Faces of Digital Health

Denmark has been a digital health frontrunner for over two decades. In this episode, recorded live in Barcelona, Morten Elbæk Petersen, CEO of sundhed.dk, shares how Denmark launched its national patient portal in 2002 — long before most European countries began digitizing patient access.

Now, as Denmark prepares for a major health reform culminating in the establishment of Digital Health Denmark in 2027, the country is modernizing legacy systems, strengthening cybersecurity, integrating secondary data, and shifting care from hospitals to homes.

This conversation explores what long-term digital maturity really means — the benefits, the legacy challenges, and the governance reforms shaping Denmark’s next chapter.

In this episode of Faces of Digital Health, Tjaša Zajc speaks with Dale Atkinson, a stage 4 oesophageal cancer patient who was told he had 11.5 months to live—and who is still alive today. Dale shares how he applied his compliance and investigation skills to healthcare: reading thousands of research papers, building a research-grounded AI workflow to sense-check drug interactions and pathways, and learning how to communicate with clinicians to be taken seriously.

We discuss patient agency, the doctor–patient relationship, the promise (and risks) of AI for patients, the digital divide in healthcare, and why quality of life must be central to care decisions. Dale also shares how his journey led to new work in patient advocacy, the Beyond the Standard foundation, and the Clear Path Clinic vision for integrative oncology and wellness.

Topics include: patient empowerment, AI in patient journeys, evidence-based complementary approaches, healthcare equity, clinician workload, prognosis anxiety, and new patient-led models of care.

TIMESTAMPS (CHAPTER-STYLE)

* 00:01 Intro: why patient agency matters more as systems strain
* 04:12 Dale’s story begins: diagnosis after wife’s lung cancer + mother’s death
* 07:22 Stage 4, inoperable, palliative care: the emotional impact
* 08:31 Asking for a timeline: why Dale wanted prognosis data
* 09:18 How a financial crime investigator becomes a “patient investigator”
* 10:55 The deep dive: thousands of papers, books, and expert conversations
* 12:09 Where AI enters: building a research-grounded model for sense-checking
* 15:00 Standard of care + complementary approach (not “alternative”)
* 16:08 Friction with clinical advice; nutrition and chemo trade-offs
* 17:48 Choosing treatments based on quality of life and realistic benefit
* 20:06 When Dale felt the trajectory could change: from survival to stability
* 21:11 Anxiety, recurrence risk, and “no evidence of disease” vs remission
* 24:46 Missed symptoms, dismissal, and why patient agency is learned the hard way
* 28:32 “Love-hate” to collaborative: a new model for doctor–patient dynamics
* 32:16 How to communicate to be heard: bite-sized, stakeholder-specific info
* 35:28 Clinicians under pressure: emotional load and “factory line” care reality
* 37:58 AI impact in the patient community—and why it’s accelerating
* 40:27 Digital divide concerns: will digital skills determine outcomes?
* 42:36 AI and emotion: pessimism loops, “horror statistics,” and mental safety
* 45:02 A new career: Beyond the Standard, Clear Path Clinic, book, advisory work
* 49:25 Closing reflections and thanks

Video: https://youtu.be/VeIZkRraxWc

www.facesofdigitalhealth.com

Newsletter: https://fodh.substack.com/

Digital health is no longer in its honeymoon phase.

The funding boom is over. AI hype is everywhere. Health systems are overwhelmed. And startups can no longer survive on compelling pitch decks alone.

In this episode of Faces of Digital Health, Tjaša Zajc speaks with Ruchi Dass, a former dental surgeon turned public health leader, policy contributor, investor, and advisor to startups scaling across the US, UK, India, Africa, and the Middle East.

Ruchi describes a fundamental change in go-to-market (GTM) strategy:


Workflow integration is non-negotiable (standalone apps struggle).


Reimbursement clarity is critical.


Regulatory strategy is part of GTM, not an afterthought.

Time stamps:

00:06 – Introduction: startups, global markets, and unconventional careers
01:18 – From dental surgery to global public health and digital health
03:05 – The GTM shift: from promise to proof
04:49 – Staying investable: the four pillars
08:22 – AI ROI: clinical vs operational value
12:17 – Enterprise scaling and “sell to the mindset”
15:05 – Responsible AI: transparency, bias, and lifecycle regulation
19:56 – Predictability vs black-box AI in medicine
22:44 – Global innovation differences: Europe, India, Middle East, Africa
26:21 – Pilotitis: why pilots fail to scale
28:40 – Designing pilots for commercialization
30:26 – Capital flows, geopolitics, and reverse innovation
34:25 – The $1 teleconsultation model in India
37:56 – Digital health and equity: design vs digitization
42:43 – How regulators can keep up with AI
46:03 – Advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha in digital health
48:50 – Grassroots realities shaping policy

Watch the full discussion: https://youtu.be/bmvPzz3Ffp4

www.facesofdigitalhealth.com

Newsletter: https://fodh.substack.com/

In this episode of Faces of Digital Health, host Tjasa Zajc sits down with Bart de Witte for a candid conversation on what agent-based AI really means for healthcare.

Recorded during a car ride in Ljubljana, the discussion explores why healthcare needs an operating system for AI agents, the risks of agent autonomy, privacy-by-design through on-device AI, and why monolithic EHRs struggle with the next generation of clinical workflows.

Bart also shares his vision for open, decentralized AI ecosystems, certified clinical agents, and swarm intelligence and explains why Europe may be uniquely positioned to lead this shift.

A practical, forward-looking episode for anyone working at the intersection of healthcare, AI, and digital infrastructure.

Youtube video version: https://youtu.be/F_GRfIbqJJM?si=qheSsKvcg6WXUqTU

As artificial intelligence rapidly enters healthcare, bold claims about replacing doctors dominate headlines. But on the clinical frontline, the reality is far more complex.

In this episode of Faces of Digital Health, oncologist Dr. Derrick Khor shares an unfiltered view from inside the NHS, unpacking what AI actually changes — and what it doesn’t.

Rather than framing AI as a threat, the conversation explores how it already supports clinicians and patients alike: simplifying complex medical information, helping patients understand their diagnoses, and accelerating access to evidence. Yet the biggest constraint isn’t technology — it’s data. Without reliable access to their own health records, patients and AI tools alike remain limited.

The discussion also tackles a growing contradiction in healthcare systems: simultaneous staff shortages and doctor unemployment. Training bottlenecks, hiring freezes, pay erosion, and misaligned workforce planning have created a situation where well-trained clinicians struggle to find roles, even as demand for care continues to rise.

Beyond workforce pressures, Dr. Khor explains why most health tech never makes it into daily clinical use. Solutions often fail not because they’re unsafe or ineffective, but because they don’t fit real workflows. If technology adds friction even a single unnecessary click — clinicians won’t adopt it.

www.facesofdigitalhealth.com

https://fodh.substack.com/