Avenda Health Adds Tech Luminary to Board of Directors and Expands Leadership Team

Respected Technology Executive Dr. Ronald Sugar Joins Avenda's Board of Directors as Company Prepares to Commercialize AI Mapping Platform for Prostate Cancer Care

CULVER CITY, Calif., June 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Avenda Health, an AI healthcare company creating the future of prostate cancer care, today announced the addition of Dr. Ronald D. Sugar to its Board of Directors. Dr. Sugar 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 FDA, 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 encapsulation¹ over conventional treatment planning from 56 percent to 80 percent².

"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. Carolyn Reul has over 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. Jemima 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 holds a doctoral degree in prostate cancer biology.

Avenda Health is creating a more personalized future of prostate cancer care. Using deep learning, Avenda Health software maps a patient's cancer in 3D, giving physicians precise information and the confidence to make care decisions. Dedicated to bringing this cutting-edge technology to all practices and physicians treating prostate cancer patients, Avenda Health aims to improve outcomes, preserve quality of life, and create a new standard of cancer care.

For more information, visit avendahealth.com and follow the company on LinkedIn and Twitter.

References:

1 Priester A, Fan R, Shubert J, Colina J, Rusu M, Sulaiman V, Shao W, Khandiwala YS, Natarajan S, Sonn GA., A novel AI-derived metric identifies favorable candidates for focal therapy of prostate cancer and accurately predicts treatment margin efficacy. American Urological Association; Engineering and Urology Society. New Orleans, LA. May 15, 2022.

2. Priester A, Fan R, Shubert J, Colina J, Rusu M, Sulaiman V, Shao W, Khandiwala YS, Natarajan S, Sonn GA., Defining prostate cancer focal therapy treatment margins with a machine learning model: improvement upon hemi-gland ablation. American Urological Association; Engineering and Urology Society. New Orleans, LA. May 15, 2022.

SOURCE Avenda Health