Healthy Returns

Hosted by Nolan Shah

Health Fitness

Website RSS feed

Episodes

Latest episode

Jun 2024

Language

About the show

Episodes with founders, investors, executives, and policymakers operating at the cutting-edge of healthcare and consumer health. nolanshah.substack.com

Listen to episodes

23 recent

June 14, 202435 min

Ep. 23: Katya Hancock | Founding Executive Director of Young Futures | Navigating the Digital Age

Show Notes:Young Futures (YF) was started with one goal in mind: to provide a social compass for young people and their families navigating the digital age.Backed by Melinda Gates’s Pivotal Ventures, the Susan Crown Exchange, and The Goodness Web, Katya Hancock and her team at YF support non-profits and grassroots organizations working to help teens thrive in our tech-driven world.Each year, YF will host funding challenges with various themes, supporting winners with capital and admission into a 6-month non-profit accelerator called Young Futures Academy. The inaugural grant challenge—called the Lonely Hearts Club—focused on organizations fostering meaningful social connections. In our conversation, Katya highlights some of the winners—including #HalfTheStory, Be Loud Studios, Civics Unplugged, and 3G—and describes each recipient’s unique approach toward promoting social connection.In this episode, we discuss digital tension, potential future funding challenge themes, and the current landscape of tech, social media, and youth wellbeing.Check out the full list of the Lonely Hearts Club grantees here.Timestamps:[1:33]: Startup Health, Health Moonshots, Storytelling[4:36]: Young Futures’ Mission[7:58]: Tech, Social Media, Youth Wellbeing[13:52]: Listening to young people, Digital Tension, Empathy[16:58]: Flagship Grant Recipients[26:26]: The Beginning of Young Futures[27:45]: Future Funding Challenges This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nolanshah.substack.com

May 30, 202429 min

Ep. 22: Paul Julius | Co-Founder & CEO of Thread Health | Addressing Adolescent Healthcare

Show Notes:Healthcare is fragmented—for women, children, chronic condition patients, and for teens.In the U.S., there are approximately 70 million adolescents, yet only about 500 active professionals specialize in adolescent medicine. With so few specialists available, teens are often forced to piece together their own health, receiving fragmented care from school nurses, sports teams, pediatricians, and urgent care clinics.Paul Julius and his team at Thread Health have developed a digital clinic and co-pilot solution designed to bridge this massive gap in teen healthcare. Teens and parents can access Thread’s adolescent health-trained care team through SMS and in-app texting, empowering teens to take charge of their own health. The platform is currently operational in five states, focusing on partnerships with schools, health systems, and payers—notably targeting the Medicaid market, where 47% of the population are children, a third of whom are adolescents.In today’s episode, we discuss Thread Health’s go-to-market strategy, the biggest challenges in adolescent health, and how text-based communication encourages teens to advocate for their health.Timestamps:[1:13]: Teen Health Market[2:15]: Adolescent Medicine as a Specialty[4:49]: Fragmentation within Teen Healthcare[7:26}: Patient + Parent Journey Through Thread Health[9:59]: Measuring Engagement and Tracking Outcomes[12:28]: Challenges and Benefits of a Digitally Native Demographic[15:07]: Thread Health’s Inception[19:21]: GTM Strategy[21:16]: Systemic Issues Affecting Children’s Health This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nolanshah.substack.com

April 26, 202438 min

Ep. 21: Jeff Glueck | Founder & CEO of Salvo Health | Whole-Person Gut Care

Show Notes:The connection between the gut and brain has been well-established in science. After all, 90% of serotonin, the “feel good” chemical, is produced in the gut.Recent findings, however, have also proven a link between the human microbiome and bone health, immune health, eye health, and even muscular health—making gut and gastrointestinal health extremely important for overall wellbeing.As healthcare and social media alike fuel the gut health movement, I’m excited to sit down with Jeff Glueck, Founder & CEO of Salvo Health.Salvo Health is a chronic metabolic and gastroenterology company targeting the over 60 million Americans with chronic gut and GI conditions, providing them with digital wraparound care. Salvo partners with physician practices, supporting patients via an app, specialized virtual care team, and a “whole-person” approach to gut care. Interventions include personalized diets, microbiome restoration, reducing toxic exposures, GI-directed psychology, and lifestyle coaching.In today’s episode, we talk about the need for digitization in healthcare, the microbiome in health and disease, and Salvo’s whole-person approach to treating chronic metabolic, gut, and GI conditions.Timestamps:[1:37]: Digitization in Healthcare[9:44]: Microbiome Health for Mental and Physical Wellbeing[15:49] Salvo Health’s Continuous, Whole-Person Care[23:22]: Expanding Partnerships and Offerings[32:43]: Salvo’s Recent Capital Raise[34:08]: Low Cost Interventions This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nolanshah.substack.com

