WoW Woman in Health Tech I Dr Bree Willis, Medical Director for Twin Health

Dr Bree Willis is the Medical Director for Twin Health. 

Twin Health’s mission is to prevent, improve, and reverse chronic metabolic conditions by healing the root cause — a dysfunctional metabolism. This is accomplished by providing a holistic approach grounded in advanced technology and AI-driven precision lifestyle recommendations. 

Assisted by sensor technology and machine learning techniques, Twin Health licensed Providers can safely reduce and eliminate diabetes and weight loss medications as chronic metabolic conditions improve, which is a core part of healing and reversing these conditions. They aim to achieve sustainable, long-term, cost-effective improvements across multiple health outcomes. 

Tell us a bit about your background and your projects so far. 

As a Primary Care Provider, my passion lies in addressing the root cause of chronic metabolic diseases, in order to prevent, improve, and reverse these conditions. As the Medical Director of Twin Health, I have been afforded the opportunity to do just that! We heal the root cause of chronic metabolic diseases, a dysfunctional metabolism. This is done through marrying the latest medical, science, and technological advancements. Our results have been proven through randomized clinical trials and demonstrated in a real world population of thousands of people living with diseases such as diabetes, prediabetes, obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and hypertension. 

How did you get into this industry? Has it been an easy industry to get into or have you had many challenges?

Initially, I was not looking to break into the health tech industry.  After  completing my Family Medicine Residency, I worked in a typical busy outpatient primary care setting seeing 20-30 patients per day mostly tackling chronic medical conditions.  The opportunity to join Twin Health came along at a time when I was having mixed feelings about my role in primary care medicine. Given the multiple appointments per day and the inability to spend adequate time with each patient, I did not feel equipped to provide the holistic and thorough care I felt my patients needed and deserved. Most appointments were spent on medication management, both adding medications and increasing doses with little forward progress in health outcomes.  I was immediately drawn to Twin Health and their mission and to heal the root cause of chronic metabolic diseases and improve overall health. The opportunity to utilize wearable sensor technology coupled with a compassionate care team to improve lifestyle and teach people what matters most for their metabolic health is why I went into medicine.

How long did it take you to be where you are now? What were the biggest obstacles? 

I have been with Twin Health for 3 years now. I was hired shortly after the company launched here in the United States (company originally started in India). Initially, I took the position to provide patient care. Joining the company at an early stage offered a multitude of opportunities to improve our clinical model, helping to develop processes and procedures for our growth and success. Through these experiences, I learned how to work outside the traditional patient provider practice setting and to grow as a leader and work on cross-functional teams. As a woman in medicine, I have learned to balance a busy and demanding job with my family and personal obligations. Twin Health has afforded me both the opportunity and challenge to design a professional career where I can learn to grow as both a leader and an expert in a cross-functional approach to healthcare, working across multiple teams and areas of expertise.  

What are the challenges of being in the industry you are in?

The biggest challenge of this industry is the complexity of the healthcare landscape, the speed of technology advancement, and the historical incentive based model of how healthcare is both delivered and paid for in our country.  To achieve real improvements in quality and cost of care, we must not only simplify the service and delivery model but achieve alignment and integration of both technology and data. 

What are your biggest achievements to date?

I’d say the biggest achievements include our people, processes, and outcomes. We have built a team of passionate and caring providers who are grounded in giving our members a positive and supportive experience, helping them navigate their conditions and believe in their ability to reverse and heal their dysfunctional metabolism through data and technology. We have built processes and methods to support members with multiple conditions, and to deliver a healthcare delivery model that meets members where they are when they need support most. Finally, our outcomes speak for themselves. Seventy two percent (72%) of our members have achieved type 2 diabetes reversal at 6 months with an average Hb A1c reduction of 2.9 points for those with an A1c greater than 8.0. Additionally, we have eliminated 71% of high cost medications achieved at 6 months and 16.6 lbs average weight loss in the first 6 months for those with obesity.  Our program works. After nearly 15 years after completing residency, I am finally able to fulfill my passion of truly helping people get better and healthier. 

