Stakeholder Series: The Value of Health Tech – Q & A With…
Jacques Kpodonu, Faculty, Harvard Medical School and Cardiac Surgeon, Beth Israel Deaconess Med Center, US
Jacques Kpodonu shares his viewpoints on the value of health tech. Jacques’ focus is on healthcare innovation, cardiac surgery, capacity building, and health systems innovation. You’ll find more of Jacques’ interests and accomplishments within this Q & A sheet, but, you can also check out his Linkedin profile.
Q: What is the most disruptive innovation in health tech you’ve seen in the last couple of years?
A: I have been fascinated by advancement in robotics, artificial intelligence, advanced visualization technology, and virtual and augmented reality in medical education. I, however, believe that the power to use smartphones as digital tools for healthcare and digital health technologies are the biggest advances in the last few years that will enable whole populations with no access to healthcare (for example in Africa) to now have the ability with a smartphone to access telemedicine, telehealth, remote monitoring technologies, monitor their blood pressure or EKG (Apple 4 watch). https://www.linkedin.
Q: What is the technology you feel has the most potential for cardiac patients?
A: The advent of the transcatheter aortic valve (TAVR) which I am a pioneer of and have written books on has been a major advance in how we treat patients with aortic valve disease. We are now at a point where you no longer need open heart surgery to replace your aortic valve. Such advances in minimally invasive heart surgery have been made possible with evolution in advanced 3D imaging CT and echocardiography technology. Other noted technologies I am excited about: the use of genomics to predict who has heart disease, precision medicine https://
Q: How is the robotic operating room (a project you led for UCI) changing surgery? How is it impacting patient recovery and outcomes?
A: I was instrumental in building one of the world’s most advanced robotic imaging operating rooms when I was director of cardiac hybrid surgery at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach and faculty at UCI. We spent $6.7 million for such a room which had the latest 3D advanced imaging technology. We could incorporate catheter-based operations with robotic surgery operations to provide the most minimal invasive heart operations possible. https://www.linkedin.
Q: From your own experience in Ghana, what technologies are currently creating impact there? Where’s the future of health tech for countries like that?
A: As background, I was born in Paris, France to a French mother and a dad from Ghana. I do speak, reach, and have networks in France, Europe, and Africa. My biggest work to come would not be what I do at Harvard but what I envision doing in Africa–Africa, and particularly Ghana, where my dad comes from, is dear to me. Together with the Government of Ghana we are looking at deploying technologies at scale like drone technology for delivery of essential medicines (the most advanced in the world to date ) https://www.ghanaweb.com/
Q: If you could predict the most important advancement that could be made using tech for cardiac surgery in 10 years, what would it be and how would it impact that entire space (surgeons, surgery, patient outcomes, medical education, etc.)?
A: 3D printing in the next few years could revolutionize surgery. I can see a future where your own heart valve would be able to regenerate through the use of 3D bioprinting and regenerative medicine (stem cells). https://www.linkedin.
The future is bright in health tech……
(Stakeholder Series shares commentary of thought leader viewpoints.)