Gastroenterologist | Medical Director, Oshi Health | LinkedIn Top Healthcare Management Voice | Forbes Health Contributor

I’m a board-certified gastroenterologist and the Founding Medical Director at Oshi Health, where I’ve had the privilege of helping shape and expand a virtual-first GI care model now serving patients in all 50 states. Working alongside an incredible team, I’ve contributed to building scalable clinical pathways for IBS, IBD, and other gut conditions—anchored in team-based care, empathy, and measurable outcomes.

With 28,000 + followers, I’m among the most followed gastroenterologists on LinkedIn, where I regularly share insights on topics including:

• IBS & the gut-brain connection — emotional triggers, stress, and personalized care
• Digital health innovation — virtual-first models, AI in GI, and wearable integration
• Colorectal cancer screening — rethinking pathways and improving early detection
• Reducing unnecessary testing — CTs, labs, and low-yield procedures in IBS
• Value-based gastroenterology — lower cost, better outcomes, patient experience
• Health plan integration — improving patient access to covered virtual GI care
• Microbiome & nutrition science — evidence-based takes on fiber, probiotics, and gut myths
• Healthcare system reform — tackling disparities, burnout, and reimbursement models
• Behavioral science in GI — the role of habit loops, psychology, and coaching in digestive health
• Virtual care leadership — insights from helping scale a 50-state GI operation

As a LinkedIn Top Voice, I collaborate across digital health, clinical care, and health plans to drive forward-thinking solutions in gastroenterology—without waste, and with humanity.

Let’s connect if you’re working at the intersection of GI, tech-enabled care, or value-based delivery models.

Michael Bass, M.D.

Most of us have taken antibiotics and moved on. This new Sweedish study says your gut hasn't.

A new Nature Medicine paper linked 8 years of prescription data to stool metagenomes from nearly 15,000 adults in Sweden.

The headline finding: a single course of clindamycin, fluoroquinolones, or flucloxacillin was still associated with changes in gut bacteria 4 to 8 years later. Not months. Years.

Clindamycin use within a year of sampling was tied to 47 fewer detected species on average. That's a massive hit to an ecosystem most patients assume bounces right back.

The species that increased after antibiotics included bacteria previously linked to higher BMI, elevated triglycerides, and type 2 diabetes risk. The ones that decreased were tied to lower inflammation and better metabolic health.

This matters because the gut microbiome isn't a bystander in human health. It regulates metabolism, immune function, and inflammation. When you wipe out key species with a broad-spectrum antibiotic, you're not just treating an infection. You're reshaping an organ system.

And the recovery isn't automatic. The fastest rebound happened in the first two years. After that, diversity plateaued well below baseline. Some species may never fully return.

We prescribe a 10-day course for a dental abscess and tell the patient they're done. But the disruption we triggered may still be measurable half a decade later.

If you've had a patient who "just hasn't been the same" since antibiotics a few years ago, this paper gives you a biological reason to take that seriously.
We can't undo the antibiotics we've already prescribed. But we can stop pretending the consequences end when the pill bottle runs out.

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The Gut doesn't Forget 

LinkedIn Top Voice | Gastroenterologist I Global Medical Director @ ViomeDx

Dr Erika Tajra

The most dangerous phrase in cancer screening right now might be “no cancer signal detected.”

Multi-cancer blood tests are having a moment. A single blood draw that claims to detect 50+ cancers sounds revolutionary. And maybe someday it will be. But the evidence is still catching up to the excitement.

There are now roughly 40 multi-cancer early detection tests in development or already on the market. Yet very few have been tested in randomized trials. And the first large trial results? They didn’t show a clear reduction in late-stage cancers. Which is the whole point. Finding cancer only matters if you’re finding it early enough to change outcomes.

Why is this so hard? Because early cancers are biologically quiet. Most current tests search for fragments of tumor DNA circulating in the bloodstream. The problem is that very small tumors often shed almost no DNA at all. The signal can be incredibly faint. You’re essentially trying to hear a whisper in a stadium.

That’s why researchers are exploring another layer of biology: RNA. 

