Health Meets Tech

REIMAGINING HEALTH

Inspiring Stories of Innovators at the intersection of Health and Technology

An anthology with 20+ game changing-disruptive innovations that have impacted our human lives, health, and medical field; covering the back story of how it came to be and what the future holds. The book’s purpose is to educate and guide individuals who seek to innovate in the areas of medical and health technology. It is perfect for readers interested in the future of healthcare, inspiring stories of health innovators, and how emerging technologies can empower us as healthcare consumers. The book brings hope and insight to those eager to understand and engage with health innovators, innovations, and their recipients.

ABOUT GLOBAL HEALTH

Global Health

Global Health is undergoing a massive shift, redefining itself to address a broader range of health challenges including chronic diseases and health equity. Technology plays a critical role, from vaccines to digital health solutions. Health Meets Tech is designed to explore these issues through conversations focused on innovation, equity, and leadership development.

The future of global health may follow an expansive and integrated vision through Planetary Health or One Health, connecting environmental health directly with human health. Despite the availability of cost-effective technologies, health equity remains a significant challenge.

Co-Author

Sonali Sundari Shivhare MBA-BT CCRP

Sonali is an impact-driven and enterprising leader, with a background in Clinical Research, Medical & Health Technology Innovation and Operations. Sonali engages variously with startups holding fractional leadership positions. She is former Director (2012-20) of the Women’s Health Clinical Research Unit at UCLA DGSOM. She co-founded Health Meets Tech (HMT) media house in 2023 to increase access to health technology understanding, development, and use of innovative health technologies through books, articles, podcasts, films, social media, and conferences that bring multiple, informed perspectives together. She holds an MS in Regulatory Science, an MBA-Biotechnology, a BS in Microbiology, Project Management Certificate from UCLA and is wrapping up her Doctorate in Regulatory Sciences at USC. She is also the founder and CEO of The Peace Warrior, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on humanitarian and youth leadership development. She lives in sunny Los Angeles with her family.

Co-Author

Anurag Mairal, PhD

Dr. Anurag Mairal is an Adjunct Professor of Medicine and the Director of Global Outreach Programs at Stanford Byers Center for Biodesign, Stanford University. He is also a Faculty Fellow and part of the Core Leadership at the Center for Innovation in Global Health. He leads global initiatives and facilitates opportunities for students and faculty at Stanford to work on healthcare needs. Dr. Mairal co-founded Orbees Medical and has extensive experience in medical technology development. He has held leadership roles at PATH, Johnson & Johnson, and MTR. Dr. Mairal holds a Ph.D., MBA, and several other degrees and fellowships.

Unlock the Future of Healthcare

In the history of humanity, innovations in health stand at the top of the impressive list of collective endeavors that have improved our lives. Over the last two centuries, the arc of advances in health has been bending upwards, with the pace of change especially dramatic in recent decades, driven partly by the exponential increase in the tools available to us. We are not quite done yet, either. In fact, we may be embarking upon a new, impressive phase of innovation in healthcare.

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Why This Book Matters

The benefit of health technology progress has been profound: diseases that would kill millions until only a few decades ago can now be prevented with things as simple as a pill or a vaccine. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the power of health technology innovation as the world watched the fields of health and technology deliver solutions at unprecedented speed and scale.

However, do people truly understand the processes and stories behind these innovations? Often seen as magic or feared as voodoo science, the path to health technology success is filled with failures, hurdles, sacrifices, and sometimes profound loss. This book seeks to bridge that gap by making the stories of healthcare innovators accessible to all, showing both the challenges and the moments of triumph.

Join the Movement

“Reimagining Health: Inspiring Stories of Innovators at the Intersection of Health and Technology” is not just a book; it's a movement to inspire the next generation of scientists, doctors, engineers, entrepreneurs, changemakers, and students. By understanding the incredible journeys of our innovators, readers can appreciate the brilliance and grit behind modern medicine and technology and be inspired to contribute to the future of healthcare.

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Much of the technology pushed by the social sector, the philanthropic investments that donors and other well-intentioned people make, all mean nothing in the practical sense if “solutions” do not reach those who need it the most.

The success of any organization, even those in the social sector, is often its revenue - but real impact is in the lives we positively affect – whether it is bringing in new income, enabling access to school, or minimizing health risks.

Great design, after all, is not only thoughtful but also inspired.

Donaldson

We are at a point in history today where we are witnessing yet another paradigm shift in the way surgery is practiced.

