Interview with Alexander Tsiaras, Founder / CEO, “The VisualMD”
“Surgeons will be able to manipulate virtual surgical tools that even allow deformation of tissue.”
Alexander Tsiaras, why are you communicating health topics as medical imaging stories?
We feel it is story that gives a soul to data. Data alone is not a story; no one’s life has ever been changed by a pie chart! It is almost impossible to get compliance from a patient without a compelling narrative that helps them understand their data and condition. Technology has advanced to the point where scans married to high-end computer processing can render accurate and beautiful visualizations of the human body.
Art and science are traditionally viewed as divergent fields, yet you integrate both?
At TheVisualMD we are attempting to revive the sense of adventure that arises from productive dialogue between science and art. Short term it may be bad business, long term the pay-off will be huge, I think. We take inspiration from one of the most famous research centers, Xerox PARC. Most of the Xerox PARC engineers were from the University of Michigan, one of the last institutions where people got their PhD's in computer programming from the Humanities Department. All the engineers were artists, musicians, writers as well as scientists and technologists. It was like a TED conference every day.
One of your projects is called "The 9 Visual Rules of Wellness"...
This has turned into our biggest project. We have launched our first eBook which will be the first of 17 books, 17 1-hour films, and over 1000 short films all dedicated to preventing and reversing lifestyle related diseases based on the Rules of Wellness. Every month we launch an initiative aimed at a lifestyle disease condition. March 2013 is diabetes, then heart disease, spine and joint pain, cancer, etc. We feel that this content initiative, coupled with new wellness tools and programs will have a big impact on people, but also on patients, doctors, and health educators.
...another project deals with virtual, patient-specific surgery training on a tablet computer?
This is the future. Surgeons will be able to practice a surgery using simulations of patient-specific anatomical structures and manipulate virtual surgical tools that even allow deformation of tissue. I believe we might see improved output from surgeons. The tablet is a way to share this anywhere and when most convenient to the surgeon. In the future, I foresee surgical training taking place in an environment like flight simulation for pilots, one that produces an almost real surgical experience.
How will surgeons in the future use new imaging technology?
I see surgeons as similar to sculptors—they love 3D and they love the tactile experience. Radiologists are more like hermetic cubists. They can take small slices of data and compile it all in their mind's eye to recreate the original volume. Today you still need a radiologist to interpret these abstract slices. As technology moves forward, scanners are going to improve 3D, 4D, and 5D data with higher spatial resolution. This will allow the surgeon to bypass the radiologist, and they soon will be able to load this data onto their tablets for a dynamic surgical planning session.
How important is teamwork for you?
Teamwork is an interesting concept. When I originally started working with computers and scientific data, I worked very much alone. Having come from the world of art I didn't want anyone influencing the imagery I was creating. As time moved on and I needed other skill sets...designers, film makers, IT, etc., I started to realize that each individual joining the team was enhancing my original vision. At first it felt odd, but eventually I loved it. I now function more like a director on a large movie set, and try to encourage people to talk to each other and cooperate in unorthodox ways so unorthodox ideas can come to fruition.
What is your long term vision for company?
The principle idea behind TheVisualMD is literally showing how we are biologically constructed, how things can go wrong, and presenting possible effective solutions. Our long range goal is to become the principal media and social media resource in health and wellness globally. We want to provide health and wellness tools that allow people to quantify and manage their own well being
TheVisualMD.com
"From conception to birth", Alexander Tsiaras on TED (video)
Developing a surgical simulation model from scanned datasets.
Alexander Tsiaras
Alexander Tsiaras is an internationally renowned technologist, artist, entrepreneur, author and lecturer. He trained as a painter and photographer, attending Philips Academy and Amherst College. Fascinated by the drama of medical imagery, he photographed a story about new ophthalmic techniques which was published by Life magazine. Realizing the potential of computer generated imaging he learned programming languages (UNIX, C and C++) so he could write his own programs. He was offered an adjunct professorship at both Brown and Yale University medical schools. While working with Yale, he received funding from NASA to write algorithms for virtual surgery, so astronauts could be treated during deep space flights. He then founded several companies and websites for which he received numerous awards.
