Best Jason Kern Podcasts (2025)

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The Future of Healthcare Payments: CMS Chief of Staff Stephanie Carlton 26:53

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5d ago26:53

26:53

A labor and delivery nurse who ran Senate healthcare policy now manages $1.7 trillion in federal health spending—and she runs her team like a startup. Steph Carlton, Chief of Staff and Deputy Administrator at CMS, reveals the OKRs driving Medicare and Medicaid, why they're killing social determinants funding while building consumer health apps at s…

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How to Build This Generation's Big Pharma Company 41:04

12d ago41:04

41:04

Drug discovery has doubled the flow of candidates, but approvals remain roughly flat. The constraint is development, not discovery. In this episode, a16z General Partner, Jorge Conde talks with Formation Bio cofounder and CEO Ben Liu about building a modern pharma company around clinical execution. They discuss Formation Bio’s hub-and-spoke model f…

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CVS Health: Building Healthcare’s Consumer Platform 27:53

19d ago27:53

27:53

Josh Weiner left Meta to return to CVS Health with two painful realizations: consumers don't manage their health—they expect it, and the healthcare market fundamentally violates every principle of economics. In this conversation with a16z's Julie Yoo, the CVS Senior VP explains why 50% of Americans can't afford a healthcare emergency, how CVS is be…

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Dyno Therapeutics: Empowering Patients with Genetic Agency 47:28

22d ago47:28

47:28

For the first time in human history, we can diagnose thousands of genetic diseases—often for under $1,000—but we still can't treat most of them. The problem isn't understanding what's broken; it's delivering the fix to the right cells. Eric Kelsic, CEO of Dyno Therapeutics, joins a16z's Jorge Conde to explain how AI-designed protein shells are solv…

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Value-Based Oncology at Scale: Inside Thyme Care 41:16

2M ago41:16

41:16

Cancer care in the U.S. costs over $250 billion each year, and nearly 2 million Americans receive a new diagnosis annually, yet too often the journey begins with silence: no call, no plan, no guide. In this episode, a16z’s Vineeta Agarwala and Jay Rughani talk with Thyme Care leaders Robin Shah (cofounder and CEO), Bobby Green, MD (president and CM…

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The Consumer Becomes the Payor: How ICHRA Unlocks a New Era in Healthcare 28:05

4M ago28:05

28:05

In this episode, Julie Yoo and Jay Rughani are joined by Thatch cofounders Chris Ellis and Adam Stevenson to explore why ICHRA—a more recent policy innovation—might quietly revolutionize employer-sponsored health benefits. Unpacking the surprising history of how U.S. healthcare became entangled with employment, they make the case for a defined-cont…

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Engaging the Unengaged at Home with Max Cohen and Cameron Behar 22:32

4M ago22:32

22:32

In this episode, Sprinter Health co-founders Max Cohen and Cameron Behar sit down with Julie Yoo to unpack how their home-based care model reaches underserved populations and reintegrates “the unengaged” into the healthcare system. From starting with blood draws in living rooms to scaling a high-complexity, tech-enabled logistics platform, they sha…

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Streamlining the Patient Referrals Chain with Trey Holterman 19:53

5M ago19:53

19:53

In this episode, Tennr cofounder and CEO Trey Holterman sits down with a16z’s David Haber and Jay Rughani to unpack one of healthcare’s most overlooked pain points: patient referral logistics. When a patient is referred to a specialist and told that the specialist will follow up with them, what happens next? A convoluted system sometimes involving …

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From Chaos to Clarity in Data with Malinka Walaliyadde 23:23

6M ago23:23

23:23

What if one of healthcare’s most complex administrative challenges—revenue cycle management—was reframed as a data science problem? In this episode, Malinka Walaliyadde, cofounder and CEO of AKASA, joins Julie Yoo to unpack how large language models have the potential to transform hospital revenue by automating highly nuanced coding and billing wor…

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Superaging with Eric Topol 42:42

6M ago42:42

42:42

What if we stopped trying to cure disease and started preventing it instead? In this episode, Eric Topol, founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute and a cardiologist, scientist, and author, joins a16z general partner Vijay Pande to unpack the future of aging, prevention, and precision health—as explored in Eric's new boo…

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Fueling Innovation with Data with Arif Nathoo 24:46

