The Health Crossroad with Dr. Doug Elwood and Dr. Tom Elwood - 57: Victor Wang: Incredible Entrepreneur Providing Innovative Solutions For Alzheimer's and Senior Care

57: Victor Wang: Incredible Entrepreneur Providing Innovative Solutions For Alzheimer's and Senior Care

05/12/14 • 27 min

The Health Crossroad with Dr. Doug Elwood and Dr. Tom Elwood

Victor Wang grew up pushing the boundaries of computerized science. Starting at age 6 when he was programming role-playing games for MS-DOS, Victor never turned back. He received a Bachelor of Applied Science from the University of British Columbia, majoring in Mechatronics Engineering and minoring in Commerce, and was awarded the Wesbrook Scholar designation. After working stints in telemarketing, environmental research, aerospace manufacturing, particle physics, oil sands, medical robotics, and the military as an officer, Victor won the Canada Graduate Scholarship and earned his Master of Science at MIT. There, he researched human-machine interaction for the NASA space telerobotics program while serving as one of the premier leaders in graduate student government. Considering his grandmother in Taiwan who became depressed due to being home-bound and living alone, Victor started GeriJoy to bring joy to seniors and families caring for older loved ones. Victor is widely recognized as a senior care technology innovator and thought leader, and has spoken at the Connected Health Symposium, CES Silvers Summit, TEDMED, and other national events. In this interview, Victor provides a first-hand look at what he is accomplishing with Gerijoy and the challenges associated with seniors and elder-care living, as well as other tremendous insights into the health landscape today, plus shares his incredible background. Alzheimers and senior care are so important in health today, as is loneliness, and Victor is tackling these problems and more head on using innovation in a truly unique way merging technology and pet therapy.

Previous Episode

56: Kathryn Harris: Student Leader and Aspiring Physical Therapist Discusses Major Gaps in Health

Kathryn Harris is a third year Doctorate of Physical Therapy student at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and is scheduled to graduate in May 2014. She has a bachelors of science degree in Health and Exercise Science from the University of Oklahoma and she currently holds many leadership positions across campus and within the community. Kathryn is part of an emerging group of young professionals who eventually will play an important role in delivering health care services and in making improvements in the way that care is delivered. As an individual who soon will be entering the field of physical therapy, she represents a new generation of health professionals who will bring their knowledge to the forefront in addressing the nation’s health care challenges and problems.

Next Episode

58: Thomas Smalling: Respiratory Care Leader Talks Health Issues and Accreditation

Dr. Thomas Smalling serves as Executive Director of the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) where he is responsible for the overall leadership and management of the organization and all aspects of the corporation’s operations. He has worked in the respiratory care profession since 1987 and joined the respiratory care program faculty at Stony Brook University in 1995, where he also served as Director of Clinical Education. Prior to his appointment as CoARC’s Executive Director, he served as a board member for four years, working primarily on accreditation standards for polysomnography. He previously served for a number of years on the Board of Directors of the New York State Society for Respiratory Care (NYSSRC), including the position of President and was a Delegate for the American Association for Respiratory Care. His doctorate is from New York University.