April 4, 202429 min

Ep. 20: Athena Doshi | Founder of Celeste | Building an AI Pharmacist Co-pilot for Clinicians

Show Notes:Prescribing medications is hard.Clinical guidelines are constantly changing, new drugs come onto the market every day, and today’s patients require personalized treatments.That’s why today’s guest, Athena Doshi, created Celeste. Celeste is an AI-enabled pharmacist co-pilot for clinicians, supporting personalized drug selection, dose optimization, and medication therapy management for patients. Athena graduated from UC San Diego only a few years ago during the pandemic, but this is already her second healthcare venture; she previously built and sold a public health SaaS company while still in school.Today’s episode is all about how Celeste came to be, marketing to healthcare enterprise customers, and how Athena is tackling the almost $2T prescription drug market.Timestamps:[1:46]: Celeste’s backstory[6:26]: Marketing to enterprise customers[11:10]: How Celeste works[16:13]: Personalized lifestyle prescriptions[18:04]: Market size and pitching investors[24:50]: Celeste’s roadmap[26:30]: Future challenges This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nolanshah.substack.com

March 21, 202436 min

Ep. 19: Amanda Joseph of American Family Ventures on the Future of Health Insurance

Show Notes:What does health insurance have to do with the innovation? According to today’s guest,—Amanda Joseph—everything!Amanda is a Principal at American Family Ventures where she invests at the intersection of healthcare, insurance, and startups. She brings years of healthcare experience to her current role, having worked at insurance behemoth HCSC and value-based care startup Lumeris.Today’s episode covers value-based care, navigating the digital point solution landscape, and how companies like TCARE and Chamber Cardio are transforming the future of health insurance.Amanda also shares her thoughts on the blurry incentives of modern-day healthcare and why there is a huge push to move care outside of the four walls of a hospital.About American Family Ventures: AFV is an early-stage VC fund investing in high-potential startups innovating in the future of insurance.Timestamps:[1:11]: Life before American Family Ventures[7:54]: Health insurance explained[11:45]: Innovation in health insurance[18:02]: Consumer-centric healthcare[23:27]: Assessing health insurance startups[28:28]: Navigating the point solution market[31:43]: Portfolio companies leading the future of health insurance[34:05]: Challenges facing value-based careSubscribe to Healthy Returns Today! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nolanshah.substack.com

March 7, 202436 min

Ep. 18: Dan Gluck of GroundForce Capital Shares His Vision for a Healthier Planet and Its People Through Investing

Show Notes:Dan Gluck knows a thing or two about health and wellness. He’s a former Division I collegiate tennis player, co-founder of superfood CPG company Health Warrior, and frequent Iron Man and Spartan Race athlete.Bridging his experience in institutional investing and operating in the health and wellness space, Dan is currently the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of GroundForce Capital. GroundForce is a growth equity firm investing in food and beverage-related companies tackling the biggest challenges in human and planetary health.Since rebranding from PowerPlant Ventures last year, Dan and his team have expanded their investment thesis to consider sectors beyond plant-based foods such as ag-tech, supply chain, low-emission manufacturing and production, and decarbonization.Today’s episode covers the evolution of GroundForce Capital, emerging health and wellness trends, and the biggest challenges facing human and planetary health.About GroundForce Capital: GroundForce Capital is a growth equity firm investing in food and beverage-related companies tackling the biggest issues tied to human and planetary health.Timestamps:[1:30]: College tennis, endurance sports, Health Warrior[6:57]: From PowerPlant Ventures to GroundForce Capital[11:53]: Evolving thesis and rebranding[16:53]: Evaluating prospective companies[21:53]: Liquid Death investment[23:51]: Human and planetary health outcomes[26:19] Emerging health and wellness trends[32:30]: Bearish or Bullish?Resources:* Born to Run - Christopher McDougall* Start With Why - Simon Sinek* Rebranding to GroundForce Capital* Health WarriorSubscribe to Healthy Returns Today! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nolanshah.substack.com

