Pentavere
The Spark: For those who don’t know Pentavere, tell us about the company.
Erin Stewart (ES), clinical research manager, and Nadia Bilal (NB), computational linguist: Pentavere is an AI health technology company that exists in response to a single hard-hitting question: “Why is it that we have all the information we need in financial markets to make money and maximize profit, but we don’t have the information we need, when we need it, to save lives?” This is the question that inspired both of us to leave the research we were doing in respected academic institutions. We both felt that we could have a larger impact by working in AI and healthcare technology, specifically working on the types of challenges that Pentavere solves. Even though we come from different fields and were engaged in different types of research, we were united by a common cause of doing research to ultimately save lives. We came together at Pentavere, bringing our passion and enthusiasm to use AI to help unleash insights into healthcare, with the singular focus of improving patient care and outcomes.
The Spark: What were you working on prior to March 2020?
ES & NB: Our work prior to March 2020 does not look any different than the work we are doing today, because the problem we solve has only gotten more acute and garnered more attention due to COVID-19. All of our work is focussed on getting better data and better insights to the right decision-maker at the right time to improve patient care and outcomes. For us, the key difference between what we were working on prior to March and today is around the validation of our mission — the urgency and need for our work has never been more apparent. We now include COVID-19 insights in the work we do.
The Spark: How have you been able to help during the pandemic?
ES & NB: Both of us have always focused our research on improving and saving lives. Today, we are both working on projects that leverage AI to help patients during the pandemic. One project that stands out is a study we’re doing on Major Depressive Disorder. Every day in Canada, 200 people try to commit suicide, according to the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention. Every day, about 10 people succeed. That number is no doubt going up because of the stresses of COVID-19. Even before COVID, suicide was a leading cause of death in Canada, especially in young people ages 15 to 34. We have a huge group of people haunted by depression, and yet, when it comes to depression, there are so many unknowns. Right now, we don’t have access to the data we need to answer so many questions — and that is what we are working on.
The Spark: What have you learned from helping to fight the pandemic?
ES & NB: We’re seeing the incredible things that happen when people come together and cooperate with each other. We are also fortunate to be working with researchers from various backgrounds and from across the country. The pandemic has shown us that we are all so interconnected — what impacts one of us, impacts all of us, and we must work together. If it wasn’t for COVID and the pressing need for data, these stakeholders wouldn’t traditionally be coming together. We have been amazed by what people can do together and accomplish in the backdrop of a crisis. It has taught us to be hopeful and shown us the power of what we can achieve, especially when our efforts are joined together and supported by the power of AI.
