CSI 25th Anniversary Celebration: Mehek Mohan

Key Concepts

• Eating disorders: A serious mental health condition with high mortality rates.
• Anorexia: An eating disorder characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss.
• Access to care: The ability of individuals to obtain timely and appropriate healthcare services.
• Gamification: The application of game-design elements and game principles in non-game contexts.
• Personalized care: Tailoring medical treatment to the individual characteristics of each patient.
• Collaborative care: An approach to healthcare that involves a team of professionals working together to provide comprehensive care.
• Continuous care: Ongoing healthcare services provided over an extended period.
• Evidence-based approach: Using the best available research evidence to guide clinical decision-making.
• Stanford CSI (Center for Social Innovation): A resource at Stanford University that supports social entrepreneurs.
• Impact Design Immersion Fellowship: An eight-week program at Stanford CSI focused on social impact ventures.
• Impact Fund: A student-run evergreen fund that invests in early-stage for-profit ventures with a social and environmental lens.
• Product-market fit: The degree to which a product satisfies market demand.

The Problem: Eating Disorders and Lack of Access to Care

• Eating disorders are a significant public health issue: Every 52 minutes, someone dies from an eating disorder.
• Prevalence: Nearly 30 million Americans struggle with an eating disorder.
• Personal experience: The speaker's best friend nearly died from anorexia, highlighting the severity of the issue.
• Broken access to care: People are not getting the help they need, leading to preventable deaths.

Kahani: A Solution for Continuous Eating Disorder Recovery Care

• Goal: To close the gap in eating disorder recovery care.
• Kahani: A gamified, personalized, and collaborative solution for continuous care.
  • Gamified: Uses game-like elements to engage users.
  • Personalized: Adapts to the individual's recovery journey.
  • Collaborative: Fosters a supportive community.
  • Continuous: Provides ongoing support throughout the recovery process.
• Evidence-based: Validated by Stanford professors and eating disorder specialists.
• Partnerships: Commitment from the National Eating Disorder Association and the Eating Disorder Resource Center to test and share the product.

Stanford CSI Resources and Ecosystem

• The Stanford CSI played a crucial role in the development of Kahani.
• Impact Design Immersion Fellowship: An eight-week program where Kahani was conceived and prototyped.
• Impact Fund: Participation in the Healthcare Deal team provided exposure to the world of social entrepreneurship.
• Healthcare Club Conference: Opportunity to interview Tyler Shultz (Theranos whistleblower), highlighting the importance of equity in healthcare AI.
• Bio-design immersion course: Helped develop entrepreneurial skills.
• Product Market Fit: Upcoming course with Andy Radcliffe (founder of Wealthfront and Benchmark).
• Product Launch: A course taught by Russ Siegelman.

Call to Action: Breaking the Cycle of Silence

• Personal connection: Half of the audience likely knows someone struggling with an eating disorder.
• The ask: Break the cycle of silence and support those in need.
• The wrong action: Avoiding the issue out of fear.
• The right action: Letting people know they are seen and supported.
• Do's and Don'ts: Basic guidelines for starting a conversation about supporting someone in recovery.
• Offer of support: The speaker is willing to have conversations with those who need help supporting a friend.

Conclusion

• Motivation: The speaker hopes the audience leaves feeling motivated to tackle important healthcare issues.
• Empowerment: The speaker hopes the audience leaves feeling empowered to make a difference in someone's life.
• Change starts with you: Individual actions can have a significant impact.