Hello friends,
When Dr. Samir Qamar and I first met, we talked about his parents. His mother had cancer. His father had survived a massive heart attack but lost both his hands and legs to gangrene. Samir carried him home from rehab and became his primary care doctor.
As a physician, Samir knew whom to call, which specialists to seek out, and how to get things moving. When his parents had a question, they could ask someone they trusted and get an answer immediately.
But he kept asking himself what they would have done if he hadn’t been a doctor.
That question is behind ASTRID, the AI healthcare platform he’s building. His ambition goes beyond answering medical questions. He wants to help people act on the answers.
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Questions from this episode
What inspired Dr. Samir Qamar to build ASTRID?
Caring for his parents made Qamar confront the advantage of having a doctor in the family. He knew whom to call and how to navigate care. He began asking what people without that access could do when they needed trusted medical guidance.
What is ASTRID?
ASTRID is an AI healthcare platform founded by Dr. Samir Qamar. It provides health information and guidance, with a broader ambition to help people move from medical questions toward the next step in care.
How does this episode explore AI in healthcare?
Qamar discusses what AI might contribute to access to care, how he is approaching patient privacy, and the gap between receiving information and being able to act on it. The conversation examines both his ambition and the work still ahead.
If someone comes to mind who should hear this episode, please send it their way.
Onward,
Timothy Wheeler
Co-host, Before the Cure
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