Toku appoints of Professor Michael V. McConnell, MD, MSEE, to Chief Health Officer
The company’s AI technology uses retinal imaging to assess potential health risks in patients.
(Image credit: AdobeStock/hakule)
Toku appointed Professor Michael V. McConnell, MD, MSEE, to the role of Chief Health Officer. Formerly, McConnell was the Director of Advanced Cardiovascular Imaging and Preventive Cardiology at Stanford University and Head of Cardiovascular Health Innovations at Google. He is also a founding member of the American Heart Association’s Health Tech Advisory Group and authored Fight Heart Disease Like Cancer.1
Toku, Inc. specializes in converting routine eye exams to comprehensive health screening through the development of AI-powered tools. BioAge, company’s first commercialized product, uses AI to analyze biometric markers in the retina. Toku’s second product, CLAiR received Breakthrough Device designation from the FDA.1
In the company’s news release1, McConnell shared how the company uses imaging and AI technology to better understand potential health risks. He said, “I am excited to join the Toku leadership team and to help advance early detection and prevention of major health conditions for people around the world. Toku brings together AI, noninvasive imaging, and preventative health making every eye exam an opportunity for a person to learn if they have a serious health risk which could be mitigated with further guideline-based evaluation and care.”
Toku’s CEO, Associate Professor Ehsan Vaghefi, shared the choice to appoint McConnell comes in part from his previous work with AI and business skills. In the release1, Vaghefi is quoted as saying, “I have long been impressed by Mike’s work at Stanford on imaging and prevention and his contribution to Google’s highly cited paper on AI in cardiovascular risk assessment through imaging of the eye. Mike combines clinical and research expertise, successful business experience, and a passion to have a global impact. We are extremely lucky to have him on the Toku team.”
Toku’s Series A financing was co-led by National Vision, Inc., one of the largest optical retailers in the United States, and Topcon Healthcare, a leading provider of medical devices and intelligent software solutions for the global eye care community.1
