COVID-19 response and innovation at University of Washington Medicine. Plus, a call-to-action for medical technology entrepreneurs :: with Danica Little, Dimitry Levin, and Dr. Robert Sweet
09/08/20 • 83 min
In this episode of Ventures we look at the response to COVID-19 by teams involved with emergency preparedness and innovation at University of Washington (UW) Medicine in Seattle. We also discuss the need and options available for startups to collaborate with UW Medicine to help - not only with COVID-19 relief - but with general medtech and telehealth innovation to provide better care for patients in a post-COVID-19 world.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-9 for detailed notes and links to resources mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
My guests this week are Danica Little (Director of Preparedness at UW Medicine, https://www.linkedin.com/in/danica-little-mha-6b998a2b/), Dmitry Levin (see below for is current three roles: https://cardiology.uw.edu/research/center-cardiovascular-innovation-ccvi), and Dr. Robert Sweet (Urology professor and doctor, Executive Director of WISH - WWAMI Institute for Simulation in Healthcare - https://www.washington.edu/urology/people/robert-sweet/)
6:29 - How did Danica and UW Medicine first respond/act upon the news that COVID-19 was going to be a serious threat in the US?
15:50 - What was information flow like to Danica and her team in the early days? How reliable was it?
18:29 - What was the story of Rob getting involved with the innovation response at UW?
24:08 - How was Rob and his team able to organize themselves so quickly to rapidly prototype new innovations at the beginning of the pandemic?
27:50 - What was Dimitri’s story of getting involved in the innovation group?
31:47 - Rob explains on how they focused the group on rapid prototyping and small-scale manufacturing
32:50 - How was the innovation team identifying the problems to address and what products to focus their work on?
38:48 - How did collaboration across campus and UW medicine in particular work?
43:20 - Rob commenting about their collaboration with Cornell in NYC.
44:26 - Danica commenting about the burn rate at the height (in April) of going through 3000 gowns per day.
50:17 - Danica commenting on the relationship with Microsoft to build reporting systems.
53:38 - What sort of things are Danica and her team focusing on moving into the fall and winter?
55:47 - Rob & Danica commenting on the future of telehealth, the needs today, and reimbursement details.
1:00:50 - Dimitri commenting on pre-procedural models in XR, which is another layer to the telehealth space.
1:01:57 - What telehealth platforms are clinicians at UW medicine using? How do external companies become approved? How is UW responding to new innovation in the overall market?
1:03:30 - How can Medical Assistants, Physician Assistants, interns, and new equipment/devices be a part of the future of telehealth?
1:05:10 - Brief comments regarding the science of the virus as it relates to urology and cardiology.
1:08:35 - Rob plugging the need and opportunity for external teams to partner with the simulation training center and innovation groups at the University of Washington.
1:09:37 - What types of simulation opportunities and scenarios are available?
1:11:55 - Dimitri commenting on device development and putting them in tissue models with realistic disease patterns for testing.
1:13:58 - Rob commenting on a grant they won recently regarding direct 3D-print soft materials with electronic sensors embe
In this episode of Ventures we look at the response to COVID-19 by teams involved with emergency preparedness and innovation at University of Washington (UW) Medicine in Seattle. We also discuss the need and options available for startups to collaborate with UW Medicine to help - not only with COVID-19 relief - but with general medtech and telehealth innovation to provide better care for patients in a post-COVID-19 world.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-9 for detailed notes and links to resources mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
My guests this week are Danica Little (Director of Preparedness at UW Medicine, https://www.linkedin.com/in/danica-little-mha-6b998a2b/), Dmitry Levin (see below for is current three roles: https://cardiology.uw.edu/research/center-cardiovascular-innovation-ccvi), and Dr. Robert Sweet (Urology professor and doctor, Executive Director of WISH - WWAMI Institute for Simulation in Healthcare - https://www.washington.edu/urology/people/robert-sweet/)
6:29 - How did Danica and UW Medicine first respond/act upon the news that COVID-19 was going to be a serious threat in the US?
15:50 - What was information flow like to Danica and her team in the early days? How reliable was it?
18:29 - What was the story of Rob getting involved with the innovation response at UW?
24:08 - How was Rob and his team able to organize themselves so quickly to rapidly prototype new innovations at the beginning of the pandemic?
27:50 - What was Dimitri’s story of getting involved in the innovation group?
31:47 - Rob explains on how they focused the group on rapid prototyping and small-scale manufacturing
32:50 - How was the innovation team identifying the problems to address and what products to focus their work on?
38:48 - How did collaboration across campus and UW medicine in particular work?
43:20 - Rob commenting about their collaboration with Cornell in NYC.
44:26 - Danica commenting about the burn rate at the height (in April) of going through 3000 gowns per day.
50:17 - Danica commenting on the relationship with Microsoft to build reporting systems.
53:38 - What sort of things are Danica and her team focusing on moving into the fall and winter?
55:47 - Rob & Danica commenting on the future of telehealth, the needs today, and reimbursement details.
1:00:50 - Dimitri commenting on pre-procedural models in XR, which is another layer to the telehealth space.
1:01:57 - What telehealth platforms are clinicians at UW medicine using? How do external companies become approved? How is UW responding to new innovation in the overall market?
1:03:30 - How can Medical Assistants, Physician Assistants, interns, and new equipment/devices be a part of the future of telehealth?
1:05:10 - Brief comments regarding the science of the virus as it relates to urology and cardiology.