7M ago24:46

24:46

Arif Nathoo, cofounder and CEO of Komodo Health, joins Jorge Conde and Jay Rughani to explore the transformative potential of healthcare data in reshaping biotech and healthcare innovation. Arif reflects on a decade-long journey of unlocking the power of fragmented healthcare data, delving into Komodo Health’s “full-stack thesis” — a strategy that …

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The Paradox of U.S. Healthcare with Marc Andreessen 33:32

7M ago33:32

33:32

Join a16z general partners Marc Andreessen, Julie Yoo, and Vijay Pande for an incisive exploration of what's driving—and stalling—transformation in healthcare. With the industry now consuming nearly 20% of U.S. GDP yet delivering poor outcomes relative to other developed countries, is technology the remedy or a red herring? This episode, cross-post…

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The (Epic) Arc of a Patient Journey with Seth Hain 26:00

8M ago26:00

26:00

Seth Hain, SVP of R&D at Epic, joins a16z Bio + Health general partner Julie Yoo to explore technology in healthcare. Reflecting on over two decades of industry shifts, Seth shares how Epic has transitioned from enabling integrated systems within health systems to driving cross-ecosystem collaboration and rapid innovations like generative AI. They …

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Building for the Healthcare Consumer with Elliot Cohen 26:01

8M ago26:01

26:01

Elliot Cohen, cofounder of PillPack, joins Julie Yoo, a16z Bio + Health general partner. Together, they discuss Elliot's experience designing and building a consumer-first pharmacy alongside TJ Parker. Elliot's journey with PillPack began when he noticed his father struggling with a mail-order pharmacy that couldn’t get the simplest thing right: th…

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Scaling Mental Health Access through AI with Neil Parikh and Daniel Cahn 25:40

9M ago25:40

25:40

In this episode, Slingshot AI cofounders Daniel Cahn and Neil Parikh join a16z Bio + Health general partner Julie Yoo to explore how their mission to transform mental health care with AI took shape. Drawing from their unique journeys—Daniel as the son of a psychologist and Neil as a former medical student-turned-entrepreneur—they discuss the challe…

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An Ironman Suit for Doctors with Muthu Alagappan 23:33

9M ago23:33

23:33

Dr. Muthu Alagappan, MD, founder and CEO of Counsel Health, joins Julie Yoo, a16z Bio + Health general partner, to dive deep into the company's vision for revolutionizing healthcare through AI-powered asynchronous care. Together, they unpack how Counsel enables on-demand access to real doctors for instant medical guidance, lessening patient relianc…

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Voice AI: Solving Healthcare's Workforce Challenges with Ankit Jain 30:03

10M ago30:03

30:03

Ankit Jain, CEO and cofounder of Infinitus Systems, Inc, joins Julie Yoo, a16z Bio + Health general partner, to discuss Infinitus's work in solving one of healthcare's most pressing challenges: workforce shortages. Leveraging LLMs and AI voice agents, Infinitus automates repetitive tasks, such as benefits verification and prior authorization, freei…

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Transforming Clinical Trials with Alexander Saint-Amand 24:53

10M ago24:53

24:53

Alexander Saint-Amand, cofounder and CEO of Topography, reflects on his journey from leading Gerson Lehrman Group (GLG), a pioneer in expert networks, to tackling systemic barriers in clinical trials at his current company, Topography. Inspired by personal experiences, Alexander’s mission centers on democratizing access to clinical research by tran…

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Scaling Medicaid Innovation with Afia Asamoah, Rajaie Batniji, and Sanjay Basu 33:45

11M ago33:45

33:45

Rajaie Batniji, MD, PhD, Afia Asamoah, JD, and Sanjay Basu, MD, PhD, cofounders of Waymark, join Vineeta Agarwala, MD, PhD, a16z Bio + Health general partner, to discuss their transformative approach to Medicaid care delivery. This episode dives into their rising risk signal prediction framework, where cutting-edge machine learning predicts patient…

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Super Staffing in Healthcare with Munjal Shah 24:36

11M ago24:36

24:36

Hippocratic AI cofounder and CEO Munjal Shah joins a16z Bio + Health general partner Julie Yoo to explore the incredible potential of generative AI in transforming healthcare delivery. Together, they discuss the emerging "voice renaissance" in healthcare, the nuances of designing safe and empathetic AI interactions, and how Hippocratic AI is addres…

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Lessons from Healthcare Infrastructure Pioneers with Jeff Margolis 23:26

