North of Patient

What does healing sound like? From the relentless alarms of hospital environments to the familiar voices that bring comfort and connection — and whythe future of more humane healthcare may begin with listening differently.Welcome to the North of Patient podcast — conversations onhealth[beyond]care — where we paint an inspired landscape of healthcare’s future through dialogues with creative and unconventional thinkers from around the world. For a summary of the episode, visit the blog post on North of Patient.Today’s guest is Yoko Sen, sound artist, musician, and founder of Sen Sound,a studio dedicated to transforming the sound experience in hospitals. A KennedyCenter Citizen Artist Fellow and former artist-in-residence at the JohnsHopkins Sibley Innovation Hub and Stanford Medicine X, Yoko is reimagining howsound shapes the human experience of healthcare.In this episode, we dive into the often-overlooked world of hospitalsoundscapes — from the relentless beeping of medical devices and alarm fatigueto the emotional impact of sound on patients, families, and clinicians. Yokoshares how her childhood fascination with sound, career in electronic music,and personal experience as a hospital patient inspired her mission to makehealthcare environments more humane. We also explore human-centered design, thechallenges of redesigning medical alarms, and why sounds carry deeply personalmeanings shaped by memory, culture, and emotion. Finally, Yoko discusses herwork developing personalized soundscapes for newborns in neonatal intensivecare units (NICUs), and why healing should extend beyond reducing what is negativeto actively creating moments of comfort, love, and connection.Key stamps from our conversation are below:03:17 – A Childhood Dream: Becoming the Mayor of a City Made of Sound06:21 – Hearing in Musical Notation09:36 – From Piano and Choir to Electronic Music13:41 – A Decade as an Artist and an Unexpected Turn Toward Healthcare15:16 – The Patient Experience That Changed How Yoko Heard Hospitals17:47 – When the Beeping Follows Clinicians Home: Alarm Fatigue20:04 – Tritones and Dissonance: When Hospital Alarms Collide24:55 – Finding Human-Centered Design27:54 – Listening to Patients: Why Even Silence Can Be Frightening36:57 – The Last Sound: Asking People Across Cultures What They Want to Hear38:37 – Nature, Loved Ones, and the Sounds of a Life Well Lived42:38 – Why There Is No Universally Soothing Sound44:45 – Redesigning Medical Device Alarms and Learning Why Change Takes Time47:15 – From Fixing Unwanted Noise to Creating Something Positive50:15 – The First Sound: Rethinking the NICU Soundscape52:18 – Personalized Soundscapes with Family Voices and Sounds from Home56:33 – Exploring the First Sound Through Different Cultures and Traditions

Participatory medicine as a new kind of magic — and whythe future of care may depend on turning information into collaboration, not control.Welcome to the ⁠⁠⁠North of Patient⁠⁠⁠ podcast —conversations on health[beyond]care — where we paint aninspired landscape of healthcare’s future through dialogues with creative and unconventional thinkers from around the world. For a summary of the episode,visit the ⁠⁠⁠blog post⁠⁠⁠ on ⁠North of Patient⁠.Today’s guest is Dr. Danny Sands, primary carephysician, clinical informaticist, and pioneer in participatory medicine who has spent his career reimagining the relationship between patients, clinicians, and technology.In this episode, we dive into the evolution of digitalhealth — from early electronic health records, clinical decision-support tools, patient portals, and email communication, to the rise of LLMs and AI-driven care. Danny shares how his early fascination with magic shaped the way he thinks about medicine and why healthcare works best when patients andclinicians collaborate as partners. We also explore information asymmetry, physician burnout, the future of primary care, and how intelligent systems might restore time, wisdom, and human connection to medicine.Key stamps from our conversation are below:00:21 – Meet Dr. Danny Sands: From Childhood Magician to Physician02:55 – The Magician and the Healer: Why Trust Is Central to Medicine04:21 – Discovering the Limits of Memory-Based Medicine06:00 – Finding Medical Informatics and the Promise of Better Clinical Tools09:31 – Building Early Health Technology at Beth Israel12:48 – Designing Tools Clinicians Actually Want to Use14:06 – From Clinical Calculators to Early Electronic Health Records18:15 – Patient Portals, Email, and the Birth of Participatory Medicine23:18 – E-Patients, Dave deBronkart, and the Society for Participatory Medicine26:50 – Why Healthcare Should Be a Collaboration, Not a Car Wash31:00 – Burnout, Bad EHRs, and Human Connection in Medicine41:00 – Information Symmetry: How Patients, Physicians, and LLMs Are ChangingCare52:19 – Scaling Primary Care with AI, Autonomous Agents, and Human Wisdom

