Illuminating Health Tech

How Apps can have a big impact on boosting emotional health and resilience, with Silja Litvin, Co-Founder of PsycApps.

Welcome to the second episode of Illuminating Health Tech! This time we’re delighted to be joined by Silja Litvin, Psychologist, and Co-Founder of PsycApps. Silja was inspired to start the company after realising that her clients were reaching her too late – often after six months on a waitlist and years after experiencing initial symptoms. With a particular focus on Gen Z and Millennials, PsycApps created eQuoo, an emotional health app based around the principles of gamification; it’s a dialogue-focused fantasy game that teaches people real-life skills to deal with anxiety, depression, relationships, and personal growth.  
Silja delves into her background in psychology and how her role as a clinician influenced the development of the app. We also hear about what Silja has learned along the way and what she wishes she’d known when starting out.
We discuss:
 
. Why having a business plan before starting development is essential
. The importance of engagement when creating an application
. How Silja got the app to the front of the NHS queue, with help from Orcha
. Challenges she faced in the business world and how she overcame them
. Why having a business partner will fill the gaps of knowledge
 
Enjoy the episode and don’t forget to leave us a rating if you enjoyed the show!
 

Blazing a trail: The journey of Clinicians working in Health Tech, with Dr Tom Micklewright

In the first episode of Illuminating Health Tech, we talk to Dr. Tom Micklewright, Clinical Director at Orcha, who has forged a successful career as a Medical leader in Digital Health Solutions and Clinical Strategy. Tom discusses his journey from medical training and the opportunities he’s pursued along the way which have shaped him as a clinician and medical leader.  Tom is blazing a trail within Digital Health and offers some excellent practical advice to clinicians looking to embark on a career within Health Tech, as well as explaining the advantages of utilising clinicians within a Health Tech business.
We discuss:
Why Tom chose General Practice and how it’s shaped him as a leader
What motivated Tom to pursue a career in Health Tech
How easy is it for clinicians to find opportunities in Health Tech
The biggest differences clinicians face transitioning from the NHS to a Health Tech company
The benefits of having a clinician in a Health Tech company
Advice for clinicians looking to work in Health Tech
Digital health academy for NHS clinicians: https://learninghub.nhs.uk/ - type in Orca, and you can access relevant modules.
NHS LAUNCHED CLINICAL ENTREPRENEUR PROGRAMME: https://www.england.nhs.uk/aac/what-we-do/how-can-the-aac-help-me/clinical-entrepreneur-programme/
Gives clinicians the chance to share support, blueprints, and project assets. It also teaches entrepreneurial skills such as finance, investment etc.
 
DIGITAL HEALTH GROUPS OR CLINICAL SAFETY GROUP: https://www.rcgp.org.uk/about/committees/health-informatics
The Health Informatics Group advises the RCGP, its officers and special interest groups, and external professional bodies on issues of information management and technology in general practice and healthcare in general.
CONFERENCES
https://www.nhsconfed.org/events
The NHS Confederation run a number of events designed to connect the whole healthcare system; great for building networks and keeping up to date in relation to best practice and tools.
https://hettshow.co.uk/
Great events in terms of building your network, not to mention two days of free CPD.
Some you can find with free NHS tickets, such as the NHS confed or the HET festival, will help you to build up your network.
 
We hope you enjoy the podcast!