Former US surgeon general joins Eko as medical advisor
Eko Health announced former U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, MD, MPH, FASA, a board-certified anesthesiologist and executive director of the Center for Community Health Enhancement and Learning at Purdue University, joined the company as a distinguished medical advisor. The company is a leader in artificial intelligence-powered cardiac and pulmonary detection with its digital stethoscope technology.
"Eko is transforming how we detect cardiovascular disease—making cutting-edge, AI-powered tools accessible to frontline providers in the communities that need them most. This is how we close gaps in care, improve outcomes and ultimately save lives," Adams said in a statement.
The company said Adams brings decades of clinical, public health and policy leadership to Eko at a time of accelerated company growth and increased focus on proactive, earlier detection of cardiovascular disease.
During his tenure as surgeon general, Adams issued influential advisories on maternal health and hypertension, which are two of the key drivers of poor cardiovascular outcomes, particularly due to health disparities in underserved communities. Eko said these focus areas directly align with Eko's mission to bring early, AI-powered detection tools to the frontlines of care. He also issued key guidance on the opioid epidemic and the connection between community health and economic prosperity. Adams is also a vocal advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion as essential pillars of public health.
In his role with Eko, Adams will provide strategic guidance on clinical implementation, product development and public health partnerships. He will also advise on efforts to create affordable, high-performance cardiac screening in primary care settings that have not traditionally had access to specialist-level tools.
"He knows how to turn medical innovation into real-world impact, and his perspective on expanding access, efficiency, and quality of care will be invaluable as we build on one of the largest deployments of AI-enabled medical devices in the world to reach even more clinicians and patients," explained Connor Landgraf, CEO and co-founder of Eko Health in a statement.
Dave Fornell has covered healthcare for more than 17 years, with a focus in cardiology and radiology. Fornell is a 5-time winner of a Jesse H. Neal Award, the most prestigious editorial honors in the field of specialized journalism. The wins included best technical content, best use of social media and best COVID-19 coverage. Fornell was also a three-time Neal finalist for best range of work by a single author. He produces more than 100 editorial videos each year, most of them interviews with key opinion leaders in medicine. He also writes technical articles, covers key trends, conducts video hospital site visits, and is very involved with social media. E-mail: [email protected]