11M ago23:26

23:26

Jeff Margolis, founder of TriZetto, joins Julie Yoo, a16z Bio + Health general partner, to share the journey of building an iconic company in healthcare infrastructure. From the early days of managed care to creating a three-pronged platform uniting computing power, software, and data analytics, Jeff reflects on TriZetto’s groundbreaking model that…

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Rare Disease, Big Impact with Matt Wilsey 23:08

12M ago23:08

23:08

In this episode, Matt Wilsey joins Jorge Conde to share the profound personal story of his daughter Grace's diagnosis with NGLY1 deficiency and how it catalyzed his journey to founding a biotech startup, Grace Science, aimed at developing a cure for his daughter’s condition. Matt emphasizes the importance of strategic partnerships, like his collabo…

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Bioorthogonal Chemistry with Carolyn Bertozzi 31:02

1y ago31:02

31:02

Nobel laureate Carolyn Bertozzi joins Jorge Conde to unravel the concept of bioorthogonal chemistry. Carolyn traces her pioneering path from early studies in carbohydrate chemistry to how her lab developed the revolutionary ability to manipulate chemical reactions inside the human body. Together, they highlight the intersection of cutting-edge acad…

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Ep 9 Sandbox Chat with Kelsey Vrooman, Mark Carleton, Tom Thorpe, Nathan Battle Hosted by Mike Cobb and Jason Kern (Feb 2022) 46:57

1y ago46:57

46:57

🎙️ Ep 9: Sandbox Chat Live at ASES Sandbox 4.0 In Episode 9 of Sandbox Chats, we break new ground with our first-ever in-person podcast, recorded during the ASES Sandbox 4.0 event! Join hosts Mike Cobb and Jason Kern as they sit down with an incredible panel of innovators: Kelsey Vrooman, Mark Carleton, Tom Thorpe, and Nathan Battle. In this live c…

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Ep 8 Sandbox Chat with Scott Griggs Hosted by Mike Cobb and Jason Kern (Jan 2022) 46:29

1y ago46:29

46:29

🎙️ Ep 8: Sandbox Chat with Scott Griggs In Episode 8 of Sandbox Chats, Mike Cobb and Jason Kern sit down with Scott Griggs, Executive Director of the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest. Scott shares his wealth of experience in supporting and guiding independent schools across the region, focusing on leadership, community building, and…

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Ep 6 Sandbox Chat with Grant Lichtman Hosted by Mike Cobb and Jason Kern (Sept 2021) 42:14

1y ago42:14

42:14

🎙️ Ep 6: Sandbox Chat with Grant Lichtman In Episode 6 of Sandbox Chats, Mike Cobb and Jason Kern welcome the prolific innovator and author, Grant Lichtman, an internationally-recognized thought leader on the transformation of K-12 education. Grant shares his deep insights into the evolving landscape of education, exploring how schools can adapt to…

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Ep 5 Sandbox Chat with Jim Foley Hosted by Mike Cobb and Jason Kern (Aug 2021) 47:58

1y ago47:58

47:58

🎙️ Ep 5: Sandbox Chat with Jim Foley In Episode 5 of Sandbox Chats, Mike Cobb and Jason Kern sit down with Jim Foley, Assistant Head of School for Leadership & Innovation at St. Luke’s in New Canaan, Connecticut. With over two decades of experience as a teacher, coach, and administrator, Jim shares his journey of fostering leadership and driving in…

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Ep 4 Sandbox Chat with Denise Musselwhite Hosted by Mike Cobb and Jason Kern (July 2021) 33:02

1y ago33:02

33:02

🎙️ Ep 4: Sandbox Chat with Denise Musselwhite In this episode of Sandbox Chats, Mike Cobb and Jason Kern sit down with the creative powerhouse Denise Musselwhite to explore the art of building community and the transformative power of relationships in education and leadership. Denise shares her insights on using Scrum methodology to foster collabor…

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Ep 3 Sandbox Chat with Tim Fish Hosted by Mike Cobb and Jason Kern (June 2021) 37:04

1y ago37:04

37:04

🎙️ Ep 3: Sandbox Chat with Tim Fish In this episode of Sandbox Chats, hosts Mike Cobb and Jason Kern are joined by Tim Fish, Chief Innovation Officer at NAIS, for an enlightening conversation about the evolving landscape of independent schools and the role of innovation in shaping their future. Tim shares his insights on leadership, adaptability, a…

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Ep 7 Sandbox Chat with Bo Adams Hosted by Mike Cobb and Jason Kern (Dec 2021) 53:59

