North of Patient

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. [https://open.substack.com/pub/northofpatient/p/episode-16-nina-maturu-designing?r=53lxdt&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true] 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 venture Key stamps from our conversation are below: 00:00 Welcome to Episode 1701:57 - Meet Dr. Jay Parkinson 04:01 - How Flickr, photography and the iPhone kickstarted Jay’s Journey 07:40 - Launching Hello Health: Early Days of Virtual Primary Care 13:24 - Using Tumblr to Build Planned Parenthood’s Digital Sex Ed Strategy 16:47 - Can You Use ChatGPT as Your Personal Therapist? 21:19 - Designing Healthcare Systems Amid Bureaucratic Barriers 26:03 - Establishing Continuous Care with Sherpaa’s Asynchronous Model 28:34 - Building from Scratch Versus Navigating Big Company Complexities 32:08 - Automate.clinic: Where Doctors Don’t See Patients – They Train AI Models 42:35 - Talking Less, Saying More: The Power of Asynchronous Communication 48:24 - The Growing Professional Depression Among Family Physicians and How Automate.clinic Is Making a Difference 53:00 - 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. [https://open.substack.com/pub/northofpatient/p/episode-16-nina-maturu-designing?r=53lxdt&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true] 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 16 02:42 Meet Nina Maturu: Innovation Strategist, Designer, and Futurist 03:33 Groundwork in Global Community Organizing & Participatory Design 06:36 Translating Human-Centred Design into Corporate Innovation 08:18 Integrating Community and Corporate Experience to Drive Social Change 09:40 From ARPA H to NASA: Nina’s Impact as a White House Presidential Innovation Fellow 14:10 The Role of a Designer at ARPA-H: Desirability, Viability, and Feasibility 19:46 Designing for the Distant Future with NASA 23:09 A Dual Lens Approach: Integrating Generalist and Expert Views in Design Consulting 26:26 Partnering with the United Nations Foundation: A Public Health Initiative in Haiti 30:02 Centering Lived Experience in Medicine 31:28 The Promises and Perils of Affectionate AI 37:06 Designing Restraint in a Rapidly Evolving AI Landscape 44:13 Anticipating AI’s Long-Term Effects on Society and the Environment 45:59 AI Persuasion Experiment: Can AI Bots Outperform Human Experts? 48:35 Determining Liability when AI Causes Harm 51:42 Beyond Doomsday: How AI Pushes Us to Imagine a New Future 58:10 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 [https://open.substack.com/pub/northofpatient/p/episode-15-amy-karle-a-journey-beyond?r=53lxdt&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true] 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. [https://www.amykarle.com/] Key stamps from our conversation are below: 00:28  Meet Amy Karle: Artist, Designer & Futurist 08:48  Evolving Medical Accessibility in the Digital Age 10:56  The Perils of Drowning in AI Agents 15:14 Merging Art, Technology, and the Quest for Human Enhancement 20:21 Using Fine Art to Enhance Medical Training 21:28 Beyond Art: Convincing People of the Technological Impact on Humanity 24:47 Navigating the Challenges of Displaying Bioart 26:07 From IBM to Bauhaus: Influences Shaping Amy’s Artistic Vision 30:22 Regenerative Reliquary: Could Biodesign Lead to Longer Lifespans? 33:54 The Symbiotic Relationship Between Art and Science 36:14 Reimagining Life's Mystery 37:03 Balancing Innovation with Caution 43:12 The Heart of Evolution 46:56 The Philosophical & Ethical Implications of Redesigning Life 57:34 Sending Art to the Moon: Echoes From the Valley of Existence 01:15:17 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 [https://open.substack.com/pub/northofpatient/p/episode-14-susannah-fox-rebel-health?r=53lxdt&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true]⁠⁠ 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 [https://susannahfox.com/rebel-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 disease [https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/4/12/e006434]BMJ Open2014;4:e006434. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2014-006434 Key stamps from our conversation are below: 00:27 Meet the Guest: Susannah Fox 02:04 Susannah’s Career Journey  04:13 Navigating Career Crossroads & Spotting the Future Through Tech Shifts 06:56Rebel Health: Insights from the Book 12:06 The Movement to Democratize Health Data 15:21 Overcoming the Challenges of Healthcare Innovation 18:39 Middle Management’s Role in Sparking Innovation 21:40 Major Milestones: Susannah’s Achievements as CTO  25:25 Ensuring Continuity in Healthcare  31:25 Empowering Patients Through Data Control 34:42 Battling Misinformation in the Health Space 44:55 The Future of Healthcare with AI Integration 55:31 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 [https://open.substack.com/pub/northofpatient/p/episode-13-dr-suzanne-gildert-the?r=53lxdt&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true]⁠ 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