The diaTribe Foundation held its inaugural d16 Executive Innovation Lab on Diabetes and Obesity from January 13-15, 2016 in Palo Alto, CA to innovate systems-level solutions to reduce the societal burden of type 2 diabetes. d16 served to engage leaders across diverse sectors to produce innovative, effective solutions, heighten the urgency and action around diabetes, and bring a new way of thinking into the diabetes ecosystem.
d16 was facilitated by world expert in scalable social impact, Heather McLeod Grant, along with co-founder of Philanthropy Futures, Alexa Culwell, and innovation strategist Lisa Kay Solomon. Using elements of “design thinking,” participants were guided through collaborative workshops to innovate solutions to the most pressing challenges in type 2 diabetes.
The concept of "design thinking" has generated an enormous amount of conversation lately. As just one example, the Harvard Business Review recently featured design thinking in its September 2015 cover story, highlighting design principles such as user empathy and prototyping, with an emphasis on cross-sector collaboration to solve complex problems. We're excited to introduce this new way of thinking and problem solving to diabetes and obesity at d16.
We advocate for a holistically designed, ecosystem-level approach that aims to identify root causes of the diabetes epidemic and create innovative solutions that address them on a systemic level. At d16, we did exactly that. d16’s group of experts examined the root causes of the diabetes epidemic across seven key fields, identified patterns across the board, and then ideated new solutions that could be scalable, investable, and impactful.
d16 represents a new way of thinking in diabetes that aims to significantly alter the way the diabetes community works together. These highly innovative solutions address the underlying causes of diabetes across all parts of the ecosystem, breaking down the silos that have long stunted progress in diabetes. The result is the potential for a greater return on investment for stakeholders and the improved health of our communities.
Heather McLeod Grant is a well-known author, speaker, and advisor to high-impact organizations, with 20 years of experience in the social sector. She was most recently a Global Account Manager at Monitor Institute, where her work focused on scaling impact, leveraging networks for social change, and transforming large-scale nonprofits; she has advised many leading organizations of our time.
Alexa advises individual philanthropists, as well as foundation and social sector leaders, on the most challenging problems they face in leveraging their investments for positive social change. Her work focuses on strategic advising and planning, meeting design and facilitation, leadership coaching, teaching and speaking.
d16 was a gathering of brilliant minds across the entire healthcare ecosystem.
42 participants attended d16, including prominent medical professionals, academics, pharmaceutical industry leaders, policy-oriented healthcare experts, Silicon Valley tech leaders, government decision makers, educators, media experts, food and nutrition scholars, and social impact philanthropists.
A social psychologist, Jennifer Aaker is the General Atlantic Professor of Marketing at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. Her research focuses on the psychology of time, money and happiness - specifically how people chose to spend their time and money, and when and why those choices are associated with lasting value. Aaker teaches courses at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and Hasso Plattner Institute of Design ("d.school") such as “Building Innovative Brands” (with Chris Flink, IDEO), The Innovation Playbook, Designing Story in a Digital World, and Rethinking Purpose.
John is the Sr. Director and the head of the Cardiovascular and Diabetes advocacy team for the Partners in Patient Health group at Sanofi. He is accountable for partnerships with cardiovascular and diabetes associations, provider and payers groups, along with diabetes patient groups and health advocates, working to address issues critical to improving patient health.
Savi has deep experience as a senior leader in the management consulting industry. He has consulted on several iconic and successful transformations in the technology industry and has previously served on the Bain & Company Board. Prior to joining Bain, Savi obtained an MBA with high distinction as a Baker Scholar from Harvard University and a BS with distinction as a Terman Scholar in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University.
Kelly Brownell is Dean of the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University, where he is also Robert L. Flowers Professor of Public Policy and Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience. Prior to joining the faculty at Duke, Brownell was at Yale University where he was the James Rowland Angell Professor of Psychology, Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health, and Director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity.