Data sovereignty, the risks of AI centralization, and why our heartbeat may hold a key to protecting our digital identity in a rapidly shifting world.Welcome to the ⁠⁠⁠North of Patient⁠⁠⁠ podcast - conversations on health[beyond]care - where we paint an inspired landscape of healthcare's future through dialogues with creative and unconventional thinkers from around the world. For a summary of the episode, visit the ⁠⁠⁠blog post⁠⁠⁠ on ⁠North of Patient⁠.Today’s guest is Krista Kim, contemporary digital artist, founder of the Techism movement, and one of the most visionary voices at the intersection of art, technology, and human healing. In this episode, we dive into art as a healing tool, meditation as ancient technology, and how the design of our surroundings shapes mental and physical well-being. Krista reveals how immersive tech and sound create sanctuaries for reflection and presence, while also advocating for data sovereignty and exploring the risks of centralized AI.Key stamps from our conversation are below:00:00 – Welcome to Episode 19!02:30 – Heart Space: AI biometric art installations in Barcelona, Amsterdam, London & Seoul03:20 – From political science to digital art: McLuhan’s influence on Krista’s worldview07:24 – “Light is the new ink”: the birth of the Techism Manifesto08:30 – Meditation, martial arts and connecting to higher purpose20:13 – Growing Up in a Healing Household23:59 – Facebook and the Inspiration for Techno-Feudalism28:21 – Art + Healthcare: Aesthetics, Empathy, and the Healing Environment32:16 – Digital Sovereignty: Your Heartbeat as Your Password45:06 – Mars House: Building Immersive Virtual Environments for Healing50:00 – Exploring 3D digital assets, Architectural Innovation, and AI-Powered Ownership.58:15 – Sound Healing & Theta Waves: Creativity and Emotional Recovery01:02:00 – Looking Forward: Krista’s Advice for Health Leaders & What’s Next

Open-source AI as a tool for self-reflection—and why mistaking machines for minds could be our biggest blind spot.Welcome to the ⁠⁠⁠North of Patient⁠⁠⁠ podcast - conversations on health[beyond]care - where we paint an inspired landscape of healthcare's future through dialogues with creative and unconventional thinkers from around the world. For a summary of the episode, visit the ⁠⁠⁠blog post⁠⁠⁠ on North of Patient.Today we sit down with Dr. Nick Sahar– a digital health entrepreneur, AI researcher, and medical doctor passionate about using artificial intelligence to elevate human well-being. He is best known as the co-founder of Semantic Health, an AI startup launched out of medical school. He has worked at the intersection of medicine and AI since 2017, contributing research to early transformer architectures through the Vector Institute and serving as a reviewer at leading machine learning conferences including NeurIPS and ICML. In this episode, we explore how AI can be used to foster personal growth, the dangers of anthropomorphizing AI, and the potential of open-source development.Key stamps from our conversation are below:00:00 - Welcome to Episode 18!02:07 - Meet Nick Sahar: From Med Student to Startup Founder09:42 - A Toothbrush That Detects Stress? Early Startup Experiments11:35 - Discovering the Bottleneck: How Medical Coding Sparked the Idea for Semantic16:44 - Why Nick Chose Systems-Level Healthcare Over the Clinic19:34 - Semantic’s Journey: Founding, Scaling, and Innovating AI in Healthcare Data Coding28:04 - The “Last Mile” Challenge: Balancing AI Autonomy and Human Touch in Complex Tasks31:02 - Exploring Mental Health, Bias, and the Future of Human-AI Interaction41:58 - Personalizing Mental Health AI and Navigating the Risks of Anthropomorphized Intelligence43:45 - Neuralink, Telepathy, and the Dystopian Black Mirror Future of Brain-AI Connections46:19 - The Urgent Need for Open Source Solutions Amidst Social Disconnect and Global AI Power Struggles53:04 - Physicians Must Partner with AI, Not Be Replaced by It01:03:00 - Making AI Your Smartest Intelligence Upgrade Yet01:05:00 - Yoga, Nature, and the Radical Power of Logging Off

