S9: #082: Dr. Thomas Insel on Digital Phenotyping as a Tool for Solving Mental Health

03/15/19 • 35 min

Digital Health Today 360 with Dan Kendall

Today we’re diving into the topic of Mental Health. It’s a topic we’ve covered before on this program, like in episode 63 with Dale Beerman of Think Pacifica, and in episode 21 with Dr. Arshya Vahabzadeh from Brain Power. In those episodes, we explored the use of mobile apps and wearables, and we looked at some problems that are being solved using these technologies.

We often think of mental health as something that is just that – “mental” health – and the connections to physical health, and even the numbers of people who die due to poor mental health, are often under appreciated. We also know that if we increase activity and physical exercise it can help relieve symptoms of stress and improve aspects of our mental health. Wouldn’t it be great if there were tools available that could help measure and quantify our mental health based on our physical activities and behaviors? Maybe even serve as an early warning system?

Well, that’s why I wanted to introduce you to our next guest. His company is doing pioneering work in measurement science to provide continuous, objective measures of cognition and mood that can potentially alert patients and providers to early signs of mental health deterioration.

My guest is Dr. Thomas R. Insel, he is the Co-Founder & President of Mindstrong Health based in California. He is a psychiatrist and neuroscientist, and previously he was a Director of the National Institute of Mental Health, a Professor of Psychiatry at Emory University, and a leader of Verily’s Mental Health Team. Tom’s here to tell us about the research and work they’re doing at Mindstrong Health to use information from cell phones to drive better, earlier and deeper understandings about mental health.

I was introduced to Tom my Marco Mohwinckel and George Goldsmith over at Compass Pathways, a UK-based company working to develop treatments to empower patients suffering with mental illness. They are doing that by combining neuroscience, psychotherapy, psychopharmacology, and digital platforms. Thanks Marco and George for the introduction to Tom.

Today's Topics:

The relationship between Physical Health and Mental Health
Where does Mental Health space sit in the Healthcare Ecosystem
Dr. Insel's work in Mindstrong and an introduction to Digital Phenotyping
How does Digital Phenotyping work and how will it assist in understanding and solving mental health issues
The current business model of Mindstrong Health, where they are now, and how can consumers and organizations interact with their projects
Where will Mental Health be years from now in relation to the developments of this new technological intervention

Links and Resources Mentioned:

Dr. Thomas Insel on LinkedIn
Recent article in Nature by Dr. Thomas R. Insel
Mindstrong Health on Twitter
Mindstrong Health on LinkedIn
Mindstrong Health on the Web
Digital Health Events
Join Digital Health Today

This episode of Digital Health Today is made possible thanks to our sponsors. Thank you!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's Topics:

The relationship between Physical Health and Mental Health
Where does Mental Health space sit in the Healthcare Ecosystem
Dr. Insel's work in Mindstrong and an introduction to Digital Phenotyping
How does Digital Phenotyping work and how will it assist in understanding and solving mental health issues
The current business model of Mindstrong Health, where they are now, and how can consumers and organizations interact with their projects
Where will Mental Health be years from now in relation to the developments of this new technological intervention

Links and Resources Mentioned:

Dr. Thomas Insel on LinkedIn
Recent article in Nature by Dr. Thomas R. Insel
Mindstrong Health on Twitter
Mindstrong Health on LinkedIn
Mindstrong Health on the Web
Digital Health Events
Join Digital Health Today

This episode of Digital Health Today is made possible thanks to our sponsors. Thank you!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Previous Episode

S9: #081: Scaling Digital Therapeutics - The Opportunities and Challenges

In this episode, we’re taking on the topic of Digital Therapeutics. At the CNS Summit last year, I had the opportunity to meet our guest: Megan Coder. Megan is the founder and executive director of the Digital Therapeutics Alliance. The Digital Therapeutics Alliance, or DTA as you may hear it called, was launched in 2017 to broaden the understanding, adoption, and integration of clinically-validated digital therapeutic solutions into mainstream healthcare through education, advocacy, and research.

Megan has more than a decade of experience in the healthcare industry. She’s held roles that span from direct delivery of patient care, to leading the strategic growth within the digital health sector. Prior to DTA, Megan worked with Voluntis, Iodine, the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, and the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board. She’s a qualified pharmacist and a proud graduate from the University of Wisconsin like our guest in episode 63, Dale Beerman.

Enjoy this update on digital therapeutics and be sure to download the industry report below!

Today's Topics:

The ‘official' definition of ‘Digital Therapeutics'
The history and evolution of Digital Therapeutics
The similarities and differences of Digital Therapeutics and traditional Prescription Therapeutics
The current state of regulatory pathways available for Digital Therapeutics
How the FDA and other regulatory bodies assess the viability of Digital Therapeutics
The response to Digital Therapeutics by the traditional pharmaceutical industry
The founding members of the Digital Therapeutics Alliance and their mission and goals
The key stakeholders that are driving access and adoption of Digital Therapeutics

Links and Resources Mentioned:

Megan Coder on Twitter
Megan Coder on LinkedIn
Digital Therapeutics Alliance on Twitter
Digital Therapeutics Alliance on LinkedIn
Digital Therapeutics Alliance on the Web
Digital Therapeutics Industry Report – pdf
Digital Health Events
Join Digital Health Today

This episode of Digital Health Today is made possible thanks to our sponsors. Thank you!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Next Episode

S9: #083: Tony Estrella on Enabling Growth and Scale in the APAC HealthTech Market

In this episode we dive into some of the cities, countries and winning strategies that are leading the transformation of health for the billions of people that live in APAC.

Tony Estrella is an investor, advisor, and global digital health expert. He has experience all over the world having lived and worked in Asia, the US, and Europe as a startup founder, investor and corporate innovation leader.

One of the things that we like to do on this program is bring an international perspective on the challenges that we’re facing in healthcare systems around the world. We’ve had leaders from California to Israel, and Finland to subsaharan africa, but even still there are huge parts of the world we have yet to cover. One of those major regions is Asia Pacific, and in this episode, we dip our toes in the water – pardon the expression.

While everyone knows that there are huge numbers of people in this region, there are also tremendous opportunities for investors and healthcare companies of all sizes. When I was at the Frontiers Health conference in Berlin last November, I spent some time with a friend of mine who lives in Singapore, and I invited him on the show to give us a little insight into the similarities and differences in the market, and how companies can be and are being successful. So, this episode is like a little APAC 101 summary to outline some of the cities, countries and strategies that are working as leaders and organizations transform health for the billions of people that live in APAC.

Tony Estrella is an investor, advisor and global digital health expert. He has experience all over the world having lived and worked in Asia, the US, and Europe as a startup founder, investor and corporate innovation leader.

Tony works with companies who are developing solutions for Asia to change the face of cancer, human longevity, and population health by deploying leading tech in AI, Genomics, Blockchain, and smart devices.

Tony is a graduate from Wharton and got an engineering degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He now resides in Singapore with his wife and daughter, and I can’t forget to talk about this – he’s a newly minted fiction writer. Tony has written a book entitled Comatose that is now available for purchase on Amazon and other book retailers. We talk about this project as well on this episode.

Episode Download:

Get a Copy of the APAC101 Notes

Today's Topics:

Understanding the APAC market, which countries are actively involved and opportunities and challenges
The key similarities between East and West when it comes to progress and investment in the healthcare system
The growth of health technology in the APAC market and the types of investments companies are making
How companies are responding to the massive healthcare demands from densely populated countries in the region
Where to start and how to effectively position your company when entering the APAC market
Lucid Dreaming and a brief introduction of Tony’s new book – Comatose

Links and Resources Mentioned