Almost Human Labs

Intro
I built a pharmacist digital twin for one reason: most people don’t need more information — they need the right information, explained clearly, at the right moment.

After more than 20 years in community pharmacy, I’ve seen the same pattern repeat: people leave a clinic with anxiety, unanswered questions, and a plan that’s technically correct but hard to follow in real life.

This project is my attempt to fix that gap.

What a “digital twin” means here
This isn’t a gimmick and it isn’t meant to replace a clinician. It’s an education-first interface that reflects how I explain medicine in real practice: calmly, clearly, and with patient safety first.

It helps you:

• understand your medicines and conditions in plain language
• prepare better questions for your GP, pharmacist, or specialist
• avoid common misunderstandings that lead to harm
• build confidence — without pretending to be “your doctor”

Where it comes from
Over 15 years, I wrote a large body of patient-facing health information — roughly 2,000 pages — across a separate website and resources built for real people, not academics.

In 2015, I completed an MBA at Imperial College London and conducted a formal research study on the structure, language, and effectiveness of patient-facing healthcare content. That work was published and became the foundation for a simple idea:

If we can make health information clearer, we can make care safer.

From content to product: DIAdem
That research led to ‘DIAdem’, a diabetes management solution that placed 8th in Europe in the EU Horizon 2020 health innovation cycle, and was supported by collaborators including the Health Innovation Hub (Ireland).

A proof-of-concept study was planned for early 2020 in a medical practice in Munster — and then COVID arrived. Like many health projects, it was paused.

But the underlying problem never went away: people still need safe, understandable guidance between appointments.

Why an avatar / “Almost Human”
The next step is delivery.

A digital twin can combine:

• structured, evidence-based health information
• consistent explanations (no rushed appointments)
• empathy and a human tone (without false certainty)
• practical, real-world coaching for day-to-day management

Diabetes is a perfect example: it’s not managed in a clinic — it’s managed in kitchens, workplaces, holidays, and hard weeks. People need support in real time, not just at review time.

Important
This digital twin is education only. It doesn’t diagnose or prescribe. It’s designed to help you understand, prepare, and communicate — and to support better conversations with your own clinicians.

If you’d like to try it, start with one simple question:
“What does my medication actually do — and what should I watch for?”