This week we are shining a light on Zina Manji, VP Regulatory Affairs, Ellume and HITLAB Breakthrough One (BT1) Global Fellow. Previously, Zina held regulatory leadership roles, US and global, at GSK Consumer Healthcare and Haleon, including support of emerging science innovation areas.

Zina is a regulatory strategist and innovation intrapreneur. Throughout her career, she has helped bridge the gap between regulatory affairs and innovation with the goal of delivering meaningful patient/consumer outcomes 

In addition to her various roles. Zina is also a member of DiME (Digital Medicine Society), HealthXL, DHNY (Digital Health New York). She has been a BT1 Fellow for nearly two years 

In an interview with Zina, we discussed the challenges & opportunities in digital health. advice for aspiring individuals and her future plans within the digital health sector. Zina emphasizes crucial aspects for successful digital health implementation. 

When asked about the challenges of digital health implementation, Zina stresses the importance of a well-defined business model based on user input, real-world testing, and reduced friction for successful implementation. Zina sees significant potential in Prevention and Precision Health Innovations, aiming to shift healthcare from sick care to true healthcare by leveraging value-based systems through innovation and legislation.  

Zina advocates for innovations supported by robust evidence that can identify conditions early, utilize precision diagnostics, and provide tools for monitoring and intercepting diseases before they escalate, thereby positively impacting economic benefit and quality of life. 

For those interested in entering the digital health field, Zina’s advises on focusing on problem-solving, iterating based on user needs, exploring tech convergence, understanding regulatory frameworks, and emphasizing real-world evidence for growth and market expansion. 

Regarding her future plans, Zina intends to concentrate on regulatory and innovative strategies to facilitate healthcare innovations entering the market. She plans to broaden her contribution in precision health and regulatory advocacy, leveraging professional growth opportunities such as HITLAB events to enhance content creation, drive collaborations and expand involvement in domestic and global health volunteering. 

Overall, Zina Manji’s insights underscore the critical aspects of business strategy, innovation, regulatory alignment, and problem-solving in digital health implementation while outlining her future endeavors and professional growth in the industry.