Episode 35 - Senan Ebrahim, MD, PhD, CEO at Delfina

Welcome back for Episode 35 of the Digital Health Heavyweights Podcast! 🎙️

 Today, Norm sits down with Senan Ebrahim, MD, PhD,  Founder and CEO of Delfina. Dr. Ebrahim discusses his journey in using technology to improve global health, particularly in the field of maternal health. He shares his inspiration for getting into healthcare, the challenges he witnessed in prenatal care, and the importance of data-driven clarity and certainty in healthcare. Dr. Ebrahim also talks about his previous venture, Hikma Health, and the accomplishments he is proud of. He highlights the inequities in maternal care and how Delfina is working to solve them by partnering with Medicaid plans and community-based organizations. Delphina is focused on solving the maternal health crisis by using data and AI to provide intelligent pregnancy care. One major challenge in the healthcare industry is the data infrastructure, which is often outdated and not interoperable. Delphina aims to provide a maximally interoperable platform that can pull in and deliver data to health plans and providers. The company is committed to using AI and machine learning to improve outcomes in obstetrics and pregnancy care. The typical experience for a Delphina member includes onboarding through the app, tracking symptoms and vital signs, and engaging with human doulas. The goal is to empower pregnant patients and provide personalized care. Delphina's future plans include deepening its impact, rigorously measuring outcomes, and scaling to reach every pregnant patient in the United States. 

Takeaways

🌍 Using technology to improve global health, particularly in maternal health, is a passion for Sanan Ibrahim.
💡 Data-driven clarity and certainty are crucial in healthcare to provide better care for patients.
🏥 Hikma Health, Sanan's previous venture, aimed to provide digital health solutions for refugees and vulnerable populations.
⚠️ Inequities in maternal care, particularly among Medicaid patients, are a public health crisis that needs to be addressed.
🤝 Delfina is working to solve these inequities by partnering with Medicaid plans and  community-based organizations. The data infrastructure in healthcare is a major challenge, and Delphina aims to provide a maximally interoperable platform to address this issue.
🤖 Delphina uses AI and machine learning to improve outcomes in obstetrics and pregnancy care.
📱 The typical experience for a Delphina member includes onboarding through the app, tracking symptoms and vital signs, and engaging with human doulas.
🌟 Delphina's future plans include deepening its impact, rigorously measuring outcomes, and scaling to reach every pregnant patient in the United States.


Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background
08:24 Founding Hikma Health and Accomplishments
14:36 Early Years of Delfina
29:34 The Delphina Member Experience
38:39 Traits of Successful Founders
46:53 Future Plans for Delphina

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