1y ago53:59

53:59

🎙️ Ep 7: Sandbox Chat with Bo Adams In Episode 7 of Sandbox Chats, hosts Mike Cobb and Jason Kern welcome Bo Adams from the Mount Vernon School for an engaging discussion on how schools can reimagine education through design thinking and innovation. Bo shares his experiences at the forefront of the "Mount Vernon Mind" approach, emphasizing the impo…

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Ep 2 Sandbox Chat with Adam Mangana Hosted by Mike Cobb and Jason Kern (May 2021) 48:53

1y ago48:53

48:53

🎙️ Ep 2: Sandbox Chat with Adam Mangana In the second episode of Sandbox Chats, hosts Mike Cobb and Jason Kern sit down with visionary leader Adam Mangana to explore the intersection of technology, creativity, and the human experience in education. Adam shares his groundbreaking work in leveraging immersive technologies like virtual reality to tran…

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Ep 1 Sandbox Chat with Matt Scully Hosted by Mike Cobb and Jason Kern (Mar 2021) 45:01

1y ago45:01

45:01

Ep 1: Sandbox Chat with Matt Scully Join hosts Mike Cobb and Jason Kern as they kick off the Sandbox Chats podcast with a dynamic conversation featuring Matt Scully, a leader known for his innovative approach to education and technology. In this debut episode, the trio dives into the importance of creativity in leadership, the evolving role of tech…

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Mastering Data with Sajith Wickramasekara 26:45

1y ago26:45

26:45

In this episode, a16z partners Jorge Conde and Jay Rughani sit down with Sajith Wickramasekara, CEO and cofounder of Benchling, to unpack the evolution of Benchling from idea to transformative software platform. Saji discusses his journey from software engineer to building Benchling and digitizing biotech workflows for industry giants like Sanofi. …

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Build Your Own Provider Network with Dan Rosenthal 24:41

1y ago24:41

24:41

Join healthcare expert Dan Rosenthal and a16z Bio + Health general partner Julie Yoo in a deep dive into the evolution of provider networks and their strategic importance in the health insurance ecosystem. Dan discusses how networks are built, managed, and optimized for both cost and quality—including the complexities of payor-provider contracts, t…

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The Freedom to Choose Your Own Insurance with Chris Ellis and Adam Stevenson 27:54

1y ago27:54

27:54

Chris Ellis, CEO and Adam Stevenson, president, both cofounders of Thatch, join Julie Yoo and Jay Rughani of a16z Bio + Health. In early 2020, a new policy called ICHRA altered the insurance market, which had remained largely unchanged for decades. As you’ll hear in the episode, it’s been slow to catch on — but the cofounders of Thatch think it’s a…

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From Surgeon to Biotech CEO with Jonathan Lim 27:36

1y ago27:36

27:36

Jonathan Lim is the CEO of Erasca, but his career path took him on a fascinating journey from practicing as a surgeon to leading life science companies. In a recent conversation, Lim shared valuable insights about his transition to the biotech world, his leadership experiences, and the lessons he's learned while founding and guiding organizations t…

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Why Tech Must Disrupt Healthcare Now 42:00

1y ago42:00

42:00

In this episode, Vijay Pande and Daisy Wolf of a16z Bio + Health join a16z Podcast host Steph Smith to make a provocative case for why technologists—not just medical professionals—are key to reinventing healthcare. They argue that to transform a sector representing 20% of U.S. GDP, innovation must move beyond curing diseases toward tackling healthc…

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Medicaid Matters with Marta Bralic Kerns 28:46

1y ago28:46

28:46

Marta Bralic Kerns, founder and CEO of Pomelo Care, joins Will Shrank, MD, a16z Bio + Health venture partner. Together, they talk about the innovator’s dilemma with building in the Medicaid space, how Pomelo partners with managed care plans, and the opportunity to potentially lower costs through providing additional support to pregnant women. This …

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Medicaid Matters with Nikita Singareddy 29:20

1y ago29:20

29:20

Nikita Singareddy, cofounder and CEO of Fortuna Health, joins Will Shrank, MD, a16z Bio + Health venture partner. Together, they discuss building a useful and convenient platform for Medicaid enrollees, listening to patient feedback to improve, and the complexities of different states’ Medicaid processes. This is the second episode in our Medicaid …

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Medicaid Matters with Mark Smith 27:05

