Athelo Health

Introducing Gemma Corby, writer for Athelo Health and Triple Negative Breast Cancer Survivor. (Q) What is your role at Athelo Health? (A) My role at Athelo Health is to write informative and scientifically sound articles, from the patient's perspective. My experience with having had breast cancer twice myself gives me a unique understanding of patient’s needs and struggles. I strive to provide them with practical information and support that you only learn about from the inside. (Q) What motivates you to share your experience with breast cancer? (A) A diagnosis of cancer can be a lonely and isolating experience. When I was first diagnosed, a time of enormous fear and anxiety, I was drawn to women who had experienced it firsthand. I found them to be incredibly understanding, reassuring, and validating. I now hope to do the same for others. (Q) Do you have a few words of advice for people struggling with breast cancer? (A) Keep moving. Physically and mentally. It’s important to acknowledge and feel all of those overwhelming negative emotions that come with your diagnosis. No one gets diagnosed with cancer, told they’re going to be mutilated, poisoned, and burned, and starts projecting sunshine and rainbows straight away. But don’t sit in it. Keep imagining yourself in the future, and make plans so you have things to focus on and look forward to. You can do this. #breastcancercommunity #breastcancersurvivor #healthcare #breastcancerawareness #healthinnovation #athelohealth

I'm so incredibly proud of our third 1501 Health cohort! It's been an honor to work with you all for the past year. I'm in awe of your commitment to changing healthcare for the better, and am grateful for your passion, resilience in a tough market, and in many cases your friendship. Congratulations, and looking forward to many more events and partnerships!

Meet Monica Schmiede, Co-founder and Chief Business Officer of Athelo Health! (Q) What motivated you to start Athelo Health? (A) It was realizing and appreciating the power of information. After spending a decade working in the pharmaceutical industry, I recognized how much information I had gained about navigating the complex healthcare system. We are so lucky to live during a time of incredible medical advancements–but we want to ensure everyone has access to the right information at the right time, to make the right health decisions. Jess and I started Athelo out of the desire to empower patients, particularly those who may not have access to this type of information. (Q) What do you do at Athelo? (A) We are a small team and we all do a bit of everything. But as the co-founder and Chief Business Offer, I am responsible for managing our commercial partners and day-to-day business operations.  My role is incredibly dynamic, allowing us to work with innovative government partners and explore potential partnerships in the private sector. It is also a very creative role, which involves thinking through all kinds of partnership models to best fit our needs. (Q) What is your hope for the company? (A) Any cancer diagnosis can be devastating. My goal is to have Athelo be a resource to demystify the entire process of treatment, health, and life beyond one's disease. There is value in both the Eastern and Western approaches, and we aspire to have Athelo bridge this gap. The standard of care treatment for cancer varies greatly today. With Athelo, we are working to level the playing field and are building a tool that I wish I had when supporting my loved one going through cancer care. (Q) One word to best describe Monica, as told by fellow co-founder Jessica. (A) Aquatic... an unconventional word but it does describe her passions and her personality. Monica is a free person, she is very adaptive and can go with the flow. We are total opposites in this way and maybe that's why we work so well together. In a literal sense, she's also a freediver and I know her "happy place" is always in the water. She's our octopus. #Womenshealth #breastcancersupport women #wellness #health #gender #research #genderequality #womenshealthmatters #breastcancer #breastcancercare #chronicillness #breastcancerawareness #breastcancersupport

Meet Athelo's co-founder Jessica Thurmond as she answers a few questions about the company. (Q) What motivated you to start Athelo Health? (A) I wanted to start Athelo because of my mother and people like my mother who have been mistreated and overlooked by the healthcare system. My mom passed away from breast cancer when I was young and I always knew that I wanted her legacy to live on through me. I didn’t know what that would look like until I started Athelo Health a few years ago. While my mother’s story was the catalyst, the real driver behind the company is the stories of women today who are still struggling with the same issues my mom did over 20 years ago. (Q)What is your role at Athelo? (A) As the co-founder and CEO of Athelo, a startup, it means I wear a lot of different hats in the business. My background professionally is in clinical operations and strategic development, meaning that I focus on the long-term vision of the company as well as the day-to-day operations. (Q)What is your hope for the company? (A) I have so many dreams about what Athelo can do to support women with cancer. My deepest hope is that we can move the needle (in the right direction) by providing equitable care to cancer patients.  One of the biggest misconceptions is that all cancer care is created equally–it isn’t. My other hope is that we can integrate more philosophies of medicine (Indigenous traditions, Eastern medicine, etc.) into our Western practices across the board. (Q) One word that describes Jessica, by fellow Co-Founder Monica Schmiede: (A) Jessica is a ferocious tiger, which is also her Zodiac sign.  Not long after we incorporated, Jess was on the road winning local pitch competitions and being featured in local publications. Once Jess sets her mind to achieving something, she will blaze a path to figure out how to do it.  She can quickly sense someone’s authenticity and motives, which is critical in our startup environment. She uses this skill to build genuine relationships with new partners, advisors, colleagues, and customers on a daily basis. #womeninhealthcare #breastcancerawareness #healthtech #womenpower #genderequality #womenshealthmatters 

Healthcare entrepreneurs, write this down! 🖋 Our 1501 Health company founders are sharing the best lessons learned as they’ve scaled their businesses and worked with mentors.  Appreciate the words of wisdom, Celine Tien, James Li, Anurag Gupta, MD, MBA, MMSc, Monica Schmiede, Jessica Thurmond, Shelly Lanning, Senan Ebrahim, MD, PhD, Dom Raban! #Entrepreneurs #WordsOfWisdom #NewYearsResolution

We are #hiring a marketing communications intern to join our team! Are you passionate about communications and marketing and interested in gaining experience in digital health? If so, this job might be a good fit for you! Click the link below to learn more and apply. https://lnkd.in/gqSQ3Yvt #digitalhealth #communications #marketing #opportunity #remote #jobopening #internship

We’ve been so grateful for the Healthworx and 1501 Health teams continuing to highlight the value of targeted women’s health interventions as well as the mentorship we’ve gained this cohort from Visana Health! We have some exciting announcements forthcoming and we are looking forward to sharing Athelo with a broader base of women VERY soon! Stay tuned… 👀 #womenshealth #womenscancer #carenavigation #breastcancer #femalefounders #socialentrepreneurship #healthequity

As it stands, the current healthcare system is lacking comprehensive women’s healthcare services. Two 1501 Health companies are redefining this reality with virtual solutions for women at all life stages, and the complications that can come with them. Visana Health offers a full-service women’s clinic, while Athelo Health acts as a virtual doula for cancer care. For more on these innovations, explore our blog here: https://hubs.li/Q02d6cBk0 Thank you to Shelly Lanning, Jessica Thurmond and Monica Schmiede for your valuable insights. #CancerCare #FemaleFounders #WomensHealthcare