The MATTER Health Podcast

Cyberattacks on hospital systems across the United States are becoming increasingly frequent. These attacks have resulted in major disruptions to patient care and breaches of financial information and other sensitive information, despite significant investments in cybersecurity. The current landscape demonstrates a critical need for a new approach — one that combines protective measures with enhanced resilience.

Leading ho...

In this episode of our Advancing Health Equity series, you’ll hear from Dr. Joseph Wright, Chief Health Equity Officer at the American Academy of Pediatrics. A nationally recognized expert in pediatric emergency medicine, Dr. Wright has dedicated his career to advancing child health through advocacy, equity and injury prevention, with over 120 publications and numerous awards to his name. Interviewed by Dr. Jacqueline Douge, a pedi...

In this episode of Advancing Health Equity, Dr. Maia Hightower, CEO of Equality AI and former Chief Digital Transformation Officer at the University of Chicago Medicine, joins Steven Collens, CEO of MATTER, to explore the transformative role of AI in advancing health equity. With over 20 years of experience in medicine and healthcare leadership, Dr. Hightower shares her expert insights on how artificial intelligence can address dis...

In the fourth episode of season two of Healthcare Horizons, MATTER CEO Steven Collens welcomes Hafeezah Muhammed, founder and CEO of Backpack Healthcare, to discuss how her company is redefining youth mental health support through innovative, AI-driven solutions. Backpack Healthcare is on a mission to provide inclusive and accessible mental health resources that empower young people and their families. Hafeezah shares her inspirati...

Welcome to the third episode of Healthcare Horizons: AI and Mental Health. MATTER CEO Steven Collens dives into the story behind Joystik Life, a stress management app that uses autogenics to guide users through a series of phrases in short, time-efficient sessions designed to reduce stress, enhance performance and boost mental well-being. 

Hear from Sarah Pierce, chief clinical officer and co-founder of Joystik, as she explains the ...

According to Mental Health America, approximately 20.78 percent of adults experienced a mental illness in 2019-2020, and more than half (54.7 percent) of adults with a mental illness did not receive treatment, with financial barriers being a significant reason.1 Recent research highlights how artificial intelligence (AI) is significantly enhancing the accessibility of mental healthcare, including diagnosis, therapy and treatment, w...

A 2023 study revealed that patients of therapists who overestimated their effectiveness often fared worse than those whose therapists had an accurate or even underestimated sense of their effectiveness. This is where measurement-informed care and care pathways become crucial. Blueprint, a MATTER startup member, provides essential resources to clients, clinicians and organizations, ensuring that mental healthcare is delivered as eff...

As the inevitable need for vision care accelerates, so too does the demand from patients for improved technology, interactions and experiences with the healthcare system. To combat this rising issue, MATTER and VSP Vision™ launched the VSP Vision Innovation Challenge a global competition to source and support solutions enhancing the eye care patient experience.

Join us for a conversation with three startups that are transforming the...

The Peterson Health Technology Institute (PHTI) recently released a report on digital diabetes management solutions that concluded the solutions are generally adding costs to the healthcare system, rather than reducing expenditures. It is fair to say the report has been controversial. 

Join us for a conversation with PHTI Executive Director Caroline Pearson about the report, their methodology, the feedback they have received since p...

Join us for a conversation about how innovation is bridging the gap between oral and overall health. This podcast will feature a panel discussion that will tap industry-leading experts who will make the case for connecting chronic care with oral health and discuss how we can reduce health disparities through oral health.

Dr. Myechia Minter-Jordan CEO of CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, will introduce the SMILE Health program. Th...

In recognition of Earth Day, we are taking a look back on last year's Loyola Chicago Health Equity Quest: Climate Change and Healthcare Delivery Summit. To kick off the program, Dr. Jalonne White-Newsome, Federal Chief Environmental Justice Officer at the White House Council on Environmental Quality delivered a keynote address. Take a listen to her presentation, Bridging the Gap: Climate Justice and Health Equity. She also sat...

The conversation around maternal mortality does not stop here. By encouraging discussions about maternal health, we can foster collaboration and innovation, driving forward initiatives that improve outcomes for mothers, children and families, especially those in historically marginalized communities.

Join us for the third and final episode of Healthcare Horizons, season one. In this episode, Steven Collens, CEO of MATTER, is joined ...

Last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the number of women who died from pregnancy or a pregnancy-related cause in the United States in 2021 increased by 40 percent from 2020. The maternal mortality rate in the U.S. is now the highest since 1965, and the U.S. fares worse than any other industrialized nation. Throughout the inaugural season of Healthcare Horizons, we explore the leading causes behind...

On March 19, five dynamic startups innovating at the forefront of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia pitched their solutions to a panel of judges at MATTER during the Second Annual Alzheimer’s Association Pitch Competition. 

Prior to the pitches, Carl V. Hill, chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer of the Alzheimer’s Association, gave a keynote address on the power of partnership in the pursuit of health equity in Alzheim...

The healthcare industry is full of data - today, approximately 30 percent of the world's data volume is being generated by the healthcare industry. And, sharing of this data can help to improve patient care. When different organizations share data, they can work together to better understand diseases and develop more effective treatments for patients. In a study run by Accenture, 84 percent of patients who share their health d...

Generative AI - artificial intelligence capable of generating text, images, video, synthetic data and more - exploded onto the scene the day ChatGPT was released to the public in November, 2022. The technology’s sheer growth, in both usage and valuation, has also generated a tremendous amount of hype.

In healthcare, the technology is already beginning to demonstrate how it can reimagine the industry in new and exciting ways. Beyond ...

Last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a report showing that the number of women who died from pregnancy or a pregnancy-related cause in the U.S. in 2021 increased by 40 percent from 2020. This rate of maternal mortality in the U.S. is now the highest since 1965, and the U.S. fares worse than any other industrialized nation.

While all ages and races saw an increase in maternal mortality in 2021, Black mo...