Dr. Colin Banas is the Chief Medical Officer at DrFirst, a company focused on end-to-end medication management. Here's a summary of the key points from his interview:

Key Takeaways:

• DrFirst aims to get patients on therapy and keep them on therapy through frictionless medication management processes.
• The company uses data and AI to personalize patient experiences and improve medication adherence.
• DrFirst is focusing on optimizing the specialty medication experience, addressing challenges in prior authorization and transparency.
• Dr. Banas emphasizes the importance of augmented intelligence to assist clinicians and tackle administrative burdens.
• The company touches a quarter of all prescriptions in the United States, providing significant scale for impact.

Dr. Banas's journey into healthcare technology began when he co-founded the Office of Clinical Transformation at his previous hospital, aiming to improve the electronic medical record system. He later joined DrFirst to have a broader impact on medication management.

DrFirst uses data to measure the success of their interventions, tracking metrics such as adherence rates, time savings for healthcare providers, and improvements in patient safety. They're currently focused on addressing the growing complexity of specialty medications.

Looking ahead, Dr. Banas envisions using augmented intelligence to improve transparency and reduce administrative burdens in medication management, particularly for specialty medications.

About Dr. Colin Banas ----
Colin is an Internal Medicine Hospitalist and former Chief Medical Information Officer for VCU Health System in Richmond, Virginia. He has testified before the U.S. Senate and the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) on health IT and the Meaningful Use program, and is a former Health IT Fellow for the ONC.

His interests center on the role of big data and analytics on patient outcomes and on novel forms of clinical decision support that are outside the realm of traditional rules and alerts, including real-time dashboarding and intuitive usability designs. He also helped spearhead the VCU effort to participate in the Open Notes initiative, where patients have access to their clinical documentation in real time.

In 2017, Colin received the HIMSS-AMDIS award for Physician Executive of the Year from his peers. He earned a bachelor’s degree from University of Virginia, his M.D. from Eastern Virginia Medical School, and a master’s in Healthcare Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University.

A "glow up" signifies a positive transformation, reflecting the journey of becoming a better, more successful version of oneself.

At The Glow Up, we humanize the startup and innovation landscape by focusing on the essential aspects of the entrepreneurial journey. Groundbreaking ideas are often ahead of their time, making resilience and perseverance vital for founders and product leaders.

In our podcast, we engage with innovators to discuss their transformative ideas, the challenges they face, and how they create value for future success.

If you're a founder or product leader seeking your own glow up, or a seasoned entrepreneur with stories to share, we invite you to join our guest list via this link.

Adrian Rashad Driscoll is the CEO of Collimation and a top 100 XR expert focused on storytelling through immersive technologies. Here's a summary of the key points from his interview:

Key Takeaways:

• Driscoll emphasizes using XR technology to create impactful, empathetic stories rather than just for gimmicks.
• He developed "Footprints Through Time," an AR experience about the transatlantic slave trade, using volumetric capture and animation to create empathy.
• Collimation focuses on making technology invisible to let stories have visibility.
• Driscoll advocates for inclusive technology development and responsible AI use.
• He's working on making concerts more accessible through XR, aiming to provide the energy of a mega concert with the intimacy of MTV Unplugged.

Driscoll's journey into XR began 12 years ago as a contractor for Oculus. He founded Collimation to tell impactful stories using immersive technologies. A key project, "Footprints Through Time," uses AR to educate about the transatlantic slave trade, emphasizing empathy and understanding over confrontation.

Driscoll stresses the importance of narrative-first approaches in XR projects, often advising clients that photorealism isn't always necessary for impactful experiences. He aims to keep technology invisible, letting the story take center stage.

Looking ahead, Driscoll wants to scale up initiatives like the Scale Up Immersive program, which helped 30 companies enter the XR space. Collimation has recently opened its seed funding round after five years of bootstrapping.

About Adrian Rashad Driscoll Social Alchemist, VR Nerd, Executive Troublemaker

From the small city of Barstow CA, (yeah, the pitstop on the way to Vegas) Adrian Rashad Driscoll followed his dream of becoming a professional actor and moved to Los Angeles. Shortly after that, he was woken up. After 15 years of great weather and bad traffic, he now makes his living as a filmmaker
and Immersive Media creative.

He has had the privilege of working with large companies such as CBS, NBC, KTLA, The CW, Paramount, Facebook, Microsoft, United Way, and more to push the boundaries of immersive media whilst producing great XR titles and experiences.

