Next-gen surgery, AI-driven oncology, and blood tests for Alzheimer’s
Plus 20 new job opportunities in health tech
Oh hey there 👋
Here’s what’s inside this week’s newsletter:
🤖 Surgical robots get a sense of touch with Intuitive’s new da Vinci 5 system
🧠 Brain scans uncover 6 biotypes of depression and anxiety
🩸 Blood tests that can detect Alzheimer’s up to 20 years before symptoms
📣 A quote from Richard Rhodes on the public health system
🔍 20 hand-picked jobs in the US, UK, and Europe.
Enjoy! 😊
Company of the Week
Medical robotics company adds sense of touch to surgical robots.
Surgery is invasive.
For highly precise procedures like epilepsy or spine surgery, surgeons increasingly rely on robotic-assisted systems to enhance their accuracy.
The more data these robots can provide during an operation, the more precise — and therefore less invasive — the procedure can be.
Until recently, though, surgeons had to rely mostly on visual cues to gauge how much pressure they were applying, with limited ability to detect if they were pressing too hard or risking accidental damage.
This year, Intuitive, the US-based leader in soft tissue robotic surgery, launched its latest model: the da Vinci 5.
One of its new features is Force Feedback — a state-of-the-art haptic technology that allows surgeons to feel the push and pull forces they apply during surgery through subtle vibrations and pressure feedback. It’s the first time this level of touch simulation has been built into the da Vinci system.
This means a surgeon can now receive real-time sensory feedback on how much force they’re applying to tissue, giving them greater control and confidence in delicate procedures.
“It’s really an immersive experience that gives you a next level of control that you didn’t have previously” says Dr. Michael Meara, a general surgeon.
And according to Lawton Verner, who leads the Force Feedback engineering team, this is just the first step:
“The holy grail of sensing in surgery would be to have something like your fingertip on the end of those instruments, so that you get all of the same sensation that you’d have if your fingers were in the patient.”
The da Vinci 5 is scheduled to be launched later this year. For more info about Intuition’s da Vinci 5 check out:
Da Vinci 5 has Force Feedback — Intuitive
Intuitive CEO drills down on da Vinci 5 rollout, force feedback debate — MedTech Drive
Intuitive logo. Image from Intuitive.com.
Lessons of the Week
1. Microsoft develops AI agent to help with cancer treatment planning
Microsoft has build an AI orchestrator — a tool that coordinates multiple AI agents — to help improve healthcare efficiency.
The orchestrator is being used to support specialist oncologists in determining treatment plans for patients with tumours, connecting to products like Microsoft Teams and Word to analyse and summarise relevant medical data.
Dr. Mike Pfeffer, Chief Information Officer at Stanford School of Medicine says:
“Stanford Health Care is excited to further research the potential of using the healthcare agent orchestrator to build the first generative AI agent solution used in a production setting for real-world care for our cancer patients.”
2. Brain scans identify 6 types of depression & anxiety
In an attempt to find biological markers of mental health disorders, researchers from Stanford have identified six distinct biotypes of depression and anxiety.
By analysing MRI brain scans from over 1,000 people, they found different patterns of brain circuit dysfunction.
Each biotype was linked to specific symptoms, thinking styles, and responses to treatments like medication or therapy.
This is a big deal because it means we could offer a scientifically grounded way to personalise mental health care, matching people with treatments based on what's going wrong in their brain.
3. Blood tests for Alzheimer’s disease 20 years before symptoms
There is a blood test that can identify a biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease.
This biomarker, called p-Tau217, is important as it is the first sign of Alzheimer’s disease, often detectable decades before patients experience any symptoms of mild cognitive impairment.
Clinical trials are still underway to have these tests available in healthcare systems, but some private companies are working to develop these blood tests to help with Alzheimer’s prevention.
Quote of the Week
“Arguably the greatest technological triumph of the century has been the public-health system, which is sophisticated preventive and investigative medicine organized around mostly low- and medium-tech equipment; ... fully half of us are alive today because of the improvements.”