RNA reflects what cells are actively doing, not just what mutations exist. Signals can appear earlier, even when tumor DNA is scarce. It can capture the body’s response to cancer, not just the tumor itself. And it provides insight into active biological pathways rather than static genetic changes.

None of this means DNA-based tests are wrong. But it highlights something important: detecting cancer early may require listening to more than one biological signal. DNA is probably part of the answer. It’s not the whole story.

Patients deserve innovation. But they also deserve evidence that it actually improves outcomes. Because “no cancer signal detected” only means something if the test was capable of detecting the signal in the first place.

The AI prescribing debate feels very different after you’ve cleared 40 refill requests in your inbox at the end of a clinic day.

Most people think prescribing is the clinical decision. Clinicians know the reality is everything wrapped around it. Prior auths, quantity limits, step therapy rules, plans that only cover 90 pills, missing labs, drug interaction checks, and the quiet liability of deciding what can safely go through and what needs a visit.

That’s why a recent The Washington Post  opinion criticizing Utah’s AI refill pilot with Doctronic caught my attention. Joseph Sakran , Johns Hopkins trauma surgeon and a medical researcher, argues that autonomous AI prescribing is moving forward on dangerously thin evidence.

His case is straightforward. The safety data rests largely on a single preprint on medRxiv that hasn’t been peer reviewed. The study authors hold equity in the company. The underlying data hasn’t been publicly shared.
They also point out that the widely cited 99.2% accuracy figure comes from urgent care encounters, not chronic medication renewals, which is what the Utah pilot is actually doing. Different context, different risk profile.

And they raise a fair concern about scale. Even a small error rate applied across thousands of prescriptions could affect vulnerable groups. Elderly patients, people on complex medication regimens, patients whose conditions have quietly changed since their last visit.

Those are legitimate concerns. But the authors also acknowledge something that gets lost in the headline debate. Medication renewals for stable chronic conditions are among the lowest-risk prescribing tasks in medicine.

If AI could safely handle routine renewals, it could free physicians to focus on the stuff that actually requires a doctor.

That tension is where the real conversation should be. Because the system clinicians are currently working in is already broken. 

Practices average nearly 40 prior authorizations per physician per week. Physicians and staff spend more than 13 hours weekly on them. Nearly 90% say prior auth contributes to burnout.

So I find myself in the middle on this one. I don’t want AI replacing clinical judgment. But I’m very open to AI reducing the administrative friction wrapped around routine prescribing. Stable medication renewals with guardrails and escalation paths? That’s not AI practicing medicine. That’s AI doing paperwork.

Those are two very different things. And until we can talk about them separately, this debate is going to keep going in circles.

Byron Crowe

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Everyone says AI will replace doctors. But the first thing physicians are actually using AI for? Reading the medical literature.

A new AMA survey shows more than 80% of physicians now use AI professionally. And the most common use isn’t diagnosis. It’s summarizing medical research and standards of care. That tells you something important about where medicine actually is right now.

The biggest bottleneck in healthcare isn’t intelligence. It’s bandwidth. Thousands of new papers publish every week. Guidelines constantly evolve. Biology keeps getting more complex. No physician can realistically read everything. 

So knowledge diffuses slowly through the system. Conferences, guidelines, word of mouth. Sometimes it takes years for a new insight to reach everyday clinical practice. I’ve seen it firsthand. A study changes how we should think about a condition, and five years later half the clinicians managing it haven’t read it yet.

AI changes that dynamic. Instead of reading 20 papers, a physician can read a two-minute synthesis. Instead of discovering a new mechanism years later at a conference, it can surface in clinical workflow the same week. That doesn’t replace physicians. It amplifies them.

Which is why most real-world physician AI use today looks nothing like the headlines,despite what the Silicon Valley tech- bros might be tweeting. 

It’s summarizing research, generating chart summaries, creating discharge instructions, reducing documentation burden. Not autonomous diagnosis. Not robot doctors.

Caitlin Owens highlighted this in a recent Axios Healthcare newsletter. AI’s earliest clinical adoption is largely about helping physicians manage information and administrative load, not replacing clinical judgment. That distinction matters more than most people realize.