Curtis is the Director of Advocacy at AstraZeneca, the seventh largest pharmaceutical company in the world. Previous to his position at AZ, he was the Director of Advocacy at Bristol-Myers Squibb and the Associate Director of Advocacy and Education at Amylin Pharmaceuticals for over a decade before they were acquired by AZ.
Adam Brown has worked at Close Concerns since 2010. He is currently the head of diabetes technology and digital health, bringing nearly 15 years of personal experience with type 1 diabetes to all of his work. Adam has been highly involved in the expansion of technology coverage at Close Concerns, which includes glucose meters, CGMs, insulin pumps, automated insulin delivery, diabetes software, mobile apps, and wearables. Adam also serves as a senior editor and regular contributor at diaTribe.org, where he writes an acclaimed column (Adam’s Corner) focused on actionable tips for living well with diabetes.
Dr. Ciechanowski, MD, MPH, is the founder and CEO of Samepage, an educational and consulting company providing online tools, training, educational materials and consulting to improve healthcare communication. He has dedicated his career to improving healthcare communication based on his blended background as a family doctor, diabetes management specialist, and psychiatrist. He is an international authority on case management programs, behavior change, treatment adherence, and patient-provider communication.
Dr. Daar is Professor of Clinical Public Health and of Global Health at the Dalla Lana Faculty of Public Health, University of Toronto,the department
of Surgery. He is a member of the UN Secretary General’s scientific advisory board and chair of the scientific advisory board of Grand Challenges Canada. He was the founding Chair of the Board of the Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases and was the founding chair of the Advisory Board of the United Nations University International Institute of Global Health.
Dave deBronkart is a passionate evangelist for transforming the patient’s role in health and care, especially as enabled by the internet, health data and e-health tools.
In 2007, he beat Stage IV kidney cancer by coupling great medical care with a great online community of patient peers. He now evangelizes for medicine to recognize the validity of activated, autonomous, empowered patients and to enable them in full partnerships and with full access to their data. An accomplished international keynote speaker, Dave seeks to activate and align consumer, community health workers, and patient advocacy organizations in the US. His TED talk “Let Patients Help” is approaching a half million views and has been translated into 26 languages.
Sean Duffy is the co-founder and CEO of Omada Health, a digital behavioral medicine company dedicated to inspiring and empowering people everywhere to live free of chronic conditions like heart disease and type 2 diabetes. In 2015, Omada was named one of Fast Company’s "50 Most Innovative Companies in the World."
Prior to Omada, Sean worked at both Google and IDEO. A former MD/MBA candidate at Harvard, he holds a BS in neuroscience from Columbia University.
Esther Dyson, named by Forbes magazine as one of the most powerful women in American business, is regarded as one of the most influential voices in technology. In 1980, Dyson founded EDventure Holdings, a pioneering information technology and new media company. In 1982, she took over Rosen's Electronic News. In the late 1980s, she became an active investor in Eastern European technology ventures. She also became involved in public discussion about the future of the Internet. In 2000, she started writing a column for the New York Times.
Faith Foreman, Dr. P.H., MPH, LVN, is the Assistant Director of Houston Health Department. An expert in public and community health promotion, evaluation and planning, Foreman has lead the design, implementation and evaluation of numerous health interventions at the local, state and federal level. She has a special passion for eliminating health disparities among marginalized communities and strives to bring social justice and equity to the delivery of preventive health services.
James R. Gavin III, MD, PhD is a noted leader in the field of diabetes, serving as CEO and Chief Medical Officer of Healing Our Village, Inc, Clinical Professor of Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine, and Clinical Professor of Medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine. In 2015, he received a Lifetime Achievement in Diabetes Research Award from the American Diabetes Association.
Phil joined IBM in 2010 via the acquisition of Lombardi Software where he was President. Leveraging this outsider’s perspective combined with a healthy respect for IBM’s design heritage, he is leading this effort to create a sustainable, modern culture rooted in the principles of human-centered design.