February 22, 202437 min

Ep. 17: Phil Southerland, Founder and CEO of Supersapiens, on Unlocking Human Performance Through Glucose Regulation

Show Notes:At just seven months old, Phil Southerland was diagnosed with type-1 diabetes. At the time, this was the youngest recorded case of diabetes and his parents were told he’d be dead or blind by 2025.Fast forward to today: He is the Founder and CEO of Supersapiens—a continuous glucose monitoring platform built to optimize glucose regulation for performance. After seeing the power of constant glucose visibility in his own athletic pursuits, Phil transformed his personal challenges into a global solution.He’s spent the last few years pioneering glucose monitoring technology for athletes, along the way breaking misconceptions and stigma about glucose, diabetes, and performance through data. His latest venture—Supersapiens Diabetes— brings the Supersapiens platform to the diabetes population in the U.S.Today’s episode covers glucose as a proxy for health and performance, using sport as a platform for inspiration and change, and how the narrative around glucose monitoring has evolved.Timestamps:[1:25]: Supersapiens and continuous glucose monitoring[3:44]: How the narrative around glucose has evolved[11:09]: Sports as a platform for change[21:29]: Launching Supersapiens Diabetes in the US[31:14]: 10-year outlookResources: * Team Novo Nordisk (Team Type-1)* Republic (Crowd Funding Campaign)* Race Across America 2024* Association between pre-exercise food ingestion timing and reactive hypoglycemia: Insights from a large database of continuous glucose monitoring data (European Journal of Sport Science)Subscribe to Healthy Returns Today! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nolanshah.substack.com

February 12, 202435 min

Ep. 16: Dr. Ami Bhatt, Chief Innovation Officer of the American College of Cardiology, on the Evolution of Digital Health

Show Notes:A decade ago, digital health was synonymous with telemedicine but today, digital health is so much more. Today’s guest, Dr. Ami Bhatt, has spearheaded this evolution, reshaping cardiovascular medicine through health innovation.Dr. Bhatt is the Chief Innovation Officer for the American College of Cardiology (ACC). Since launching her first virtual care program in 2013, she has been leading the creation of personalized virtual cardiovascular care delivery models for improving heart health. Dr. Bhatt also champions the idea of collaborative intelligence, reflecting a future where AI enables clinicians to be the best they can be.Today’s episode covers the evolution of digital health, applications for generative AI and machine learning in healthcare, consumer wearables and patient empowerment, and the last mile of digital healthcare delivery.We also discuss the recent partnership between Dispatch Health and Instacart to tackle food insecurity.Timestamps:[0:48]: What does a Chief Innovation Officer do anyway?[2:24]: Evolution of Digital Health and Telemedicine[6:39]: Expanding Scope of Digital Health in Cardiology[10:30]: At Home Care, Dispatch Health, Food-as-Medicine[15:40]: Generative AI, Machine Learning, Collaborative Intelligence[25:24]: Consumer Wearables and Patient Empowerment[30:39]: Last Mile of Digital Healthcare DeliveryResources:* Dispatch Health x Instacart* Food-is-Medicine @ Tufts University* Consumer Wearable Health and Fitness Technology in Cardiovascular Medicine (JACC)* The Rise of Collaborative Intelligence in Healthcare | Ami Bhatt | TEDxBoston* Collaborative Intelligence to catalyze the digital transformation of healthcare (Nature)* Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2024Subscribe to Healthy Returns Today! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nolanshah.substack.com

February 1, 202437 min

Ep. 15: Daniel Faierman of Vitality Ventures and Forum Brands Unpacks the World of Health & Wellness CPGs

