S5E17 AI Meets Dermatology: Jonathan Benassaya

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A near miss changed everything. When a dermatologist almost sent Jonathan Benasaya home during COVID without checking under his mask, a hidden melanoma forced a reckoning with how we detect skin cancer: slow access, manual exams, and invasive treatments that arrive too late. That moment now fuels SkinBit, a clinical‑grade, full‑body scanner built to triage quickly, track change over time, and help dermatologists focus on the patients who need them most.

We sit down with Jonathan to unpack the big idea: use dermatoscopic‑resolution imaging to create a digital twin of your skin, then apply AI to score suspicious lesions and prioritise care. Instead of waiting months for rushed visual checks, people could be scanned at clinics or even pharmacies, with flagged results routed to specialists. It is a practical, scalable way to expand dermatology capacity without replacing clinicians. Jonathan also shares what comes next: millimetre‑wave imaging to look beneath the surface, a human‑in‑the‑loop workflow for safety, and a data strategy that follows regulatory guidance by training on consistently acquired images and biopsy‑confirmed outcomes.

Beyond the tech, we dig into trust. Jonathan outlines a plain‑spoken covenant: transparent consent, meaningful opt‑out, and a firm promise not to sell data. When models improve, retrospective reviews can benefit the same patients who contributed, turning participation into shared progress. He also reflects on leadership in a risky space—hardware, health, regulation—and why a mission that saves lives powers teams through the hard parts. Expect candid insights on aligning patients, clinicians, and payers, managing milestones, and keeping ethics at the core.

Make a small move that matters: book a skin check and talk to your loved ones about doing the same. If you want updates on when you can try the system, join the waitlist at https://www.skinbit.co/. If this conversation resonates, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review to help more people find it.

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