SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Element Science, an innovative health technology company pioneering a next-generation digital wearable platform for high-risk cardiovascular patients transitioning from hospital to home, announced today that it has appointed Zubin J. Eapen, MD, MHS, FACC, FAHA, as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Eapen, an experienced health system leader who has launched and scaled innovative models of care and overseen numerous clinical trials, will help advance the Company’s initial product, the Jewel Patch Wearable Cardioverter Defibrillator (P-WCD).
The Jewel P-WCD is the first product built on the novel Jewel platform, which is designed to help patients reduce their need for hospitalization through diagnostic, therapeutic, and connected capabilities. The Jewel platform is an unobtrusive, low-profile personal defibrillator designed to detect and treat life-threatening arrhythmias in patients with an elevated temporary risk of Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD), a condition more than 500,000 patients in the US face every year.
“As we move the Jewel defibrillator into clinical practice, we are delighted to attract Zubin, a practicing cardiologist, to our expanding leadership team. His clinical trial leadership and success in creating innovative programs, as well as expertise in reimbursement and health system workflow and operations, give him a unique perspective,” said Uday N. Kumar, MD, Founder, President and CEO. “His understanding of the healthcare ecosystem, and commitment to high quality patient care, will be a strong asset as we move forward to commercialize our technology to address critical healthcare needs.”
Dr. Eapen commented, “My entire career has been focused on changing the way healthcare is delivered, which leads me naturally to Element Science. In working with high-risk patients with heart disease, I am constantly reminded that they often have no other option other than frequent hospitalization for care and monitoring. Providing these patients with higher quality of life at home while lowering our overall healthcare costs remains an unmet need, one brought into sharp relief during this pandemic in which moving care from hospital to home has become more urgent. I look forward to working with Uday and the Element Science team to advance the Jewel platform, a truly novel development in digital wearables, forward.”
Previously Dr. Eapen served as Chief Medical Officer of The Anthem Companies’ CareMore Health subsidiary, a nationwide healthcare system, where he created, launched and grew a hospital at home program and achieved the best clinical outcomes in its history. He also served as CMO at Anthem’s research subsidiary, HealthCore, where he oversaw all clinical research including traditional randomized clinical trials and pragmatic clinical trials. Previously, at the Duke University Health System, he founded and served as Medical Director of the Duke Heart Failure Same Day Access Program, a novel disease management program. As an Associate Professor of Medicine at Duke University and investigator at the Duke Clinical Research Institute, he published extensively about the quality of care for cardiovascular patients and led health system efforts to redesign care for heart failure patients. He was also CMO at Pattern Heath Technologies, a provider of patient engagement software to improve care coordination for chronic disease management, and is an editor of the 14th edition of Hurst’s the Heart, the second most widely circulated cardiovascular textbook in the world.
Dr. Eapen earned his undergraduate degree in Political Science from the University of North Carolina, where he was a Morehead Scholar, and his medical degree and a master’s degree in Health Sciences from Duke University. Before attending medical school, he was a Strategy Associate at The World Bank.
Dr. Eapen joins a team at Element Science with deep expertise in wearable patches, user-centered design and advanced algorithms, and in this new role, will work closely with a Scientific Advisory Board comprised of distinguished leaders including Dr. Jeremy Ruskin, Founder and Director Emeritus, Massachusetts General Hospital Cardiac Arrhythmia Service, Dr. Harlan Krumholz, Director, Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, Yale-New Haven Hospital, and Dr. Robert Harrington, Chair of Stanford University’s Department of Medicine.
“Dr. Eapen’s diverse expertise as a clinical researcher, practicing cardiologist, and physician executive in a major healthcare system, makes him a great fit at this unique time in Element Science’s history. He is a terrific addition and will help the Company complete its clinical trial and begin commercialization. I have worked with and have known Dr. Eapen since he was a resident and cardiology fellow working with the research group I led at Duke. I am confident that his innovative spirit and passion for improving patients’ lives will deeply benefit the company and the patients it will serve,” said Dr. Harrington.
In March 2020 Element Science raised $145.6 million in Series C financing to advance its next-generation digital wearable platform technology for cardiology patients. Investors included Deerfield, Qiming, Cormorant, and Invus, as well as existing investors Third Rock and Google Ventures. The funding will enable Element to complete clinical studies, begin commercialization of the Jewel P-WCD, and develop a family of products based upon the Jewel platform.
About Element Science, Inc.
Element Science, Inc. is a medical device and digital health company focused on developing solutions at the intersection of clinical-grade wearables, machine learning algorithms, and lifesaving therapies in order to address leading causes of death and hospitalization in patients with heart disease, primarily as they transition from the hospital-to-home. By putting the needs of patients and physicians first, our personalized digital devices, which are designed for function, comfort and ease-of-use, aim to redefine the paradigm of care for these patients. Our first product, a wearable patch defibrillator, is initially targeted at treating the more than 500,000 patients in the US with an elevated temporary risk of potentially experiencing a lethal heart rhythm. Based in San Francisco, our funders include Third Rock Ventures, Google Ventures, Deerfield Management, Qiming Venture Partners USA, Cormorant Asset Management, and Invus Opportunities. For more information please visit www.elementscience.com.
