Raise the Line

One challenge in developing treatments for rare diseases is finding enough people with the condition to mount valid clinical trials. Databases that contain diagnostic codes for specific conditions can help, but those miss people who may have the condition but have yet to be conclusively diagnosed. That’s where Verana Health comes in, a digital health company that uses AI to mine its data network of more than 20,000 healthcare providers and the clinic notes they make about patient encounters. “If you wanted to find somebody with a specific genetic defect, or a specific condition for which a diagnostic code doesn't even exist, clinic notes represent really the only place you could discover that information,” explains Dr. Michael Mbagwu, an ophthalmologist and Verana’s Senior Medical Director. Verana partners with the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Academy of Neurology and the American Urologic Association to manage their clinical registries which were built to improve quality of care, answer research questions and help physicians report quality metrics. Join host Michael Carrese for an exploration of the ways medicine is being changed by the ever-growing amount of data available and the new technologies which allow clinicians and others to analyze and use all of that information. “Some of the things that we just assumed were never possible or were kind of hopeless endeavors are now possible for the first time thanks to AI.” Mentioned in this episode: https://www.veranahealth.com/ If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

“In 2010, it took three-and-a-half years for medical knowledge to double. Now it takes around seventy-three days,” says Dr. Ted O’Connell, who is among the many medical educators who wrestle with how to help students manage that kind of information load. Artificial intelligence can be a tool for synthesizing vast amounts of data, he says, but it also has the potential to massively increase the amount of information coming at a student. “I think it will be very important for learners to understand what their learning style is so they can harness AI to help them,” he tells host Shiv Gaglani. O’Connell plays an important role in the field, serving as regional director of undergraduate, graduate and continuing medical education at Kaiser Permanente in Northern California and the author of eighteen medical textbooks with Elsevier where he also serves as editor-in-chief of ClinicalKey MedEd. Don’t miss a wisdom drop from this best-selling author, podcast host, speaker, company founder and family physician about the importance of mentorship for medical students, the need for further diversity of images in medical learning materials, and other ways to improve medical education. If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

We've heard many stories on Raise the Line about patients and their family members who, upon getting a rare disease diagnosis, build a non-profit organization from scratch to boost advocacy and research for the condition in question. This is obviously a pretty big hill to climb for people with no background in such things. Well, today we're going to learn about Beacon for Rare Diseases, a UK non-profit designed to provide the expertise and support needed to get a rare disease patient group off the ground, and to connect these groups with each other for the purpose of mutual education and support. “What we've seen is that people forming and building patient organizations can help really trigger a new community around that, and help drive the field forward,” Beacon CEO Dr. Rick Thompson tells host Shiv Gaglani. “What we want to do as an organization is help those patient groups form, to grow, and to professionalize their work.” Tune in to find out how Dr. Thompson’s background in evolutionary biology, research and education impacts his work at Beacon, why rare diseases should be approached in the same way as cancer, and his interest in repurposing existing drugs for use in treating rare diseases. Mentioned in this episode: https://www.rarebeacon.org/ If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

“It is my deepest wish for all of my students to find me as a mentor and a coach,” says Beth Hendricks, RN, MSN and assistant professor at New Mexico State University School of Nursing. That can be traced back in part to a nursing educator early in her career who took that approach and built her confidence. Being devoted to paying that forward is one reason Hendricks is the winner of the 2022 Osmosis Raise The Line Faculty Awards in the RN-Nurse Practitioner category. Her student nominators describe her as both empathetic and driven to see them succeed, which is a deliberate balance Hendricks tries to strike. “Having their backs but also challenging them is the best method for connecting with students,” she tells host Michael Carrese. Check out this insightful conversation on how to motivate students to fight through “imposter syndrome,” the importance of learning to think like a nurse, and why she encourages students to find their unique learning style among many other tips for educators. Mentioned in this episode: www.osmosis.org/faculty-awards If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

We've learned quite a bit on Raise the Line about at-home monitoring technology for chronic disease management, but on this episode we're going to explore the use of tech for a different aspect of the patient experience: post-surgical care. It’s a significant issue because hospitals are incentivized to discharge patients as soon as possible, leaving many to recover at home with varying degrees of support. “The whole postoperative period is a huge black box of missing information. We really don't know how patients are doing after their surgery because we’re not capturing the 24-7 experience the patient is living through,” says Dr. Sanjeev Suratwala, an orthopedic spine surgeon who co-founded Recuperet Health to fill that information gap. He tapped software engineer and management consultant Gary Arora to develop Recuperet’s technology platform with the aim of keeping it simple for users. “You simply log in with your credentials. It's like watching Netflix on your browser. You don't need to download or install anything,” he tells host Michael Carrese. Patients wear Fitbits that track vital signs, and the system is designed to send alerts to providers -- and a patient-designated caretaker - if something seems concerning. Tune in to learn how Recuperet is leveraging AI and gamification as part of its approach, and how this solution can be broadened to other specialties beyond orthopedics. Mentioned in this episode: https://recuperet.io If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

“I noticed early on in my academic career that the traditional methods of engagement and the lecture was no longer working for millennials and Gen Z, which is the first generation to completely grow up being immersed in technology,” says Dr. Nicolene “Nikki” Lottering of Bond University in Queensland. That set the assistant professor of anatomy and forensic anthropologist on the path of determining how to use technology effectively without going too far. “For me, it's about the responsible use of technology to meet students halfway and harness that power to engage them and make them excited about what they're learning.” This thoughtful approach is one of the reasons Lottering is the winner of the 2022 Osmosis Raise the Line Faculty Award in the Anatomy and Physiology category. Another, according to her student nominators, is her compassion for her students. This became particularly pronounced during COVID which presented enormous challenges to educators and students alike. “I believe good education comes from a place of genuinely caring about your students,” she tells host Michael Carrese. “We can learn as a community and we can, through learning, find coping strategies as well. It's not always about the content, but it's actually about the community.” Don’t miss this inspiring conversation from an educator with many insights on how to connect students to their learning and to each other. Mentioned in this episode: www.Osmosis.org/faculty-awards If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

