Bharat Rai
Co-Founder + CEO, Ethos
Bio: Bharat is the Co-Founder and CEO of Ethos, an AI-enabled mental health platform helping individuals and health systems address alcohol misuse across its spectrum of risk. Bharat became passionate about finding individual and community-level interventions to substance abuse, during his Master’s Program in Biotechnology at University of Southern California. With a background in life science research, Bharat decided to pivot from medical school and examine how innovation and digital health can close gaps to improve community health.
Org Info: Ethos is on a mission to destigmatize treatment for alcohol misuse leading to healthier decisions and improved outcomes for current and future generations. Ethos facilitates early detection, continuous monitoring, and appropriate treatment referrals to enable targeted, accessible care that meets individuals where they are at. Through evidence-based strategies we aim to address underlying risk factors through CBT, motivational interviewing, and personalized feedback. Ethos is currently in collaboration with Universities, Health Systems, and Rehabilitation Centers.
What motivated you to pursue your current work?
As a Punjabi-American, I’ve seen alcohol misuse impact the lives and relationships of members in my community. With Ethos, I’m turning these lived experiences into action. I believe that there is an opportunity to encourage healthier relationships with alcohol in communities.
What distinct value does your work bring to the digital health field?
In healthcare, excessive alcohol consumption leads to $24 billion in direct spend yet only about 1% (approx. of 1 million individuals) with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) go on to receive treatment. Ethos aims to reach those 17 million Americans currently overlooked by existing systems:
Universities: Ethos supports student mental health by addressing harmful alcohol use through screening and education.
Health Systems: Ethos addresses alcohol management and facilitates Remote Patient Monitoring for early intervention.
Rehab centers: Ethos extends care in outpatient recovery and monitoring to increase enrollee engagement and retention.
Alcohol does not just affect an individual’s health, but also the health of their community. Our approach to addressing alcohol at the individual and community level will allow us to address where the problem starts and is currently getting lost.
How does your work impact your target end-users or stakeholders?
Ethos offers our end users a non-judgmental environment for self-monitoring and freedom to explore their relationship with alcohol. By engaging open communication about alcohol consumption and promoting health-awareness, we are enabling our users to embrace healthier lifestyles and catalyze positive change.
Ethos collaborates with universities and health systems, reshaping alcohol management strategies. We provide these partners with the tools and data necessary to address alcohol misuse effectively, bridging the information gap in substance use treatment and prevention education, to foster informed, proactive approaches in these key community sectors.
What is one exciting update or near-term opportunity that you would like to share with the digital health community?
Ethos is utilizing AI/ML to develop a novel digital biomarker, capable of predicting an individual’s Blood Alcohol Content (BAC). This will make the utility of breathalyzers more affordable and accessible while creating new opportunities to objectively understand the role that alcohol plays in the health of populations.
Bio: Bharat is the Co-Founder and CEO of Ethos, an AI-enabled mental health platform helping individuals and health systems address alcohol misuse across its spectrum of risk. Bharat became passionate about finding individual and community-level interventions to substance abuse, during his Master’s Program in Biotechnology at University of Southern California. With a background in life science research, Bharat decided to pivot from medical school and examine how innovation and digital health can close gaps to improve community health.
Org Info: Ethos is on a mission to destigmatize treatment for alcohol misuse leading to healthier decisions and improved outcomes for current and future generations. Ethos facilitates early detection, continuous monitoring, and appropriate treatment referrals to enable targeted, accessible care that meets individuals where they are at. Through evidence-based strategies we aim to address underlying risk factors through CBT, motivational interviewing, and personalized feedback. Ethos is currently in collaboration with Universities, Health Systems, and Rehabilitation Centers.
What motivated you to pursue your current work?
As a Punjabi-American, I’ve seen alcohol misuse impact the lives and relationships of members in my community. With Ethos, I’m turning these lived experiences into action. I believe that there is an opportunity to encourage healthier relationships with alcohol in communities.
What distinct value does your work bring to the digital health field?
In healthcare, excessive alcohol consumption leads to $24 billion in direct spend yet only about 1% (approx. of 1 million individuals) with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) go on to receive treatment. Ethos aims to reach those 17 million Americans currently overlooked by existing systems:
- Universities: Ethos supports student mental health by addressing harmful alcohol use through screening and education.
-
Health Systems: Ethos addresses alcohol management and facilitates Remote Patient Monitoring for early intervention.
-
Rehab centers: Ethos extends care in outpatient recovery and monitoring to increase enrollee engagement and retention.
Alcohol does not just affect an individual’s health, but also the health of their community. Our approach to addressing alcohol at the individual and community level will allow us to address where the problem starts and is currently getting lost.
How does your work impact your target end-users or stakeholders?
Ethos offers our end users a non-judgmental environment for self-monitoring and freedom to explore their relationship with alcohol. By engaging open communication about alcohol consumption and promoting health-awareness, we are enabling our users to embrace healthier lifestyles and catalyze positive change.
Ethos collaborates with universities and health systems, reshaping alcohol management strategies. We provide these partners with the tools and data necessary to address alcohol misuse effectively, bridging the information gap in substance use treatment and prevention education, to foster informed, proactive approaches in these key community sectors.
What is one exciting update or near-term opportunity that you would like to share with the digital health community?
Ethos is utilizing AI/ML to develop a novel digital biomarker, capable of predicting an individual’s Blood Alcohol Content (BAC). This will make the utility of breathalyzers more affordable and accessible while creating new opportunities to objectively understand the role that alcohol plays in the health of populations.