― Richard Rhodes, Visions of Technology: A Century of Vital Debate About Machines Systems and the Human World
Jobs of the Week 🔍
🇺🇸 United States
🤝 Customer Success Manager
Videra Health | Salary unknown | 📍 Salt Lake, Utah / Remote
Join a mission-driven team of clinicians, engineers, and data scientists to enhance patient understanding using multimodal AI.💻 Senior Fullstack Engineer
Apply here
Midi | Salary unknown | 📍 Palo Alto, California
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to design and implement scalable software. Midi provides comprehensive care for women in midlife.🩺 Nurse Practitioner
Cercle Health | Salary unknown | 📍 Queens, NYC
Join a growing clinical team focused on the post-acute geriatric population with specialties in Pain Management and Rehabilitation Medicine.🌐 Head of Engineering
Junction | Salary unknown | 📍 EST / Remote
Support client success and satisfaction at a company focused on chronic disease prediction and management infrastructure.📊 Strategy & Operations Associate (Healthcare)
Verse Medical | $117,000 - $135,000 | 📍 NYC
Work cross-functionally to advance strategic healthcare initiatives. Verse Medical specializes in tech-enabled home healthcare.🧠 AI Engineer
Stealth Startup | $185,000 - $205,000 | 📍 Hybrid (San Diego or SF Bay Area)
Develop AI tools including LLM-powered agents and clinical support models for mental health care.📞 VP of Sales
Goodpath | Salary unknown | 📍 Remote
Drive B2B sales of personalized health solutions to large employers.🧬 VP, Market Access & Value-Based Partnerships
Rune Labs | Salary unknown | 📍 Remote
Lead market access strategies for innovative precision neurology solutions.🎥 Therapist - Video (Shorts) Creator
YUNG Sidekick | Salary unknown | 📍 Remote (U.S.-based preferred)
Lead direct sales to behavioral health practices. YUNG offers AI-powered clinical documentation for mental health professionals.📊 Operations Analyst
Two Chairs | $111K - $150K | 📍 Remote, United States
Support data-driven operational improvements at Two Chairs, a mental health therapy provider using technology to scale care.🧠 Chief of Staff
Aidoc | Salary unknown | 📍 NYC Metro Area (Remote)
Work closely with leadership to drive strategy and execution at Aidoc, a leader in AI-powered radiology support tools.🏥 Director, Clinical Operations Transformation
Hazel Health | $160K - $190K | 📍 Remote
Lead operational transformation at a telehealth provider supporting K–12 schools across the U.S.🧑⚕️ Inpatient Behavioral Health Tech (Swing Shift)
Vail Health Hospital | Salary unknown | 📍 Vail, Colorado, U.S.
Provide direct patient care in a behavioral health setting at a leading nonprofit hospital in Colorado. Ideal for those passionate about mental health support.🖥️ Technical Lead, Backend Engineer
Twin Health | Salary unknown | 📍 Remote or Location Unknown
Lead backend architecture at Twin Health, a tech-driven startup using data and AI to reverse chronic metabolic disease.📅 Staff Technical Program Manager
Collective Health | Salary unknown | 📍 San Francisco, California
Manage high-impact technical programs at Collective Health, a company rethinking employer-sponsored health plans through smart tech and design.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
🧪 CEO
Explore My Health | Salary unknown | 📍 Remote - UK
Lead a clinically led, preventative health company delivering evidence-based blood testing and health insights at home and work.🧠 Research Manager, Mental Health Innovation
Wellcome Trust | From ~£53,400 (estimated) | 📍 London, UK – Hybrid
Make an impact on global mental health with one of the world’s leading health charities, supporting innovation and research into life, health, and wellbeing.👩🏻💻 Founding iOS Tech Lead (SwiftUI)
Start-up | Up to £110,000 + stocks & benefits | 📍 London (Hybrid)
Be the first iOS engineering hire at a Greenfield AI-driven health tech startup. Build and own the mobile app from the ground up using SwiftUI.
🌍 Other
📈 Senior Product Designer
Qbtech | Salary unknown | 📍 Stockholm
Help expand Qbtech's footprint in behavioral health. They offer FDA-cleared digital diagnostic tools for ADHD and related conditions.🩺 Chief of Staff
Sonia Solutions | Salary unknown | 📍 Remote (Germany)
Join a mission-driven team building AI-enhanced tools to empower doctors and improve healthcare systems. Help lead operations and scale impact from the inside out.
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I’m always open to featuring health tech companies, new research, or job opportunities in future editions. And if you’ve got thoughts, questions, or spot a mistake, don’t hesitate to reach out — this newsletter is very much a work in progress!
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See you next week 👋