Dr. Nadine Hachach-Haram FRCS (Plast), BEM, serves as Consultant Plastic Surgeon and Head of Clinical Innovation at Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London, England. In 2016, drawing from her surgical expertise and fervor for innovation and education, she founded Proximie, a software platform dedicated to saving lives by disseminating the finest clinical practices globally.
Proximie facilitates virtual participation of physicians and medical device experts in operating rooms or cath labs worldwide. With a goal to extend surgeons’ reach and establish a borderless operating environment, Proximie aspires to realize Connected Surgical Care. This vision entails a global network of interconnected operating rooms led by top physicians, where machine learning informs every incision and physicians are equipped with real-time diagnostics, data, and analysis.
Can you provide a summary of your journey thus far?
I established Proximie with the fundamental belief that shared knowledge fosters accelerated learning and enhances patient care. The platform was conceived to enable experts to virtually participate in operating rooms and cath labs worldwide, facilitating support, coaching, and mentorship. Our aim was to examine the continuum of expertise throughout a surgeon’s career.
Having been exposed to early-stage telecommunications platforms, I observed that they were limited to singular moments in time—meetings, calls, conferences—without fostering ongoing knowledge exchange. These options lacked the immersive, multi-sensory experience required for remote surgery. With Proximie, our goal was to create an interactive platform that catalyzed collaboration, digitized a surgeon’s presence, and extended their geographical reach.
Our vision was to establish a borderless operating room, empowering physicians to remotely share knowledge, standardize care, and ultimately, save lives.
What were the initial obstacles you encountered?
At the outset, there was understandable skepticism regarding our ability to realize our ambitious goal of revolutionizing surgical practices. Concerns also arose about whether we could develop a solution that was both intuitive and capable of supporting the precision required in the operating room. There were apprehensions about whether Proximie would be perceived as too futuristic or complex to integrate seamlessly. We recognized the necessity of creating a solution that addressed immediate needs while also being adaptable for the future.
We faced the challenge of striking a balance between addressing urgent requirements and having the potential to reduce costs while enhancing efficiency and care quality. Overcoming this dichotomy was not without its difficulties or doubters. Additionally, I was cautioned that this issue was too formidable for a practicing surgeon and first-time CEO to tackle. However, we are now engaged in advanced discussions to address global connectivity issues in healthcare, leveraging innovations such as 5G and Space Technology.
How have Proximie’s metrics evolved since its inception? Can you provide some key statistics?
Currently, we are supporting procedures across more than 50 countries and are actively engaged in over 350 hospitals worldwide. However, we recognize the necessity of continuous progress, as our business evolves daily. Since 2020, our team has expanded from 25 to over 120 employees. Recently, we concluded a successful Series B fundraising round, which will further empower physicians and contribute to saving more lives. Our journey towards progress is ongoing.
What is the key to your enduring success?
In healthcare, disruption poses numerous challenges, but from my experience, if a solution effectively addresses a problem, its adoption can be swift and resolute. Proximie emerged from a genuine need, driven by my ambition as a surgeon to leverage technology to scale solutions. Keeping this mission at the forefront of our endeavors has allowed us to be purpose-driven and evidence-based. Our primary focus is on enabling physicians to collaborate effectively and ultimately save lives.
Furthermore, our success can be attributed to the quality of our product. Through augmented reality, healthcare professionals can remotely engage in procedures or assessments from beginning to end, guiding local clinicians through live operations in an intuitive manner. With an internet-connected device, they can access live camera feeds, offer verbal instructions, annotate patient scans or X-rays, and provide precise guidance in real-time.
While digital technology has facilitated communication and information sharing through voice, text, and video, Proximie goes beyond by enabling virtual interactions that closely replicate in-person collaboration. This means participants can physically demonstrate techniques or provide real-time guidance, enhancing the quality of remote assistance.
The COVID-19 pandemic served as a catalyst for the accelerated adoption of Proximie and similar technologies. However, what excites us most is the integration of our platform into clinical pathways worldwide, ensuring ongoing benefits for patients. We anticipate that this adoption will persist beyond the pandemic, with the incorporation of additional technologies enhancing its utility in healthcare settings.
What are the products/services Proximie focuses on, and how do they differ from others in the market?
Proximie was meticulously designed to transcend the confines of a standalone product. It has been utilized across every surgical specialty and seamlessly integrates within the entire surgical ecosystem of a hospital. Our software-first approach has empowered us to swiftly incorporate exciting new technologies while reaching a diverse user base.
The essence of our approach lies in accessibility. Proximie is engineered to function across various geographical regions, social contexts, and environments, while remaining adaptable to innovative ideas, technologies, individuals, and hardware companies.
The rapid pace of innovation in software compared to hardware underscores the importance of our software-first strategy. This approach enables us to continuously innovate and swiftly address the evolving needs of our customers, delivering ongoing value. Furthermore, we are adept at integrating with existing hardware in operating rooms, whether it be older equipment or cutting-edge technologies like surgical robots.
Our distinguishing feature lies in our ability to record every procedure, annotate, review, and collaborate on it. This capability allows our users to curate libraries of powerful videos that accelerate adoption and learning, sometimes by up to four times.
Are there any new additions to your list of products/services? Anything exciting you’d like to share?
In our domain, we understand the importance of staying dynamic and continually exploring innovative ways to serve the surgical community better. One area we’re constantly focused on is connectivity, which lies at the heart of everything we do at Proximie. It’s a space filled with excitement and innovation. We firmly believe that addressing the global connectivity challenge can help rectify the healthcare disparities prevalent worldwide.
