How did you begin your career in health care? Have you always been interested in the industry?
I started in health tech as a senior trade officer for the Danish Foreign Ministry in Los Angeles in 2000. Many years later my own health brought me to what became digital health tech. Mymee was conceived from my own experience with the healthcare system’s ineffective response – both in Denmark and the U.S. – to autoimmune disorders. As a serial entrepreneur, there’s nothing alluring about restructuring a highly political and regulated industry. And yet the need is so apparent and our technology is so transformative that we are confident in our success.
 
Your own difficulties with chronic disease inspired you to found your company, Mymee. As an industry, what changes need to be made when approaching chronic health issues in patients?
Two main changes are required. First, the market (top to bottom) needs to appreciate the magnitude of the cost of managing chronic problems in our society. By definition, chronic issues often last a lifetime. Early intervention is better than remediation. Second, our fragmented payor system has to provide a much broader array of reimbursement pathways so that individuals with chronic health issues can afford to obtain solutions to their illnesses. Ideally, there would be incentives in the U.S. market for payors to invest in whole person care with long return horizons, because these programs promote wellness, productivity and reduced costs across the whole country. There’s no one size fits all.
 
You spoke at the 2019 WBL Summit as Founder and CEO of a startup. What was that experience like? What are you looking forward to about the upcoming virtual 2020 Summit?
I was positively surprised by how different it was to be on stage in front of a room full of women. Never had I imagined how welcome that made me feel—and in reflection, how we women fight constantly to be heard even when we are unaware of it.
 
I am glad the speaking opportunity introduced me to the WBL women across the country. The WBL network is a special community that is generous in helping each other and sharing knowledge and contacts. I look forward to reconnecting to all the amazing women I met last year and meeting new ones this year.
 
From the perspective of a CEO, what qualities do you find most valuable in the members of your board?
Besides the obvious in terms of skill set, honest and direct feedback. Judgment is a must. In many ways, it is THE job of a board member. A board member with solid judgment keeps you out of trouble and helps you navigate difficult situations. Being a great board member means being an active evangelist in the ecosystem, sharing your network, and keeping your eyes peeled for opportunities when you can best promote the company.
 
How do you see COVID-19 impacting the use of telehealth and specialty health services like Mymee in the future?
The COVID-19 crisis creates a massive shift in the healthcare industry and how patients have access to providers. Only a quarter of health care organizations had a virtual care program in place in January. As a result we are regulating technology at the speed of the virus.

The pandemic amplified the issue for the current immunocompromised population, leaving them particularly vulnerable as a result. From our conversations with The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, there is collective anticipation that autoimmunity will spike as a result of COVID-19. While infections are an established trigger of new autoimmune diagnosis, the impact of this pandemic on the overall numbers of autoimmune disease is still unknown.
 
We are experiencing a powerful new opportunity brought by the virus that has the potential to reshape a portion of the American healthcare system with the path to reimbursement much clearer as a result of the switch to virtual care delivery. After COVID-19, we can’t go back to the old, broken health care system.
 
Personally or professionally, what might the WBL network be surprised to know about you?
People are often surprised to learn that my first business was a cleaning company. I built a company while studying that was the earliest iteration of the on-demand home services (think Handy for home services in the 90s in Copenhagen), which was acquired 20 years ago.