How can we use blockchain-related technologies to drive patient-driven interoperability? [Michael Dillhyon]
September 14, 2016

Michael Dillhyon’s Challenge

Michael Dillhyon is the CEO and co-Founder of YouBase, a blockchain-based data exchange application focused on the life sciences and healthcare industry. He has been a pioneer in open health data innovation for nearly a decade, and presents regularly on the subject, as well as on healthtech entrepreneurship and the growing relevance of the consumer at life sciences and healthcare events in the US and EMEA.

From 2013 to 2015, Michael served as President of Vital Connect, a disruptive FDA-approved cardiometabolic biosensor manufacturer. Prior to that, he was the Founder and CEO of Geneva-based healthbank, the world’s first citizen-owned, global open health data cooperative, where he still serves on the Board. Mr. Dillhyon is currently an Advisor for HealthXL (IBM Ventures healthcare spin out) and was recently nominated to the SXSW Accelerator Advisory Board.

In 2013, Michael was elected as the first Entrepreneur-in-Residence in Switzerland’s largest (CHF 800M) early stage life sciences/healthcare initiative, SystemsX, and served as lead mentor at the new Life Sciences Innovation and Entrepreneurship Lab at ETH.

Prior to 2013, Mr. Dillhyon served as Chairman of Genebio, a bioinformatics software firm, and served on the Strategic Advisory Committee for HealthTIES, an EU-backed consortium of four of Europe’s top regions in biosciences, medical technology and health entrepreneurship. During this time, Michael was also a partner in two Swiss-based investment advisory firms: Rollspeed and Avadilon.

Previous to his move to Switzerland in 2004, Mr. Dillhyon co-founded two US-based ICT firms: Netelligent Corporation and ActiveObjects, where he held the roles of President, Chairman and CEO respectively.

Born in the US (Miami), Michael now lives with his family in the canton of Zug, Switzerland.

Problem Statement

How can we use blockchain-related technologies to drive patient-driven interoperability?

Why This Is Important

Interoperability is at the heart of many HealthIT policy discussions, as in, “How can we allow to health care institutions to talk to each other around patient data?” Part of the problem may be that for business reasons, not technological reasons, institutions may not want to share their patient health information. Patients, however, do have the rights to access this information. How, using blockchain related technologies, might we provide a way for patients to accept data in one format, convert it to another format, and share it with another institution with appropriate incentives. How might we create a sustainable individual-centric health data exchange that’s not dependent on a third party for storage or conversion?

Office Hours: Tues and Thurs 8-9 AM PST.

Contact Information: Email and Google Hangout: Kevin Clauson [at] youbase [dot] io