robin Roberts, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer, Novartis Biome

12:40 PM Opening Keynote – Advancing Digital Health Transformation

Speaker:

  • Dr. Michael Blum, Co-founder and CEO, BeeKeeperAI

Moderator:

  • Jacob LaPorte, Co-Founder & Global Head, Novartis Biome

1:25 PM Session 1 – Digital Innovation with & within Health Systems

Panelists: 

  • Dr. Ashish Atreja, CIO and Chief Digital Health Officer, UC Davis
  • Dr. Michelle Longmire, CEO & Co-founder, Medable
  • Dr. Ruben Rathnasingham, Assistant Dean for Health Product Innovation, Dell Medical UT Austin

Moderator: 

  • Dr. Marianne Walwema, Director, Corporate Strategy, Novartis

2:10 PM Break

2:25 PM Session 2 – Partnership in Action – UCSF and BeeKeeperAI

Panelists: 

  • Mary Beth Chalk, Co-founder and CCO of BeeKeeperAI
  • Sudish Mogli, Vice President of Engineering, BeeKeeperAI
  • Kurtis Lee, Associated Director, Oncology Marketing, Novartis

Moderator:

  • Ashley Pippin, Director, Novartis Biome

2:55 PM Session 3 – Keynote: Digital Health Information Sharing Imperatives: Promise or Peril?

Speaker:

  • Deven McGraw, J.D., MPH, Lead for Data Stewardship and Data Sharing, Invitae

3:40 PM Session 4 – How Brazil and other global markets are developing meaningful healthcare solutions through Evidence Labs

Speaker:

  • Marcio Ramos, Data, Digital, Innovation and Novartis Biome Head, IM Brazil, Novartis

3:50 PM Keynote Panel: Addressing Healthcare Equity in Digital Health

Panelists:

  • Dr. Linda Armstrong, Head of Global Respiratory & US Site Head, GDD Novartis
  • Ramita Tandon, Chief Clinical Trials Officer, Walgreens

Moderator:

  • Robin Roberts, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer, Novartis Biome

4:40 PM Event Closing Session

  • Jacob LaPorte, Co-Founder & Global Head, Novartis Biome
  • Robin Roberts, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer, Novartis Biome

4:45 PM Networking Reception

Speaker Tab

Dr. Michael Blum - Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, BeeKeeperAI

Dr. Michael Blum - Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, BeeKeeperAI

In addition to being a Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of BeeKeeperAI, Dr. Blum is a practicing cardiologist at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

Prior to joining BeeKeeperAI, Dr. Blum was the Associate Vice Chancellor for Informatics and the Chief Digital Transformation Officer at UCSF as well as founder and director of UCSF’s Center for Digital Health Innovation (CDHI). Under his leadership, CDHI completed the first of its kind development of real-time clinical diagnostic artificial intelligence built into a commercial GE portable X-ray device.

Dr. Ashish Atreja - CIO and Chief Digital Health Officer, UC Davis

Dr. Ashish Atreja - CIO and Chief Digital Health Officer, UC Davis

Ashish Atreja, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.P., A.G.A.F., is one of the nation’s leading voices in evidence-based digital health and artificial intelligence. He currently oversees UC Davis Health’s expansion of its digital footprint, bridging the gap between IT, academia, research, and innovation as “Digital Davis” becomes a global validation hub for digital health and AI.

Prior to his UC Davis Health appointment, Atreja, a gastroenterologist, served as the chief innovation officer, Medicine at Mount Sinai Health System. Dr. Atreja has published 90 academic papers, been continuously funded by NIH since 2014, and has been a keynote speaker globally on digital health transformation.

 

Dr. Michelle Longmire, CEO & Co-founder, Medable

Dr. Michelle Longmire, CEO & Co-founder, Medable

Dr. Longmire is mission-driven to accelerate the development of new therapies for disease as the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Medable. A Stanford-trained physician-scientist, Dr. Longmire identified critical barriers to drug development and founded Medable to pioneer a new category of clinical trial technologies that remove traditional roadblocks to participation and radically accelerate the research process. Medable is now the industry leader in decentralized and direct-to-patient research, with the ability to serve patients in over 120 languages, 60 countries, and across all therapeutic areas.

 

Dr. Ruben Rathnasingham - Assistant Dean for Health Product Innovation, Dell Medical UT Austin

Dr. Ruben Rathnasingham - Assistant Dean for Health Product Innovation, Dell Medical UT Austin

Ruben Rathnasingham is the Assistant Dean of Health Product Innovation and Associate Professor of Medical Education at Dell Medical School at UT Austin.

In his current role as the Assistant Dean for Health Product Innovation at Dell Medical School, he is responsible for initiatives that support health-related translational research at UT Austin.

