SmartHealth Podcast

Andrew Lake Wooten, founder of Wooten Consulting and a specialist in isotopes and radiopharmaceuticals, joins the show.With more than a decade of experience across isotope production, radiochemistry, GMP manufacturing, facility development and commercial strategy, Lake has worked across some of the most complex parts of the radiopharmaceutical supply chain. He previously led the development of Orano Med’s Indianapolis manufacturing site and now advises companies across the sector, teaches radiochemistry through Purdue University, and sits on the board of CyGen Alpha Systems.In this episode, we take a step back and explore the rapidly growing world of radiopharmaceuticals from the ground up — how they work, why they’re attracting so much attention in cancer care, and what still needs to happen for the industry to scale.We discuss:What a radiopharmaceutical actually is, and how radioactive isotopes can be used for both imaging and therapyHow drug molecules target cancer cells while carrying a radioactive “payload”Why radiopharmaceuticals have the potential to deliver highly targeted cancer treatmentThe importance of isotope choice — and why the “best” isotope is not always the one that gets usedWhy supply chain and commercial viability can influence scientific decision-makingThe race to develop and scale isotopes such as Astatine-211Why manufacturing and logistics are so different from traditional pharmaceuticalsThe challenge of working with products that begin decaying from the moment they are createdRadiation safety, regulation, GMP manufacturing and the complexity of getting therapies into patientsWhy Indiana has emerged as one of the world’s major hubs for radiopharmaceutical manufacturingThe infrastructure and workforce challenges that could determine how quickly the industry growsHow Lake helps companies enter the US market, scale facilities and avoid expensive strategic mistakesHis work with the Oncidium Foundation, a patient-focused organisation helping expand awareness and access to radioligand therapies, including coordinating isotope donations for patients in countries where these treatments may otherwise be unavailableA fascinating introduction to one of the fastest-moving areas of oncology, sitting at the intersection of nuclear science, drug development, manufacturing and patient care.https://www.linkedin.com/in/a-lake-wooten/https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlie-webb-a5605768/https://www.linkedin.com/in/sumair-gill-086a151a1/

Dr Michael Murphy, founder of Mortho, joins the show.Mortho’s mission is clear: to democratize orthopedic intelligence and make AI-powered surgical planning more accessible to the surgeons and patients who need it most.With a rare background spanning engineering, software development, machine learning, and orthopedic surgery, Michael is building technology from the inside out. His perspective is especially compelling because he’s not just building for clinicians — he is one.We discuss -How Michael’s early background in engineering and machine learning led him into medicine and ultimately orthopedic surgeryThe problem of implant identification and why revision surgery has historically involved a surprising amount of guessworkHow Mortho uses AI, imaging and workflow automation to support surgeons before, during and after surgeryWhy Michael made the platform free for most users, and his mission to democratize access rather than build a closed moatThe challenge of winning trust from skeptical surgeons in an industry flooded with new AI toolsWhy security, compliance and real clinical understanding matter just as much as the technology itselfThe differences between building for healthcare versus simply building cool technologyHow Michael thinks about compute costs, scalability, and keeping AI tools affordable over timeWhy he believes even failed startups can still push an industry forwardA fascinating conversation blending frontline clinical insight, technical depth, and an unusually thoughtful vision for the future of AI in orthopedics.https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlie-webb-a5605768/https://www.linkedin.com/in/sumair-gill-086a151a1/

Dennis Trujillo, founder of Mercurial AI, joins the show.Mercurial’s mission is bold: to democratize medical intelligence and bring explainable AI into cancer care.Growing up near Los Alamos, New Mexico, Dennis saw cancer devastate his family and community. With a PhD in physics and machine learning, he’s now channeling that experience into building tools that provide trustworthy, personalized insights for both patients and clinicians.We discuss –How Dennis’ background in physics and material science inspired Mercurial’s causal AI methodsCarePilot: a patient-facing app that connects directly to your health recordsOncoPilot: an AI-powered assistant for oncologistsThe challenge of integrating AI into clinical workflows without adding frictionGlobal ambitions for multilingual, voice-first healthcare AIBuilding in Chicago vs the coasts, and lessons from early fundraisingWhy Dennis wants Mercurial to become the “Google for healthcare”A conversation that blends science, personal mission, and the future of cancer care.https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennistrujillo/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlie-webb-a5605768/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/sumair-gill-086a151a1/https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlie-webb-a5605768/https://www.linkedin.com/in/sumair-gill-086a151a1/