Medicine isn’t moving toward autonomous doctors. It’s moving toward augmented cognition. Doctors still make the decisions. But AI helps them see patterns faster in an ocean of information that no human brain can process alone. And as biology gets more complex, that ability won’t just be nice to have. It’ll be essential.

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Novo Nordisk  just agreed to let hims & hers  distribute Wegovy and Ozempic through its platform and dropped the lawsuit it filed last month over compounded semaglutide. This isn’t a GLP-1 headline. It’s a preview of where telehealth is going next.

The first era of telehealth was about convenience. Fast visits, easy prescribing, consumer-friendly access. The next era will be judged on something much harder: can telehealth become a trusted distribution and care layer for complex chronic disease?

For years, telehealth has been underestimated as a lightweight front-end. Good for access, good for demand capture, good for meeting patients where they are. But this deal signals something bigger. Large pharma now sees digital care platforms as legitimate channels for branded therapy distribution. Not lead generators. 

Because once telehealth becomes a true distribution channel, the business model gets serious fast. It’s no longer about customer acquisition and conversion. It’s about clinical credibility, regulatory discipline, patient safety, adherence, supply continuity, and what happens after the prescription is written. 

Especially in obesity care, where anyone can build demand but very few can build durable care models. The companies writing scripts the fastest aren’t necessarily the ones that will survive this next phase.

There’s a second signal buried in this story too. Just days after U.S. regulators warned telehealth firms over misleading compounded GLP-1 advertising, one of the most visible players struck a deal around approved branded drugs instead. 

Telehealth is no longer disrupting healthcare from the outside. It’s being absorbed into the system itself. That creates more legitimacy and more accountability in the same move.

LaunchBreak

Founding Member

Infinite Wellness

As a dedicated Naturopathic Practitioner at Infinite Wellness, my role encompasses a multifaceted approach to holistic healthcare. I engage in meticulous and comprehensive initial assessments, delving into the intricacies of each patient's medical history, lifestyle choices, and health aspirations, all while skillfully cultivating trust and rapport through effective communication.

My commitment extends to crafting treatment plans tailored to address the diverse spectrum of patient needs, whether it's nurturing mental well-being, or providing guidance on stress mitigation strategies. A cornerstone of my practice lies in remaining at the forefront of naturopathic research and evidence-based practices, ensuring that the care I provide is not just empathetic but also cutting-edge and effective.

Moreover, I am deeply passionate about empowering patients through nutritional expertise, offering personalized guidance that aligns with their unique health objectives. I take pride in enlightening individuals on food sensitivities, allergies, and the pivotal role of a balanced diet in achieving optimal wellness.

Recognizing the profound impact of lifestyle on health and mental well-being, I routinely provide guidance on stress management, physical activity, and sleep hygiene, ensuring that patients are equipped with the tools to foster enduring well-being. Collaboration is at the heart of my practice, where I seamlessly engage with a diverse array of healthcare professionals, including medical doctors and specialists, in a collective pursuit of holistic healthcare excellence.

In my quest to elevate the standards of care, I am committed to continuous learning and staying on top of the most recent developments in the field of naturopathic medicine. My mission is to provide not only compassionate care but also to serve as a catalyst for positive transformation in the lives of the individuals I have the privilege to work with.

Integrative Health Practitioner

DYG Nutrition

In my role at DYG Nutrition, I was a Project Manager responsible for overseeing dynamic projects across multiple emerging health startups. My responsibilities encompass project management, where I coordinated and strategized to drive success for these innovative brands.

A significant aspect of my role involved leveraging my copywriting expertise to craft engaging content. This includes writing blogs, creating long-form and short-form content tailored for influencers and our diverse portfolio of brands. Drawing upon my extensive background in the health and wellness industry spanning over a decade, I bring a unique perspective to content creation.

My journey in content creation and health advocacy stems from my career as an Integrative Health Practitioner. My core mission has always been to empower individuals by providing them with the resources they need to make positive changes in their health and overall well-being.