Kevin is the CEO of the American Diabetes Association, America’s leading 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization providing diabetes research, information, and advocacy. Previously, he was the CEO at Feed the Children and directed Public Affairs and Communications at US Foods, North America’s Second Largest Food Distributor.CEO Barkbook
Jennifer Hahamian is a Marketing and Business Development Consultant with a focus on the Consumer and Professional Medical Device Markets. The companies she serves benefit from the successes and failures she has experienced while at two venture capital-backed diabetes device startup companies, and 19 years at Johnson & Johnson as the VP of Marketing and e-business.
Brad Harmon is the Head of Market Development for the $6B+ Sanofi U.S. Diabetes portfolio at Sanofi Pharmaceuticals. His marketing experience spans across both anti-Infectives and Diabetes disease areas. Currently he is leading the Market Development initiatives for 4 Diabetes launch products. He also currently serves on the Board of Directors of Indigo Bioscience, a biotechnology company focusing on Nuclear Assay Technology in State College, PA.
Dr. Lee Kaplan, MD, PhD, is a gastroenterologist and the Associate Professor of Medicine at and Harvard Medical School. Dr. Kaplan also serves as the Director of the Weight Center at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, widely considered one of the leading obesity clinics in the world. He is a leading researcher in gastric bypass surgery and also the Director of the Obesity Research Center at Mass General.
Christopher Kay is Senior Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer at Humana. In this role, he works closely with internal business leaders, as well as outside partners, to design, test, and operationalize game-changing innovations. He is a member of the Management Team, which sets the strategic direction for the company. Chris is a keen innovator with a passion for creating new businesses in large global organizations and for launching products and services that enhance the consumer experience.
Dr. Kolterman received his M.D. from Stanford University School of Medicine. He was most recently Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Amylin Pharmaceuticals and has been Adjunct Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Kolterman is also a past-president of the California Affiliate of the American Diabetes Association.
At Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, Dr. Ku directs the College within a College – Design, a program that teaches medical students to solve healthcare challenges using design thinking methodology. The design program, the first of its kind for a U.S. medical school, empowers future doctors to redesign healthcare systems, services, spaces and medical devices.
Dr. Kurian received her medical degree from Harvard Medical School, trained as a resident in Internal Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, and completed her fellowship training in Medical Oncology along with a master’s degree in Epidemiology at Stanford. Kurian’s research focuses on the identification of women with elevated breast and gynecologic cancer risk, and on the development and evaluation of novel techniques for early cancer detection and risk reduction.
Niels is responsible for developing and implementing the global public affairs strategy in Novo Nordisk, including managing Changing Diabetes® flagship programs and events, public health evidence, insights and policy development and capacity building globally. Prior to joining Novo Nordisk in 2007, Niels had an extensive career in international development with assignments for UNICEF and the World Bank.
David Napier is Professor of Medical Anthropology at University College London, Director of the University’s Centre for Applied Global Citizenship, and Director of its new Science, Medicine, and Society Network. Napier is currently involved in a number of applied research projects examining creativity in scientific practice, the application of new technologies to health-care delivery, and the role of culture in health.
Shepard Nevel is the president and CEO of LiveWell Colorado. In this role, he leads the statewide nonprofit organization in its efforts to reduce and prevent obesity through policy, environmental and lifestyle changes that advance healthy eating and active living. Through partnerships with the private sector, more than 90 school districts, 39 cities and towns, and 23 locally-based coalitions, LiveWell Colorado’s innovative model reaches more than one million Coloradans in ongoing and meaningful ways in support of making Colorado the healthiest state in the nation.
Dr. Rita Nguyen has been working for much of her life to unite the humanitarian promise of medicine with the pursuit of social justice. Now the Medical Director of Healthy Food Initiatives at San Francisco General Hospital and a member of the University of California San Francisco faculty, Rita has led several projects that blend transition care, food environments and physician advocacy. As a d.school fellow, Rita will focus on growing the therapeutic food pantry model, to continue to address health inequities faced by underserved communities.