To kick off our new season, we’re joined by Joseph Peterson, co-founder of Simbiosys, a company that’s breaking new ground in precision cancer care.Personalized care is the future, especially for cancer care, and Simbiosys' use of computational modeling and digital twins is one to watch.Joe’s journey is really impressive - from pouring silanes into concrete as a novice mason to now building digital replicas of tumors to guide life-saving treatment decisions.We discuss - How Joe's fascination with physical materials evolved into a passion for biology, supercomputing, and ultimately, transforming how breast cancer is diagnosed and treated.Product strategy, clinical impact, AI in the OR, and the unglamorous truths of real-world implementation.All things digital twins in cancer care and beyondThe startup's journey from concept to FDA engagementBuilding credibility in a high-stakes clinical spaceHow to balance scientific depth with startup speedIf you're curious about the future of personalized cancer care - or what construction and oncology have in common! - this one's for you.https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlie-webb-a5605768/https://www.linkedin.com/in/sumair-gill-086a151a1/

Stepping outside of your comfort zone is talked about a lot, but how many of us actually do it? You can be ‘succeeding’ by all common metrics, but are you happy? Fulfilled? Or is life passing you by?Tamanna Bembenek was enjoying a high-flying career at the intersection of healthcare and technology. Blending a scientific background with a passion for art, she flew through the ranks from regulatory through to key marketing leader for both GE and Phillips.Most people, enjoying such a career trajectory, would continue marching that path. After all, having a good job and seeing continual progress is the whole point, right? As we discuss on today’s show, Tamanna thought very differently. A philosophical thinker since childhood, she began asking herself the hard questions; questions that led her to making a monumental career change to shake things up.Tamanna and her husband moved to Mexico in 2020 to purchase the Mexico News Daily, with the bold ambition of transforming the media landscape over there. This comfort-zone-shattering decision has had profound implications on Tamanna’s life and only amplified the lessons she’s learnt over a storied life.Join us as we discuss - Tamanna’s background and the important of reading both fiction and non-fictionThe important of early mentors and how they shaped Tamanna’s love to scienceThe integration of art and science, and how Tamanna has applied both to great successTamanna’s definition of marketing, how to do it properly, and the correct approach in healthcareThe role in the inner guide/coach in healthcare - why are so many good people leaving healthcare? Can a new role of internal guide help employees as well as retain priceless knowledge?The importance of trusting the process, and always seeking the uncomfortableCulture - the different cultures at GE and Phillips, as well as the Mexican cultureThe significance of separating news from opinions and perspectives in mediaAnd much, much more! This is our most introspective, philosophical discussion to date. https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlie-webb-a5605768/https://www.linkedin.com/in/sumair-gill-086a151a1/

Dr Woojin Kim, CMIO of Rad AI, radiologist, serial entrepreneur and health AI thought leader joins the show.A perfect example of a clinician that bridges the gap between healthcare and technical innovation, Woojin began solving his own problems early. Combining a passion for technology - taught himself how to code! - with radiological expertise and an eye for solving problems, Woojin found that solving his own problems led to successful companies.Building and exiting 3 start-ups, including Montage Healthcare to Nuance Communications and Equium Intelligence to Rad AI, Woojin shares the core principles and lessons that have resulted in such success.Now CMIO at Rad AI, he's helping deliver innovative AI reporting technology to radiologists globally.We discuss - Woojin’s early life, teaching himself English and the obstacles he overcame to get into Brown and medical schoolWhy he chose the path of radiologyThe role of the Radiologist as a VendorThe different paths available to radiologists todayThe story behind Woojin’s start-upsRadAI and recent successFoundation models in healthcareAdvice to other companies buildinghttps://www.linkedin.com/in/woojinkimhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/charlie-webb-a5605768/https://www.linkedin.com/in/sumair-gill-086a151a1/