If we cannot change our minds based upon observation, after all, what kind of scientists are we?

Even after all these years, this journey of innovation in medical devices continues to feel like a great privilege; a privilege to work with capable and committed physicians with extraordinary insights, and with skilled engineers who can turn a wild idea into a reliable product. Most of all, it is a privilege to work on behalf of the brave patients for whom we serve.

Rowe

If you look into the backgrounds of some of the largest medical technology companies in the world today, you will notice two things that they all have in common - first, they are all doing business in billions, and second, they are all based in the US.

Have we been ignoring the massive market potential that Asia can present? For a young med-tech entrepreneur, is the US even the right place to start anymore?

The success of an innovation depended on the impact it created, but in the most practical sense, it was impossible to truly make an impact without it being linked with a successful business model.

It is very easy to lose perspective of how powerful and how monstrous infectious diseases really are, especially if you live in privilege and have never faced this situation. But for more than a billion people in the world, infectious diseases form an everyday reality.

The most sophisticated tools and devices are stocked up in Western countries where these diseases are a rarity, whereas the countries and communities where we need these devices the most are suffering quietly.

Sophisticated does not have to mean expensive, and advanced does not have to mean unreachable. Solutions can come from anywhere, as long as we have the curiosity to explore it further and share it with the world.

Manu

Our artistry of healing has been encroached by several non-medical tasks foisted upon the 21st century provider, to the point where doctors spent nearly twice as much time doing administrative work as actually seeing patients.

In a world where medicine is rapidly advancing to new, uncharted territories, even the most fundamental levels of care continue to be a rare privilege and, in every sense of the word, an innovation, for millions around our world.

Tarnay

I have come to understand that a ‘“market”’ is so much more complex than just someone with a solution selling it to someone with a problem.

It is important to underscore that the solutions for emerging markets are not just about developing cheaper options. In fact, developing a cheaper option with fewer features is value engineering - not innovation.

Supratim Bose

It is safe to say that telesurgery has certainly not yet been used to its full potential.

By connecting the right specialist to the right patient, telemedicine is bridging a gap that has existed in healthcare since the advent of human history. I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that this is the future of how healthcare will be practiced.

Wang

One would assume that the healthcare industry would go above and beyond when it came to the health and wellbeing of its own, yet the truth is just the opposite. How did a profession that began with an oath to help, heal, and do no harm become so misguided?

Medicine should remain a noble calling. We can’t allow big businesses or bureaucracies to erode this calling or the sacred relationship between the physician and patient.

Robyn

These are exciting times in the realm of medical innovations. The world of healthcare, often known for its resistance to change, is shifting directions and looking for quick, more efficient solutions to complement traditional systems.

We can soon expect the combination of doctors’ experiences with the efficiency of artificial intelligence working together to manage patients and win the battle against diseases that plague us today. The prospects are truly incredible.

Siberg

As engineers, scientists, and entrepreneurs, I believe it is our obligation to provide healthcare professionals with the tools they need to take care of our loved ones.

To the physicians and hospitals, I ask you to embrace new technologies and the benefits of machine learning and robotics. The combined power of this data and its algorithms will help transform medicine for the better.

Hamilton

What I have observed, in my experience, is a distinct under-estimation in the public, and sometimes even in fellow clinicians, about how difficult a task it really is to perform clinical research successfully.

Those of us in clinical research now have an even bigger responsibility to be aware of how clinical research is perceived in the public eye, and ensure that people understand the heavy burden it carries to get medicines, devices, therapies and vaccines out to the masses in safe and effective ways.

Namiranian

If the willingness of a few passionate people can change the entire lives of millions around the planet, imagine what we could all do if we fearlessly pursue what we believe in.

Imagine the number of diseases we could cure, the people we could save, if we could all be a little braver. Imagine the number of things that would no longer seem impossible.

Tabin

We understand that the innovations that are truly important, culturally relevant, and genuinely cost effective, will come from innovators who have been raised in those cultures and geographies.

Paul Yock

Where exactly has our focus been all this time? How much time, attention, and money is the world of healthcare spending, and is it really being targeted where it needs to be?

Paul Farmer

Hard work is often lonely, but it becomes easier and of higher quality when done together with others who have similar goals.

Yavagal

Each crisis comes with its own set of opportunities.

The possibilities are truly endless if all of us - not just the ones in medicine - learn to identify the problems around us, no matter how small, and initiate conversations towards solving them.

Devaskar