Diabetes Pro Quarterly - Fall 2017 - 8

MEMBERSHIP NEWS

DiabetesPro Career Center
Find the latest jobs and high-quality job seekers in academic
research, endocrinology (MD, NP, RN, PA), pediatric endocrinology, and diabetes education. DiabetesPro Career Center is
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development tools for professionals working in the field
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View these jobs and more at professional.diabetes.org/
careercenter.
Endocrinology Physician - Beckley, WV
JOB ID #: 1819759

Raleigh General Hospital is seeking to expand its endocrinology
services for Beckley and the surrounding area. The practice is
conveniently located near the hospital campus affording easy
patient access to a variety of services.
Clinical Educator, Emergency Department/Clinical
Decision Unit, Columbus, OH
Job ID #: 1875190

The clinical educator provides consultation and education to
patients, families, staff, and physicians regarding the care of
patients, assumes a leadership role in issues relating to patient
care, and acts as a change agent to support institutional
initiatives.
Endocrinology Nurse Practitioner, Horseheads, NY
Job ID #: 1882539

The successful candidate will be responsible for the assessment of
patients' health status and the development and implementation
of appropriate treatment plans. A strong emphasis will be placed
on patient education.
Assistant Professor in Diabetes and/or Insulin Resistance
- Honolulu, HI
Job ID #: 1892266

The University of Hawaii School of Medicine is seeking a highly
motivated faculty member to work in the Diabetes Research
Center. Applicants who are senior postdoctoral fellows with
funding will be considered.

PROFESSIONAL NEWS

Investable Opportunities: Behavior Change and the Future of Diabetes

Last November, the American Diabetes Association convened a
group of executives with intimate knowledge of diabetes-related
technology and documented their insights into various diabetes
management challenges. The group discussed the challenge of
behavior change in diabetes management, as well as ways that
investors and the Association can help to increase the speed and
efficiency of health care innovation. The following narrative was
adapted from the discussion.

The Challenge of Behavior Change
Ruchita Sinha, Sr. Director of Investments,
Sanofi Ventures:

Patient incentives are crucial to behavior
change. We have all the technology we
need, but it's a last-mile problem. How
do you get under the skin of patients?
How do you really engage them? It
comes down to three main hurdles.
First, it's just boring to talk about your health. It's exciting to be
on Facebook and to talk about stories. So it needs to be more
fun, which could be achieved through gamification. We invest
in a company called Jiff that is trying to do exactly that. They're
dealing with corporate wellness programs, for which the uptake
rate is typically 3-4% of employees. Jiff has been shown to drive it
up to 30% in some cases.

The second hurdle is that today's world is used to instant gratification. If you put something on Twitter, you get x number
of likes or retweets right away. When you're managing your
health, it's harder to see that return on investment. So if I take a
few extra steps today, so what? I think Omada Health, a digital
behavior change program, is addressing that to a large extent by
providing more immediate feedback. There's somebody on the
other end of the phone or in your community who is saying,
"Great job. Let's do it again tomorrow."
And the third hurdle is that consumers don't want to pay for
their own health care, even if it comes down to purchasing
an app. We need to clarify the incentive. One example is what
Iora Health, a care team practice that leverages technology
and coaching for personalized care, is doing with primary
care. They're actually holding patients accountable, and they're
saying, "You've got to eat healthy. Let me take you to the grocery
store. Let me take you to a dialysis appointment." So the payer is
getting involved in handling some of those costs.
So again, I emphasize that the community should think about
not only technological approaches to improving health care, but
also closing the last-mile gap.
Ajit Singh, a general partner at Artiman Ventures:

Diagnostics make up only about 3% of
health care expenses, but the right diagnosis can eliminate 70% of the expense
downstream. So diagnostics can provide
a 25× return in health care. There is no
industry on the planet that has 25× return. So why not invest in diagnostics?
continued on page 9

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Diabetes Pro Quarterly - Fall 2017