Show Notes:The market for health-centric consumer packaged goods (CPGs) is both vast and confusing. Some products claim wellness, yet lack basic clinical evidence. Other products are genuinely healthy but struggle to curate messaging that resonates with consumers.Today’s guest Daniel Faierman—GP of Vitality Ventures and Director of Finance at Forum Brands—reveals what he looks for when investing in CPGs.A collegiate tennis career at Yale first catapulted Daniel into health and wellness investing. He now operates and invests in three main categories: health tech, sports tech, and consumer health—spending most of his time searching for the next big CPG brand.In today’s episode, we talk about CPG 1.0 versus CPG 2.0, making wellness more accessible, and what Daniel looks for when investing in CPG brands. Plus, Daniel gives his take on plant-based meats, celebrity-led brands, and opportunities in human health outside of food and beverage.About Vitality Ventures: Vitality Ventures is an early-stage venture capital syndicate that invests Seed through Series B in the future of human health and performance.About Forum Brands: Forum Brands acquires and grows early-stage businesses at the intersection of consumer brands and wellness.Timestamps:[0:53]: Collegiate Tennis[5:56]: Why Daniel chose Consumer Health[7:43]: Subscribing to Wellness[8:53]: Investment Criteria for CPG Brands[12:52]: Backing the Science[14:48]: CPG’s Target Demographic[16:52]: Ozempic Changing Brand Messaging[17:32]: CPG 1.0 (better-for-you) vs. CPG 2.0 (good-for-you)[20:54]: Plant-Based Meats[22:55]: Impact of Celebrity Brands[26:59]: Making Wellness More Accessible[32:00]: Opportunities in Personalized Wellness + Recovery[35:01]: Opportunities in Aging[36:07]: Closing RemarksResources: * Subscribing to Wellness* Marc Andreessen on the future of consumer brands* Companies mentioned: Elo Health, Gruns, Edge Theory Labs, Bold, Meati, Actual Veggies This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nolanshah.substack.com

January 25, 202431 min

Ep. 14: Dr. Howard Forman of Yale University Charts a Path for a More Equitable Future in Healthcare

Show Notes:Are preventive cancer screenings cost-effective? Why don’t certain providers treat poor patients? What’s the deal with whole-body MRIs? Does private equity make healthcare better or worse? Do not-for-profit hospitals make a profit?In today’s episode, Howard Forman, M.D., MBA—a healthcare economist and practicing clinician at Yale University—answers all these questions and more. He has multiple academic appointments including as Professor of Radiology, Public Health, Economics, and Management.U.S. Healthcare is a $4.5 trillion industry. According to Dr. Forman, as a physician if “you don’t realize you’re part of an enormous slice of the US economy, you’re failing your patients and you’re failing yourself.”When he’s not reading images in the emergency room, Dr. Forman teaches undergraduate and graduate courses at Yale, training the next generation of clinician leaders.This episode covers everything from AI to health equity to private sector innovation, with Dr. Forman leveraging his extensive expertise to chart a future trajectory for more equitable healthcare.Timestamps:0:58: Dr. Forman’s Intro + Background4:01: Private Sector’s Role in Healthcare7:31: Balancing Profits and Patient Outcomes10:31: COVID-19 and Healthy Equity16:14: Inequities in Health Tech + Whole-Body MRIs20:54: Cost Effectiveness of Preventive Cancer Screenings23:04: AI in Radiology25:46: Importance of Healthcare Economics28:08: Magic Wand Question28:44: Contrarian Views in Healthcare30:25: Health & Veritas!Resources: * Health & Veritas* The Dose: Private Equity Promised to Revolutionize Health Care. Is It Making Things Worse? - Dr. Howard Forman* Will a Full-Body MRI Scan Help You or Hurt You? (The New Yorker)* Changes in Hospital Adverse Events and Patient Outcomes Associated With Private Equity Acquisition (JAMA Network)* CityBlock Health* Oak Street Health* Pozen-Commonwealth Fund Fellowship in Health Equity Leadership at Yale UniversitySubscribe to Healthy Returns Today! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nolanshah.substack.com

Is this your show?

Claim this listing to keep it up to date, reach guests who want to pitch you, and manage bookings with Guestify.

Claim this listing