The MATTER Health Podcast

In recognition of Earth Day, we are taking a look back on last year's Loyola Chicago Health Equity Quest: Climate Change and Healthcare Delivery Summit. To kick off the program, Dr. Jalonne White-Newsome, Federal Chief Environmental Justice Officer at the White House Council on Environmental Quality delivered a keynote address. Take a listen to her presentation, Bridging the Gap: Climate Justice and Health Equity. She also sat down with Steven Collens, CEO of MATTER, to dive deeper into the effects of climate change and health equity. Dr. Jalonne L. White-Newsome joined the Biden-Harris Administration in June 2022 as the senior director for environmental justice at the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Under her leadership, the environmental justice team is working to deliver on President Biden’s ambitious environmental justice agenda, including implementing the recently signed Environmental Justice Executive Order, releasing the first-ever Environmental Justice Scorecard, advancing the Justice40 Initiative and launching the White House Campaign for Environmental Justice. Dr. White-Newsome became the first-ever federal chief environmental justice officer in 2023.For more information on Dr. White-Newsome's work, visit: https://bit.ly/4b8HhKrFor more information, visit matter.health and follow us on social: LinkedIn @MATTERTwitter @MATTERhealthInstagram @matterhealth

The conversation around maternal mortality does not stop here. By encouraging discussions about maternal health, we can foster collaboration and innovation, driving forward initiatives that improve outcomes for mothers, children and families, especially those in historically marginalized communities.Join us for the third and final episode of Healthcare Horizons, season one. In this episode, Steven Collens, CEO of MATTER, is joined by Colby Holtshouse, global med tech commercial organization head at Organon. Colby brings deep experience in commercializing groundbreaking medical technologies, with over a decade focused on women’s health. She’ll share insights from her work in medical innovation and learnings from her journey as a female entrepreneur in the women+'s health space, shedding light on the challenges and triumphs of navigating this critical sector.About Healthcare HorizonsMATTER’s Healthcare Horizons podcast series highlights some of the most industrious healthcare leaders who are challenging the status quo by developing novel solutions to address some of the industry’s greatest challenges. These conversations shine a light on key voices in healthcare and answer questions like:How can healthcare innovators leverage technology — like generative AI and synthetic biology — to its fullest potential?What healthcare models can (and should) be reimagined?How can interdisciplinary collaboration drive transformative breakthroughs in healthcare?Learn more about Organon.Learn more about The Jada System.For more information, visit matter.health and follow us on social: LinkedIn @MATTERTwitter @MATTERhealthInstagram @matterhealth

Last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the number of women who died from pregnancy or a pregnancy-related cause in the United States in 2021 increased by 40 percent from 2020. The maternal mortality rate in the U.S. is now the highest since 1965, and the U.S. fares worse than any other industrialized nation. Throughout the inaugural season of Healthcare Horizons, we explore the leading causes behind this inequity and investigate innovative solutions to address maternal mortality.Join us as we welcome Dr. Sarosh Rana, head of maternal-fetal medicine and chief obstetrical transformation officer at UChicago Medicine. Dr. Rana discusses her efforts to address maternal mortality disparities for her patients and community, as well as UChicago Medicine’s recent “citation of merit” for its exceptional healthcare leadership.About Healthcare HorizonsMATTER’s Healthcare Horizons podcast series highlights some of the most industrious healthcare leaders who are challenging the status quo by developing novel solutions to address some of the industry’s greatest challenges. These conversations shine a light on key voices in healthcare and answer questions like:How can healthcare innovators leverage technology — like generative AI and synthetic biology — to its fullest potential?What healthcare models can (and should) be reimagined?How can interdisciplinary collaboration drive transformative breakthroughs in healthcare? Learn more about UChicago Medicine.For more information, visit matter.health and follow us on social: LinkedIn @MATTERTwitter @MATTERhealthInstagram @matterhealth