In 2020, Adrian partnered with music legend Gimel “Young Guru” Keaton to form the immersive media production house, Collimation with a dedication to bridge entertainment with emerging media. In addition, Adrian teachesin multiple education programs around the world to bring more people into
immersive media.

He also teaches at the OYA & EAST education programs on multiple XR initiatives
geared towards education, entertainment, and medical research. His goal is to create opportunities for under-served communities and using said opportunities, to change their current trajectory. “French
fries” are the key to his heart.

A "glow up" signifies a positive transformation, reflecting the journey of becoming a better, more successful version of oneself.

At The Glow Up, we humanize the startup and innovation landscape by focusing on the essential aspects of the entrepreneurial journey. Groundbreaking ideas are often ahead of their time, making resilience and perseverance vital for founders and product leaders.

In our podcast, we engage with innovators to discuss their transformative ideas, the challenges they face, and how they create value for future success.

If you're a founder or product leader seeking your own glow up, or a seasoned entrepreneur with stories to share, we invite you to join our guest list via this link.

Nic Hill is the co-founder and head of the interactive department at Sawhorse Productions, a creative agency that focuses on innovative brand storytelling through immersive and interactive technologies.

Key Takeaways:

• Sawhorse evolved from a traditional film production company to a creative agency specializing in branded content and immersive experiences.
• The company leverages platforms like Roblox and Fortnite to create engaging, interactive brand experiences.
• Immersive technologies offer deeper engagement and longer interaction times compared to traditional marketing methods.
• Nic emphasizes the importance of providing value and authenticity in branded experiences, especially for younger audiences.
• Sawhorse's approach includes rapid prototyping and real-time feedback through community engagement.

Nic's journey began as a filmmaker in his youth, evolving through documentary production to founding Sawhorse Productions. The company transitioned from traditional video production to creating immersive brand experiences, particularly during the pandemic. Sawhorse now focuses on building 3D worlds and interactive experiences for brands, aiming to tell stories in more engaging and persistent ways.

Nic highlights the shift in marketing approaches, especially for younger audiences who value authenticity and engagement over traditional advertising. He emphasizes the importance of creating experiences that provide value to users, rather than just pushing brand messages.

Looking ahead, Nic aims to continue pushing the boundaries of brand storytelling through emerging technologies like augmented reality. He sees Sawhorse as a leader in this space and is committed to exploring new ways to connect brands with their audiences.

About Nic Hill

Nic Hill is the Co-founder and Head of Interactive at Sawhorse, a leading agency specializing in branded content and gaming. During his tenure, Nic has cultivated a dynamic team of leaders in the innovation space and has created immersive interactive experiences for some of the biggest brands, studios and agencies in the world.

He strives to push the envelope on interactive storytelling by blurring the line between film and gaming. Before this role, Nic was an independent film director / editor and created internationally acclaimed documentarie films. In his spare time he enjoys DJing, biking and spending time with his wife and two kids in Los Angeles.

A "glow up" signifies a positive transformation, reflecting the journey of becoming a better, more successful version of oneself.

At The Glow Up, we humanize the startup and innovation landscape by focusing on the essential aspects of the entrepreneurial journey. Groundbreaking ideas are often ahead of their time, making resilience and perseverance vital for founders and product leaders.

In our podcast, we engage with innovators to discuss their transformative ideas, the challenges they face, and how they create value for future success.

If you're a founder or product leader seeking your own glow up, or a seasoned entrepreneur with stories to share, we invite you to join our guest list via this link.

Amir Baradaran is the founder of Niloom, a company focused on making augmented reality (AR) content creation more accessible through a no-code platform powered by generative AI.

Key Takeaways:

• Current barriers to AR content creation include technical complexity, high costs, and time-consuming processes.
• Niloom aims to democratize AR creation by providing a no-code solution for the creative community.
• The platform integrates generative AI throughout the content creation workflow, from ideation to publishing.
• Niloom's goal is to improve the shortage of quality content in the AR/VR ecosystem by empowering more creators.
• The company is focused on rapid prototyping and user feedback to continually improve their platform.

Amir highlights the current challenges in AR content creation, noting that only about 230,000 people have created the majority of AR/VR projects worldwide. This scarcity is due to the technical expertise required, with tools like Unity taking 3-6 months to learn before even starting a project.

