FOCUS ON: Health Care Innovators
Passion, progress, hope – Innovators focus on overcoming major health care challenges Publisher’s Note: In line with our mission at Movers & Makers, we’re launching occasional features highlighting innovators – the “makers” – in a variety of industries. We start this feature introducing you to eight providers of innovative health care, including a practitioner who navigates around limitations presented by insurance, a physician whose chatbot identified thousands in
need of genetic testing, a surgeon who condenses cancer diagnosis and removal into one efficient procedure plus multiple advocates employing creativity and collaboration to foster more equitable healthcare outcomes. Thanks to our colleague at Cincinnati Cares, Katie Fiorelli, for coordinating and editing the responses. – Thom Mariner
Anita Shah
Burns C. Blaxall
Pediatrician, Assistant Professor, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Joining Forces for Children
Director, Precision Medicine, The Christ Hospital Health Network
Describe your job/role in 25 words or less: I’m a child advocate first and foremost. I believe that through advocacy I can improve the health and well-being of children in our community.
Describe your job/role in 25 words or less: Transforming health care delivery from “one size fits all” to an individually tailored approach that proactively develops prevention, detection and treatment plans.
What most interests you about your work? I am a physician, researcher and an advocate. As a researcher, I study how I can promote the health and well-being of children and their families. As a physician, I enjoy connecting with families and being their child’s doctor. Combining patient stories with my research helps direct and inform my work as a physician advocate. What’s the most exciting innovation or advancement you’ve been part of in the past year or two? Recent events, both the pandemic and the current social justice movement, have propelled meaningful dialogue on how systemic racism plagues our communities. It is incredibly powerful to see some long-standing institutions attempt to authentically engage with the community to help mitigate disparities. There is definitely still much work to be done, but the conversation has grown deeper, and I hope that this will provoke change towards developing more equitable communities. What frustrates you most about the state of health care in the U.S.? I firmly believe that health care, and access to it, is a human right. Many believe we have the best healthcare system in the world. Yet our results show we are far from the best. For example, we have the highest rates of infant and maternal mortality compared to other developed countries. But it is because of my belief that health care is a human right that I engage in the work that I do, and why I am passionate about changing and innovating within healthcare. If you could snap your fingers and change one thing about health or healthcare in Cincinnati, what would you change? I wish our healthcare system would be proactive instead of reactive. This to me, means we need a stronger investment into our public health and prevention infrastructure. Obviously, this has great implications during a pandemic, but even when there is no pandemic – illnesses, such as obesity or addiction, can and should be addressed before they begin. We need to invest more in these preventive efforts. What new skill or passion did you develop during the pandemic? I’d like to say I joined the breadmaking bandwagon, but I didn’t. Being more mindful and connecting with nature has been a respite for me. I did get a Peloton, so I guess I did join that bandwagon.
What most interests you about your work? The ability to “move the needle” in the delivery of health care. Steve Jobs said that “the only way to do great work is to love what you do,” and I honestly love what we’re doing to advance the delivery of proactive health care to all populations through The Christ Hospital Health Network. What’s the most exciting innovation or advancement you’ve been part of in the past year or two? Six months ago, we deployed an interactive “chatbot” which patients complete prior to their mammography visit to evaluate their hereditary cancer risk. In just six months, over 11,000 patients completed this evaluation and nearly 25 percent met national criteria to meet with our genetic counselors and/or advanced practice providers to evaluate their hereditary disease risk and develop more proactive prevention, detection and treatment plans for themselves and their families. Expanding this to our entire healthcare network will revolutionize our delivery of healthcare. Next up: genetic guidance for prescriptions. What frustrates you most about the state of health care in the U.S.? Our healthcare system is generally designed to be reactive, so we often struggle to treat diseases that are detected in their later stages. We can improve that with more proactive approaches to develop early prevention, detection and treatment plans. The disparity of health care delivery to diverse and underserved populations is also something we must collectively address. If you could snap your fingers and change one thing about health or healthcare in Cincinnati, what would you change? I’ll take the liberty of providing two: 1) Proactive evaluation of hereditary disease risk, particularly for cancer, cardiovascular disease and known genetic diseases. 2) Were you aware that adverse drug events are the fourth leading cause of death in the USA? A recent study found that one in five newly prescribed medicines would benefit from recommended genetic guidance; with that guidance nearly one in 10 would have resulted in an immediate change in dose or drug. We can do better on both of these points and are actively aiming to do so. How do you wind down or blow off steam following a workday? Slalom water skiing, cycling, downhill skiing, running … followed by discovering a new recipe for an amazing meal. Movers & Makers
JUNE 2021 17