Maternal mortality rates continue to present a pressing health crisis in the United States, with Black women facing a disproportionately high risk — three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes compared to their white counterparts. In the series premiere of Healthcare Horizons, we delve into the leading causes behind this disparity and explore innovative solutions to address maternal mortality.Join us as we welcome Dr. Elizabeth Garner, chief scientific officer of Ferring Pharmaceuticals, U.S. and president of the American Medical Women’s Association. Dr. Garner offers her insights on maternal mortality in the U.S., drawing from her extensive experience as both an executive and a leader in the field.About Healthcare HorizonsMATTER’s Healthcare Horizons podcast series highlights some of the most industrious healthcare leaders who are challenging the status quo by developing novel solutions to address some of the industry’s greatest challenges. These conversations shine a light on key voices in healthcare and answer questions like:How can healthcare innovators leverage technology — like generative AI and synthetic biology — to its fullest potential?What healthcare models can (and should) be reimagined?How can interdisciplinary collaboration drive transformative breakthroughs in healthcare?Learn more about Ferring Pharmaceuticals.Learn more about the American Medical Women’s Association.For more information, visit matter.health and follow us on social: LinkedIn @MATTERTwitter @MATTERhealthInstagram @matterhealth

On March 19, five dynamic startups innovating at the forefront of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia pitched their solutions to a panel of judges at MATTER during the Second Annual Alzheimer’s Association Pitch Competition. Prior to the pitches, Carl V. Hill, chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer of the Alzheimer’s Association, gave a keynote address on the power of partnership in the pursuit of health equity in Alzheimer's and all other dementia. Hear more about his perspective and insight in this podcast. For more information, visit matter.health and follow us on social: LinkedIn @MATTERTwitter @MATTERhealthInstagram @matterhealth

The healthcare industry is full of data - today, approximately 30 percent of the world's data volume is being generated by the healthcare industry. And, sharing of this data can help to improve patient care. When different organizations share data, they can work together to better understand diseases and develop more effective treatments for patients. In a study run by Accenture, 84 percent of patients who share their health data have had a positive experience sharing it, and only two percent of respondents have had a negative experience. But, most patients who do not believe they share their data today say it is because no one has asked them to share it.Join panelists Alex Simmonds, drug development innovation lead at Bristol Myers Squibb, Colleen D’Abbene, director of U.S. diagnostics at Alexion, Colin Gibbons, sales leader with diagnostic cardiology solutions at Philips, and McCay Barnes, senior digital health product leader at Optum for a discussion moderated by Ben Ferrara, director of growth and corporate strategy in health and life sciences at Accenture, for a deep dive into how patients feel about sharing data, what are the barriers to sharing data and potential areas ripe for innovation.For more information, visit matter.health and follow us on social: LinkedIn @MATTERTwitter @MATTERhealthInstagram @matterhealth

Generative AI - artificial intelligence capable of generating text, images, video, synthetic data and more - exploded onto the scene the day ChatGPT was released to the public in November, 2022. The technology’s sheer growth, in both usage and valuation, has also generated a tremendous amount of hype.In healthcare, the technology is already beginning to demonstrate how it can reimagine the industry in new and exciting ways. Beyond easing administrative burdens and scaling tailored patient communication, generative AI is also accelerating drug discovery and clinical trials.Generative AI is truly at the forefront of healthcare transformation, with its impact reverberating across healthcare systems, providers, payers and more.Join VSP Global Innovation Center’s Head of Emerging Technology Jay Anderson, Insight Partners Managing Director Hilary Gosher and CB Insights Lead Analyst in Healthcare IT Alex Lennox-Miller for a discussion on the future of generative AI in healthcare, moderated by MATTER CEO Steven Collens.For more information, visit matter.health and follow us on social: LinkedIn @MATTERTwitter @MATTERhealthInstagram @matterhealth

Last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a report showing that the number of women who died from pregnancy or a pregnancy-related cause in the U.S. in 2021 increased by 40 percent from 2020. This rate of maternal mortality in the U.S. is now the highest since 1965, and the U.S. fares worse than any other industrialized nation.While all ages and races saw an increase in maternal mortality in 2021, Black mothers remain the most affected. Black women are 2.6 times more likely to die from pregnancy or pregnancy-related causes than white women in the U.S.In response, MATTER and 51 Labs partners Health Care Service Corporation, Laerdal Million Lives Fund, BayCare, Parkview Health, University of Chicago Medicine, Organon and Stryker launched the next iteration of 51 Labs to call on global innovators to submit applications with innovative healthcare solutions that prevent maternal mortality in the U.S. before, during and after birth.Join MATTER for a panel discussion on this topic with panelists Colby Holtshouse, head of global MedTech commercial organization and the former US maternal health lead at Organon, and Dr. Ira Sites, OBGYN at BayCare.For more information, visit matter.health and follow us on social: LinkedIn @MATTERTwitter @MATTERhealthInstagram @matterhealth