Perhaps the most noteworthy element of Osmosis from Elsevier’s Year of the Zebra educational initiative is the new, open-access, peer-reviewed journal Rare. Open Research in Rare Diseases.It joins Elsevier's leading collection of 2,500 publications in science and medicine. Rare is an open journal in multiple senses because, in an unusual step, contributions are being welcomed from patients as well as scientists. “We need the patient's voice to find out what their needs and challenges are every day,” says editor-in-chief, Dr. Wendy van Zelst-Stams. “We really want to have both a clinical impact on rare disease patients and an impact on their well-being in daily life.” Dr. van Zelst-Stams is taking on this new role in addition to her work leading the Clinical Genetics Section in the Department of Human Genetics of the Radboud University Medical Center and the Dutch Society of Clinical Genetics. In this enlightening conversation with host Shiv Gaglani, you’ll learn about Europe’s efforts to improve care for rare disease patients, the “DNA-first” approach her program takes to reduce the diagnostic odyssey, and the types of content that will be featured in this multidisciplinary scientific journal. Mentioned in this episode: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/rare If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

“Even my mother always told me that my biggest strength is my explanation capability,” says Dr. Kishore Banerjee, the winner of the 2022 Osmosis Raise the Line Faculty Awards in the Medicine - Osteopathy category. It’s a skill the pathologist and educator has continued to hone over many years of teaching. “If you can create analogies and compare things with a real-life experience, then it becomes very easy for the student.” Better yet, Dr. Banerjee tells host Michael Carrese, is the prospect of enhancing the images he is trying to create for students using new technologies. “If we can create an immersive experience for students using the metaverse or artificial intelligence, that would be wonderful.” Throughout the podcast, Dr. Banerjee emphasizes the importance of making the learning process an enjoyable experience, one that students look forward to, which aligns him perfectly with the core Osmosis value of Spread Joy. “If the learning is happening in a fun environment, only then can you learn it properly.” By the end of this delightful conversation, you’ll understand why Dr. Banerjee was selected as a winner out of the thousands of nominations Osmosis received from nearly 400 institutions worldwide. Mentioned in this episode: www.osmosis.org/faculty-awards If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

Some of you may have a general idea about how Osmosis got started, but today you are going to get the full, fascinating story from one of its co-founders, Shiv Gaglani, who we welcome back to the Raise the Line podcast as our special guest. Shortly into his first year of medical school at Johns Hopkins in 2011, Shiv, and his co-founder Ryan Haynes, realized medical education was overdue for an upgrade. “The research was clear on how people learn and how to get them to engage in their education, but professors weren't being taught how to teach. We wanted to bring evidence-based education tools like spaced repetition, test-enhanced learning, memory palaces and flipped classrooms to medical education.” They also wanted to make it fun, efficient and personalized, keying off the customized recommendations media giants such as Netflix and Facebook were using. After completing their second year, both took a leave from med school to build Osmosis based on those insights. After growing it from a crowdsourced question bank for classmates into a global education platform serving millions of future healthcare professionals, Shiv shepherded the acquisition of the company by Elsevier in 2021, freeing him to return to Johns Hopkins to complete his degree which he recently moved to Baltimore to do. So, what’s it like to go from running the company to being a student using the product he helped build? Tune in to this delightful episode to find out, to learn what specialties he’s considering and for advice on using “negative” emotions to achieve productive outcomes. If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

Join us on this special episode of Raise the Line as we speak with Theodosia Adanu, Principal Librarian and Head at University of Ghana and winner of the 2022 Raise the Line Faculty Award in the Librarian category. When host Lindsey Smith asked Adanu which of the Osmosis values she resonated with most, her response was immediate. “When I think of the heart, I think of passion. I think for anyone to be able to make a difference, you ought to be passionate about things, and this is one thing I'm passionate about.” According to her students, Adanu’s unwavering drive to affect change and encourage them to succeed are just two of the reasons she was nominated and chosen for the award. In her conversation with Lindsey, Adanu describes the parts of the job she loves most, including helping students discover and learn new things. She also touches on concerns about information literacy. “I do my best to make sure that everybody knows about it and is practicing the tenets of information literacy. That's a gap I'd like to see through.”Mentioned in this episode: www.osmosis.org/faculty-awards If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

One effective approach to teaching is to identify where students may have some weaknesses and then provide them with additional resources or information to shore up their understanding of that topic. Well, that’s exactly what Elsevier’s ClinicalKey Student Assessment is designed to do, and because it’s an online platform, the process is efficient for both instructors and students. “It’s a foundation to help students in that journey of self-discovery and self-learning which, hopefully, will set them up for the rest of their careers,” says Dr. Phil Xiu, the platform’s editor-in-chief. Xiu’s journey to that role includes many years of involvement in medical education and health tech, from writing textbooks to becoming the series editor of Elsevier’s Crash Course book series which has sold over a million copies and been translated into eight different languages. In this enlightening conversation with host Michael Carrese you'll also learn about efforts to improve diversity, equity and inclusion in medical training, how blockchain technology is being used to enhance patient access to their complete medical record, and how being a practicing family physician shapes Xiu’s work as an educator. If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

What if your vibrator not only brought you pleasure but also provided valuable health data? That's precisely what Anna Lee, co-founder of Lioness, is striving to achieve. In this episode of Raise the Line, our host Shiv Gaglani sits down with Anna to discuss her journey from being an engineer at Amazon to starting a company focused on women's sexual pleasure and health. Despite the stigma around female pleasure, Lioness is dedicated to serving an underserved community, and the data they've collected is shedding light on the importance of sexual wellness. As Anna puts it, "Orgasms are the canary in the coal mine for healthcare implications and overall health." Join us to hear Anna's inspiring story and learn about the challenges of creating a smart vibrator in a male-dominated industry.Mentioned in this episode: https://lioness.io/ If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

It’s another special episode of Raise the Line, where we have the honor of speaking with Susan Spielberg, overall winner of the Student Advisor category in the 2022 Osmosis Raise the Line Faculty Awards. Chosen from a pool of over 1,000 nominees representing 377 institutions worldwide, Susan truly embodies the six core values of Osmosis, as evidenced by the glowing testimonials and videos submitted by her students and colleagues. Join host Michael Carrese as he dives into Susan's educational career and her current role at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, where she serves as a student advisor across the pharmacy and dental schools. In this engaging conversation, Susan shares her approach which involves proactively seeking out those who may be hesitant to ask for help. "I find that many people have difficulty asking for help. That's why I feel the need to go out and find them." Tune in to learn more about the types of support students increasingly need, why she thinks teaching the affective is just as important as academics, and why she’s known as the “grandma” of LECOM.Mentioned in this episode: www.osmosis.org/faculty-awards If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

