Experts in Conversation℠: Leading the Future of Wellness Through Emerging Health Tech
Lisa Gable, Former U.S. Ambassador, Best-selling Author & Speaker and current Chairperson of the World in 2050, speaks with Sasha Wallinger, of HLWF ™ Alliance and CEO & Founder of Blockchain Style Lab about the many ways that she is drawing inspiration from emerging technology, including AI, to combat diet-related diseases and pioneer innovations in behavioral health, clinical and consumer data.
In, Demystifying AI’s Role In Healthcare, I articulate how the AI hype has driven health and wellness professionals to explore the potential of this emerging technology tool’s impact across their sectors. However, a closer examination of the history between healthcare and technology, shares that while AI can offer another tool in the toolbox, it’s important to continue the integration of human-centered design to fuel the collective alignment across the Health Tech and Innovation spaces, that will benefit both patients and providers.
In October of 2023 the Biden administration issued an Executive Order on Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence calling for an establishment of “ new standards for AI safety and security,” to protect “Americans’ privacy, advances equity and civil rights,” while also providing measures that stand up “for consumers and workers, promotes innovation and competition, advances American leadership around the world, and more.”
But there is still a necessity, as articulated in this ‘Evolutionary Model of AI Governance’ for mitigating “risks (like) the non-regulated adoption, lack of understanding about the potential implications and vulnerability (AI) may expose. This is especially important to consider when gathering together thought leaders, researchers, and enthusiasts to consider pivotal themes such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), which poses both a risk and an opportunity across a previously unwitnessed enormity of technological and humanitarian overlaps.”
So how does someone bridge the global divide between emerging technology like AI and the impact it can have across the potential for the future of wellness?
Look no further than Lisa Gable. Her proven ability to translate her significant global experience providing foundational patterns across both public and private sectors to identify the efficient implementation of future-focused technologies like AI, that outline what the future of Health Tech will look like, drawn from her ability to build innovative future forward systems, inspired by a mastery of government and self-regulatory systems integrations.
Gable is an inspiration, having served four US Presidents and two Governors, as well as acting as a US Ambassador, CEO, and UN Delegate, she draws from her widespread background to provide actionable solutions to businesses, teams, nonprofits, political campaigns, and government projects. She strives to support the next generation of leaders through a high-touch approach to leadership using real life examples.
Gable is a serial innovator, who is passionate about uniting her personal motivation in health and wellness, with the future of AI and other technologies. She is a consummate professional who is working to ensure that implementation of what Morgan Stanley predicts is a “$4.1 trillion impact on labor force in three years”through efficient yet impactful expenditures that will lead to a global shift in the future of health and wellness.
Here’s a snapshot of our conversation, where Gable shared her many skills, experiences and insights into making this future a reality.
Sasha: Tell us a bit about yourself and how you became interested in the health wellness space?
Lisa: My journey into health and wellness is rooted in personal experiences and professional opportunities.
My personal motivation is fueled by the challenges my family has faced. Over two decades ago, my tech executive husband navigated his start-up while battling multiple surgeries for tumors and rare autoimmune diseases. More recently, our adult daughter was diagnosed with eosinophilic esophagitis, which had eluded proper identification for years, leading to countless emergency room visits and misdiagnoses. This condition has affected her physical health, resulting in extensive weight loss, heightened anxiety, and a severely restricted diet. These personal experiences have made me acutely aware of health issues’ impact on individuals and their families.
Professionally, my journey into the health and wellness space began in 2008, when I was recruited to lead the largest food and beverage industry self-regulatory effort, which became the first commitment in Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign. My ability to facilitate discussion between industry, government, and public health laid the foundation for a role as a CEO tasked with revitalizing FARE, a global non-governmental organization dedicated to funding food allergy research and advocacy securing $100 million in funding.
Today, my commitment to this mission is deeply rooted in my personal experiences and driven by the belief that we can make a tangible difference in the lives of 85 million Americans whose food makes them sick. To that extent, I actively engage in advisory roles that draw upon my knowledge and network spanning food, agriculture, biopharma, and technology. My conversations focus on identifying innovative solutions to diagnose and alleviate the burden of diet-related diseases.
Sasha: What inspired your journey from public service to the wellness space?
Lisa: Throughout my career, I’ve worked with CEOs, philanthropists, and even a US President to execute turnarounds in various sectors, always to promote the public good. My recent journey from public service to the wellness space is driven by a deep-seated commitment to addressing critical public health challenges.
Over the last 15 years, I witnessed the profound impact that diet-related diseases can have on individuals and communities. Food is not just sustenance; it’s a cornerstone of our daily lives. When food becomes a source of illness, it disrupts not only physical health but also emotional well-being. I’ve seen firsthand the fear and anxiety that food allergies and diet-related diseases can instill in people, especially when healthcare professionals lack the necessary familiarity and empathy.
Moreover, I recognize that our healthcare system needs to be more cohesive, capture the holistic picture of a patient’s journey, and move outside silos to find solutions. For example, disease-specific patient registries often focus on post-diagnosis data and miss crucial information about actions, behaviors, and symptoms before a disease is identified. This fragmentation and lack of comprehensive data hinder our ability to effectively diagnose and manage diet-related conditions and other diseases from which the patient may suffer.
However, I am excited. We stand at the brink of revolutionary breakthroughs in technology and science that can transform how we address these challenges. Artificial intelligence (AI) holds immense promise in collecting and analyzing data from various sources, breaking down silos, and providing a more holistic view of a patient’s health journey.
