Join MATTER partner Accenture for a discussion about increasing representation in clinical trials and healthcare. MATTER startups Candlelit Therapy, DrugViu and NowPow will join Accenture Managing Director Tina Ripperger to discuss diversity-related challenges in healthcare, the founders' respective go-to-market strategies and the transformational role that they are playing in healthcare.

Agenda:

12:00 – 12:10pm CT | Welcome and overview

12:10 – 12:50pm CT | Panel discussion

12:50 – 1:00pm CT | Audience Q&A

This event is sponsored by Accenture.

About the MATTER startups:

Candlelit Therapy offers a safer, simpler way to find and book culturally responsive mental health information, resources and providers and centers on the emotional and mental health needs of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color and the LGBTQIA+ community.

DrugViu is solving the persistent problem of underrepresentation in clinical research in a scalable, data-driven and patient-focused way that simultaneously improves diversity and provides clinical grade real world data to biopharma companies.

NowPow is a personalized community referral platform for every need and every person. We build community referral networks that power care for all people, drive measurable impact, and deliver data to bridge gaps in community care.

About the panelists:

Lauren Elliott, Founder and CEO of Candlelit Therapy

Lauren Elliott is an experienced public health marketing professional, researcher and trained journalist with over 10 years of experience in strategic communications and integrated marketing. She quickly became an advocate for her mental health and well-being after an emergency birth of her son and now dedicates her time to being a much-needed advocate for all women and parents who are at risk of complications before, during and after pregnancy. She founded Candlelit Therapy to serve as a space where Black, Indignenous and POC mothers can receive immediate access to culturally congruent behavioral health screening, assessment and treatment options before a crisis.

Kwaku Owusu, CEO of DrugViu

Kwaku Owusu is a co-founder & CEO of DrugViu where he leads overall strategy and vision. Prior to DrugViu, Kwaku was CEO of Ilerasoft, a medical device utilization optimization software platform that helped hospitals and health facilities use their medical assets more efficiently. Kwaku also has experience in sales operations and product management at HP Enterprise. He holds bachelor’s from the University of Massachusetts and MS/MBA from University of Rochester. He is an avid science fiction and architecture enthusiast.

Cathy Crookston, VP Sales & Business Partnerships, of NowPow

An honors graduate of Purdue University’s School of Nursing, Cathryn spent many years as a clinical team member in the emergency department, cardiac intensive care and high-risk labor and delivery acute care settings. Working as a nurse at the bedside, administratively and as an educator, she has experienced the rewards and challenges providers face in caring for their patients.

In 2005, Cathryn transitioned to health IT joining EmmiSolutions, a company leveraging technology to engage and empower patients in their care. When Emmi was acquired by Wolters Kluwer in 2017 her team shared not only vital patient engagement tools but also the ability to leverage technology for clinical decision support with tools such as UpToDate, a tool utilized daily by providers of care across the globe. Fast forwarding to 2019 Cathryn joined NowPow, a women-owned and led healthcare technology company that integrates community care into healthcare. With NowPow care providers “e-prescribe” community services to reduce the negative effects of social determinants of health and support whole person care.

About the moderator:

Tina Ripperger, Managing Director, Global Head of Life Sciences of ?What If! Innovation Practice, Accenture

Tina Ripperger is a Managing Director and Global Head of Life Sciences at Accenture's ?What If! Innovation practice. Tina brings 20 years of healthcare innovation experience to projects from growth strategy and business model reinvention to customer engagement. Tina’s work has spanned countless therapy areas and clients within the ecosystem including biopharma, medical device, provider, payor, pharmacy benefit manager, retail pharmacy and patient advocacy organizations.