The Pulse by Wharton Digital Health

In this episode, I sat down with Dr. Rekha Kumar, Chief Medical Officer of Found. Found is one of the first telehealth startups focused on comprehensive obesity care. Since its founding, it has raised over $130 million and was valued at $600 million as of 2022. At the heart of their mission is combining medical treatment — including access to weight-loss medications like GLP-1s — with behavior change support to help people achieve lasting health outcomes.Dr. Kumar is a leading voice in the field of Obesity Medicine. She’s a board-certified endocrinologist, who served as the first Medical Director of the American Board of Obesity Medicine, and is currently a practicing clinician who serves as an associate professor at Weill Cornell.In this episode, we’ll dive into Rekha’s journey from clinical medicine to startup executive, what makes Found’s approach different, and her perspective on access, equity, and the future of GLP-1 therapies.

In this episode, I sat down with Caroline Xie, General Partner at ICONIQ Growth. ICONIQ Growth is the venture arm of ICONIQ, a leading investment firm backing exceptional technology leaders who are building category-defining businesses. Caroline leads investments in healthcare technology, and since joining ICONIQ, has helped manage over $1.7 billion in investments.We dive deep into her personal journey, her outlook on healthcare innovation in 2025 and beyond, and what ICONIQ looks for in founders. From navigating healthcare costs and workforce challenges to the revolutionary potential of AI in clinical settings, Caroline’s insights offer a front-row view into some of the most pressing and promising trends redefining the industry.

In this episode of The Pulse, I had the pleasure of speaking with Othman Laraki, the co-founder and CEO of Color Health - a company on a mission to transform cancer care through a digital-first, population-level approach. With a background spanning Google, Twitter, and a string of successful startups, Othman has spent the past decade building one of the most ambitious models in healthcare: a nationwide virtual cancer clinic focused on the entire spectrum of cancer care from prevention, catching cancer early, through survivorship.

In this episode of The Pulse, I had the opportunity to speak with Dr. James Lu, co-founder and CEO of Helix - a precision medicine company using genomics to power preventive care. With over $270 million raised and partnerships spanning major U.S. health systems, Helix is at the forefront of turning DNA into an actionable health asset.

In this episode of The Pulse, I sat down with Dr. Adam Wolfberg, Chief Medical Officer of Virta Health, a company pioneering a new approach to tackling metabolic disease. Virta Health has a mission to reverse type 2 diabetes and obesity through nutrition-first treatment and tech-enabled care. We discussed Adam’s unconventional journey from news reporter to startup exec, Virta’s science-backed outcomes, and why GLP-1s aren’t the only answer to America’s weight crisis.

In this episode, I sat down with Autumn-Kyoko (AK) Cushman, co-founder and CEO of ShiftRx, a platform using generative AI to transform pharmacy staffing. Backed by investors like Work-Bench, Inflect Health, Tau Ventures, and Opal Ventures, ShiftRx is tackling one of healthcare’s biggest challenges - staffing shortages - by empowering providers with more control, flexibility, and financial stability.AK’s path to founding ShiftRx is anything but conventional - she served as a hospital corpsman in the US Navy, worked in management consulting with the National Cancer Institute, and later joined IBM’s Watson Health. Her firsthand exposure to healthcare’s inefficiencies, combined with her co-founder Leann’s experience as a pharmacy technician, led them to build ShiftRx as a provider-first solution.AK and I discussed the founding story of ShiftRx, the root causes of provider burnout, and how AI can reshape healthcare staffing.

In this episode, I sat down with Michael Meng, co-founder and CEO of Stellar Health. Founded in 2018, Stellar Health is redefining value-based care delivery for primary care teams. Through Stellar's industry-leading micro-incentive platform, providers and their care teams using Stellar receive in-workflow prompts to close care and quality gaps efficiently. Every value-based care activity is rewarded monthly, real-time feedback loops are realized, and overall patient care is enhanced. By shifting the existing financial model, Stellar Health is ushering in a new era of shared accountability for primary care networks everywhere.Michael and I spoke about the evolution of Stellar Health, the successes and failures of value-based care to date, why so many people think the healthcare system is broken, and how recent innovations might be able to fix that.

Our guest on this episode is ⁠Jim Pursley⁠, President of ⁠Hinge Health⁠. Founded in 2014, Hinge Health is revolutionizing musculoskeletal (MSK) care by combining virtual physical therapy, wearable technology, and multidisciplinary care teams. Through AI-powered motion tracking, real-time exercise guidance, and personalized health coaching, Hinge Health is improving outcomes for patients while reducing healthcare costs. In the episode, Jim and I discussed: 1) The founding story of Hinge Health and key moments shaping its mission, 2) How Hinge Health integrates AI, motion tracking, and Enso technology to deliver remote MSK care, 3) Overcoming skepticism around virtual physical therapy and the challenges of scaling in a complex healthcare ecosystem, and 4) The future of healthcare innovation, including unified care models and AI-driven advancements

Our guest on this episode is ⁠Mike Uchrin⁠, Co-founder and CEO of ⁠Monogram Health⁠. Founded in 2019, Monogram Health is revolutionizing kidney care through its value based, in-home care model, improving outcomes for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) as well as related polychronic conditions. By integrating evidence-based clinical protocols and personalized care delivery, Monogram ensures that CKD patients receive comprehensive support directly in their homes. In the episode, Mike and I discussed: 1) Monogram’s value based, in-home care model for CKD and ESKD patients, 2) The importance of multispecialty care and evidence based protocols in improving patient outcomes, 3) Challenges of scaling nationwide while maintaining care quality, and 4) Innovations in kidney care, including genetic and pharmacological breakthroughs.

In this episode, I sat down with Dr. Neel Shah, Chief Medical Officer of Maven Clinic, the world’s largest digital clinic for women’s and family health. Dr. Shah is a practicing obstetrician and a visiting scientist at Harvard Medical School where he previously served as a professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology. Dr. Shah joined Maven in 2021 with a mission to expand and diversify women’s and family health practices. He is a big advocate for health equity and reproductive justice with numerous awards and media recognitions for his impact on maternal health in the United States. In this episode, Neel and I discussed: The fertility industry has evolved rapidly, with new technologies and a more inclusive approach to care outcomes and reducing overutilization. Health equity is a critical issue in women’s healthcare, and Maven is actively working to address disparities and provide culturally humble care. How Maven integrates cultural humility into its care delivery and medical practice design to ensure patients feel seen and heard. Maven’s expansion into Medicaid demonstrates its commitment to accessible and equitable healthcare for all.