Seeing Patients
Where technology, product craft, and empathy collide to give patients an edge.
Why this exists
Hi, I’m Ari Akerstein — cancer survivor, dad of three, Product leader (former FB/Meta, Walmartlabs, IncludedHealth PM) and founder of Navis Health AI.
I’ve lived the crazy experience of navigating a cancer diagnosis as a new dad. I had this constant sense I was a two front war: one side was handling medical questions/biology, and on the other, navigating a very disjointed system.
As a society we have magic available to us. Every day new AI systems, life science breakthroughs and quantum computing chips are moving us farther from the safety of the shores we once knew. The sick deserve every advantage these innovations can offer. Unfortunately our systems - healthcare, legal/regulatory, political - move more slowly. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. We should not be so quick to throw out the old for the untried new thing. But it does leave a major gap when it comes to applying innovation to health.
Harm isn’t just what we do — it’s what we fail to do. Patients deserve the best we know, not the best we used to know. As technology advances, the proportion of new knowledge to old knowledge increases.
I started Seeing Patients because I believe patients deserve faster and better use of rapidly accelerating innovations that can support them.
Every week, I share what I’m learning and building — alongside stories from the edge of what’s possible: AI models that a radiologists, liquid biopsies catching tumors before symptoms start, and the product decisions that actually ship those tools into the wild.
What you’ll get
Tech & Product Deep Dives — Plain-English breakdowns of AI, diagnostics, and life science trends shaping the next decade of cancer care.
Founder & Clinician Spotlights — Real talk with people trying to fix what’s broken from the inside out, and from outside in.
Playbooks & Frameworks — Lessons from the front lines of product, trust-building, and go-to-market in health tech.
Community Access — A small but mighty circle of advanced-cancer patients, scientists, and operators sharing hard-earned insights.
You’ll walk away sharper, more hopeful, and more equipped — whether you’re navigating cancer yourself, helping someone else, or building the next thing to help.
Who it’s for
Patients & Care-partners who want hope and clarity, not a bunch of medical jargon.
Builders & Investors looking to separate signal from digital health noise.
Clinicians & Scientists trying to bridge science and real-world practice.
We believe
Trust is the currency of health. No hype. We cite everything. We earn your trust, or we don’t deserve your time.
Progress ≠ magic cures. It’s also UX, data access, and payment models that work for patients, not just providers.
Product experience and innovation matters a lot. Most healthcare products are crap.
Community compounds. Patients, Technologists/Engineers, Scientists and Oncologists working together unlock force multipliers.