Niloom's platform aims to solve this by allowing creators to generate AR experiences through natural language prompts. Users can describe scenes, characters, and actions, with the AI interpreting and creating the content. The platform also offers the ability to add specific assets like 3D models, sounds, and visual effects.

Looking ahead, Amir envisions partnerships with hardware manufacturers to bundle Niloom subscriptions with AR devices. He also hopes to establish an artist residency program, inspired by his own experiences with companies like Metaio (now part of Apple).


About Amir Baradaran
Amir Baradaran is the founder & CEO of Niloom.ai - Prompt to AR/VR (formerly ABXR Engine), a groundbreaking Generative AI-powered content creation platform for spatial computing. Baradaran is also an artist, technologist, and scholar who specializes in artificial intelligence (AI) and spatial computing.

Baradaran was a leading lecturer in Spatial Computing at Columbia University, where Niloom was born. He is the guest editor for the “AI and Society” Academic Journal for a special edition on AI and the ArtSci Ecosystem. He also founded AnotherAI in Art: A global platform to decolonize the future of AI and artmaking (Partnership with the New Museum & NEW INC).

Baradaran is the recipient of Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio fellowship, Knight Foundation Arts Award, Canada Council for the Arts New-Chapter & 150th Anniversary Prize, UC Berkeley residency, International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality Future of AR Prize, and Morgan Stanley Pulse Art Fair grant.

He is a member of Columbia University’s Computer Graphics and User Interfaces Lab and the Digital Storytelling Lab. Baradaran is a TEDx speaker, and an invited presenter to His Holiness Dalai Lama’s World Headquarters for the Summit on Fostering Ethics and Compassion through Museums.

A "glow up" signifies a positive transformation, reflecting the journey of becoming a better, more successful version of oneself.

At The Glow Up, we humanize the startup and innovation landscape by focusing on the essential aspects of the entrepreneurial journey. Groundbreaking ideas are often ahead of their time, making resilience and perseverance vital for founders and product leaders.

In our podcast, we engage with innovators to discuss their transformative ideas, the challenges they face, and how they create value for future success.

If you're a founder or product leader seeking your own glow up, or a seasoned entrepreneur with stories to share, we invite you to join our guest list via this link.

Dr. Muhsinah Morris is the founder of Metaverse United, a professor, advocate, mom, and STEM innovator focused on lowering barriers to entry into the next iteration of the web, including extended reality technologies and AI-powered virtual worlds.

Key Takeaways:

• Metaverse United trains educators on using AI and XR effectively in education and developing metaverse culture.
• Dr. Morris works with the neurodivergent community, helping parents understand technologies their children interact with.
• She emphasizes the importance of inclusiveness for neurodivergent individuals in technology development.
• Dr. Morris is developing a faith-based VR app called Walk the Word to address mental health and spiritual needs.
• She advocates for responsible AI use and raising awareness about its impact on young people.

Dr. Morris's journey into technology advocacy began with her personal experiences as a neurodivergent individual and parent of a child with autism. She leverages her background in STEM and education to create inclusive technological solutions. Her work at Morehouse College's metaversity and with Metaverse United allows her to serve diverse demographics, from educators to families with neurodivergent children.

A key focus of Dr. Morris's work is helping the neurodivergent community navigate the digital world safely and effectively. She emphasizes the importance of understanding and setting guardrails for AI and other emerging technologies, especially for young users.

About Dr. Muhsinah Morris
Meet the first ever Metaversity Director, Dr. Muhsinah Lateefah Morris. She is a Morehouse Professor and Director of Morehouse in the Metaverse. She is a proud member of the inaugural HBCU IP Futures Collaborative: Powered by Michelson IP and inaugural HBCU Faculty Fellow for the Propel Center funded by Southern Company and Apple.

A BS chemistry graduate of the HBCU Clark Atlanta University. She obtained an MS & PhD from the Harvard of the South, Emory University in Biomolecular Chemistry. Dr. Morris has been part of and leading Morehouse’s Metaversity project since the Spring of 2021. She’s won awards for Teaching Excellence at Morehouse College, Best Emerging Technology and Innovation from CBRE, First Place Unconventional Innovation in Industry by T-Mobile, and Educator of the Year for 2022 by STEM Women Atlanta.

She resides in McDonough GA with her husband and five sons. One of her sons has autism and she advocates for the entire autism community as a member of the Community Advisory Council and advocacy Ambassadors for Autism Speaks. She’s a VR pioneer in education and is transforming learning globally. She is affectionately known as Dr. M.O.M. (Molder of Minds) by all her students.