What are the projects you are currently working on?

In addition to my cross functional work as the Medical Director, I am also  overseeing our first randomized control trial here in the US. It is a 2 year study that Twin Health is performing in partnership with The Cleveland Clinic and we are looking forward to publishing our results in the coming year. 

Is the #WomenInTech movement important to you and if yes, why?

Absolutely. Currently only about 20% of individuals in the tech industry are women. And of those, the pay gap continues to be significant. I am grateful for the awareness, education, and support the  #WomenInTech movement provides not only current women in the industry but also young women and  girls who are interested in joining the tech world. Additionally, as a woman in technology I am thrilled for the opportunity to support so many women with chronic metabolic diseases and busy lifestyles - 50% of our members are female and we are seeing incredible results and bringing them a lifestyle management approach that works with their day to day lives.

What will be the key trends in your industry in the next five years and where do you see them heading?

AI is playing an increasingly prominent role across all areas of technology, and Health Tech is no exception. ChatGPT has captured the public’s imagination and shown the potential for AI to help with all sorts of tasks, including writing essays, planning a vacation, and suggesting recipes. At Twin Health, we focus on applying our patented AI and machine learning technology to provide truly personalized healthcare; every person’s metabolism is unique, and our technology recommends personalized treatments to heal each person’s metabolism in the most effective way. 

Another trend is that healthcare costs continue to increase every year, especially for chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes and obesity, which creates a burden for patients, employers, health plans, and our overall society. Medications are on the rise to treat some of these conditions, but they are not doing so by focusing on healing metabolism, making them required for life. Additionally, these medications are expensive and the costs are unsustainable for both employers and health plans. Twin offers an alternative to costly medications and treatments, by healing the root cause of these chronic diseases thereby both impacting outcomes and cost.

What is the most important piece of advice you could give to anyone who wants to start a career in this industry?

First, I would say to believe in yourself and take a chance - there are so many opportunities to use your passion, experience, and education and apply it to something innovative. To be successful in this industry you have to be flexible and patient. With the ever changing recommendations and guidelines in the medical and scientific world along with the rapid advancements in technology, you have to be willing to flex with change and at times, uncertainty. You have to be willing to learn and absorb information from other members of your team, especially the cross-functional areas of expertise which will make you a better team player and leader. You also need a little grit, resilience, and a smile, because changing health care is hard! 

Who are three inspirational women in your respective industry you admire?

This is a particularly difficult question as there are so many strong, confident, smart, and successful women that inspire me every day. 

Dr. Lisa Shah. She is an internist and pediatrician and is currently the Chief Medical Officer at Twin Health. Her persistent confidence, strength and amazing mentorship inspires me to be a better woman, physician, colleague, and leader every single day. I am so proud and grateful to be a part of her team and learn from her. 

Roseanne Moore. Roseanne is an RN and formally spent her time in the ICU taking care of the sickest patients in the hospital. She is currently the Vice President of Clinical Operations at Twin Health. She has unwavering dedication to her team of nurses and health coaches and the company as a whole. She never hesitates to roll up her sleeves and do whatever is necessary to pull cross functional teams together to solve any problem. She successfully balances being both a leader and team player. 

Dr. Michelle Harika. Michelle Harika, PharmD, is a principal at Blackstone and Chief Clinical Officer for Equity Healthcare, where she is responsible for oversight and performance of a customized clinical model operated by multiple vendors. Dr. Harika also leads improvement initiatives designed to improve health, generate savings, and increase value to Blackstone’s portfolio companies.  Her partnership with Twin Health has afforded our company with many insights, learnings, and opportunities for growth. 

Find out more about Twin Health on their website.

Connect with Dr Bree Willis on LinkedIn.

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This interview was conducted by Marija Butkovic, Digital Marketing and PR strategist, founder, and CEO of Women of Wearables. She regularly writes and speaks on topics of wearable tech, fashion tech, IoT, entrepreneurship, and diversity. Follow Marija on Twitter @MarijaButkovic and read her stories for Forbes here.