The number of Americans living with Alzheimer’s is growing — and growing fast. More than six million Americans of all ages have Alzheimer’s. As the size of the U.S. population age 65 and older continues to grow, so too will the number and proportion of Americans with Alzheimer’s or other dementias. By 2050, the number of people aged 65 and older with Alzheimer’s may grow to a projected 12.7 million, barring the development of medical breakthroughs to prevent or cure Alzheimer’s disease. Yet, people often face barriers to accessing quality care because of factors such as geography, language, insurance coverage and high costs of care and lack of transportation, to name a few.Toward this goal, the Alzheimer’s Association and MATTER are calling on innovators to submit their solutions to the second annual Alzheimer’s Association Pitch Competition. These solutions should address the need for increasing access to quality, person-centered care for people living with Alzheimer’s disease in all communities, especially historically underserved communities.Join MATTER and the Alzheimer’s Association for a panel discussion on this topic with panelists Katie Evans, chief mission engagement officer of the Alzheimer's Association, Jay Bhatt, practicing physician and managing director of the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions and the Deloitte Health Equity Institute, and Ashley Alexander, president and CEO of the Kelsey Research Foundation. The panel was moderated by Morgan Daven, vice president of health systems of the Alzheimer’s Association.For more information, visit matter.health and follow us on social: LinkedIn @MATTERTwitter @MATTERhealthInstagram @matterhealth

Join MATTER and AVIA for the fourth and final event in the Health System Innovations series, focusing on stories of successful startup and health system collaborations.In this session, you’ll hear insights from startups and health systems that have collaborated on implementing a solution and the journey from first contact to execution and what makes a good implementation. Both parties will discuss their perspectives on what made the relationship successful, how success was measured, anticipated outcomes versus reality and tips for healthcare startups on their journey to partner with health systems.Dr. Chris Fore, chief quality officer of Concord Hospital, and Craig Limoli, CEO and founder of Wellsheet, discussed the implementation of Wellsheet’s predictive clinical workflow platform to support clinicians during the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, Crystal Broj, MUSC enterprise chief digital transformation officer at Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC Health), and Neal Vachhani, head of client services at Notable, talked about the implementation Notable’s platform to create a “digital front door” to improve the patient journey at MUSC Health. The event was moderated by Zain Ismail, senior director, digital health and transformation at AVIA.For more information, visit matter.health and follow us on social: LinkedIn @MATTERTwitter @MATTERhealthInstagram @matterhealth

Join MATTER and AVIA for the third event in the Health System Innovations series, focused on how health systems are measuring the impact of new technologies and digital initiatives.Measuring the impact of digital health solutions has long been one of the toughest challenges health system leaders face. Often, health systems have a difficult time finding and tracking the data they need to prove ROI for a new solution, parsing out the value of the technology compared to the value of alternative initiatives that are solving the same problem — and knowing what’s at stake if no action is taken. It’s essential to be able to accurately forecast and report on the outcomes of digital deployments. Health systems are laser-focused on showing the effect of their digital initiatives, so as an entrepreneur, it's essential to be able to accurately forecast and report on the outcomes.In this session, you’ll hear insights on how digital health leaders are measuring the impact of their work, what matters to health systems as they assess the potential value of digital initiatives and tried and true lessons from health systems.For more information, visit matter.health and follow us on social: LinkedIn @MATTERTwitter @MATTERhealthInstagram @matterhealth

Join MATTER and AVIA for the first event in the Health System Innovations series, focused on how startups and innovation advocates can move from concepting through implementation to advance new approaches in our health systems.The first session focuses on how chief innovation officers can work across their health system to develop alignment and, ultimately, champions for change. Join our distinguished panelists: chief digital officer of Presbyterian Healthcare, Brian Beardmore, chief information officer of Henry Ford Health, Paul Browne, chief consumer officer of Ballad Health, Taylor Hamilton, and chief information and digital officer of LifeBridge, Tressa Springmann, in a conversation led by Senior Vice President of AVIA Amanda DeMano.The conversation will provide an overview of key stakeholders and strategies for both teams tasked with innovation deployments in collaboration with startups alongside startups to help create successful implementationsFor more information, visit matter.health and follow us on social: LinkedIn @MATTERTwitter @MATTERhealthInstagram @matterhealth