A "glow up" signifies a positive transformation, reflecting the journey of becoming a better, more successful version of oneself.

At The Glow Up, we humanize the startup and innovation landscape by focusing on the essential aspects of the entrepreneurial journey. Groundbreaking ideas are often ahead of their time, making resilience and perseverance vital for founders and product leaders.

In our podcast, we engage with innovators to discuss their transformative ideas, the challenges they face, and how they create value for future success.

If you're a founder or product leader seeking your own glow up, or a seasoned entrepreneur with stories to share, we invite you to join our guest list via this link.

Dr. John Showalter is the Chief Strategy Officer at Linus Health, a company focused on early detection of cognitive impairment and dementia. They develop digital cognitive assessments and engagement tools to help people think about their brain health, get diagnosed, and receive lifestyle medicine suggestions.Key Takeaways:

• Linus Health modernized the Minicog test, making it more accurate and accessible for detecting mild cognitive impairment.
• Their digital assessment can be administered by medical assistants, making it easier to integrate into primary care visits.
• The company provides a Brain Health Action Plan to give patients agency over their brain health.
• Linus Health emphasizes the importance of early detection, as 30% of people over 65 have mild cognitive impairment.
• Their approach combines systematic inventive thinking with new technologies to address cognitive health.

Dr. Showalter's journey to Linus Health began with his background in internal medicine and informatics. He worked on various health IT projects, including predicting sepsis and detecting domestic violence in EHRs. His passion for dementia care was sparked by personal experience with his grandmother's rapid decline.

Linus Health's technology aims to catch cognitive issues early when interventions can be most effective. Their assessment tool is designed to be user-friendly and integrated into regular check-ups, potentially reducing the risk of dementia by up to 50% through early intervention.

The company faces the challenge of introducing new ideas about brain health and potential outcomes to both healthcare providers and patients. They focus on providing clear, actionable information and emphasize the importance of brain health alongside other routine health checks.

Looking ahead, Dr. Showalter envisions a future where brain health assessments are as common as blood pressure checks, and where early intervention can significantly impact cognitive health outcomes.

About Dr. John Showalter
John Showalter, MD, MSIS, is board-certified in internal medicine and informatics and serves as Chief Strategy Officer of Linus Health, a digital health company enabling early detection of Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Linus Health has won Time Magazine’s Best Inventions and Fast Company’s Innovation by Design awards for its work in bringing the power of digital cognitive assessments to PCPs. Dr. Showalter also practices medicine in Danville, Pa., with a focus on cognitive care and dementia prevention.

A "glow up" signifies a positive transformation, reflecting the journey of becoming a better, more successful version of oneself.

At The Glow Up, we humanize the startup and innovation landscape by focusing on the essential aspects of the entrepreneurial journey. Groundbreaking ideas are often ahead of their time, making resilience and perseverance vital for founders and product leaders.

In our podcast, we engage with innovators to discuss their transformative ideas, the challenges they face, and how they create value for future success.

If you're a founder or product leader seeking your own glow up, or a seasoned entrepreneur with stories to share, we invite you to join our guest list via this link.

Sandra Johnson is the Senior Vice President of Client Services at CliniComp, an EHR provider with 40 years of experience in the healthcare technology space. CliniComp is launching its first full EHR solution suite for the commercial market, focusing on providing integrated solutions that offer a holistic view of patient care across various healthcare settings.Key Takeaways:

• CliniComp's EHR system aims to provide a comprehensive, longitudinal patient record across all care settings.
• The platform incorporates real-time reports, alerts, and early warning dashboards for improved clinical decision-making.
• CliniComp is expanding beyond inpatient care to include ambulatory, ancillary, and revenue cycle management services.
• The company focuses on bringing superior technology at a more affordable price point to underserved communities, such as rural and critical access hospitals.
• CliniComp emphasizes the importance of integrating AI and telehealth components to enhance care accessibility and efficiency.

Sandra highlights the evolution of EHR systems from administrative tools to comprehensive platforms that enable better patient care. CliniComp's approach includes incorporating intrinsic AI to automate workflows and streamline processes, making it easier for healthcare providers to access and utilize patient data effectively.

The company's experience with the Veterans Administration has informed their development of robust telehealth and remote patient monitoring capabilities, addressing the needs of patients in rural or remote areas. This focus on accessibility and comprehensive care aligns with the broader industry trend of using technology to reduce barriers to healthcare access.

