SPEAKERS AND SESSIONS
Computer Vision is Changing our Ability to Sense Animal Health
Wednesday, October 23, 2024
1:00 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
The most pivotal pieces of information needed for insured pets are the status and trend in each animal’s health, from the time they are enrolled for coverage, throughout the life of their policy. At best, this information is challenging to gather, at worst it represents a huge gap in our ability to effectively underwrite coverage. This is all about to change.
For the past 6 years, John and his colleagues at the Companion companies have been building ground-breaking computer vision tools to understand and interact with animals – both with their own consumer hardware product, and also through cameras already installed in the world such as those in our phones and smart doorbells. This technology has now reached clinician and specialist levels in their ability to detect some of the most common dog ailments and health signals, most notably their body condition scores, as well as lameness caused by conditions such as Osteoarthritis. (Learn more about Companion, a sleek, stationary AI-based device that becomes your dog’s playmate here)
These algorithms can virtually ‘see’ pet’s pain that is undiagnosed; pain that can greatly harm the human-animal bond, and yet be undetectable to their humans. Imagine the information now available for research, veterinary teams, and even pet insurance providers? Companion will know a pet’s behavior, health status, mood, abilities, and track changes in its ‘state’ on a level we likely never imagined possible.
Now that we can gather this important data on animal health, we can either wait to see how it impacts our business, or we can get ahead of it to truly realize the benefits.
Join John Honchariw (a.k.a. ‘Honch’), and his special guest Dr. Mike McFarland, Companion Ambassador and former Chief Medical Officer of Zoetis, through an interactive journey to explore how this screening technology will change veterinary operations, and in turn how that that could affect data availability and alignment for the businesses (like ours) that depend on it.
Presenter
John Honchariw
Founder & CEO – Companion Labs and Companion Professional
John Honchariw is the Founder and CEO of Companion Labs and Companion Professional. With degrees in Mechanical, Aeronautical, and Systems Engineering, John started his career at Bain and Company in San Francisco. He helped in product and business development at several early-stage deep/tech companies, all of which became large businesses in nanotechnology, cloud, and 3D printing (AMPX; AppDirect; VLD). Immediately before Companion, John spent time at Google working with the Google[X], Google Research and Google Robotics division.
At Companion, John works with colleagues to fundamentally change what we can understand about animals and their health at home using computer vision.
Mike McFarland
EVP and Global Chief Medical Officer (retired) – Zoetis
Founder, President, Board of Trustees – Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI)
Dr. Mike McFarland was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Zoetis in 2020 serving as a leading voice of its customers. Mike’s extensive experience provides unique perspective and critical insights that help Zoetis advance the best care for animals and support those caring for them worldwide.
A veterinarian for over 35 years, Dr. McFarland possesses an intimate understanding of the profound bond between human and animals, and the equally as intense dedication of veterinary professionals. Mike’s work sits squarely at the intersection of science and care—where intuition meets data and serves as a conduit to advance the veterinary profession and improve the lives of people and animals.
Dr. McFarland serves on the Board of Directors for American Humane and is a Founder, and President, of the Board of Trustees for the Human Animal Bond Research Institute.