Patients as Partners in Cancer Research

What changes when patients become true partners in cancer research?On this episode of The Health Pulse, health care and pharma leader Steve Clark shares his journey from being diagnosed with Stage 4 colorectal cancer 13 years ago to becoming a patient advocate and research co-investigator.Drawing on his experience, Steve challenges researchers to involve patients throughout the cancer research process, from study design and protocols to how findings are communicated. He explains how genuine partnership can improve study outcomes and make research more practical and meaningful.Steve also reflects on the importance of honest communication and realistic hope. He discusses how AI may support diagnostics and make health information easier to understand. Finally, he shares how Thrive for Five and Beyond grew from a personal survival milestone into a global platform supporting patients and advocating for improved cancer care.

How can health systems improve outcomes while remaining financially sustainable?Dr. Eric Bricker, physician, entrepreneur and founder of AHealthcareZ, shares his perspective on the financial, operational and leadership challenges facing health systems today. He explores what it takes to shift from reactive care to proactive, value-based care. He also explains the critical role of incentives, accountability and financial risk in improving outcomes. The conversation also looks at the role of AI in supporting clinical decisions, improving efficiency and giving clinicians more time to spend with patients. Learn how leadership, technology and innovative care models can support value-based care and a more sustainable future for health systems.

Clinical trials provide critical answers, but they're only part of the story. In this episode of The Health Pulse, Aaron Berger and Dr. Massoud Toussi, real-world evidence executives at United BioSource (UBC), explore how the life sciences and health care ecosystem is moving beyond isolated snapshots toward continuous evidence generation. They discuss how organizations are building a more complete picture of treatment effectiveness, safety and patient outcomes in the real world. Electronic health records, connected devices, patient-centered research and global evidence networks are making that possible.Making this vision a reality requires data quality, interoperability, regulatory alignment and trusted evidence generation. AI is playing a growing role in research and analysis. It is creating new opportunities to accelerate evidence generation and uncover insights at a scale previously impossible. Ultimately, they share an optimistic vision for the future: one where real-world evidence, AI and modern data ecosystems help us learn faster, answer more questions and accelerate scientific discovery for patients who need new therapies most. 

Clinical trials are more complex than ever, but new models are emerging to improve how they’re designed and delivered. On this episode of The Health Pulse, host Alex Maiersperger sits down with Meri Beckwith, co-founder and co-CEO of Lindus Health, a company rethinking the traditional contract research organization model with a more outcome-focused approach to clinical research.Drawing on his experience as both a trial participant and industry innovator, Beckwith shares how aligning incentives, improving patient and physician experiences and using AI can accelerate studies and improve results. He introduces the concept of an “accountable research organization,” where success is tied to study milestones and outcomes, helping better align stakeholders across the clinical trial process. The conversation also explores how outcome-oriented approaches, adaptive trial designs and more efficient infrastructure can help bring treatments to patients faster while maintaining the rigor and trust that clinical research demands.Tune in to hear how fresh approaches to clinical trials are helping organizations improve efficiency, strengthen patient centricity and deliver meaningful impact across the health care ecosystem.

What if your ring knew you were getting sick before you did and could one day monitor chronic conditions around the clock? In this episode, Dr. Ricky Bloomfield, Chief Medical Officer of Oura, explores how continuous health monitoring with wearable devices is shifting health care from reactive treatment to early prevention. The Oura Ring can detect illness days before symptoms appear, from COVID to lymphoma to appendicitis, because earlier diagnosis can make all the difference. Rings are becoming the wearable of choice. By tracking meaningful metrics such as cardiovascular age and cumulative stress scores, people can act on what they see, adjusting diet, exercise and sleep habits and watching their health improve. Finally, Dr. Bloomfield unpacks what it will take for wearable data to be meaningfully integrated into clinical care. He also explores how AI is transforming the health care landscape, from Oura Advisor, an AI-powered tool that lets users query and understand their own health data, to AI-generated summaries designed to highlight the most important and actionable insights for doctors.

Contrary to historical processes, clinical trials do not have to be limited to large academic centers or homogeneous populations. On this episode, host Alex Maiersperger speaks with Dr. Mimi Fenton, CEO of Cedar Health Research, a community based clinical research organization using AI to bring trials into trusted local care settings.Drawing on her experience across academia, pharma, CROs and retail health, Dr. Fenton explains why access, education and patient support remain major barriers to participation. She discusses how Cedar embeds research into trusted community settings. The conversation also explores how AI and large language models help connect the right patients to the right trials while preserving the human relationships that drive trust and retention.

Up to 200 million people worldwide may be living with undiagnosed mild cognitive impairment – many unaware that early intervention could change their trajectory. In this episode, host Alex Maiersperger is joined by Marc Jones, CEO of Altoida, and Dr. Mona Flores of Altoida's Clinical Advisory Board to explore how AI and digital biomarkers are reshaping early detection of cognitive decline. Digital biomarkers register how the brain processes information, translating how brain networks function through the way we move, speak and remember. Altoida's platform tracks motor skills, speech complexity and memory recall, mapping them to data points to identify where brain function diverges from that of a healthy population. They also discuss how AI acts as a force multiplier, giving clinicians tools to spot trends, make informed decisions and spend more time with patients.

On this episode, Alex explores the role of synthetic data in health care and life sciences with Harry Keen, Co-Founder of Hazy, and Dr. Mark Lambrecht, Global Head of Health and Life Sciences Advisory at SAS. The conversation explores practical use cases for synthetic data in the health ecosystem as well as important limitations and considerations for ensuring security and governance.A core challenge for all health and life sciences organizations is the fragmented and decentralized nature of their data. Keen and Dr. Lambrecht agree that synthetic data can be used to remove barriers, improve efficiency and test approaches to extract more value from existing data, thereby driving innovation and enhancing patient outcomes. Tune in to hear their advice for all leaders interested in building or growing the utility of synthetic data for their organizations.

Is 2025 a pivotal inflection point for AI in health care? Dr. Connie Lehman, Co-Founder of Clairity, thinks so, and she has strong cause for optimism. Her organization’s software-as-a-medical-device product, Clairity Breast, recently received authorization from the Food and Drug Administration as the first AI platform that predicts a woman’s five-year risk of developing breast cancer.On this episode, Dr. Lehman shares her journey with Clairity, from the paper she read as a medical student that sparked the idea, to her experience navigating the new domain of image-based risk assessment with the FDA. Her current focus is on implementing the technology through education and advocacy.Dr. Lehman is passionate about advancing medicine toward risk assessment and disease prevention. Understanding risk empowers patients and their health care providers to choose the best path. Dr. Lehman envisions a future where image-based risk information is accessible and available to improve health outcomes for all.

Can AI empower the doctor-patient bond? Dr. Michael Suk, orthopedic surgeon, visionary leader and innovator, believes it can. In this discussion, he explores how AI can help to free up time for patients and speaks about the current AI adoption, highlighting its use in documentation and clinical decision support. He stresses the need for ethical AI solutions and for clinicians to be involved in the design of technological solutions. The conversation touches on the pioneering lifetime joint replacement warranty, illustrating how forging lasting partnerships can lead to improved outcomes, fewer complications and lower costs. Dr. Suk explains that the next evolution of health care demands a purpose-driven, holistic approach and explores how trust, connection and technology will intersect in the future. Tune in for this thought-provoking discussion that challenges the status quo and focuses on the doctor-patient bond.