Sandra emphasizes the importance of customer feedback and rapid iteration in product development. CliniComp's agile approach allows them to quickly incorporate user insights and evolve their product to meet changing healthcare needs.

About Sandra Johnson
As Senior Vice President of Client Services, Sandra Johnson is responsible for delivering healthcare IT solutions and managing the customer experience to ensure CliniComp’s technology is continuously evolving to meet the changing needs within the healthcare community. Sandra oversees all aspects of the customer lifecycle including account & project management, application support, clinical services, cybersecurity, and learning & development for our global customer base.

Sandra Johnson is known for her understanding of today’s healthcare challenges and partnering with customers to provide innovative solutions that address their challenges. She shares the organization's passion for continuous innovation and improvement and has played an integral role in developing our System as a Service model.

This approach takes the burden of implementation and sustainment off the customer as CliniComp takes responsibility for all aspects of the system from configuration and testing to installation, training, optimization, maintenance, and 24/7 support.

A "glow up" signifies a positive transformation, reflecting the journey of becoming a better, more successful version of oneself.

At The Glow Up, we humanize the startup and innovation landscape by focusing on the essential aspects of the entrepreneurial journey. Groundbreaking ideas are often ahead of their time, making resilience and perseverance vital for founders and product leaders.

In our podcast, we engage with innovators to discuss their transformative ideas, the challenges they face, and how they create value for future success.

If you're a founder or product leader seeking your own glow up, or a seasoned entrepreneur with stories to share, we invite you to join our guest list via this link.

Special Mini-Series From HLTH 2024
The healthcare industry accounts for nearly one third of the USA's GDP and yet all Americans can agree that the system is ripe for innovation, heck even just plain 'improvements' would be great.

So, I took Awesome Future to HLTH 2024, one of the largest yearly gatherings for healthcare technology professionals and innovators. As part of the Like A Girl Media podcast network we recorded these four interviews on the show floor, direct from Media Central, to dive into the state of innovation in health IT and startups.

We'll share two episodes starting Thursday, December 19th and two more starting on the 26th. If you enjoy these episodes, could you share them with a friend?

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Dr. Allen Gee is a neurologist, neuroscientist, and innovator who leads the Wyoming Health Innovation Living Lab (WHIL).

Key Takeaways:

• WHIL focuses on vetting and operationalizing healthcare technologies, particularly in neural health.
• Dr. Gee aims to address the devastating impacts of cognitive decline through early detection and intervention.
• The lab uses innovative technologies to assess mobility, cognition, speech, and vision to predict health trajectories.
• Dr. Gee emphasizes the importance of personalized, precision neural health to improve overall wellbeing.
• WHIL is helping to develop and clinically test tools that identify cognitive decline early and empower individuals to manage their health.

Dr. Gee's work at WHIL involves partnering with companies to test and implement healthcare technologies. He focuses on neural health, aiming to enhance cognition and mobility to help people live independently longer.

The lab uses cutting-edge technologies to assess various aspects of health, including speech analytics and vision system digitization.Dr. Gee emphasizes the concept of "neurohealth," which encompasses the entire nervous system and its interaction with the world.

He advocates for a holistic approach to health, focusing on sleep, nutrition, movement, and mindfulness. His goal is to use technology and data to provide personalized insights and interventions that can improve overall health outcomes.

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About Allen GeeMD, PhD, FAAN
Dr Gee is a board-certified neurologist and founder of Frontier NeuroHealth, a private neurology practice with clinics throughout Wyoming.

Dr. Gee also holds a PhD in Psychoneuroimmunology, the study of how your immune system and your central nervous system interact.

With a passion for using technology to improve patients’ lives, Dr. Gee designed WHILL to be an innovation ecosystem that is clinically-integrated and equipped to support the needs of technology companies that are developing, expanding, or launching disruptive healthcare solutions.

Dr. Gee is also founder of Optimal NeuroHealth which pr

A "glow up" signifies a positive transformation, reflecting the journey of becoming a better, more successful version of oneself.

At The Glow Up, we humanize the startup and innovation landscape by focusing on the essential aspects of the entrepreneurial journey. Groundbreaking ideas are often ahead of their time, making resilience and perseverance vital for founders and product leaders.

In our podcast, we engage with innovators to discuss their transformative ideas, the challenges they face, and how they create value for future success.

If you're a founder or product leader seeking your own glow up, or a seasoned entrepreneur with stories to share, we invite you to join our guest list via this link.