Q&A with Harry Glorikian of Scientia Ventures

I’ve been involved in healthcare technology for several decades and am a self-professed tech junkie. A few years ago, I was pleasantly surprised when my Apple Watch and an app analyzed some data patterns and asked me if I had been diagnosed with sleep apnea—something I had recently been diagnosed with. I know that some people might feel uncomfortable with their wearable devices like a smart watch or fitbit figuring out that you might have a health condition, but I felt the complete opposite and was intrigued to learn just how much more these technologies could do. This whole concept of gathering and leveraging data is changing everything, and I wanted to share how it is and will have a profound effect on helping people improve their health. I think if people understood and appreciated the impact these technologies can have on their well-being, then we could completely change the how people manage their own healthcare.

The Future You is written for everyone. Truly. From your tech-savvy teenager to your aging tech-adverse parent. I’ve done my best to stripped out the medical and technical jargon to explain key concepts in a way that makes sense to everyone who doesn’t have a medical degree. And for doctors, scientists, others in the healthcare or research field, there’s plenty of fascinating examples of how technologies like artificial intelligence and genomic testing are quickly changing how things are done. I really think there is something for practically everyone in this book. And even though I made the language more accessible, I also made sure to include hundreds of references and links to websites at the back of the book if you want to do a deeper dive on your own.

Well, having my watch ask me if I had ever been tested for sleep apnea was very enlightening. Even though I love healthcare technology, I probably didn’t maximize the tech I had before. Now, I’m utilizing my devices to learn the patterns in my own data…how do I sleep if I eat dinner at 8pm vs. 6pm? Does my running pace slow down the day after I have a glass of wine with dinner? Do I feel more energetic after 6.5 hours of sleep vs. 7.5? Can I use my devices to keep me healthy or alert me to when I might be getting sick? And how can my devices, from my smartphone and watch to my home’s thermostat, work together better to make my life easier (and hopefully healthier)?