1:08:35 - Rob plugging the need and opportunity for external teams to partner with the simulation training center and innovation groups at the University of Washington.
1:09:37 - What types of simulation opportunities and scenarios are available?
1:11:55 - Dimitri commenting on device development and putting them in tissue models with realistic disease patterns for testing.
1:13:58 - Rob commenting on a grant they won recently regarding direct 3D-print soft materials with electronic sensors embe
Previous Episode
Global impact investing, social entrepreneurship, and Global Brigades :: with Steve Atamian and Brian Howe
In this episode of Ventures we explore the world of impact investing & social entrepreneurship to help the poorest of the poor around the globe. We hear and discuss the founding story of Global Brigades, the world’s largest student-led movement for global health (approximately one in five medical students today have gone on a Brigade). We also hear the launch announcement of Eskala, a for-profit company with an ambitious (and believable) 20-year plan to help end poverty for 18 million people.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-8 for detailed notes and links to resources mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
My guests this week are Steve Atamian (Co-Founder of Global Brigades :: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenatamian/) and seasoned impact investor/advisor/attorney Brian Howe (Managing Director of Wyttmab & Venture Partner at Prota Ventures :: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briankhowe/), and we cover the following:
1:55 - Brian’s intro and journey from law school into the social impact space, starting a community hub, and advising social impact founders reaching people globally.
8:30 - Steve’s story from school, to Deloitte, to starting and scaling Global Brigades.
20:00 - Talking about the different sides of the supply/demand with Global Brigades and the “bridge” they form between students and local communities in the countries they serve.
25:58 - How does Brian advise someone who is considering social impact entrepreneurship in terms of thinking about for-profit vs. non-profit, company structure, etc..
31:27 - Using “relationships first” as a heuristic for deciding how to structure things later, what were the early relationships that mattered for Global Brigades as they were starting and deciding how to structure themselves?
34:10 - How does donor money flow and support happen? Where does the money go?
41:34 - What was the process of scaling Global Brigades like?
48:42 - The importance of listening to understand needs.
50:12 - What are the common stories like for the pre-med students that go on Brigades? What do they do?
58:04 - Example of a new social enterprise being formed when a new water system is created, like a public utility.
58:55 - How does Brian advise, structurally, nonprofits who are considering forming for-profits?
1:04:00 - The story of the new for-profit Global Brigades is spinning out.
1:11:55 - What does the regulatory landscape look like in the countries that Global Brigades serve regarding banks?
1:14:28 - What advice does Steve have for budding social entrepreneurs / investors considering new ways to innovate and help out globally?
1:17:08 - What advice does Brian have for budding social entrepreneurs / investors considering new ways to innovate and help out globally?
1:21:16 - The need for innovation for things like more affordable latrines.
1:22:00 - Side story of Fledge investing in a founder that launched The Obama Stove in Africa, and how that enterprise was/is an important model for social entrepreneurs leveraging local talent and resources.
1:26:20 - Where can people find out more about Brian and Steve online and contact them? https://www.globalbrigades.org/ // [email protected] // https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenatamian/ // https://www.linkedin.com/in/briankhowe/
Next Episode
Period equity, femtech, health education, and Project Untaboo :: with Rachael Kim
In this episode my guest Rachael Kim (Founder & CEO, Project Untaboo) and I discuss period equity, period health/care/education, Project Untaboo, and advice for entrepreneurs and investors considering the space of femtech and healthcare in general.
Visit https://satchel.works/@wclittle/ventures-episode-10 for detailed notes and links to resources mentioned.
You can watch this episode via video here.
Throughout this conversation we cover the following:
1:45 - Rachael intro, background as a young entrepreneur and data privacy expert
5:07 - Principles learned from Rachael’s first business as a violin teacher
10:18 - Experience in London working in data privacy when GDPR legislation passed
16:54 - Rachael’s experiences traveling around the world and lessons learned.
22:26 - More background on the threads that came together for Rachael to start Project Untaboo; origin story.
24:05 - What was the original vision for Project Untaboo before COVID-19 hit and how did things change when the pandemic was widespread?
27:29 - What are the global social justice / social impact issues surrounding period care and the need for period education?
30:17 - What options/education/innovation is happening globally?
34:15 - What stories and resources does Project Untaboo (https://www.projectuntaboo.com) have available today for people to check out?
36:21 - What is “femtech” ?
37:52 - What is the outlook for femtech and what is Rachael hopeful for in this industry in the future?
42:30 - What apps/services are available for period care/tracking? What does Rachael recommend?
44:11 - What research is happening in period care/science/equity? What is Racheal currenting learning/investigating?
49:17 - Where is Project Untaboo heading in the future?
52:04 - Who is Project Untaboo’s customer?
53:35 - Will it be a subscription service for consumers?
53:58 - What will the Business-to-Business (B2B) side look like?
54:40 - What advice does Racheal have for a younger audience listening in that may not have a great support system to talk about period care?
56:40 - What opportunities exist for entrepreneurs interested in innovating in femtech/period care? What new products/services would be excited for Rachael to see in this space?
59:05 - What is Period Equality / Period Equity? (Note: for a more general conversation about the difference between “equity” and “equality”, see: https://www.premiertalentpartners.com/how-equality-and-equity-are-different/ )
1:01:25 - What final words does Rachael have for investors/founders/innovators listening and watching in?
1:03:33 - How can people help Rachael and Project Untaboo? (Learn more and sign up for their newsletter at https://www.projectuntaboo.com/ )
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