Amy Abernethy, a veteran healthcare leader with significant experience at institutions like the FDA and Verily, is championing the acceleration of clinical evidence generation to advance personalized treatment in the healthcare sector. In a recent interview, she emphasized the critical importance of clinical trials and real-world evidence in understanding effective treatments for patients, depending on specific conditions and timing.
This week, Abernethy and Brad Hirsch, another seasoned health executive and her long-time collaborator, announced the launch of Highlander Health, a new company based in Dallas aimed at enhancing clinical evidence generation. Their professional journey together spans over 15 years, including time at Duke University as oncology researchers, at Flatiron Health, and at Verily.
Highlander Health, founded partly in response to the maturation of digital and technological capabilities in the healthcare field, operates through two main branches: Highlander Health Partners and Highlander Health Institute. The former serves as an investment arm focusing on supporting established middle-market companies aiming to advance clinical research toward personalized healthcare. The latter is set up as a public interest platform providing grants and creating learning labs for health systems and other organizations to collaborate on clinical research.
These learning labs are envisioned as collaborative environments where researchers, tech developers, regulators, clinicians, and investors can come together to innovate and test new technologies. One key area of focus for the institute is the transformation of electronic health records (EHR) into datasets that can be effectively utilized for evidence generation within clinical trials.
The funding for these innovative projects will come from Abernethy and Hirsch’s own capital, along with contributions from Dallas-based Lyda Hill Philanthropies. This initiative reflects a broader movement within the healthcare industry towards leveraging technological advances and collaboration to improve clinical trial processes and outcomes, ultimately leading to more personalized and effective healthcare solutions.
In summary, the launch of Highlander Health by Amy Abernethy and Brad Hirsch marks a significant step in the efforts to enhance clinical evidence generation in the healthcare industry, with a focus on established companies, innovative collaborations, and the transformation of healthcare data into actionable intelligence for personalized treatment.
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