Chaitanya Gharpure, co-founder and CTO of Sully.ai joins the show.Sully's mission is 'one human, one doctor' i.e. every human on the planet should have access to a doctor when needed.They've recognised that doctors everywhere are overburdened with administrative tasks, tasks that take their attention away from what matters - the patient.Sully are utilizing AI to automate the most time-consuming tasks including patient notes, pre-screen assessments and writing clinical plans.We discuss - - Chaitanya's background, work at Google and transition into entrepreneurship- The company's vision: "One human, one doctor."- The experience finding the right co-founders- Foundation models in healthcare- Experience integrating with the clinical workflow- The steps they took to understand the problem- Chaitanya's advice to other foundershttps://www.linkedin.com/in/charlie-webb-a5605768/https://www.linkedin.com/in/sumair-gill-086a151a1/

Leander Markisch, co-founder of Floy, joins the show. Floy are a radiology AI start-up based in Munich and they’ve already achieved incredible success.  Millions of routine scans happen every year, but oftentimes early signs of disease are extremely difficult for radiologists to pick up. Floy’s solution utilises AI to combat this issue, alerting the radiologist of potential abnormalities in the scan, paving the way to more proactive care. What’s fascinating about Floy’s approach is their commercial strategy – their direct to patient approach puts the decision to use AI in the patient’s hands. Needless to say, this has been a huge success, with Floy picking up 14% of the German radiology market in their first 2 years.We discuss -- Leander's background and entrepreneurial mindset- The story that led him to Floy- The experience of building for healthcare as a newcomer- The importance of a patient-centric approach- How Leander learnt about AI without a technical background- The importance of seamlessly integrating into clinical workflow and how Floy do this- Floy's unique commercial approach- Plans for the futurehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/leandermaerkisch/https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlie-webb-a5605768/https://www.linkedin.com/in/sumair-gill-086a151a1/

Morris Panner, President of Intelerad and successful healthtech entrepreneur, joins the show.Morris has added huge value to the space across an impressive career, pioneering tech to improve medical imaging data access.He’s founded & sold two companies including Ambra Health to Intelerad, where he’s now President.We discuss -Morris's entrepreneurial journey and how solving a personal challenge led to the founding of AmbraThe critical role of technology, especially AI and cloud computing, in addressing global healthcare demands. Differences and similarities between the UK and US healthcare systemsThe importance of integrating smoothly with the clinical workflow & demonstrating clear ROIThe role Intelerad is playing in global healthcare & future plansMorris’ advice to budding leaders in the spacehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/morrispannerhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/charlie-webb-a5605768/https://www.linkedin.com/in/sumair-gill-086a151a1/

Kovey Kovalan, CEO & Founder of LifeVoxel joins the showLifeVoxel won Aunt Minnie’s Best New Radiology Vendor for 2023, utilizing GPUs to greatly enhance the capabilities of medical imagingKovey’s journey from aerospace engineering to medical imaging AI is a fascinating one - he spotted the potential for GPUs with vector processors whilst working in aerospace, and has applied similar techniques to commoditise GPU technology for the healthcare world.We discuss how LifeVoxel are opening up an affordable and effective use case of GPUs to massively improve data access and sharing, diagnostic process and patient outcomes.We also go into a huge passion of Kovey’s that is preventative treatment, and how radiology is the best place to pick up on illness earlier.Kovey’s path from aerospace engineering to healthcare technology.The moment that sparked the idea to use GPUs in medical imaging.A deep dive into how GPUs an revolutionize medical imaging.The advantages of using commodity hardware to reduce costs and increase accessibility in healthcare.Overcoming industry resistance to integrating AI into medical systems.Kovey’s vision for AI’s future role in preventive medicine and ongoing patient care.Kovey's advice to other founders on navigating the startup ecosystem, from ideation to scalinghttps://www.linkedin.com/in/charlie-webb-a5605768/https://www.linkedin.com/in/sumair-gill-086a151a1/