Even for those with experience in the healthcare system, dealing with health insurance can be confusing and complicated. And for millions of Americans, they have the additional challenge of navigating this complexity in something other than their native language, which is a real barrier to access. Knocking down those barriers is where today’s Raise the Line guest enters the picture. Myong Lee is co-founder and CEO of Clever Care Health Plan, a culturally sensitive Medicare Advantage plan that's tailored to the customs, values and linguistic needs of the diverse communities it serves. The company was sparked by Lee's experience watching his Korean American parents struggle with a system that wasn't designed for them. The mission goes beyond just providing customer service in different languages to including different health customs as well. “My parents certainly have never been to a gym. We saw the opportunity to be able to allow seniors to be able to practice healthcare the way they want to with access to herbal medicine and Tai Chi classes.” Join host Michael Carrese for an exploration of incorporating Eastern and Western medical traditions, assisting seniors in accessing the care they need and deserve and launching a company during a pandemic.Mentioned in this episode: https://clevercarehealthplan.com/ If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

Join us for this special episode as we continue a series of conversations with the winners of the Osmosis from Elsevier 2022 Raise the Line Faculty Awards which recognize the inspirational educators who are responsible for training future generations of healthcare professionals. Winners were chosen fromover 1,000 nominations received from 377 institutions around the world. The interviews feature testimonials from the students and peers who nominated the eventual winners focusing on how they embody the six Osmosis core values. Today we feature Michael Moore, the overall winner for the Physician Assistant category. Tapping into his deep passion for education and helping students to succeed, Professor Moore has played an integral role in launching two PA training programs in rural Indiana and Michigan. In his conversation with host Michael Carrese, Moore discusses the growing role of physician assistants on the healthcare team, what he loves about interacting with students, and the need for them to prioritize critical thinking skills. "Something that I think we can work on in even the undergrad years is more critical thinking." From PA education and training to day-to-day responsibilities, you'll gain valuable insights into this critically important and growing profession.Mentioned in this episode: www.osmosis.org/faculty-awards If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

We’re turning the tables on Raise the Line co-host Shiv Gaglani today who will be answering questions, instead of asking them, about Osmosis from Elsevier’s Year of the Zebra campaign.As Shiv explains to host Michael Carrese, he first became interested in rare diseases meeting patients as a medical student at Johns Hopkins University a decade ago. His discomfort with the standard advice given to medical students to think of horses (the common condition) and not zebras (the rare condition) when determining a diagnosis sparked an interest in learning more. In the ensuing years he created a partnership between Osmosis and NORD, one of the leading rare disease organizations in the world. One result of that relationship is 200 Osmosis educational videos on rare conditions which provide critically needed information to health students, providers and patients. He has also sought out rare disease patients and parents of children with rare conditions to find out what more could be done to help them. “The more of them I've met, the more inspired I am by their stories and the things they've done as community organizers, researchers, scientists, advocates and policy changemakers.” Don’t miss this lively conversation about the components of the campaign - including Elsevier’s new open access journal on rare diseases - and how you can get involved. And, you won’t want to miss Shiv’s recounting of his climb of Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise money for the campaign, including the special photo taken at the summit. Mentioned in this episode: www.osmosis.org/zebra If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

Join us on this special episode as we continue a series of conversations with the winners of the Osmosis from Elsevier 2022 Raise the Line Faculty Awards which recognize the inspirational educators who are responsible for training future generations of healthcare professionals. Winners were chosen fromover 1,000 nominations received from 377 institutions around the world. The interviews feature testimonials from the students and peers who nominated the eventual winners focusing on how they embody the six Osmosis core values. On today’s episode, hostLindsey Smith speaks with Dr. Joanne Baxter, the first female dean of Dunedin School of Medicine at the University of Ōtākou in 148 years. As a champion of diversity, equity, and inclusion, Dr. Baxter discusses the importance of DEI in both the medical field and society at large. Drawing from her Māori heritage, she emphasizes the significance of collaborating with marginalized communities to ensure equitable healthcare access. Through her conversation with Lindsey, she explains the importance of understanding the roots of inequality and highlights how the younger generations are leading the way. “This next generation really embraces and engages with conversations about equity and diversity in a way that is much more open and progressive.” Mentioned in this episode: www.osmosis.org/faculty-awards If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

One of our favorite themes on Raise the Line is how technology can help people become better informed about their own health, allowing them to participate more actively in maintaining and improving it. Well, today, we're going to take a deeper look at that issue with the help of Carol Lucarelli, Executive Director of Marketing and E-Commerce at Omron Healthcare, the global leader in remote blood pressure monitoring and personal health technology. “We want individuals to take responsibility for understanding what ails them and be part of the care plan to get better.” The medical devices Omron makes can help do that by providing patients and their providers with timely data from remote monitors of various types. One of the most common is blood pressure monitors, which Lucarelli says could go a long way in preventing strokes and heart attacks if used diligently. And it stands to reason that if providers are on top of changes in key health measurements taken at home, they can catch problems early lessening the need for trips to the doctor’s office or emergency room. Join host Michael Carrese for an informative look at the current role of remote monitoring, what’s coming down the road and how medical devices can help facilitate a dialogue between providers and patients. Mentioned in this episode: https://omronhealthcare.com/ If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

How will the healthcare system navigate unprecedented workforce and financial challenges? What can be done about staff and leader burnout? How can healthcare systems increase diversity and equity? These are the types of big picture questions Deborah Bowen and her colleagues confront at the American College of Healthcare Executives, an international society of more than 48,000 executives in hospitals, healthcare systems and other healthcare organizations. After nearly three decades with the organization, Bowen has a deeply informed take on the kinds of support leaders need in motivating teams to realize their vision. But she is also quick to point out that change in healthcare is not just about who is sitting in the C-suite. “What I love most about healthcare is there are very influential people all throughout the organization. I think anybody who really has the intention to be a leader can be a leader,” she tells host Shiv Gaglani. Don’t miss this chance to hear from someone who has been named one of the most influential people in healthcare about COVID’s impact, why she’s excited about the future of the field and what emerging healthcare professionals can do to change the system.Mentioned in this episode: https://www.ache.org/ If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

Join us on this special episode as we start a series of conversations with the winners of the Osmosis from Elsevier 2022 Raise the Line Faculty Awards which recognize the inspirational educators who are responsible for training future generations of healthcare professionals. Winners were chosen fromover 1,000 nominations received from 377 institutions around the world. The interviews feature testimonials from the students and peers who nominated the eventual winners focusing on how they embody the six Osmosis core values. We start with Dr. Athanasios Hassoulas, Director of the Master of Science Psychiatry Program and Digital Education Lead at Cardiff University in Wales who won the “Other Health Professionals” category. Dr. Hassoulas tells host Michael Carrese about how his teaching innovations are informed by students and about the challenges and opportunities of incorporating digital technology into teaching practices. Dr. Hassoulas also shares how his personal experience with OCD led him to pursue a career in psychiatry and inspires his teaching philosophy. "I think care is the philosophy that underpins what I do.” Don't miss this insightful conversation with a remarkable educator who is breaking down barriers and raising the bar for excellence in medical education.Mentioned in this episode: www.osmosis.org/faculty-awards If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