Reimagining primary care through digital-first thinking, clinician-guided AI, and radical service design.Welcome to the ⁠⁠⁠North of Patient⁠⁠⁠ podcast - conversations on health[beyond]care - where we paint an inspired landscape of healthcare's future through dialogues with creative and unconventional thinkers from around the world. For a summary of the episode, visit the ⁠⁠⁠blog post⁠⁠⁠ on ⁠North of Patient.Today we sit down with Dr. Jay Parkinson, MD, MPH – a physician turned product visionary. Known for co-founding Sherpaa, inventors of Virtual Primary Care, Jay spent the last two decades redefining what healthcare could look like. Over the past 18 years, he's built online healthcare companies that have served more than 500,000 patients from major companies like Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft, and now leads Automate.clinic to help make AI in healthcare safer and more reliable.In this episode, Jay unpacks what it means to approach healthcare as a service, explores what large language models are doing well—and where they fall short—and shares insights into his latest ventureKey stamps from our conversation are below:00:00 Welcome to Episode 1701:57 - Meet Dr. Jay Parkinson04:01 - How Flickr, photography and the iPhone kickstarted Jay’s Journey07:40 - Launching Hello Health: Early Days of Virtual Primary Care13:24 - Using Tumblr to Build Planned Parenthood’s Digital Sex Ed Strategy16:47 - Can You Use ChatGPT as Your Personal Therapist?21:19 - Designing Healthcare Systems Amid Bureaucratic Barriers26:03 - Establishing Continuous Care with Sherpaa’s Asynchronous Model28:34 - Building from Scratch Versus Navigating Big Company Complexities32:08 - Automate.clinic: Where Doctors Don’t See Patients – They Train AI Models42:35 - Talking Less, Saying More: The Power of Asynchronous Communication48:24 - The Growing Professional Depression Among Family Physicians and How Automate.clinic Is Making a Difference53:00 - Hope and Optimism in a World Overwhelmed by Digital Noise

Shaping the future of health through speculative design, ethical AI, and the power of human-centred innovation.Welcome to the ⁠⁠⁠North of Patient⁠⁠⁠ podcast - conversations on health[beyond]care - where we paint an inspired landscape of healthcare's future through dialogues with creative and unconventional thinkers from around the world. For a summary of the episode, visit the ⁠⁠⁠blog post⁠⁠⁠ on North of Patient.This week’s guest is Nina Maturu — an innovation strategist, seasoned designer, and futurist. Nina recently wrapped up her term as a White House Presidential Innovation Fellow, where she advised on bold innovations at ARPA-H and led future-focused strategy at NASA, helping the agency explore emerging technologies and trends that could shape human life through 2050.Join us as we explore topics such as the ethics of data usage, the need for restraint in an accelerating AI landscape, and what it genuinely means to embed human-centered thinking into some of the most complex and technical corners of healthcare.Key stamps from our conversation are below:00:00 Welcome to Episode 1602:42 Meet Nina Maturu: Innovation Strategist, Designer, and Futurist03:33 Groundwork in Global Community Organizing & Participatory Design06:36 Translating Human-Centred Design into Corporate Innovation08:18 Integrating Community and Corporate Experience to Drive Social Change09:40 From ARPA H to NASA: Nina’s Impact as a White House Presidential Innovation Fellow14:10 The Role of a Designer at ARPA-H: Desirability, Viability, and Feasibility19:46 Designing for the Distant Future with NASA23:09 A Dual Lens Approach: Integrating Generalist and Expert Views in Design Consulting26:26 Partnering with the United Nations Foundation: A Public Health Initiative in Haiti30:02 Centering Lived Experience in Medicine31:28 The Promises and Perils of Affectionate AI37:06 Designing Restraint in a Rapidly Evolving AI Landscape44:13 Anticipating AI’s Long-Term Effects on Society and the Environment45:59 AI Persuasion Experiment: Can AI Bots Outperform Human Experts?48:35 Determining Liability when AI Causes Harm51:42 Beyond Doomsday: How AI Pushes Us to Imagine a New Future58:10 Embracing Diverse Perspectives to Shape an Unpredictable Future