Notably, I supported one of the world's leading biohacking brands. This venture is dedicated to democratizing access to functional medicine, making it accessible to everyone. What excited me most was our expansion into the professional athlete space. This endeavor promised to enhance each individual's health, both on and off the field. It encompassed aspects like superior recovery, heightened energy levels, and a comprehensive understanding of holistic well-being, equipping individuals with greater control over their internal health processes.

I am passionate about bridging the gap between cutting-edge health startups and the transformative potential of health and wellness, ultimately driving positive change on a global scale.

Project Manager/Marketing Services

Rooted Balance LLC

In my role, I dedicated my time to promoting holistic well-being by disseminating knowledge on various facets of health, including integrative health, functional medicine, nutrition, exercise, mental health, and gut health. My responsibilities involved developing comprehensive protocols tailored to individual needs, utilizing insights from functional medicine lab tests. Additionally, I offered continuous guidance throughout the implementation of these protocols to ensure optimal results.

I was actively involved in the creation of courses and programs aimed at demystifying the complexities of health, making it more approachable and accessible for everyone.

Integrative Health Practitioner, Health Coach

Genesis Personal Fitness Main

Within in this position, I help to spread education on topics of wellness, fitness, and root cause medicine. Additionally I also present education seminars in nutrition research to clientele once/month to spread message of health and wellness. The most notable strategy that I helped the business grow is productively integrated at home-lab testing into nutrition program as a way for clients to understand the root cause to their symptoms. With the data I have inquired from the test I incorporated health coaching principles to practice holistic and  effective care with meaningful data.

Director of Integrative Health and Nutrition

This job requires that I use my background in Kinesiology and current certifications to help create personalized fitness and nutrition programs. This personalized approach allows for individuals reach their own personal fitness and wellness goals. Additionally, I am required to perform metabolic tests in order to help gain a better perspective of clients and their current health status.

Exercise Physiologist

Lil Diamond

Brand Manager

Initial Friends Brand Consulting

The day to day of this position requires project management across multiple brands that are all start-up in fashion. In addition, copywriting skills are used to write blogs, long form, and short form content for influencers and our other brands. Assist in managing inventory and supply chain while also managing an online health and wellness community through the Discord platform. To achieve these tasks a lot of my content creation background is stemmed through 10 plus years in the health and wellness space as well as being an Integrative Health Practitioner where the goal is to give people the resources needed to feel empowered to make positive changes for their own health and well-being.

Project Manager/Content Creator

Epic Health Services, Inc.

Used Applied Behavioral Analysis Strategies and implemented them into treatment plans with children that had developmental and behavioral delays.

Applied Behavioral Analysis Therapist

NCAA Student Athlete Advisory Committee

Chosen by my coaches to work in this committee that met once a month to discuss ways to enhance the student athlete experience at Temple University as well as, look for ways to volunteer and give back to the Philadelphia community.

Team Representative

Hatboro-Horsham School District

I have worked at this summer camp from in the summer of 2014- summer of 2016. This is a 3 month job that included overseeing a group of children and implementing effective and safe programs for school age children. As well as, managing the activities and personnel at a site(s) as assigned while ensuring effective safety and security of all children at assigned location. In addition preparing activities, monitoring staff to ensure effective supervision, and engagement of children was also important.

Assistant Supervisor

This afternoon school program was a job that required my attention in overseeing a group of children ranging from Kindergarten- 5th Grade. My job was to implement fun and safe activities for the children to do while in this program. In addition to preparing activities, monitoring staff to ensure effective supervision, and engagement of children is also important.

Assistant Group Supervisor/ After-School Daycare

With a deep-rooted passion for optimal health and a strong foundation in exercise physiology, I've dedicated my career to the intersection of physical and mental wellness. As an integrative practitioner, I believe in using the best of science to identify the underlying root cause to help the body better optimize itself and become balanced. I specialize in harnessing the power of nutrition, gut health research, and lifestyle adjustments to optimize physical and mental health.

Skills: metabolism testing, nutrition coaching, fitness coaching, consulting, Korr Medical technology, free-lance writing, integrative health coaching

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