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, The Commonwealth Fund , a private foundation that aims to promote a high performing health care system that achieves better access, improved quality, and greater efficiency, particularly for society's most vulnerable. Ms. Regan has been advising and investing in healthcare companies for the past twenty five years. She served as a senior advisor to the U.S. Department of State Global Health Initiative, and led the development of a $200 million public‒private partnership, Saving Mothers, Giving Life, to address maternal mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Dr. Perfetti is currently the VP Medical Affairs of Sanofi's Global Diabetes Division team, in the Paris Global Headquarter. Dr. Perfetti has served as a reviewer for the top peer-reviewed journals over the years including The Journal of Molecular Endocrinology, The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, The Journal of Clinical Investigation, Diabetes and Diabetologia; is himself widely published in peer-reviewed journals and has received a number of fellowships and research grants in the endocrinology and metabolism field of research.
Laura Schmidt, PhD, MSW, MPH, is a Professor of Health Policy in the School of Medicine at the University of California at San Francisco. Dr. Schmidt is the lead investigator on SugarScience, which educates the public about the latest science on sugar. Dr. Schmidt's central goal is to bridge the worlds of biomedical research, clinical practice and population health in ways that help us better understand some of the most pressing issues in health and health care today: the widening of health disparities and the societal of regulation risk factors in chronic disease.
David Lee Strasberg serves as Creative Director and Chief Executive Officer of The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institutes in West Hollywood and New York. The world-famous Institutes were founded by his parents, Lee and Anna Strasberg, in 1969 and serve as international centers for training Method actors. David and his son, Sawyer, both have Type 1 Diabetes. David presented at the 2014 Diabetes Advocates MasterLab and at the 2015 ADA Scientific Sessions.
Virginia Valentine
Advanced Practice Nurse-Clinical Nurse Specialist
Executive Director, Medical Affairs
Health-Scripts
Virginia Valentine, APRN-CNS, BC-ADM, CDE, FAADE, is a Clinical Nurse Specialist for Sage Specialty Care in Albuquerque, New Mexico. As an advanced practice nurse, she provides clinical management and diabetes education for a wide variety of patients and clinical challenges. She is also Executive Director for Medical Affairs for Health-Scripts, a specialty healthcare marketing agency exclusively focused on Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants. In 2006, the American Association of Diabetes Educators recognized Ms. Valentine with its Distinguished Service Award and awarded her Fellow status in 2010. She has been living well with type 2 diabetes for over 35 years.
Prior to joining BioMotiv, Mr. Vance was the Managing Member of EGS Healthcare Capital Partners, a late-stage venture capital fund that he co-founded in 2000. Before starting EGS Healthcare, Mr. Vance was a founding partner in Eagle Advisors, which provided strategic advice to emerging biotech companies. He has been a contributing editor to Diabetes Close-Up, an industry publication focused on metabolic disease, especially diabetes and obesity.
John currently serves as Vice President and Head of Medical Affairs, US Diabetes, for AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals. In this role, he leads the team that is responsible for all headquarters- and field-based medical activities for AstraZeneca’s US diabetes business. John has been at AstraZeneca since 2011. Prior to joining industry, John was a member of the faculty at Harvard Medical School and Children’s Hospital Boston. He is a graduate of Harvard College, and earned his medical degree from Harvard Medical School in addition to a master’s degree in public health from the Harvard School of Public Health. He completed a residency in pediatrics and fellowships in immunology/rheumatology and health services research at Children’s Hospital Boston.
For more details on d16,
please check out our Event Summary
"Introduction to Design Thinking" Workshop
Dennis Boyle, Co-Founder IDEO and Stanford Institute of Design (d.school)
The diaTribe Foundation is dedicated to improving the lives of people with diabetes and advocating for action. Our team is focused on making people smarter about diabetes and obesity. We understand the patient experience and are proud that we are viewed as a highly credible resource. Our free publication, diaTribe, provides the most up-to-date and accurate resources, tips, and news on products and research in diabetes and obesity. We also serve as a voice for patients in advocating for healthcare and regulatory change.