Pushing the boundaries of health through bio-design, ultra-contemporary art, and reimagining the human form.Welcome to the ⁠⁠⁠North of Patient⁠⁠⁠ podcast - conversations on health[beyond]care - where we paint an inspired landscape of healthcare's future through dialogues with creative and unconventional thinkers from around the world. For a summary of the episode, visit the ⁠⁠⁠blog post⁠⁠⁠ on North of Patient.In this week's episode, we sit down with Amy Karle—an internationally acclaimed ultra-contemporary artist, designer, and futurist. With exhibitions spanning the globe, and even reaching space, Amy pushes the boundaries of art, science, and the future of our existence. Join us as we dive into some of Amy Karle’s most groundbreaking projects—from bioprinted bone scaffolds to a revolutionary archive of life being stored on the Moon.  Amy also shares her insights into the role of generative AI in healthcare, the risks of data opacity, and why she believes that true innovation requires us to stay grounded in empathy, ethics, and the human story.  Learn more about Amy’s work.Key stamps from our conversation are below:00:28  Meet Amy Karle: Artist, Designer & Futurist08:48  Evolving Medical Accessibility in the Digital Age10:56  The Perils of Drowning in AI Agents15:14 Merging Art, Technology, and the Quest for Human Enhancement20:21 Using Fine Art to Enhance Medical Training21:28 Beyond Art: Convincing People of the Technological Impact on Humanity24:47 Navigating the Challenges of Displaying Bioart26:07 From IBM to Bauhaus: Influences Shaping Amy’s Artistic Vision30:22 Regenerative Reliquary: Could Biodesign Lead to Longer Lifespans?33:54 The Symbiotic Relationship Between Art and Science36:14 Reimagining Life's Mystery37:03 Balancing Innovation with Caution43:12 The Heart of Evolution46:56 The Philosophical & Ethical Implications of Redesigning Life57:34 Sending Art to the Moon: Echoes From the Valley of Existence01:15:17 An Intricate Balance: Enhancing Care Without Replacing Human Touch

The transformative power of peer support, patient-centred innovation, and grassroots movements that reshape the healthcare landscape.Welcome to the ⁠⁠⁠North of Patient⁠⁠⁠ podcast - conversations on health[beyond]care - where we paint an inspired landscape of healthcare's future through dialogues with creative and unconventional thinkers from around the world.For a summary of the episode, visit the ⁠⁠blog post⁠⁠ on North of Patient. This week's guest is Susannah Fox, author ofRebel Health. Susannah brings a wealth of experience from her time as Chief Technology Officer for the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, where she led innovative projects in open data and technology.In this episode, Susannah shares stories from her career, illustrating how patient-led innovations often emerge from the margins. Join us as we explore the ways in which empowered patients are bridging the gaps in the traditional healthcare system themselves.  Learn more aboutRebel Health.In this episode, we discussed the research priorities of Parkinson’s patients. If you're interested in exploring the study further, check it out here:Deane KHO, Flaherty H, Daley DJ, et alPriority setting partnership to identify the top 10 research priorities for the management of Parkinson's diseaseBMJ Open2014;4:e006434. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2014-006434Key stamps from our conversation are below:00:27 Meet the Guest: Susannah Fox02:04 Susannah’s Career Journey 04:13 Navigating Career Crossroads & Spotting the Future Through Tech Shifts06:56Rebel Health: Insights from the Book12:06 The Movement to Democratize Health Data15:21 Overcoming the Challenges of Healthcare Innovation18:39 Middle Management’s Role in Sparking Innovation21:40 Major Milestones: Susannah’s Achievements as CTO 25:25 Ensuring Continuity in Healthcare 31:25 Empowering Patients Through Data Control34:42 Battling Misinformation in the Health Space44:55 The Future of Healthcare with AI Integration55:31 Closing Remarks: Final Thoughts and Key Recommendations

