Frances Abeton is the co-founder and CEO of WHYZE Health – a patient-centric collaborative care model that improves health outcomes.
As a highly successful business professional, Frances obtained a master’s in business administration from Smurfit Business School in Dublin, Ireland. Since completing her post-secondary education, Frances has spent twenty years helping organizations make the necessary decisions to improve their bottom lines. As an innovator and forward-thinking professional, Frances utilizes technology to cultivate positive change.
Motivated by her daughter’s experiences in the healthcare system, Frances established WHYZE Health to help physicians better care for their patients. As a collaborative healthcare and research model, the platform streamlines patient data, reduces diagnostic timelines, and improves health outcomes. Frances believes every individual should be equipped with the knowledge to make informed health decisions and is committed to improving the patient-physician experience.
When Frances isn’t working, she enjoys nature walks, reading, and spending time with her husband and two children.
What do you currently do at your company?
I am the co-founder and CEO of WHYZE Health. I work on business strategy, business vision, and fundraising. I ensure we deliver the products to our clients and sell them to them through marketing.
What was the inspiration behind WHYZE Health?
The inspiration for WHYZE Health came from two aspects of my life. One was my career working in clinical research. I had an innovative arm of a company called ICON, whose division was Firecrest.
The second inspiration was a personal experience. My daughter had an accident and traveled through the healthcare system for five years. I saw how fragmented the inside of the data was and that patients do not have access to their health information. My daughter had five procedures during that time, but none of them worked. That is when I started questioning why we do not ask patients how the administered health intervention worked for them; why don’t we capture the patient outcomes in real-life settings and use this information to aid physicians in choosing the health intervention for each patient, ensuring the best health outcome?
What are the keys to being productive that you can share?
Time management is essential to be productive. Every week I set a target of the tasks I want to accomplish by the end of that week. I allocate the time I need to have for specific discussions, the time I need to move things along or the time to have several important deliverables I must deliver.
How do you measure success?
I measure success by the impact that I can make in people’s lives. Success is not just measured by the people you help but also by the impact you have on your customers and those who work with you.
What would you say is the most valuable lesson you have learned over the course of your career?
The most valuable lesson I have learned was not during the course of my career. The most valuable lesson I learned was from my father when I was about 13 or 14 years old and working on the farm with my brother. My father told me, “Whatever your brother can do, you can do equally”. He demonstrated to me that I was equal. Because of that, I never had an issue with diversity or asking for what I wanted. I don’t see a difference between myself and males in business.
What advice would you give to others aspiring to succeed in the health field?
To me, healthcare research success can only be achieved through collaboration. You will not achieve anything on your own. At WHYZE, that is what we are all about. We are not about going out to change the world on our own. We want to build a community of patients, healthcare providers, and research organizations who want to work together to create this community. We do not have that right now. We are intelligent people, and I believe we can demonstrate our intelligence to the world by doing this. We will improve health outcomes and the whole health economics of the system by coming together to resolve the challenges.
How do you maintain a solid work and life balance?
I do not see my work as work. I love what I do. I love working, collaborating, and leading with people. I create a balance for myself by ensuring I start my day with things that are better health orientated for me and finish my day with the same. My life is scheduled around WHYZE.
What is the piece of technology that helps you the most in your daily routine?
The piece of technology that runs my daily routine is most definitely my electronic calendar.
What has been the hardest obstacle for you to overcome? Specifically, with WHYZE.
The most challenging obstacle to overcome is funding, especially in this economy. Without funding, the biggest obstacle is being able to attract high-caliber people to work in a startup with minimum funding.
Who has been a role model to you? And why?
As role models, I see two people that I look at, Richard Branson and Warren Buffett. I see them as role models because they are achieving the impossible. They are making a massive impact on the world.
What is a piece of advice that you have never forgotten?
One piece of advice I have never forgotten is that execution in business is the real challenge, as opposed to talking about an idea or concept. Executing and delivering real impacts for a business concept takes profound courage and determination never to give up; that is why only a few people do it and do it well.
