Past Editions
Third Edition | May 2024
The Program Has Launched!
We’re excited to share that DOC’s inaugural program is now live on our website, though we’re still fine-tuning a few details. The program offers six in-depth explorations, four quick lightning talks, intimate table discussions with our Faculty, an Oxford-style debate on aging, participant-led breakout sessions, and some very special guests to be announced soon. Plus, there’s ample time set aside for networking.
What you won’t find: Sales pitches, politics, or long-winded monologues.
At the heart of our program is our DOC Faculty, who lead our in-depth, multi-part salon-style discussions on focused topics. As we’ve highlighted before, our program is unique—any member of the DOC community can contribute. We’ve already selected some Conversants for our sessions and invite you to express your interest in joining the conversation here.
What We’re Reading
Three critical topics we’ll be exploring at DOC—artificial intelligence, women’s health, and proactive wellness—have dominated headlines this past month, reflecting broader societal anxieties and hopes. The narrative is complex in AI: a groundbreaking paper on cancer detection, partly powered by machine learning, was recently retracted due to “unsupported conclusions.” Meanwhile, AI-generated images are appearing in scientific journals, some depicting human limbs with more bones than nature intended. Yet, as The Economist notes, AI’s potential in medicine remains undeniable: “AI is not merely a tech developer’s fantasy or a public health official’s buzzword—its impact is real and profound.”
In women’s health, two articles resonated deeply with us: Vox highlights the glaring lack of research on menopause, while Harvard Public Health issues a clarion call, stating, “It’s time for women’s health to be a priority.” The author, a leader in gender equality at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, argues that systemic negligence—including ineffective treatments, subpar care, and a lack of scientific focus—has perpetuated gender disparities in health outcomes.
Finally, we were struck by a piece in The New York Times, titled “The Key to Longevity Is Boring.” The article captures the irony of our age: “While humanity has always been obsessed with health and longevity, today’s version is amplified by an ecosystem where influencers and podcasters profit from our quest for wellness, often peddling pseudoscientific products.” The Washington Post adds a sobering note, reporting on a phenomenon many of us intuitively sense: “Your molecules change rapidly around ages 44 and 60.” Indeed, the passage of time is relentless.
More DOC Updates
Google, Eat Real Join DOC
We’re pleased to announce that Google has joined as a partner to DOC, and that Dr. Michael Howell will be attending and speaking on the topic of AI in healthcare. We’re also excited to announce our partnership with Eat Real, a national non-profit dedicated to eliminating sugar in school lunches and providing real food for the cafeteria table. Eat Real’s founder and CEO, Nora LaTorre, will join us on the DOC campus this Fall.
Up Next: The Living Room Lab
A central feature at the heart of the DOC experience, The Living Room Lab will be an inviting, comfortable lounge spotlighting 6-7 highly-curated, science-driven early-stage healthcare companies, each focused on understanding a crucial aspect of an individual’s health optimization. Each invited company will be exclusive to its category and explicitly endorsed by DOC’s founders. In our next edition, we’ll detail each company in the Lab, and invite you to engage with them before, during, and after DOC.
Need To Know
DOC’s on LinkedIn. The DOC community is now active on LinkedIn. Follow us there for regular updates featuring our Faculty and more.
We’re near capacity. DOC is an elite community, curated with the utmost care to ensure magic happens. Membership is by invitation only, and we have space if you know someone special; only a few spots are still open. If you have an invitation and have not yet registered, you can do so here.
For more information, contact our DOC concierge, Alison, at concierge@doc.health.