Regular listeners to Raise the Line know that research into rare diseases should matter to everybody because it has led to treatments for much more common conditions that have improved and saved millions of lives. Statins are usually the prime example of that. Well, on this episode we're going to get into much more detail on this point with someone who literally wrote the book on the subject: Dr. Jules Berman. His 2014 work published by Elsevier, Rare Diseases and Orphan Drugs, Keys to Understanding and Treating the Common Diseases, shows that much of what we now know about common diseases has been achieved by studying rare diseases, and therefore, accelerating progress in the field of rare diseases will lead to yet more advances affecting common conditions. “If you have a rare disease and you think about the phenotype that results from it, you can often find that same phenotype occurring much more commonly in acquired disease, so the treatment for the rare disease can often help people with the acquired disease.” Don’t miss this provocative conversation with host Michael Carrese as Dr. Berman shares why he thinks researching one rare disease at a time is a flawed approach, especially in light of his belief that there are more than 50,000 rare conditions. If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

Lucy Landman is one of only a few children known worldwide to have a genetic disorder called PGAP3, in which a single missing gene can cause seizures and severe physical and cognitive limitations. Luckily for Lucy, her parents Geri and Zach Landman are both physicians whose expertise has been a big help in obtaining a diagnosis and in advocating for her. The Landmans are bringing that know-how and a fervent desire to help all children with single gene disorders to the non-profit they founded, Moonshots for Unicorns, which is already working with Nationwide Children’s Hospital on a promising gene therapy. “There are so many of these single gene disorders that should be amenable to things like gene therapy and drug repurposing. So, we don't want this just to focus on PGAP3.” Listen to this moving episode with host Michael Carrese to learn what causes PGAP3, how the rare genetic disorder has impacted Lucy’s life and health, and the suspected connection between PGAP3 and Autism. Dr. Landman also addresses the big gaps she sees in newborn screening, medical education and research efforts from a rare disease perspective.Mentioned in this episode: www.moonshotsforunicorns.org If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

Eighty percent of rare diseases are caused by genetic mutations, which is why many of our recent guests have highlighted the importance of pursuing gene therapies as potential treatments and cures. That’s why we’re particularly pleased to have Dr. Gaurav Shah on Raise the Line today. He’s the CEO of Rocket Pharma, a company that’s in hot pursuit of developing curative gene therapies for patients with inherited genetic diseases, and showing remarkable results in some cases. For instance, a gene therapy for a rare and fatal heart condition called Danon disease is moving every parameter in the right direction, a result Dr. Shah is understandably proud of. “When gene therapy works, it really works. We were able to demonstrate the power of gene therapy for heart disease for the first time in our species,” he tells host Michael Carrese. Don’t miss this fascinating look at the art, science and practicalities of developing gene therapies and where Rocket Pharma is seeing progress. You’ll also learn about the many career options in drug development and hear how Dr. Shah’s background as a Grammy-winning artist informs his approach to leadership.Mentioned in this episode: https://rocketpharma.com/ If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

“Burnout to me is about losing control, not overwork. It's about being unable to solve problems, and problems beginning to stack up with no end in sight.” Today’s Raise the Line guest Justin Welsh earned that insight the hard way after a demanding corporate job led to a panic attack so severe it prompted a 911 call. Five years later, after founding a one-man business called “The Saturday Solopreneur,” he’s gained full control of his work life and has the number one rated course on LinkedIn which helps more than 10,000 people identify, share and monetize the knowledge they already possess. Listen in to this enlightening episode with host Shiv Gaglani as Justin shares his journey from successful digital health executive to self-employment and what he’s learned along the way about himself and what really matters to him. He details how he gained such a large following in short order, and offers advice for healthcare workers and digital health entrepreneurs on advancing their careers and preventing burnout. And stay tuned for an insightful take on the impact of AI that should reassure those with real world knowledge and experience, and the wisdom that can come from both. “Try not to look for ways to cut the line in place of real learning. Do the work, make the mistakes, analyze the mistakes, iterate, repeat.”Mentioned in this episode: linkedin.com/in/justinwelsh If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

“The qualities of a provider that were envisioned fifty years ago are completely different from what the world needs for tomorrow. It’s completely different,” insists Dr. Abebe Bekele, who is entrusted with educating this new breed of physician at the University of Global Health Equity in Rwanda. As Bekele explains to host Shiv Gaglani in this special in-person interview on the campus of UGHE in Butaro, Rwanda, COVID-19 has demonstrated that doctors now need to be able to serve as leaders of institutions, manage large projects, raise money and interface with influential public sector players such as policymakers and journalists. The program at UGHE has been designed with that in mind by providing a grounding in liberal arts and humanities along with the necessary medical content. As you’ll learn in this insightful conversation, the relatively young school -- which was established by Partners in Health in 2015 -- is taking a thoughtful approach to meeting healthcare needs in the region through admissions policies and scholarships that are boosting the number of female physicians and incentivizing its graduates to practice medicine in their home communities. Beyond connecting with Dr. Bekele, Shiv’s visit gave him a chance to meet with students and faculty to gain a deeper understanding of the partnership Osmosis has with UGHE which is part of a larger effort to support medical education in Sub-Saharan Africa, including in Namibia where he was born. As you’ll hear, Shiv came away seeing UGHE as a model for health education in an increasingly interconnected world. Mentioned in this episode: https://ughe.org/ If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

“Our rare disease community is looking to solve for many different types of policy barriers because we have a very diverse patient community,” says Annie Kennedy, who was drawn to the rare disease issue due to some personal experience early in her life. After spending many years as a patient advocate -- including being with patients during provider visits -- she has developed a keen understanding of where the healthcare system can be improved to do justice to rare disease patients and families. That insight informs her work as chief of Policy, Advocacy and Patient Engagement at the EveryLife Foundation where she helps provide patient communities with tools and resources they can use to make their voice heard in the policy arena. In fact, next week, EveryLife is holding its annual Rare Disease Week on Capitol Hill during which members of the rare disease community will meet with lawmakers in Washington to provide meaningful perspectives and encourage their support. “There are more than thirty million Americans living with rare diseases, so this is a real public health priority,” she tells Raise the Line host Michael Carrese. One resource EveryLife has brought to the table is a study on the total cost of living with a rare disease, not just the costs of medical care, which is helping to inform policy discussions. You’ll also learn about some key steps pharma companies, insurers and providers can take to support the rare disease community and where the field is heading in the next few years. Mentioned in this episode: https://everylifefoundation.org/ If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

