Life sciences policy council helping to drive change, create new relationships and create a community of those who want more innovation and access to medicines, biopharmaceutical solutions and medical devices.
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Today, HHS announced a major new multi-million-dollar pilot program that has the potential to transform the prevention of Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses in America. Visit hhs.gov/lyme for more info.
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Sustainable & Scalable Implementation of Innovation in Mental Health<>Systems Level We all recognise the scale of the mental health challenge, but less often do we agree on what a scalable, sustainable population-level response looks like, one that leaves no one behind. Over recent years, digital mental health innovation has surged with mobile connectivity, AI tools, peer-led supports and digitally enabled care pathways offering enormous promise. Yet too many promising interventions stall as isolated pilots, never translating into durable, nationally owned systems. That is why eMHIC is proposing focused initiatives in eMHIC strategic partner countries to strengthen the implementation in a coordinated manner that turns innovation into impact. Funding alone is not enough; countries need governance, financing pathways, workforce capacity, lived-experience leadership, regulation, and cross-sector coordination to embed digital approaches safely and equitably at scale. eMHIC's proven approach centres on curated, invitation-only cross-sector Roundtables with a laser-sharp focus to get it right by design. These Roundtables drive rapid situational analysis, co-design national Digital Mental Health Frameworks, investment-ready financing packs, and practical implementation roadmaps. Lived experience will be integral to design and decision-making, not token consultation, but genuine partnership shaping governance, safety, equity, and adoption pathways. Thank you for being part of this community. I look forward to sharing progress and learning together as we work to turn the digital mental health promise into lasting, population-level impact. Image Citation: Buragohain, Dipima & Khichar, Sunita & Deng, Chaoqun & Meng, Yahui & Chaudhary, Sushank. (2025). Analyzing metaverse-based digital therapies, their effectiveness, and potential risks in mental healthcare. Scientific Reports. 15. 10.1038/s41598-025-00916-4. To read more about DMH updates from around the world from eMHIC please click - https://lnkd.in/e4KcNDae Professor Miranda Wolpert Megan Jones Bell Catherine Pollard Kana Enomoto Erica Hutchins Coe John Boyd, PsyD, FACHE brian hepburn M Tasdik Hasan Fennie Wiepkema Nimesh Patel Philip Grady Weng Mooi Tan John Torous, MD MBI Steven Locke, MD Dr. Sandeep Vohra Vijayakumar Seethapathy Senator Katherine Hay ICD.D David Segal Hailey Hechtman Niki Legge Raksha Manaktala Bhayana
Congratulations! We look forward to hearing from the FDA's Director of the Digital Health Center of Excellence, and CDRH senior leader, Rick Abramson, MD, MHCDS, FACR on June 11 at our June Summit.
Happy 50th Anniversary, CDRH! On May 28, 1976, the Medical Device Amendments were signed into law — a landmark moment that transformed how the United States regulates medical devices and protects patients while advancing innovation. Before 1976, the FDA had limited authority over medical devices. The Medical Device Amendments changed everything by establishing a three-tier classification system (Class I, II, and III) for medical devices, creating the 510(k) and Premarket Approval (PMA) pathways, and empowering the FDA to ensure devices are safe and effective before they reach patients. The Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH), as we know it today, has worked tirelessly to bring safe, effective, and innovative medical devices to the patients who need them. Fifty Years of the Medical Device Amendments. Fifty years of protecting patients. Fifty years of innovation. Here's to the next 50! https://lnkd.in/e3HS5fXJ
A great collaboration - we are excited to have Philips onboard and helping to make the case for improving the environment for life-sciences innovators which helps patients of all ages. #medtechinnovation The Walt Disney Company
It all started with a phone call decades ago. Walt Disney called Philips about lighting for Disneyland. That relationship continues to stand the test of time. Today, in collaboration with The Walt Disney Company, we’re introducing beloved Disney stories and characters into Philips Ambient Experience for MRI to help young patients feel more at ease during scans. Following successful pilots in Europe, Philips Ambient Experience with Disney themes is rolling out to hospitals across 87 countries worldwide. Click the link in the comments to learn more about how this collaboration can make a difference when it comes to how care is delivered.