For instance, AI can leverage everyday transactions like food purchases made through payment systems and insurance records to gather valuable insights into an individual’s dietary habits and health history. This data can be instrumental in early diagnosis and personalized treatment, especially for high-risk young people.
Furthermore, as leaders in various sectors increasingly recognize AI’s potential to improve health and well-being, we must prioritize responsible data sharing and collaboration between patients, disease groups, researchers, and industry. By doing so, we can enhance medical research and treatment and empower patients to make informed decisions about their healthcare and their daily lives.
This journey isn’t just about transforming healthcare; it’s about envisioning a future where innovative technologies reduce costs, streamline processes, and better serve patients. It calls for a bipartisan commitment to using responsible AI to revolutionize regulatory processes and build a more agile American approval process for innovations.
As we move forward, government, nonprofit, and business leaders must engage in meaningful discussions on ethical considerations, regulatory frameworks, and patient-centric approaches to ensure equitable outcomes, ultimately improving the quality of life for those who suffer.
Sasha: In what ways have you bridged the gap between silos that may have presented themselves across the health and wellness industry? Who were your partners in this pursuit?
Lisa: In 2008, I was tasked with persuading high-level executives from the world’s largest food and beverage companies and leading public health experts to collaborate on an initiative to address America’s national obesity crisis. That was when Indra Nooyi, the former CEO of PepsiCo, sought my assistance navigating an initiative bogged down in acrimony. Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, President of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), indicated a willingness to engage if RWJF had access to data that enabled them to conduct an independent, scientific analysis of any commitment made by the industry.
At that time, the obesity rate in the United States was alarming, with one-third of the population considered obese. The blame was often placed on these companies, accused of marketing sugars and fats to a population that loved to eat. It was evident that something needed to change.
Public health and industry sent their brightest minds and most adept decision-makers to engage in discussions aimed at rehabilitating the companies’ image in consumers’ eyes and collaborating with public health officials and regulators to promote healthier lifestyles.
Despite weeks of discussions, progress remained elusive until a pivotal moment occurred. The CEO of McCormick, the spice company, suggested we utilize their Idea Lab, a space where they brainstormed new product concepts with customers. This suggestion breathed new life into our deliberations. It was there, after hours of intense conversations, that a breakthrough happened. The Chief Scientific Officer of Campbell’s Soup, deeply engrossed in discussion with a renowned epidemiologist, suddenly exclaimed, “It’s all about calories!”
We looked at complex variables across 16 food companies with fundamentally different product lines and different levers to pull to make their products healthier. However, we realized in a moment of clarity that there was a unifying factor. Calories. If we just focused on lowering calories, we would reduce sugars and fats, allowing every company to tackle the problem in a way that made sense for their products.
This revelation became the foundation of our big idea — to reduce caloric intake in the United States by 1.5 trillion calories over five years. Ultimately, the companies reduced 6.4 trillion calories, beating their goal three years in advance by 400%. Lower calorie products drove ninety-nine percent of products sold during that period.
Our measurable commitment revolutionized how these companies engaged public health and government in discussions about healthy eating.
Public health officials saw the industry embracing health and wellness as a competitive advantage and found a common language for dialogue to solve problems. Today, those individuals are at the table together around Food as Medicine at the Milken Institute and Google Food Labs. They worked together to drive the first White House Commission on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in 50 years. They are no longer opponents but partners in creating healthier options.
Sasha: What types of cultural barriers do you encounter with your work in the health and wellness space? How do you surmount them?
Lisa: Our notable achievement stemmed from persuading the public health sector to acknowledge the industry’s adoption of health and wellness as a competitive advantage. When given flexibility in making the change, the industry responded to consumer preferences with tasty, lower-calorie options and desired pricing. We were able to leverage technological advancements and novel scientific discoveries to improve health outcomes, including flash freezing, stevia, monk fruit, and improvements in manufacturing techniques like slow-churn ice cream.
Most importantly, we focused on the positives in the conversation instead of the negatives. Through our discussions, we fostered a shared language for constructive dialogue to resolve issues collaboratively.
First, everyone acknowledged their counterparts’ positive efforts and found common ground in complex issues. We recognized that one-size-fits-all solutions were not viable and instead focused on developing approaches that benefited all stakeholders. Finally, we agreed to define a desired outcome (fewer calories sold) and enabled flexible strategies for achieving the goal.
Sasha: Is there anything else that you’d like to share with the Health Tech, Life Sciences, Wellness and Fitness (HLWF) Alliance readers?
Lisa: The crux of the matter is this: People make dietary choices based on their medical health profiles, whether they avoid or consume specific foods. Creating information silos dilutes our ability to drive investment toward addressing the complex needs of patients, regardless of the categories they fall into:
- Health and Well-being: Aiming to improve overall health, counteract the effects of aging, and address the consequences of an unhealthy diet.
• Prevention of Chronic Disease: Focusing on combating obesity, cardiovascular issues, hypertension, and diabetes through lifestyle modifications.
• Diet-Related Disease: Addressing conditions where dietary choices play a crucial role in health, such as food allergies, Crohn’s and Colitis, Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EOE), and celiac disease.
Addressing medical specialties during treatment is essential, but it’s equally crucial to acknowledge that dietary choices significantly impact an individual’s overall health, extending beyond specific diseases.
I aim to champion technology and regulatory processes that empower consumers and patients to achieve a precise dietary approach that can significantly impact their health outcomes across critical domains and reduce their disease burden.
Connect with Lisa on Instagram or LinkedIn. You can also buy her book, Turnaround: How to Change Course When Things Are Going South, at www.lisagable.com.
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