“In about three weeks, I went from a completely normal thirty-year-old to somebody with a heart transplant. It was crazy,” says Dr. Alin Gragossian, who shares her remarkable experience on this edition of Raise the Line. What makes her tale even more interesting is that at the time of the life-threatening heart episode that necessitated the transplant, she was finishing up a residency in emergency medicine. In fact, Dr. Gragossian is dually trained in emergency medicine and critical care medicine. Since her transplant, she’s been using her platform to share her unique experiences with other health professionals and raise awareness about the importance of organ donation. “I’ve had a lot of amazing lessons from what I call ‘patient school’ that medical school never really taught me,” she tells host Michael Carrese. Listen in to this fascinating episode to hear Dr. Gragossian describe what life is like after an organ transplant and the lessons learned as a transplant patient that she’s applying to her medical career. She gets candid about what she would change about medical school curriculums and what would encourage more people to become organ donors. Then, she talks about her podcast, “Both Sides of the Stethoscope” and emphasizes the power of strong patient communities and support groups. If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

There are so many choices to make as an undergrad in med school: selecting which medical field to go into; whether to go down the academic path; and how to use your knowledge and skills to find success and create positive change in the world, to name a few. On today’s episode we’re going to hear from someone who helps students work through all of those questions and also assists faculty colleagues with adjusting to the changing medical education landscape. Dr. Kim Tartaglia does all of this wearing several hats at Ohio State University Wexner College of Medicine including Professor of Medicine, Director of the “IMWell” program for internal medicine residents and Director of Faculty Mentorship. “There are so many different ways to make an impact that there’s not one path to success and there’s not one path to be impactful,” she tells host Michael Carrese. Listen in to this episode as Dr. Tartaglia shares her perspective on how medical education has changed since the pandemic as well as how students and academic leaders are relating to each other differently as they work to improve the med ed system. You’ll also learn how she chose her specialty in med school, what drew her to stay in academics, how she established an enjoyable career in medical academics, and the benefits of attending OSU’s College of Medicine. And stay tuned to the end for an enlightening discussion of the role of lifestyle medicine in treating and reversing disease, and the benefits of coaching and mentorship for med school residents.Mentioned in this episode: https://medicine.osu.edu/ If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

A singing guest! A poetic chat bot! This special episode of Raise the Line features those unusual artistic highpoints along with the substantive and interesting conversation you always get with host Shiv Gaglani. Our guest, Dr. Mark Korson, is a metabolic geneticist and Director of Education and Physician Support Services at VMP Genetics who believes patients have a crucial role to play in the education of both learners and practicing clinicians, especially when dealing with rare diseases. “Patients teach about disease a whole lot better than I do because they tell stories and storytelling is so incredibly powerful as a teaching tool.” Tune in as Korson talks about career opportunities in genetics and metabolic disease, the ways he integrates patient voices into his teaching, and the biggest opportunities and challenges in treating genetic and metabolic diseases and biochemical disorders. Plus, he shares his advice for learners about pursuing a career in the increasingly complex and demanding healthcare field. “You have to protect your personal life and protect it greedily because if you don't do that, at some point it's going to impact how you like your career.”Mentioned in this episode: https://www.vmpgenetics.com/ If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

“There's a real diversity of jobs available that folks don’t always think about initially when they think about going into healthcare,” says Marc Cummings, the President and CEO of Life Science Washington, a nonprofit trade association serving the life sciences industry in the state of Washington. Dr. Tina Albertson, the Chief Medical Officer at nearby Lyell Immunopharma, agrees. For instance at her company, which does R&D on cell therapies for solid tumor cancers, there’s a need for specialists in logistics who organize and monitor the movement of patient cells that need to be flown to other locations to be genetically engineered and returned to the bedside for use in treatment. As these industry veterans share with host Michael Carrese, the Seattle region is a well-established hub in the growing biotech sector due to a unique blend of strengths including longstanding non-profit research institutions and powerhouse tech companies such as Microsoft and Amazon. “This region is really well-prepared for innovation from a basic science standpoint and also from the tech side of our community,” says Albertson. Check out this revealing discussion of the challenges and opportunities in life sciences, the critical role AI and machine learning is now playing, and what they wish more people understood about clinical trials and drug development. Mentioned in this episode: https://lyell.com/https://lifesciencewa.org/ If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

“With psychedelics right now, there's a lot of hype around the compound, which is somewhat important, but Sunstone Therapies is really founded on the belief that the delivery is more important than the drug,” says Dr. Manish Agrawal, the company’s co-founder and CEO. As interest in the use of psychedelics for mental health treatment grows and various compounds continue to move down the path of FDA approval, Agrawal wants to be sure the medical system is prepared to provide the safest and most effective experience for patients. In fact, his company is conducting clinical trials to help define the standards for optimal patient care. Serious thought is given to everything from lighting to how patients are greeted, and of course there is great emphasis placed on training therapists properly and supporting them as they do what can be emotionally taxing work. “When people come through Sunstone, we want them to feel loved and held -- because they're dealing with very difficult issues -- but also the rigor and the discipline of a very thorough process that is very safe.” Listen to this super thoughtful conversation with host Shiv Gaglani as Agrawal discusses a new model of mental health care, psychedelic-assisted group therapy, and the transformative results he’s seen in patients. “In the right context with the right amount of support and understanding, psychedelics can help people resolve difficult emotions.”Mentioned in this episode: https://www.sunstonetherapies.com/ If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

Our guest on this episode of Raise the Line, Dr. Githinji Gitahi, ended up in the medical field because he’s always had a nagging need for social justice. “That was a place that I found where social justice is needed and is probably the foundation for healthy populations,” he tells host Shiv Gaglani. Dr. Gitahi is the Group CEO of Amref Health Africa, the leading Africa-based health development international NGO whose vision is to achieve lasting health change in Africa. Tune-in to this episode to learn about the key areas Amref Health Africa is focused on as well as how African countries are training and retaining more healthcare workers and physicians in their communities. You’ll also get a glimpse into the challenges African communities have experienced throughout the COVID pandemic and the key role that trust plays in gaining respect and compliance for public health measures, like vaccinations. Then, Dr. Gitahi shares his vision and goals for Amref Health Africa over the next ten years and offers powerful advice for aspiring healthcare leaders who want to create social change through medicine.Mentioned in this episode: https://amref.org/ If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