1y ago27:05

27:05

Over the next three episodes, we’re going to talk about why Medicaid matters, and the potential for technology to make it easier for enrollees to access and utilize the program. Our first guest is Mark Smith, MD, Clinical Professor of Medicine at UCSF. He was the founding President and former CEO of the California HealthCare Foundation from 1996-20…

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AI + a16z with Vijay Pande 48:04

1y ago48:04

48:04

Vijay Pande, PhD, founding partner of a16z Bio + Health, joins Derrick Harris, host of the AI + a16z podcast. Together, they discuss how computer science has subsumed biotech. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.…

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Good Energy, Better Health with Casey Means 29:07

1y ago29:07

29:07

Casey Means, MD, a Stanford-trained physician, cofounder of Levels, and author of the new book Good Energy, joins Vijay Pande, PhD, founding partner of a16z Bio + Health. Together, they discuss the downsides of physician specialization, the rising tide of chronic illness in the U.S., and how tracking biomarkers might allow people to determine the b…

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Adapting Biopharma to AI: A 2024 Update with Greg Meyers 25:55

1+ y ago25:55

25:55

Greg Meyers, EVP and Chief Digital and Technology Officer at Bristol Myers Squibb, or BMS, joins Jorge Conde, general partner at a16z. This is a follow-up to their 2023 episode, where they discussed how biopharma can adapt to AI. Now, they revisit the conversation to see what’s changed and what hasn’t. Together, they chat through tech as a competit…

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Harnessing Water Dynamics for Drug Design with Michael Crackower and Jason Burch 37:24

1+ y ago37:24

37:24

Michael Crackower, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of Ventus Therapeutics, and Jason Burch, PhD, join Vineeta Agarwala, MD, PhD, general partner at a16z Bio + Health. Together, they talk about how Ventus approaches drug discovery and why they believe we’re in the early stages of small molecule innovation. Specifically, we’ll hear about the ReSOLVE pl…

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AI at the Intersection of Bio with Vijay Pande, Surya Ganguli, and Bowen Liu 30:08

1+ y ago30:08

30:08

Bowen Liu, PhD, investing partner, and Surya Ganguli, PhD, venture partner, join Vijay Pande, PhD, general partner of a16z Bio + Health. Together, they detail different methods through which AI could assist drug development, the opportunity for AI to flag new targets and compounds for scientists to investigate, and the science fiction-sounding noti…

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The History and Future of CAR T with Bruce Levine 31:26

1+ y ago31:26

31:26

Bruce Levine, PhD, the Barbara and Edward Netter Professor in Cancer Gene Therapy at the University of Pennsylvania, joins Jorge Conde, general partner, and Ginger Liau, partner at a16z Bio + Health. Bruce talks about how his time working in a lab at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia inspired him to work on translational therapies. Together, …

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Implementation, Data, Impact of Healthcare AI with Vijay Pande and Julie Yoo 35:28

1+ y ago35:28

35:28

In this episode, a follow-up to our episode Grand Challenges in Healthcare AI, Julie Yoo and Vijay Pande, a16z general partners, answer audience questions about AI applications in healthcare. Together, they dive into cost and implementation challenges, the data landscape, and what the patient experience might look like. If you liked this episode, l…

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Protecting the Golden Age of Medicine with John Crowley 30:33

1+ y ago30:33

30:33

John Crowley, President and CEO of Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), joined Jorge Conde, general partner at a16z Bio + Health. Together, they talk about John’s entry into biotech and his time as a founder, all motivated by his determination to discover and develop a treatment for his children, who have Pompe disease. They also talk about…

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A Fatal Inheritance with Lawrence Ingrassia 28:05

1+ y ago28:05

28:05

Lawrence Ingrassia, author and journalist, joins Vineeta Agarwala, general partner, and Kris Tatiossian, editorial lead at a16z Bio + Health. Together, they discuss Larry's recently published book, A Fatal Inheritance: How A Family Misfortune Revealed A Deadly Medical Mystery. In the book, Larry recounts the story of the p53 cancer suppressor gene,…

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Network Medicine with Jonathan Swerdlin and Mark Hyman 33:14

1+ y ago33:14

33:14

Jonathan Swerdlin, cofounder and CEO, and Mark Hyman, MD, cofounder and Chief Medical Officer of Function Health join Vijay Pande, general partner, and Daisy Wolf, investment partner of a16z Bio + Health. Together, they discuss their personal health journeys that led to founding Function, how they’re planning to scale Function, and what the future …