According to the American Indian Policy Institute, 18 percent of reservation residents lack internet access, 33 percent rely on cell phone service only, 49 percent utilize a land-based internet provider and 31 percent have spotty internet connection. The limited access to services presents major barriers to access to innovative healthcare solutions to improve health disparities such as diabetes, chronic liver diseases and more.With native american and indigenous territories spanning across the nation, the data depicts the breadth of the impact that the digital divide plays in exacerbating existing disparities. During this conversation, Rafael Tapia, Director of Tribal Community Connections at Local First Arizona, will speak with John Achoukian, healthcare management consultant with CWH Advisors, to discuss the role of the digital divide in Native American and indigenous communities, how to increase access to innovative solutions to improve health outcomes and share strategies for innovators who are developing solutions to support Native American and indigenous communities while respecting and preserving their rich cultural heritage.For more information, visit matter.health and follow us on social: LinkedIn @MATTERTwitter @MATTERhealthInstagram @matterhealth

Anyone who works in healthcare knows that our current system can often seem overly complex and burdened by a never-ending maze of policies and regulations that can slow down change. That's where ARDX comes in.Join MATTER as we welcome Angela D. Reddix, founder, CEO and president of ARDX, a leading government health management and technology consulting firm, for a fireside chat on federal policy, health equity and insights gleaned from data collection and analysis. Angela brings in-depth knowledge to working with federal, state and local governments on translating regulatory policy and guidance into digestible information and insights to ensure businesses are able to navigate complex regulatory landscapes to increase access to quality and equitable healthcare.Angela will sit down with moderator Dima Elissa, founder and CEO of VisMed-3D, for a conversation on ARDX's insights into improving the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of our healthcare system and their commitment to advancing health equity, expanding access and improving health outcomes.For more information, visit matter.health and follow us on social: LinkedIn @MATTERTwitter @MATTERhealthInstagram @matterhealth

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, breast cancer is the second leading cause of death from cancer among women, with an estimated 42,000 women — and 500 men — in the U.S. dying each year from breast cancer. To reduce the effect of breast cancer on women and men, we must improve early detection, access to quality care and patient education.Join us during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, for a panel discussion on the role of technology and innovative solutions in breast cancer care. Christopher Kunney, Christopher Kunney, FACHDM, CPHIM, MSMOT, Managing Partner & Healthcare Technology Strategist, American Cancer Society - Men Wear Pink Ambassador and IOTECH Consulting, LLC., Ricki Fairley, CEO and co-founder at Touch, The Black Breast Cancer Alliance, and survivor of breast cancer, and Ryland Gore, MD, board-certified general surgeon and breast surgical oncologist, will discuss perspectives that will provide insights into prevention, diagnosis and treatment and help individuals make informed decisions about their breast health. The panel will be moderated by Melvin Gaskins, MD, senior medical director of medical oncology at eviCore Healthcare.For more information, visit matter.health and follow us on social: LinkedIn @MATTERTwitter @MATTERhealthInstagram @matterhealth

The racial wealth gap between Black and white Americans has remained persistently steady since 1970, with Black Households owning just one-eighth of the wealth of white households. This disparity directly affects access to care, affordable housing, healthy food, education and other factors, leading to lower life expectancies and worse health outcomes for people of color.In this episode, Crystal Tyler, PhD, MPH, chief health officer of Rhia Ventures, and Pamela Johnson, vice president of health equity and partnerships at the American Heart Association, discuss how the racial wealth gap and other historical factors have led to significant differences in access to healthcare, education, nutrition and other social determinants of health. They also emphasize the need for cross-industry collaboration and sustainable investment in community-centered solutions, as well as the role of innovation in improving health outcomes for people of color. Learn more about Rhia Ventures.Learn more about the American Heart Association's health equity efforts.About Advancing Health EquityMATTER’s Advancing Health Equity podcast series focuses on unpacking the complexities of health inequities impacting the healthcare system and the health and well-being of individuals and their communities. These 20-30 minute interview-style sessions are meant to take quick dives into critical areas of health equity and answer questions like:What does health equity mean today?Where do current gaps exist in the various areas of healthcare?Where do we see intersections in care?How can technology and innovation be leveraged strategically to positively make a change?For more information, visit matter.health and follow us on social: LinkedIn @MATTERTwitter @MATTERhealthInstagram @matterhealth