Why is it that Hispanics make up 20% of the U.S. population, but only 6% of the physician workforce? Well, Dr. Pilar Ortega, founding president of the National Association of Medical Spanish and co-founder of the Medical Organization for Latino Advancement, is working towards closing that gap. As an immigrant herself, she and her family have experienced trying to navigate a medical system that wasn’t designed for them. Now as an emergency physician and clinical associate professor with dual appointments at the University of Illinois Chicago Departments of Emergency Medicine and Medical Education, she’s tackling those issues head-on. She will also have the opportunity to address these concerns in her new role asVice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Wearing her academic hat, Dr. Ortega utilizes her bi-cultural background to create resources and credentials for Spanish-speaking providers, including two books published by our parent company, Elsevier: Spanish and the Medical Interview: A Textbook for Clinically Relevant Medical Spanish and Spanish and the Medical Interview: Clinical Cases and Exam Review. Don’t miss this enlightening episode of Raise the Line as Dr. Ortega shares her thoughts with host Shiv Gaglani on why language should be seen as a professional skill, the importance of language re-education and the discrimination both Latino providers and patients face.Mentioned in this episode: https://www.namspanish.org/ If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

“Patients don’t understand how little we actually know in medicine. I'm not sure if doctors understand this, either,” says Dr. Lisa Sanders, an associate professor at Yale School of Medicine who is perhaps best known as the author of the “Diagnosis” column for the New York Times Magazine. You’re in for more of that refreshing frankness from Sanders whose fascinating career path includes network TV journalism, advising the popular “House, MD” series on Fox and writing several books, including her most recent, Diagnosis: Solving the Most Baffling Medical Mysteries. In this lively exchange with host Shiv Gaglani, Sanders shares insights on a wide range of topics including opening up the diagnostic process, the critical importance of being able to take a good patient history and the work she is about to begin as the medical director of the Long Covid Clinic at Yale New Haven Health. Plus, she offers her take on the impact AI will have in aiding the diagnostic process. “I think it's going to be important, but it won't make diagnosis a science because bodies are too variable, symptoms are very variable and the way people tell their stories is different.” Mentioned in this episode: https://www.nytimes.com/column/diagnosis If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

“In medical school, you don't learn about leadership. You don't learn about what skills are required to make large-scale strategic decisions that can impact your patients,” says Nita Gombakomba, who will complete her medical degree later this year at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. As national president of the Student National Medical Association -- which has been fighting for equity and diversity in the medical field for sixty years – Nita has cultivated a broad perspective on medical education and the practice of medicine as she contemplates the future she and her classmates are facing. As she explains to host Michael Carrese, adding leadership training to medical school curricula is particularly important for students from underrepresented communities who see few role models in the ranks of healthcare leadership. As president of SNMA, she’s made leadership opportunities for members a focus, as well as community service initiatives and addressing health disparities. “We've really been pushing the focus on how housing instability also doubles as healthcare instability and the other health disparities that are related to that.” Tune in for a thoughtful perspective from the trenches of medical education and learn why it was important for Nita to take a break from med school to earn an MBA. https://snma.org/Mentioned in this episode: If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

“I know it's hard for people to think about holding on if they're in despair, but there's the possibility of healing coming ahead. Don’t give up hope,” says Dr. Rick Doblin, who has devoted his career to getting MDMA and other psychedelics approved by the FDA. As you’ll hear in this episode of Raise the Line, he could be on the verge of seeing his decades-long dream come true. On the day host Shiv Gaglani spoke to Doblin (January 5, 2023) successful results from a Phase 3 clinical trial of MDMA to treat PTSD were released by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies – an organization Doblin founded thirty-six years ago. This sets in motion a process that could result in FDA approval of MDMA for this use in 2024. That’s very good news for the millions of Americans with PTSD – and hundreds of millions worldwide – whose disease is resistant to other treatments. One of the next big steps is training therapists to incorporate these drugs into their work, something MAPS and other organizations are moving quickly to accomplish. Tune into this fascinating conversation about the political and social factors that have held up legalization of psychedelics for decades, other promising applications of MDMA, what fuels Doblin’s passion for normalizing the use of these promising medications, and the largest ever conference on psychedelics coming to Denver, Colorado in June. Mentioned in this episode:https://maps.org/https://psychedelicscience.org/ If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

The growth in skepticism about science that was fueled by disinformation during the pandemic has been a frequent topic on Raise the Line, with many insightful guests from medicine and academia offering analysis of the problem and possible solutions. On today’s episode, we’ll hear from someone who is very well-placed to actually make progress on this front. Max Bronstein, the Assistant Director for Health Innovation at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, joins host Shiv Gaglani to discuss the broad support President Biden has provided for science – elevating his science advisor to the cabinet level being a prime example – and also provide details about programmatic investments that tell the tale at a deeper level. At the top of Bronstein’s list of examples is the launch of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, also known as ARPA-H, which aims to drive transformative biomedical and health breakthroughs with a focus on equity. “The mission is about making sure there are cures for diseases, better diagnostic platforms and better technologies out there, but also making sure those are actually available to all Americans.” Don’t miss this inside look at new efforts to strengthen the biotechnology workforce, broaden access to clinical genetic sequencing, advance development of treatments for rare diseases, and much more as a new era in health innovation gets underway. Mentioned in this episode: https://www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/ If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

“It's still early days in the application of all this technology relative to its long-term potential, but even so, it's already producing some big wins for patients,” says Dr. Matthew Might, whose impactful career in computer science and medicine has been shaped by the rare disease odyssey of one of his children. His son, Bertrand, was the first person in the world diagnosed with a particular form of NGLY1 deficiency, a neurogenic degenerative condition that causes developmental delays, seizures and frequent infections. Unfortunately, Bertrand succumbed to an infection at the age of twelve in 2020 but by that time, Dr. Might's work in precision medicine had led to crucial discoveries for dozens of children with NGLY1 deficiency. Now, as director of the Hugh Kaul Institute of Precision Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, he uses an AI-based system programmed to connect the dots in extensive databases of medical literature to make inferences about potential therapies for uncommon diseases. Check out this fascinating conversation with host Shiv Gaglani about the promise of this approach, the challenges in repurposing drugs and conducting clinical trials in the rare disease community, the need for more genetic counselors and Dr. Might’s work on President Obama’s Precision Medicine Initiative, which he calls the Rosetta stone of the human genome. Mentioned in this episode: https://www.uab.edu/medicine/pmi/ If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