Mary Beth Chalk - Co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer of BeeKeeperAI

Mary Beth Chalk - Co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer of BeeKeeperAI

Mary Beth Chalk is the Co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer of BeeKeeperAI. Her healthcare career began over 25 years ago utilizing statistical process control to enable health systems to improve quality and outcomes.

Since that time, her career has focused on creating, validating, and commercializing innovative solutions including as the leader of business development at the Center for Digital Health Innovation at UCSF where she secured funding for innovation commercialization, development, and validation of over 27 healthcare AI algorithms. Prior to UCSF, she was the co-founder and Chief Engagement Officer for an AI platform spun out of Partners Healthcare.

 

Sudish Mogli - Vice President of Engineering at BeeKeeperAI

Sudish Mogli - Vice President of Engineering at BeeKeeperAI

Sudish Mogli is the Vice President of Engineering at BeeKeeperAI, where he is responsible for the development of a pioneering platform combining zero trust, confidential computing, and privacy preserving analytics for healthcare artificial intelligence (AI) development and deployment.

Sudish has over 25 years of experience in the Technology industry bringing Cloud based AI Engineering platforms to market. Most recently he was the Co-founder and CTO of Healthcare Triangle, Inc. a Cloud and Data platform company. He is passionate about applying AI to data to transform healthcare, but also applying AI to comply and secure AI driven applications.

 

Kurtis Lee - Associate Director, Oncology Marketing, Novartis

Kurtis Lee - Associate Director, Oncology Marketing, Novartis

Kurtis Lee is an Associate Director of marketing with Novartis. Kurtis brings nearly 5 years of pharmaceutical industry experience leading various functions within marketing across oncology and rare diseases. He received his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Michigan and Bachelor of Sciences degree in biology from the University of California, Irvine.

Deven McGraw - the lead for Data Stewardship and Data Sharing at Invitae

Deven McGraw - the lead for Data Stewardship and Data Sharing at Invitae

Deven McGraw is the lead for Data Stewardship and Data Sharing at Invitae. Previously, she co-founded Ciitizen, a platform for patients to gather their health information, prior to its acquisition by Invitae. From 2015-2017, she directed U.S. health privacy and security as Deputy Director, Health Information Privacy at the HHS Office for Civil Rights and Chief Privacy Officer (Acting) of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT.

She directed the Health Privacy Project at the Center for Democracy & Technology for six years and led the privacy and security policy work for the HITECH Health IT Policy Committee. She advised health industry clients on HIPAA compliance and data governance while a partner at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP. Deven graduated from Georgetown University Law Center and has a Masters of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University.

Marcio Ramos - Data, Digital, Innovation and Novartis Biome Head, IM Brazil, Novartis

Marcio Ramos - Data, Digital & Innovation Head – IM Brazil, Novartis

With 15+ years of practical experience in marketing, digital, product development, innovation, and growth across several industries, Marcio is currently the Chief Digital Officer for NVS Brazil, leading Data, Digital, Omnichannel Experience and Innovation for the country.

He has a bachelor’s degree from Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing (ESPM), Sao Paulo and a Master’s in Business and Administration from Faculdade Getulio Vargas (FGV), Rio de Janeiro.

Dr. Linda Armstrong - Head of Global Respiratory & US Site Head, GDD Novartis

Dr. Linda Armstrong

Dr Linda Armstrong has more than 20 years of experience in biopharmaceutical research. She is currently the Head of Global Respiratory and US site head for Global Development at Novartis Pharmaceutical Corporation.

Linda has held executive roles in several pharmaceutical research and development organizations including positions in clinical development, patient safety and medical affairs. She has supported the development of innovative therapies to address unmet medical needs in disease areas such as asthma, COPD, hematologic malignancies, and cystic fibrosis. Linda is a graduate of the Yale School of Medicine and received her bachelor’s degree from Harvard University.

 

Ramita Tandon - Chief Clinical Trials Officer, Walgreens

Ramita Tandon - Chief Clinical Trials Officer, Walgreens

As the Chief Clinical Trials Officer at Walgreens, Ramita is responsible for leading and driving growth for the Company’s new clinical trials business. In her role, Ramita works across the healthcare and life sciences industries to enable next-generation clinical trials so that breakthrough treatments reach patients faster. She served as the Chief Operating Officer at Trio Health, and prior to that she was the Executive Vice President, Commercialization and Outcomes at ICON.

Ramita is an internationally recognized speaker and author whose focus is on how to bridge the gap between commercial and clinical development. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan and the Boston University School of Public Health.


“Closing the Digital Divide: Validation through Partnership” event short video