For years, data analytics has been used in healthcare to fuel faster and more accurate diagnoses, inform decision-making, personalize treatment, improve patient care and outcomes, lower costs and more. With recent advances in the use of big data and generative artificial intelligence, more organizations are exploring new ways to apply these modern data science tools to address persistent healthcare challenges.One of the key challenges in advancing care for the growing population living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias is the aggregation of meaningful insights from a wide range of disparate sources of raw data, including electronic health records (EHRs), personal health records, patient portals and health-related smart phone apps, in addition to large amounts of unstructured data, strict data privacy and security regulations and a variety of data formats.To drive innovation forward in this space, MATTER recently launched the Restoring Brain Health Innovation Challenge with support from the Lundbeck US Charitable Fund to identify and accelerate the development of data science technologies that can generate novel insights from disparate sources to advance care in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.On September 18, join Mary Furlong, leader in the longevity market, Elizabeth Powers, Vice President and General Manager, US Regulatory Science & Study Innovation at IQVIA and Ryan Urbanowicz, Research Scientist, Computational Biomedicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Co-Lead, Tech ID and Training Core, PennAITech/a2Collective.ai for a conversation exploring this topic.For more information, visit matter.health and follow us on social: LinkedIn @MATTERTwitter @MATTERhealthInstagram @matterhealth

This event is a continuation from Accenture and MATTER’s previous event, Digital Health x Health Equity Panel: Reinvent a More Equitable Future.While we know that social determinants of health account for 80 percent of an individual’s health, actually addressing these factors can be challenging in practice. Accenture’s recent report, U.S. Health Inequity: Beyond the Statistics, identified bias in data and algorithms, inclusive product and service design and sustainable structural change as the three core areas to focus on when developing med tech solutions to improve health and healthcare delivery.Join panelists Oliver Richards, managing director for medical device and life sciences strategy at Accenture, Fido Willybiro, senior marketing director at Becton Dickinson, Jacqueline Roche, head of payment and delivery and global policy institute at Johnson & Johnson, and Nick Wilson, business lead for remote patient monitoring at Philips, for a discussion moderated by Laura Westercamp, managing director of Accenture’s life sciences and med tech practice. They'll take a deep dive into how we can leverage med tech to improve health outcomes, reduce inequities and create a more equitable world.For more information, visit matter.health and follow us on social: LinkedIn @MATTERTwitter @MATTERhealthInstagram @matterhealth

The U.S. workforce has never been more diverse age-wise. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, one in four workers is over the age of 55, compared to just one in seven in 1979. In addition to Baby Boomers, four other generations are part of the workforce — the Silent Generation, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z. Organizations that aim to offer tailored benefits must focus on employees’ stages of life.Instead of taking a universal, all-purpose approach, stage of life benefits include programs that address the various challenges employees of different generations face. Whether it’s supporting maternal health, family planning, eldercare or other stages, personalizing benefits allows employees to tap into a menu of options designed to support their unique needs at a specific moment in time.Join VSP Global Innovation Center Head Ruth Yomtoubian, Kindbody Founding Physician and Chief Innovation Officer Dr. Fahimeh Sasan and VillageMD Chief Human Resources Officer Amy Smith for a discussion on how stages of life are shaping the future of healthcare benefits, moderated by MATTER CEO Steven Collens.For more information, visit matter.health and follow us on social: LinkedIn @MATTERTwitter @MATTERhealthInstagram @matterhealth

Starting at a young age, ageism — discrimination or unjust treatment of older people based on stereotypes — shapes the way we think about ourselves and others as we age. Instead of focusing on the negative perceptions of aging, it’s time we focused on the value of the wisdom, insights and life experiences older adults contribute to our communities. What if we thought of aging as an opportunity rather than a crisis? What if we had systems in place to better support all of us as we age? How would that affect our health and well-being?Robert Espinoza, executive vice president at PHI and chair-elect of the American Society on Aging, and Mary O’Donnell, president of RRF Foundation for Aging, explore how changing the way we talk about aging could help us live longer and healthier lives and what health equity could look like for older adults if it were achieved.Learn more about PHI.Learn more about the American Society on Aging.Learn more about RRF Foundation for Aging.About Advancing Health EquityMATTER’s Advancing Health Equity podcast series focuses on unpacking the complexities of health inequities impacting the healthcare system and the health and well-being of individuals and their communities. These 20-30 minute interview-style sessions are meant to take quick dives into critical areas of health equity and answer questions like:What does health equity mean today?Where do current gaps exist in the various areas of healthcare?Where do we see intersections in care?How can technology and innovation be leveraged strategically to positively make a change?For more information, visit matter.health and follow us on social: LinkedIn @MATTERTwitter @MATTERhealthInstagram @matterhealth