We welcome one of the nation's most respected health and health policy thought leaders to Raise the Line on this episode. Susan Dentzer’s remarkable career includes many years of reporting on healthcare for major national news outlets, being a senior policy adviser to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and serving as a board leader in medical education and health system delivery, just to name a few of her contributions. Earlier this year, Ms. Dentzer was appointed president and CEO of America's Physician Groups, an organization representing more than 350 physician groups providing coordinated, value-based healthcare for more than ninety million patients nationwide. She's also currently board chair of Research America, which advocates on behalf of biomedical and health-related research and innovation. Tune in to this elucidating discussion with host Shiv Gaglani that delves into what the pandemic revealed about value-based care and virtual care; what is helping to lessen clinician burnout; surprising views among medical students on the use of tech in healthcare; what is at the root of the public’s mistrust of science, and much more. “The reality of healthcare is very complicated. What I would make a plea for is that we all try to engage in developing a greater understanding of the issues, as opposed to seeing them through a narrow lens.”Mentioned in this episode: https://www.apg.org/https://www.researchamerica.org/ If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

“There's a reservoir of hope, energy and optimism many of us have that we may not know about until we're really tested,” says attorney and author Scott Reich. The heavy test he and his wife Ilissa have endured for the past three years started when their infant son Eli was diagnosed with a rare brain disorder called FOXG1 Syndrome which causes severe seizures and impedes normal movement, speech and sleep, among other problems. Scott vividly recalls the moment when Eli’s doctor explained there was no hope for treatments or a cure. “I just felt an instantaneous gravitational pull that despite the intense emotion that overtook us in the doctor's office, we were going to do something about it.” That “something” includes starting the nonprofit foundation Believe in a Cure which is currently funding over fifty research and development projects worldwide focused on this pernicious disorder. Join us for this enlightening conversation with host Shiv Gaglani to learn about the multi-pronged strategy scientists are pursuing to overcome the mutation in this so-called master gene, the promising results emerging from preclinical programs and the supportive global community Believe in a Cure has helped create for the hundreds of other families fighting the same battle. Mentioned in this episode: https://www.webelieveinacure.org If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

“I’m currently sitting 100 feet away from a giant lab full of robots where we can do up to 2.2 million experiments a week,” says Dr. Chris Gibson, the Co-Founder and CEO of Recursion, a company whose mission is to create a more efficient path to drug discovery. You are going to hear a lot of mind-boggling numbers from Chris in today’s Raise the Line episode, but they all boil down to this: advances in genetics, computing, artificial intelligence, mRNA capability and other technologies are all converging to accelerate the testing of drugs at an incredible pace. This is particularly good news for people with rare diseases who are often in a race against time for development of therapies. Although only founded nine years ago, Recursion already has four programs in clinical trials. A key factor in this success is a bold departure from the traditional hypothesis-based approach to science driven by lab failures Chris experienced while earning his MD-PhD. Once he and his colleagues cast aside their bias about what was driving the disease in question, they achieved success in animal testing. “We just modeled the genetic loss of function because we knew that incontrovertibly to be true, and then asked the cells what was actually driving the disease and what could make it better.” Don’t miss this fascinating look at reengineering drug discovery through gene mapping, training neural networks and other leading-edge technology. Mentioned in this episode: https://www.recursion.com/ If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

You might think improving healthcare quality is largely in the hands of the clinicians providing the care, but much of this challenging work is actually done behind the scenes by professionals who lead quality reviews, institute new protocols for safer care and focus on performance improvement, among many other efforts. “We are on a journey to really change the perception of what quality is. We want to make it more prospective and actually solve problems for patients and the healthcare workforce,” says Stephanie Mercado, CEO and Executive Director of the National Association for Healthcare Quality. On this episode of Raise the Line, we get an inside look at this critically important function in healthcare, and at the Healthcare Quality Workforce ReportNAHQ recently released that recognizes the field’s progress, but also outlines places for improvement. “The areas most important for the future of healthcare are things where the workforce is performing at lower ends of the competency spectrum. Those include health data analytics, change management and payment models. So, we have a lot of work to do.” Check out this revealing conversation with host Michael Carrese to learn what the future holds for quality professionals as healthcare challenges mount. Mentioned in this episode: https://nahq.org/ If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

Regular listeners to Raise the Line know so-called "rare diseases" aren't really rare when you consider up to thirty million Americans are affected by them directly. That makes it likely you know someone who is impacted, or you know one of their colleagues, friends or loved ones. That fact has hit home at Osmosis over the last few months as we've started planning a major focus on rare diseases for 2023, which we're calling The Year of the Zebra. Several teammates have come forward to tell us their rare disease stories and we'll be sharing some of those on the podcast in the coming months. First up is our Director of Nursing Education Dr. Maria Pfrommer and her husband, Jack, who join host Shiv Gaglani to offer insights into the diagnosis and treatment journey they’ve been on to deal with Jack’s battle with retroperitoneal fibrosis, an inflammatory condition which can cause obstructions in the urinary tract. While Maria’s vast clinical knowledge and experience in healthcare systems has obviously been helpful, it was still a struggle to get the right diagnosis and treatment due to limited experience among healthcare professionals with rare conditions. “From my perspective, I really think that we need to learn more about rare disorders from every level of care,” she says. Tune in for great real-world advice for healthcare professionals dealing with rare disease patients including the importance of listening to the patient, understanding their whole life picture and focusing on transitions of care. If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

Grace Wilsey was born with a deadly genetic mutation so rare that at the time of her birth, it had never been identified in another person. The disorder, NGLY1 deficiency, causes a wide range of physical and cognitive problems such as muscle weakness, speech deficiencies and seizures. “The NGLY1 gene is in every cell in the body. It's almost like a firefighter that's on call, ready to go when there's a problem. Without it, the cell just kind of overwhelms itself with stress and starts to die,” explains Matt Wilsey, Grace’s father, who joins us on this episode of Raise the Line to talk about the daunting journey he and his family have been on since Grace was born in 2009. That journey involves starting a foundation and biotech company that’s fueling research on NGLY1 deficiency which could have an impact on more common diseases such as cancer, diabetes and Parkinson's. The researchers the Grace Science Foundation supports include several Nobel laureates whose work is providing reason for optimism. In fact, Matt says they hope to start a clinical trial in early 2023 to study a gene therapy that has shown promise in animal testing. Listen to this fascinating conversation with host Shiv Gaglani to learn about the race with time to unlock the secrets to a gene that is fundamental to human life. Mentioned in this episode: https://gracescience.org/ If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

