The Digital Therapeutics Alliance, an industry group advocating for the adoption and understanding of evidence-based digital health treatments, has named its new Board of Directors. Representing handful of different digital therapeutics stakeholders, those named are set to hold their positions for a two-year period.
Along with Megan Coder, the group’s executive director, the board consists of: Peter Hames, cofounder and CEO of Big Health; Anand Iyer, chief strategy officer of WellDoc; Pierre Leurent, founder and CEO of Voluntis; Eddie Martucci, CEO of Akili Interactive; Debra Reisenthel, founding CEO and board member of Palo Alto Health Sciences; Joris Van Dam, head of digital therapeutics at Novartis; and Chris Wasden head of HappifyDTx at Happify Health.
“When DTA launched in 2017, the conversation was focused on how digital therapeutics would be defined and work alongside other evidence-based therapies,” Coder said in a statement. “Through the work of DTA’s board and members, the conversation has evolved to: ‘How do these products address underserved populations and conditions? What clinical interventions and outcomes are delivered in real world settings? How is value achieved and quantified for patients, clinicians and payers?’”
Verily has tapped ex-Tesla exec Deepak Ahuja as its next CFO, CNBC first reported. According to Ahuja’s Linkedin, he left his CFO position at Tesla in March of 2019, and since then has been working as a senior advisor to the Capricorn Investment Group.
His prior experience is primarily focused on the auto industry. Before moving to Tesla, he worked for Ford.
"I am very excited to embark on this journey with the Verily team to support the vision of significantly reducing healthcare costs with a preventive approach," Deepak said in a statement. "The healthcare industry, much like the transportation industry when I first joined Tesla, is on the cusp of a new wave of transformation. The combination of very diverse skill sets and vertical integration of innovative technologies puts Verily in a unique position to deliver on the shared goals of many: better, less expensive care for many people."
Bardy Diagnostics, maker of an adhesive ambulatory cardiac patch for remote monitoring, has announced Ed Vertatschitsch as its new COO. Formerly a VP and general manager at Varian Medical Systems, he will be in charge of operations, R&D and regulatory and quality affairs efforts at the diagnostics company.
Vertatschitsch brings a wealth of operational and development experience across the spectrum from early-stage to large-sized companies,” Dr. Gust Bardy, founder and CEO of Bardy Diagnostics, said in a statement. “We are thrilled to have him join our team as we continue to expand our product line and rapidly broaden our customer base.”
Other new appointments within the company include Cristina Gutierrez, formerly of iRhythm Technologies, as the new VP of market development and training; Liz Mynhier, formerly of Medtronic and Biotronik, as VP of clinical services and customer experience; and Brit Baird, formerly of EKOS Corporation, as VP of regulatory affairs and quality assurance.
Last week Sapphire Digital, formerly known as Vitals, named Kyle Raffaniello as the next CEO. Raffaniello was serving as the interim CEO before winning the permanent gig. She has been with the company since 2014, starting as the chief strategy and marketing officer. She has been in the health industry for some time, previously working for New Directions Behavioral Health and ValueOptions, according to her Linkedin.
“Sapphire Digital is looking forward to a high growth year, as we see more Americans using our tools to make more intelligent, informed care decisions,” Raffaniello said in a statement. “In 2020, Sapphire Digital will continue to build on our successes; strengthening our long-tenured partnerships, further expanding our footprint and leadership in the industry and helping more consumers shop for high-value care.”
Earlier this week digital therapeutic company MedRhythms announced its plans to establish a multiple sclerosis (MS) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) advisory board. Serving on the MS board will be Dr. Francois Bethoux, the director of rehabilitation services at the Mellen Center for MS at Cleveland Clinic, and Dr. John DeLuca, senior VP for research and training at the Kessler Foundation.
The first members of the PD board will include Dr. Bastiaan Bloem, co-director for Parkinson’s Net; Dr. Ray Dorsey, director of the Center for Health Technology at the University of Rochester; and Dr. Alexander Pantelyat, the direct of the Atypical Parkinson’s program at Johns Hopkins.
Israel-based DarioHealth, maker of a glucose management system, has named Richard Anderson as its next president and general manager of North America. This move comes after Anderson spent 10 years at Catasys Inc. His work experience also includes serving as CFO at a biotech company and a venture consulting firm.
"I am excited to join DarioHealth, which has established itself as a leader in the digital health market during this period of explosive growth," Anderson said in a statement. "I was attracted to working with DarioHealth given its unique capabilities in delivering cost-effective personalized evidence-based, digital therapeutic interventions across the chronic condition spectrum. With a platform that drives high customer engagement and clinical efficacy, DarioHealth is well-positioned to lower healthcare costs across the system. I believe in DarioHealth's ability to drive value by providing payers, providers, and consumers the tools, technology, data analytics and support needed to manage chronic conditions every day. I look forward to working alongside DarioHealth's leadership team and building on these initiatives to drive future growth."
