Patrick Soon-Shiong elaborates in this CNBC feature on his ambitious vision and $1Billion philanthropic commitment to build a true naitonal Public HealthGrid.
Boldly, and brilliantly IMHO, Soon-Shiong asserts that we need to stop obsessing over advances in genomic, biotech and nanotech R&D and recognize that health systems, technology parks and even most academic research labs are ill-equipt to discover anything "meaningful" from this deluge of random data. It will be "mathematicians, physicists and computer scientists" that Dr Soon-Shiong believes hold the key to unlocking the greatest potential value for patients, physicians, regional providers, public health agencies and society at large.
The politician inside me hears Dr Soon-Shiong's vision to be a blueprint for sowing the seeds of a hyper-modern renaissance movement in America. By using "team science" to engage the greatest minds from every scientific discipline in one unified pursuit of a wickedly complex problem, Patrick may have unwittingly stumbled onto the secret formula for reshaping the very fabric of society!!
