How Spotlight-AQ Is Addressing Psychosocial Needs in Routine Diabetes Care
StartUp Health community member Katharine Barnard-Kelly, PhD, is redefining personalized medicine by giving providers a clearer view into their patients’ real lives – and proving that holistic, AI-driven care can improve outcomes, reduce burnout, and save costs.
A More Complete Picture of Care
For too long, healthcare has focused on the physical body while overlooking the emotional and social realities that define how people live with chronic conditions. Spotlight-AQ, led by StartUp Health community member Katharine Barnard-Kelly, PhD, is changing that paradigm with an AI-driven clinical tool designed to help providers deliver truly biopsychosocial care that addresses mental, physical, and social wellbeing within every visit.
The premise is simple but revolutionary. Before meeting with their clinician, patients complete a quick three-minute AI-powered questionnaire, either at home or in the waiting room. The tool learns as it goes, dynamically selecting questions based on unmet needs and priority concerns. The result is a visual map that reveals which areas of life are causing the greatest challenges, giving both patient and provider a shared view of what matters most.
Turning Insight Into Action
For clinicians, Spotlight-AQ provides a concise dashboard that displays patient insights alongside continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) data from Abbott and Dexcom integrations, plus evidence-based resources linked to every concern. “We shorten visits, improve glycemia and quality of life, and significantly reduce provider burnout,” says Dr. Barnard-Kelly. “It’s a solution that benefits all stakeholders: patients, providers, payers, and health systems.”
The results speak for themselves. In pivotal trials and real-world pilots across the UK and US, Spotlight-AQ has proven its ability to improve outcomes and save costs. Providers describe the tool as “simple to use and implement” and “a user-friendly, pragmatic way to set the scene for consultation.” One physician told Dr. Barnard-Kelly, “It made me the doctor I thought I would be when I went to medical school.”
Bridging Research and Real-World Impact
Now revenue-generating and expanding rapidly, Spotlight-AQ is working with Atrium Health in the US and multiple NHS sites in the UK, as well as with industry partners Abbott Diabetes Care, Syneos Health, and Embecta. Cost-effectiveness research has shown measurable savings for payers and systems, thanks to shorter visits, reduced turnover, and improved clinician satisfaction.
For Dr. Barnard-Kelly, who began her career as a professor of health psychology and led the first team ever to receive FDA qualification for a person-reported outcome measure in diabetes, Spotlight-AQ is the culmination of two decades of research and a bridge between science and clinical reality. “We’ve been running in parallel to clinical care for too long,” she says. “Now we’re embedding psychological and behavioral health into everyday practice.”
That combination of rigor and empathy helped Spotlight-AQ win the 2024 ADA Innovation Challenge and earn second place in the recent 2025 Breakthrough T1D Israel Innovation Challenge, recognitions that signal global momentum and impact. As the company begins onboarding major health systems and scaling partnerships, Dr Barnard-Kelly is preparing for an exciting next phase: bringing on a world-class CEO to help accelerate growth and impact.
A Community of Builders and Believers
As part of the StartUp Health community, Dr. Barnard-Kelly says she’s found a sense of belonging that is rare for founders balancing science, entrepreneurship, and family life. “It’s been amazing,” she says. “You can ask a question, get feedback, or support someone else, and you realize you’re not alone. Everyone is facing the same challenges, and you want each other to succeed.”
That spirit of collaboration mirrors the very essence of Spotlight-AQ: empowering people to connect more deeply, communicate more clearly, and bring empathy back to healthcare.
“We’ve proved it works,” Dr. Barnard-Kelly says. “We’ve proved it’s cheaper than routine care. Now is the time to join us and help us scale.”
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Published: Nov 11, 2025
Produced by Nicole Kinsey
