Ronald D. Sugar joins Avenda Health board

Avenda Health, an AI healthcare company, jas added Dr Ronald D. Sugar to its Board of Directors. He also serves as a board member at Apple, Amgen, Chevron, and chairman of Uber as well as the former chairman and CEO of Northrop Grumman.

“We’re thrilled to have Dr Sugar on our team, and his experience at the intersection of healthcare and technology will be invaluable in our pursuit to provide better care for the millions of men with prostate cancer,” said Shyam Natarajan, co-founder and CEO of Avenda Health.

Avenda Health’s technology, iQuest, uses deep learning to map an individual’s prostate cancer. This software, not yet cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, provides physicians with a better understanding of the extent of disease and supports decision-making in cancer care. In a retrospective study of 50 patients presented at the 2022 American Urological Association annual meeting, iQuest improved tumor encapsulation over conventional treatment planning from 56% to 80%.

“Avenda Health’s AI platform is going to solve a huge unmet need for prostate cancer care. They are on the verge of something transformational,” said Dr Sugar.

In preparation for the launch of iQuest, the company also added two key executive hires, including Carolyn Reul, who will serve as vice president of Sales and Marketing, and Jemima Escamilla, Ph.D., who will serve as vice president of Business Development and Growth. Reul has more than 25 years of experience leading sales, marketing and product and business development within the medical imaging industry. She previously worked for Hitachi Healthcare Americas, where she was the executive director of ultrasound sales. Prior to Hitachi, Reul served as the director of marketing for BK Medical.

Dr Escamilla comes from RCT Ventures where she performed in depth market analysis, technical, and financial diligence for medical devices. She previously led business and product development at Option3, a medtech incubator, where she was principal. Dr Escamilla earned a doctoral degree in prostate cancer biology.

Avenda Health uses deep learning software to map a patient’s cancer in 3D, giving physicians precise information and the confidence to make care decisions. Medical Product Outsourcing