Better Prompts, Better Health: Using AI Without Losing the Human Touch

Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing healthcare, but is it making us healthier or simply giving us faster answers? In this episode of Innovate & Elevate, Sharon Kedar sits down with Harvard-trained internist Dr. Lucy McBride to explore how AI is reshaping the patient experience and why asking better questions may be more important than finding quicker answers. Together, they discuss the growing gap between modern healthcare and the wellness industry, the role of primary care physicians in an AI-enabled world, and why personalized medicine will always require understanding the person behind the diagnosis. This Episode Is For You If: You're curious about how AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude can help you make better healthcare decisions. You want to become a more informed, empowered patient without relying solely on the internet for medical advice. You're interested in the future of women's health, personalized medicine, and why better questions often lead to better care. Connect with Dr. Lucy McBride, MD: Website: https://www.lucymcbride.com LinkedIn:   / lucymcbride   Instagram:   / lucymcbride   (Pre)Order Beyond the Prescription: https://www.beyondtheprescriptionbook... Connect with Sharon: Connect with Sharon on LinkedIn:   / sharonkedar   Learn more about Innovate and Elevate: https:// innovateandelevatepodcast.com Join the newsletter to receive the latest episodes in your inbox: https://innovateandelevatepodcast.com... The content shared in this episode is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical, financial, or investment advice. Please seek guidance from your own qualified professionals before making decisions. Timestamps (00:00) Why Patients Turn to AI (02:20) Treating People, Not Diseases (03:48) Women's Health Is Unique (06:25) AI Enters the Exam Room (08:58) Why Better Questions Matter (11:12) When AI Gets It Wrong (13:58) Where AI Can Improve Healthcare (15:09) How Patients Should Use AI (17:28) Teaching the Next Generation (18:50) Beyond the Prescription About Our Guest: Dr. Lucy McBride, MD, is a Harvard-trained internist, practicing physician, and nationally recognized expert in whole-person health. She is the founder of Lucy McBride Integrative Medicine, creator of the Are You Okay? movement, and author of Beyond the Prescription. Drawing on more than 25 years of clinical experience, Dr. McBride helps patients better understand the connections between physical health, mental wellbeing, lifestyle, and everyday decision-making while advocating for a more personalized approach to modern medicine. About Sharon: Sharon Kedar is a co-founder and partner at Northpond Ventures, a multi-billion-dollar science-driven venture capital firm. Sharon holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and is a CFA charter holder. She lives in the Washington, DC area with her husband, Greg, their three kids, and their dog Bo. Podcast production by Jamie Brooke. FAQs How should I use ChatGPT or Claude for my health? In this episode of Innovate & Elevate, Sharon Kedar and Dr. Lucy McBride explain that AI should be used to generate better questions rather than replace medical advice. Instead of asking a chatbot for a diagnosis or treatment plan, patients can use AI to identify important questions to bring to their healthcare provider. Is AI replacing doctors? According to Dr. Lucy McBride, AI is excellent at processing information and generating answers, but it cannot fully understand a person's goals, life circumstances, emotions, or risk tolerance. The conversation explores why medicine remains a deeply human profession that requires judgment, empathy, and context. Why is personalized medicine so important? Dr. McBride explains that two people with the same diagnosis may require completely different care depending on their biology, lifestyle, medical history, and personal goals. Effective healthcare treats the whole person, not just their lab results or diagnosis. How is AI changing healthcare today? Sharon and Dr. McBride discuss how AI is already helping physicians with documentation, insurance paperwork, medical summaries, and administrative tasks. They also explore where AI may improve disease detection while cautioning against relying on AI alone for diagnosis or complex medical decisions. What makes women's healthcare different? The episode explores why women's biology has historically been underrepresented in medical research, how menopause has become a major area of innovation, and why personalized care is especially important when addressing women's health concerns across every stage of life.