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This is worth a read - especially as Ebola is now regularly in the headlines. There are innovative vaccines platforms that address some of the key concerns by some about past vaccines. The article makes important points for policymakers to consider as they discuss the best ways to boost preparedness, encourage vaccine innovations, promote transparency while respecting the physician-patient relationship. Excerpt: "America’s biodefense strategy should therefore encourage a diversified portfolio of vaccine technologies, including next-generation adenoviral systems being advanced in leading academic and biotechnology laboratories today. The goal is not to replace mRNA science, but to avoid becoming overly dependent upon it. The world already knows adenovirus-based Ebola vaccines can work. The next question is whether modernized versions can work even better. Before the next outbreak grows larger, policymakers should make sure that question receives urgent attention." https://lnkd.in/eYs8QkgM
Congratulations We at WHIC are so fortunate to have Sherif Zaafran, MD, FASA as part of our Council and his reflections, perspective and analysis always adds greatly to our discussions with senior policy leaders.
Honored and humbled to have been reelected to the Board of Directors of the Federation of State Medical Boards. Its mission is to promote patient safety and improve the quality of healthcare by providing leadership, education, advocacy, and resources to state medical boards in licensing and disciplining physicians.
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This Memorial Day, HHS honors the brave service members who gave their lives in defense of our nation and remembers the families who carry their legacy forward.
Great to see this post from our newest member - Helio Genomics. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)’ Rural Health Transformation initiative has been a big part of several WHIC roundtables. We were honored to have a senior member of Governor Ron DeSantis’ team who is managing the Florida effort join our WHIC Florida Summit in West Palm Beach earlier this year. Look forward to having a representative from the Collaborative join our next meeting. Thanks Bharat Tewarie for introducing us to your Microsoft colleague at your recent The Netherland-America Foundation event in Boston.
Excited to announce our important collaboration with the Rural Health Transformation Collaborative, co-chaired by Microsoft. Helio Genomics, a member of Microsoft for Startups, is proud to contribute to the Rural Health Transformation Collaborative. Together, we are working to expand access to earlier detection for at-risk patients in underserved rural communities. Liver cancer is one of the fastest-growing causes of cancer deaths in the United States, yet the five-year survival rate remains only about 20%, largely because most cases are detected too late. This is a preventable tragedy, but only if we reach patients in time. Today, fewer than 20% of high-risk patients receive recommended surveillance. In rural communities, the challenge is even greater, with long travel distances making consistent screening difficult. Early detection changes outcomes. The CLiMB study, the largest prospective, multicenter U.S. trial of its kind, was published in the Journal of Hepatology on May 6, 2026. It demonstrated that HelioLiver can detect liver cancer at these critical early stages. Through this collaboration, we aim to bring more accessible, effective surveillance approaches directly into rural care settings. Helio Genomics is developing an epigenomic, blood-based solution designed to enable earlier detection of liver cancer and close the gap in access to care. For patients, this is transformative. Earlier detection enables more high-risk individuals with cirrhosis to access life-extending and potentially curative therapies, dramatically improving survival rates and quality of life. Rather than facing limited options in advanced disease, they now have a reliable, simple blood-based tool that gives them a real fighting chance. David Rhew, M.D., Co-Chair of the Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Collaborative and Global Chief Medical Officer & VP of Health and Life Sciences at Microsoft, said: “The RHT Collaborative is designed to create a future where every rural community has access to high-quality, technology-enabled healthcare. By supporting innovative approaches and care models, collaborations like this help improve access and outcomes for the communities that need them most.” As Bharat Tewarie, CEO of Helio Genomics, shared: “For patients in rural communities, this collaboration represents a step toward more accessible early detection and better outcomes.” Every patient at risk deserves that chance. 👉 To learn more about Helio Genomics and our work in early detection: https://heliogenomics.com/ 👉 For more information about the #RHTCollaborative and how it supports U.S. states in achieving rural health goals, please reach out to the RHT Collaborative co-chairs: Kyu Rhee, MD, MPP — National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) Brittany Sachdeva — Cibolo Health James Mault, M.D., FACS — BioIntelliSense, Inc. David Rhew, M.D. — Microsoft #RuralHealth #LiverCancer #EarlyDetection #HealthEquity #HelioGenomics #Microsoft
The Washington Health Innovation Council is excited to welcome Helio Genomics, an AI-driven healthcare company on a mission to save lives by developing technology that can detect cancer early from a simple blood draw. As advances in genomics and diagnostic technologies continue to transform healthcare, Helio Genomics plays an important role in shaping the future of personalized medicine and patient care. Their expertise and engagement will add valuable perspective to WHIC’s ongoing conversations at the intersection of healthcare, innovation, and public policy. Thanks to Dr. Bharat Tewarie, CEO, for his leadership and involvement with WHIC. We are grateful to have Helio Genomics join our community of leaders working to advance meaningful collaboration across the healthcare ecosystem. Check out this article about Bharat and Helio Genomics, discussing the growing role of AI-driven cancer detection and innovation in advancing patient care: https://lnkd.in/gzsT4NpN