#154 - Catastrophe? What Catastrophe? 💣

The one minute healthtech roundup.

Hi friends,

This week: 17 years to fix English healthcare, mixed messages around AI, and when in doubt, keep nudging…

News Bites 🥪

🔮 Health in 2040: projected patterns of illness in England - England is barrelling toward a health disaster, say the wonks at the Health Foundation. The good news is we’ve got a fully functioning healthcare system to help us cope….oh….never mind.

🫸 Designing for behaviour change: The key to success in digital health - Nudges, gamification, the fog model – Pigeon feels like we’ve gone through the looking glass and ended up in consultancy-land. But driving behaviour-change can be key to an effective healthtech solution, something this article explores in more depth. 

💸 Hippocratic AI raises $15M and more digital health fundings - Thinking of investing in digital health and not sure where to put your cash? If this week’s raises are anything to go by, the answer is the two As: AI and Agetech. If the name Hippocratic AI rings a bell, it's because they only just raised their $50m seed round in May, and have come back for more….

❌ "Major issues" with frontline digitisation programme and GP IT Futures programme government projects report - When Pigeon’s feeling down on life, we remind ourselves it could be worse: we could be the civil servant in charge of the NHSE major projects risk register….staring at a sea of red, and constantly playing back the phrase ‘appears to be unachievable’...over…and over…

👩‍⚕️ Dr Google? AI could be doctor in the pocket, but company’s health officer urges caution about its limits - Let’s face it, the AI conversation can get a little…heated, so it’s always nice when there’s an adult in the room: enter Google’s CHO, who urges us all to temper our expectations around AI in health, as the company’s Med-Palm 2 LLM is already being tested in hospitals.

🏢 Make The Doctor’s Office Fair! AI Can Help Create A More Equitable Healthcare System - Everybody’s worried about algorithmic bias in AI – and for good reason: humans teach AI, and let’s face it,  a lot of humans are horrible.  In a fascinating interview, Link Ventures MD John Werner asks AI & ML expert Marzyeh Ghassem how to design AI that actually supports equitable healthcare.

🧐 Nothing artificial but plenty of intelligence as AstraZeneca and Qureight launch AI play - Why bother trying to be funny when that headline beats any joke Pigeon could muster: The Pharma giant has teamed with health data analytics platform Qureight to understand how patients with rare diseases might respond to new treatments. Will Qureight CEO Dr Muhunthan Thillai share his thoughts on this week’s Pigeon pod….listen to find out.

Want to get involved…?

⚡️ Apply to join the Discovery Spark Programme - Life science startup looking for a boost? Apply now to Discovery Park’s Discovery Spark Programme (we see what you did there) to access expert support, investment and free lab space. 

🍱 A PRIME opportunity - Another chance to join Gut health company myota’s metabolic health study, called PRIME. This study looks at the effects of a prebiotic fibre blend on inflammation, the gut microbiome, metabolic health, and mental wellbeing. To participate, you will need to meet the criteria for metabolic syndrome.

What to listen to 🔊

🐦 Healthtech Pigeon - Catastrophe? What Catastrophe? - Join Jess Farmery, Huw and Qureight CEO Dr Muhunthan Thillai as they take a deep dive into the week’s healthtech news and views.

🔊 The Healthtech Podcast #313 Medical Device design, with Dr Marc Taub, VP at Abbott - James is joined by Dr. Marc Taub, PhD, Divisional Vice President of Technical Operations for Abbott’s Diabetes Care business. Dr. Taub has been one of the driving forces behind the development of the FreeStyle Libre system, a sensor-based glucose monitoring solution that gives people the precise data and unique insights needed to better manage their condition.

Events 📅

Health Features Launch Event - Youtube Health
🕣 September 7, 2.00-10.00pm
📍 YouTube UK HQ, 6 Pancras Square London

Hardian Health Tech Summit - Hardian Health
🕣 September 21
📍 TBC

MedFIT - Fostering Innovation in Medtech
🕣 October 10, 8.30am-6.15pm
📍 Strasbourg Convention Centre, France

MedTech World Summit
🕣 19-20 October
📍 Valletta, Malta
Use the code ‘FlyingtoMedTechMalta’ for 25% off your ticket.

Opportunities 🕵️‍♀️

🕺🏻 Clinical Product Manager, Numan - Men’s healthcare experts Numan are looking for a triple-threat: a clinically trained product expert with excellent communication skills to oversee the development of new solutions.

🤖 Engagement Manager - Life Sciences, Faculty - We keep talking about AI in healthcare like its new, but it’s just par for the course when you work at Faculty. Go join the team and support their work with life sciences customers.

🩻 Senior Project Manager, Clinisys - Want to be responsible for getting stuff done at one of the leading providers of intelligent diagnostics globally. This is the job for you.

👶 Clinic Success, Gaia - If you’re a natural relationship builder with experience in customer success, here’s an exciting opportunity at a fast-growing healthtech with a mission to improve access to IVF treatment.

🗣️ Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement Manager, Imperial College health Partners - Serious about tackling health inequality? Well patient and public engagement plays a vital role in doing just that. Join the team at Imperial College Health Partners and play your part.

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Got news, jobs or events you think is worth coo-ing over? Let us know! Email us: news@healthtechpigeon.com

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