University of Arizona Startups Partner to Revolutionize Clinician Wellness

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Strategic collaboration between LifeSpan Digital Health and UGenome integrates personalized multiomics into predictive AI to combat healthcare burnout, fueled by the Wildcat Seed Fund.

TUCSON, AZ (May 20, 2026) — In a move to combat the escalating crisis of healthcare provider burnout, LifeSpan Digital Health and UGenome have formed a strategic partnership. This collaboration unites two trailblazing organizations recognized as inaugural recipients of the Wildcat Philanthropic Seed Fund (WPSF). Managed by Tech Launch Arizona (TLA), the fund is dedicated to bringing University of Arizona innovations to the commercial market.

This collaboration offers an opportunity to responsibly explore how genomics, when paired with AI and wearables, can humanize—rather than industrialize—clinician wellness. This would create a first‑of‑its‑kind “precision wellness for clinicians” model, distinct from patient‑only genomics platforms and define a new category at the intersection of precision medicine and professional well‑being.

The partnership integrates UGenome’s genomic, epigenomic and pharmacogenomic (PGx) tools into LifeSpan Digital Health’s emPower+ platform to provide a data-driven, biological roadmap for mental resilience. By merging LifeSpan’s wearable-driven AI with UGenome’s molecular insights, the companies together offer a comprehensive "whole-person" view designed to detect early biological markers of stress in high-performance medical environments and personalize treatments through genomic insights.

Arizona Solutions for a Global Crisis 

Both companies were founded through Tech Launch Arizona and are products of University of Arizona research and the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem.

UGenome was founded by Zachary S. Brooks, PhD, EMBA a 2016 UArizona alumnus. The company’s original technology was licensed from the U of A Cancer Biology Program, where it was developed by doctoral student Adam Grant. The company is enabling personalized medicine and treatment options by providing medication response, food and longevity information based on a patient's genetic profile.

LifeSpan Digital Health is built on decades of research into physician wellness and burnout conducted by Dr. Samuel Keim, Professor and Head of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the College of Medicine – Tucson. Dr. Keim’s research showed that over 50 percent of physicians meet the clinical definition of burnout, and that jumps to 63 percent in the field of emergency medicine. The company’s solution is designed to address that need through its emPower+ platform, offering a science-based, real-time solution to support physician and nurse wellness.

"As a Wildcat, returning to the University of Arizona to launch UGenome has been a full-circle moment," said Zachary S. Brooks, PhD, Founder  of UGenome and U of A alumnus (’16). "Support from the Wildcat Seed Fund has been a critical catalyst. By partnering with UGenome, “we are proving that U of A technologies can solve the healthcare system’s most complex challenges, starting with the well-being of the clinicians who depend on it,” says Jeffrey Cary, LifeSpan Digital Health Founder and CEO.

About LifeSpan Digital Health

LifeSpan Digital Health  addresses the physician shortage by proactively identifying the risk of healthcare provider burnout through its emPower+ platform. Based on research from the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson, LifeSpan uses predictive AI to foster resilient healthcare workforces. Visit lifespandh1.com.

About UGenome

UGenome is a genomic and multiomics software company dedicated to making precision medicine accessible. Its platforms, including Seq4Life™, DNA2Health™ , and VCF2TXT, empower individuals with actionable insights into medication response and biological health. Visit ugenome.io.

About Tech Launch Arizona

Tech Launch Arizona (TLA), a unit of the Office for Research and Partnerships at the University of Arizona, commercializes inventions stemming from U of A research. The Wildcat Seed Fund is a donor-supported fund that provides essential early-stage capital to U of A startups to bridge the "valley of death" and accelerate global impact.

Media & Investor Contacts

For UGenome: Emma Bardin emma@bardin-consulting.com

For LifeSpan Digital Health: Jeffrey Cary, jcary@lifespandh1.com. 

For Tech Launch Arizona (Investor Inquiries): Wildcat Investor Network (WIN): Paul Tumarkin, pault@tla.arizona.edu