Developing humanoid robots, unravelling the complexities of AI, and the mysteries of consciousness. Welcome to the ⁠⁠⁠North of Patient⁠⁠⁠ podcast - conversations on health[beyond]care - where we paint an inspired landscape of healthcare's future through dialogues with creative and unconventional thinkers from around the world. For a summary of the episode, visit the ⁠blog post⁠ on North of Patient.  This week's guest is the remarkable Dr. Suzanne Gildert. She's a physicist, artist, and AI tech executive based in Vancouver on a mission to uncover the mysteries of consciousness and innovate unconscious AI. In this episode, we dive into the groundbreaking advancements and pressing challenges in quantum computing, examining the transformative potential of these technologies to reshape our world. Beyond the science, we also explore the philosophical dimensions of AI consciousness, questioning whether AI can ever truly replicate human experience and identity. Learn more about Nirvanic AI: https://www.nirvanic.ai/ Key stamps from our conversation are below: 03:16 Suzanne's Career Journey 05:45 Understanding Quantum Computing 09:44 Suzanne's Early Interest in Quantum Mechanics 13:10 Kindred AI and Robotics 18:08 Sanctuary AI and Humanoid Robots 22:11 Human-Robot Interaction 31:19 Consciousness and AI 36:21 Challenges in Proving AI Consciousness 37:59 Quantum Theories of Consciousness 39:21 Experimenting with Quantum AI 45:38 Potential Applications in Healthcare 53:09 Philosophical Implications of Consciousness 59:47 Personal Journey and Reflections 01:05:03 Concluding Thoughts

The art of "Impossible Journey", AI as a creative partner, and the power of analog in a digital age Welcome to the ⁠⁠⁠North of Patient⁠⁠⁠ podcast - conversations on health[beyond]care - where we paint an inspired landscape of healthcare's future through dialogues with creative and unconventional thinkers from around the world. For a summary of the episode, visit the ⁠blog post⁠ on North of Patient. This episode’s guest is Daniella Schuarts, a nutritionist turned visionary storyteller and one half of the Brazilian creative duo, “Yuca”. Danielle's work draws from a life lived adventurously, shaped by travels to the furthest corners of the globe and a passion for the visual arts. Whether through live action, animation or photography her storytelling is fresh, evocative and deeply rooted in themes of social engagement, culture, and human experience. In this episode, we'll actually get to showcase one of her recent projects, one called "Impossible Journey", a short film that explores racial inequality in the healthcare system of the United State through metaphorical storytelling. Our conversation also involves Daniela sharing her thoughts on AI's growing role in storytelling and filmmaking in general. For her AI is both a tool and a challenge, a way to expand creative possibilities while also asking questions about authenticity, emotion, and human agency in the art of storytelling, and how this can be use to help our understanding of the varied narratives around our health. Key stamps from our conversation are below: 02:40 Transition from Nutrition to Filmmaking08:15 The Journey Through Africa10:25 Founding YUCA and Early Projects11:35 Healthcare and Filmmaking Intersection16:03 Impossible Journey: Concept and Execution18:46 Short Film: "Impossible Journey"29:26 AI in Storytelling and Filmmaking39:38 Future of Filmmaking and Healthcare47:43 Upcoming Projects