It’s distressing to acknowledge that many people still perish due to lack of access to basic surgery, whether in developing or developed nations. By addressing the issues that hinder surgeries worldwide, such as inadequate access to clinical expertise or essential equipment, we aim to ensure that the 300 million-plus surgeries performed each year are delivered consistently and effectively, ultimately saving lives.
We’re actively engaging with major players from various sectors, including telecommunications and Space Technology, to glean insights into how they’re innovating and advancing the connectivity dialogue. In healthcare, ideas are often siloed, much like surgical expertise. Thus, one of our primary goals is to integrate the best practices from other industries to support our mission.
Undoubtedly, 5G technology will play a pivotal role in establishing better-connected healthcare systems. When leveraged effectively, it will enhance accessibility to cutting-edge technologies and innovations for patients worldwide, while also managing and analyzing vast amounts of patient data to continually enhance outcomes. This will shift us towards a more preventative healthcare model, rendering even low latency a thing of the past.
Beyond 5G, we’re exploring avenues that extend further. We believe that Proximie is ideally positioned to harness the capabilities of connectivity technologies and direct them into operating rooms worldwide. Our aim is to empower physicians with real-time insights and data, thereby enhancing patient experiences. The foundation for better-connected healthcare systems lies within our reach, and it’s our responsibility, as a key player in this field, to expedite these discussions and actively contribute to finding innovative ways to democratize access to safe surgery, reduce care variations, and ultimately, save lives.
Can you provide a summary of your professional background?
I dedicated 10 years to working on global health initiatives worldwide. However, during that period, I often felt a sense of inadequacy, realizing that the impact I had made and the scalability of expertise or local care delivery support were limited. It was a pivotal moment when I came across the Lancet Commission’s findings, revealing that five billion people lacked access to safe surgery. This realization spurred me to explore technology as a means to build scalable and sustainable models for support and care delivery. Thus, the concept of Proximie was conceived.
Is there any noteworthy client experience you’d like to highlight?
Steering away from mere data and the considerable uptick in Proximie’s procedural figures, our growth is best exemplified by the narratives we help facilitate. Our mission is at the core of our operations, and the most tangible outcome of Proximie’s impact is the lives it has helped save. Each case unfolds as a unique story, and while I may not be directly involved in every instance, I take immense pride in the stories Proximie contributes to every day. Behind every procedure lies a narrative — be it about the technology, the location, or the innovative utilization of Proximie’s capabilities — but most importantly, there are real people.
Real physicians, real patients, and genuine emotions are woven into each interaction. Whether it’s a surgeon in Eastbourne remotely guiding a surgery in Benin or interventional cardiologists collaborating across a distance of 3,733 miles (from Washington to London) to save a patient’s life, Proximie is all about fostering connections. A Professor of Otology/Neurology at the University of Illinois once remarked that Proximie’s main purpose is to forge emotional closeness between people, and that sentiment deeply resonates with me. Beyond the layers of technology and every procedure performed, there are people at the heart of it all.
What values and principles do you promote at Proximie and in your personal life?
At Proximie, we champion collaboration, which we define as the act of working with others to achieve a common goal. I firmly believe that collaboration is fundamental to driving meaningful change in our industry, and it was the inspiration behind the inception of Proximie. This ethos is deeply embedded in our company culture.
Additionally, we emphasize the importance of staying true to our purpose and mission, striving to embody these ideals every day. I find this commitment to our purpose to be a powerful motivator for everyone at Proximie.
In your view, what are the primary factors businesses should prioritize to remain relevant in the market post the COVID-19 pandemic?
The key factors to focus on are impact, evidence, and the development of scalable solutions catering to a wide user base. The landscape of surgery is undergoing rapid transformation, and Proximie is actively shaping its evolution. Our involvement in drafting The Future of Surgery commission in 2018 provided insights into the forthcoming changes over the next 5–10–15 years. Already, we observe a shift towards enhanced connectivity, data-driven practices, and the integration of various technologies. This evolution is reshaping the patient-surgeon interface, with AI applications offering real-time insights to enhance patient care.
By melding human expertise with our software platform, we’ve initiated the concept of a borderless operating room. This vision entails every operation across all hospitals being recorded, analyzed, and forecasted for future reference. Envisioning Connected Surgical Care, we anticipate a global network of interconnected operating rooms led by top clinicians, where every surgical decision is informed by machine learning, empowering clinicians with real-time diagnostics, data, and analysis.
Digitizing surgery facilitates the rapid adoption of best practices, democratizes access to superior surgical expertise for training purposes, and ultimately leads to improved patient outcomes.
In your opinion, what measures are necessary to promote female entrepreneurship nationwide?
For me, it’s primarily about fostering inclusivity. We all require assistance, mentors, and support throughout our professional journeys, alongside role models to aspire to emulate. As women, it’s crucial to support each other while also extending our support to those who share our common goals and aspirations. As a mother, surgeon, founder, and CEO, I acknowledge that we all harbor unconscious biases that influence our perspectives and actions. I advocate for a collective, collaborative approach to challenging norms, pursuing enhancements, pioneering new paths, and inspiring others, all aimed at leaving a positive impact on the world.
How do you manage amidst the competitive nature of the business world? While it may sound cliché, I attribute much of my contentment and well-being to my family. With three young children and a supportive husband, they serve as constant sources of inspiration and joy. Their presence keeps me grounded, and we’re fortunate to have a broad extended family network. This support system is indispensable to me. Running and expanding a disruptive business demands considerable emotional and physical energy, with its fair share of highs and lows. My family is deeply involved in my journey, sharing in both its triumphs and challenges, and I am immensely grateful for their unwavering support, without which I couldn’t pursue this path.