“You know, it's easy to say that default answer that everything's okay, but it's really not. She's lost a lot of her vision, she's got hundreds of seizures at night, and she's having difficulty walking,” shares Luke Rosen about his eight-year-old daughter Susannah. She was born with KIF1A-associated neurological disorder -- or KAND -- a rare, degenerative genetic disease for which there is currently no cure or treatment. On this episode of Raise the Line, Luke talks about how he and his wife Sally summoned the strength to move beyond their family’s own challenges to create KIF1A.org which is working to rapidly discover a treatment for all patients and families affected by this devastating disorder, but to also create a supportive community. “Five years later, we have approximately four hundred families around the world that we've identified and there's not one family I know that doesn't play a significant role in what we do.” Thanks to that global community and partnerships with the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Columbia University, the n-Lorem Foundation, the Jackson Laboratory and many other organizations, there’s reason to be hopeful, as Luke shares with host Shiv Gaglani. “Susannah has been fortunate enough to just have started an experimental treatment. We really are on the brink of several things for, hopefully, the entire community.” Tune in for a candid and moving look at how families and supportive scientists and healthcare providers are mobilizing to fight back against a rare and pernicious threat to their children.Mentioned in this episode: https://www.kif1a.org/ If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

As we continue our focus on rare diseases on Raise the Line, we’re delighted to be joined by Dr. Alaa Hamed, Global Head of Medical Affairs, Rare Diseases at Sanofi, one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in the world. Although most well known for their focus on lysosomal storage disorders including Gaucher and Pompe disease, Dr. Hamed and his team at Sanofi are also working in adjacent disease spaces depending on the systems affected. “For example, the lysosome in Pompe disease affects the neuromuscular tissues, so we have a neuromuscular disorder interest as well.” In their discussion, Dr. Hamed and host Shiv Gaglani also touch on the efforts Sanofi is making to shorten the diagnostic odyssey for rare disease patients, including building more disease awareness and greater global infrastructure. “From the inception, we thought that having universal access is a key part of the rare disease equation.” You’ll also learn about the challenges of drug development, the importance of maintaining policy incentives to focus on rare diseases, and where innovation is needed most to advance outcomes for patients. Mentioned in this episode: https://www.sanofi.com/ If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

“Imaging has really become the tip of the spear of the patient journey,” says Daniel Arnold, CEO of Medality. In order to train future radiologists in this critically important and complex specialty, and keep current practitioners on top of their game, Arnold and his team are on a mission to transform the way radiologists learn by offering an online solution that mimics practicing radiology in the field. “Our goal is to make it easy for radiologists to learn a new subspecialty in just five minutes per day.” In his conversation with host Shiv Gaglani, Arnold touches on how Medality (formerly MRI Online) is connecting radiology practices with people who have the skills they need most. The two also discuss the importance of getting imaging diagnoses correct the first time, why radiologists can't just rely on what they learned in residency and fellowship, and the impact of artificial intelligence and other technological advances in the field. “Being a part of the puzzle around how we disseminate new lifesaving technologies is what really motivates us and gets us excited.”Mentioned in this episode: https://mrionline.com/ If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

“One of the reasons I really wanted to be at Walmart is that you're touching people that truly have a need,” says Dr. John Wigneswaran, the retail giant’s Chief Medical Officer. And giant is not an overstatement. 150 million Americans visit a Walmart every week, and there is a store within ten miles of 90% of the U.S. population. In terms of healthcare, there are roughly 5,000 Walmart pharmacies, 4,000 of which are in medically underserved areas. Walmart visitors also have access to primary and urgent care, labs, x-ray and diagnostics, behavioral health, dental, optometry and hearing services. So, clearly, the company is in a unique position to make a big impact in the healthcare space whatever they choose to do. One of their most recent choices is to boost the participation of rural and underserved communities in clinical research, which Dr. Wigneswaran sees as an extension of their existing mission. “Ultimately, what we're trying to do to is drive safer, high quality and equitable care, and research is just one of the levers,” he tells host Shiv Gaglani. Tune in to learn about the evolution of a growing player in America’s healthcare system which could include initiatives in diabetes, nutrition education, wound care and HIV.Mentioned in this episode: Walmart Health and Wellness If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

It’s not hard to start feeling relaxed when you experience a virtual reality visit to a mountain top, taking in the beautiful views of forested peaks and valleys and hearing the rustling breeze. You can actually feel transported from the real world. But imagine how much more transporting it would be if you could also smell the pine trees? Well, now you can, thanks to OVR Technology, a Vermont-based company that has overcome substantial technical challenges to seamlessly add scent to the VR and AR experience. “Research has shown quite directly that adding sense of smell to VR tangibly increases presence and immersion and the key factors that everybody is looking for when they experience a VR environment,” says neuroscientist Dr. Rachel Herz, the company’s chief scientific adviser. And because not everyone has positive associations with scents from the real world, says CEO Aaron Wisniewski, OVR is creating new ones to facilitate the therapeutic impact of the scented VR experience. Both stress that the applications for the technology go well beyond recreational use, and the units are already being deployed in clinical settings with one study showing a major -- and lasting -- drop in levels of pain, stress and anxiety among inpatients after doing just a few short sessions with the OVR headset per week. Don’t miss this fascinating conversation with host Michael Carrese as we explore how OVR’s groundbreaking technology is adding a powerful new dimension to the virtual world.Mentioned in this episode: https://ovrtechnology.com/ If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast

“We're the richest country on the planet, healthcare access has to be core to who we are,” says Karthik Ganesh, CEO of EmpiRx Health, one of the fastest growing healthcare services companies in the country and the industry’s only value-based Pharmacy Benefit Manager. Ganesh and his team believe that radical changes are needed in the country’s healthcare system and they’re working to create a better experience for patients, providers, businesses, and insurance companies alike. Ganesh has deep experience in the healthcare insurance industry and health data management with stops in his career at Aetna, Express Scripts and Deloitte, and he's also the author of The Happiness Model: A Roadmap to Inner Peace. In his conversation with host Michael Carrese, Ganesh talks about why employers need to learn more about value-based care, and how healthcare needs to become a less transactional relationship with the provider. He also touches on some of the key factors that make EmpiRx different from traditional PBMs. “We are as equally focused on health outcomes as we are financial outcomes.” Mentioned in this episode: https://www.empirxhealth.com/ If you like this podcast, please share it on your social channels. You can also subscribe to the series and check out all of our episodes at www.osmosis.org/podcast