The Medical Innovation Podcast

Pranav and Arvind
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  • MEDICINE
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Welcome to The Medical Innovation Podcast, where visionary hosts Pranav and Arvind explore the cutting-edge intersection of AI and medicine. Join us as we dive into fascinating discussions with founders and innovators about how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing healthcare and spotlight other groundbreaking initiatives that are shaping the future of medical practice.

  1. JAN 26

    Putting clinicians first in the age of AI - Doximity

    In this episode, we speak with Dr. Amit Phull, Chief Clinical Experience Officer at Doximity and practicing ER physician, about how the platform serving over 80% of US doctors is approaching healthcare AI. Amit walks us through Doximity's evolution across three eras: from network building to workflow tools to AI-powered solutions like DoximityGPT and Scribe. We discuss their "human in the loop" philosophy, why trust is the key to AI adoption among clinicians burned by past technologies, and how to ensure AI handles administrative burdens while preserving the humanity at the heart of medicine.

    29 min

  2. JAN 20

    Scaling mental health support with an AI companion - Kai.ai

    In this episode, we speak with Alex Frenkel, clinical psychologist and founder of Kai.ai, about building an AI companion named Kai that delivers mental health support at scale. Alex explains Kai.ai's innovative "two-contact" architecture pairing always-available AI with human clinical oversight, and how the platform avoids the "sycophantic" tendencies of general chatbots by encouraging real-world engagement over digital dependency. We discuss their deployment supporting Ukrainian refugees within days of the war, efficacy data showing 30% improvement in emotional well-being, and the path toward insurance reimbursement and APA certification.

    28 min

  3. JAN 12

    From sheet music to symphony in oncology - First Ascent Biomedical

    In this episode, we speak with Jim Foote, CEO of First Ascent Biomedical, about functional precision medicine and why testing drugs on a patient’s own tumor cells could transform cancer treatment. Jim explains how their CLIA-certified lab cultures live cancer cells and uses robotics and AI to test hundreds of drug combinations in just 10 days, achieving an 83% correlation with patient outcomes in a Nature Medicine study. We discuss why this approach differs fundamentally from genomic sequencing, hear powerful patient stories, and explore how converging technologies in robotics, AI, and cloud computing have finally made individualized cancer treatment possible at scale.

    30 min

  4. JAN 5

    Turning voice into a vital sign - Canary Speech

    In this episode, we speak with Henry O'Connell, co-founder and CEO of Canary Speech, about using voice as a biomarker to detect conditions ranging from anxiety and depression to cognitive impairment and autism. He explains how their technology analyzes 12.5 million data elements in 40 seconds of speech, working ambiently during natural conversation to provide clinicians with objective diagnostic insights in real time. We discuss their partnerships with leading medical institutions, integration with Microsoft Dragon Copilot, and their vision for early detection of conditions like ADHD while the brain is still developing.

    31 min

  5. 12/29/2025

    Building the app store for clinical AI - Microsoft

    In this episode, we speak with Pete Durlach, Chief Strategy Officer for Microsoft Healthcare and Life Sciences, about transforming the Nuance acquisition into Dragon Copilot, an AI clinical assistant that combines dictation, ambient intelligence, and generative AI into an extensible platform. Pete explains how Microsoft is creating an "app store" model for healthcare, enabling partners to build plugins for everything from vocal biomarker analysis to clinical decision support. We discuss the expansion into nursing workflows, where 65% report burnout, and why deep EHR integration is essential for AI tools to survive beyond pilot programs.

    30 min

  6. 12/22/2025

    Detecting cancer's chaos with fragmentomics - DELFI

    In this episode, we speak with Susan Tousi, CEO of DELFI Diagnostics and former Chief Commercial Officer at Illumina, about using fragmentomics and AI to detect cancer through a simple blood draw. Susan explains how Delfi's whole-genome approach analyzes the structural chaos of tumor-derived DNA rather than hunting for specific mutations, dramatically reducing cost while maintaining sensitivity. We discuss their first product, First Look Lung, which achieves 75% sensitivity for stage one lung cancer, and how the platform can expand to detect the seven deadliest cancers using the same laboratory workflow with different AI algorithms.

    27 min

  7. 12/15/2025

    Restoring the art of medicine with AI - Heidi Health

    In this episode, we speak with Dr. Thomas Kelly, founder and CEO of Heidi, about building an AI care partner that eliminates administrative burden and restores the physician-patient relationship. Thomas explains how Heidi evolved from an ambient scribe into a comprehensive platform handling documentation, patient communication, and clinical support with a critical focus on personalization that ensures notes match each physician's unique style. We discuss their product-led growth strategy, the ethical boundaries that keep Heidi "clinician allied," and how the company is expanding globally following a $65 million Series B raise.

    29 min

  8. 12/08/2025

    Coaching Chronic Disease with AI-Powered Clinical Intelligence - Welldoc

    In this episode, we speak with Anand Iyer, Chief AI Officer at Welldoc and former wireless technology strategist, about using AI to transform chronic disease management between doctor visits. Anand explains how BlueStar, Welldoc's FDA-regulated cardio-metabolic platform, provides precision coaching to patients while delivering clinical decision support that helps physicians overcome clinical inertia, achieving A1C reductions four times greater than some medications. We discuss the platform's evolution from rules-based AI to Generative AI, the "learned intermediary" philosophy that keeps humans in control, and how Welldoc shifted from prescription-only to an over the counter SaaS model serving millions across health plans and hospital systems.

    28 min
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Welcome to The Medical Innovation Podcast, where visionary hosts Pranav and Arvind explore the cutting-edge intersection of AI and medicine. Join us as we dive into fascinating discussions with founders and innovators about how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing healthcare and spotlight other groundbreaking initiatives that are shaping the future of medical practice.

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