Women of color are up to three times more likely than white women to be diagnosed with lupus, a lifelong autoimmune disease that affects about 200,000 people in the US and is more prevalent among women, according to the CDC. And when it comes to autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis, one 2021 study from the University of Southern California found that Back and Hispanic/Latino patients were more likely than white patients to experience faster disease progression and greater severity of symptoms.
That’s why Wallace Torres co-founded WellTheory, a virtual health company that provides nutrition and lifestyle coaching to improve the health of patients with autoimmune diseases. Torres, a Puerto Rican American who is also head of operations at the company, said he’s determined to address gaps in autoimmune care. He said that while the California-based company does diagnose conditions, its registered dietitians, health coaches, and health coordinators focus on working with people to manage their specific needs, addressing common symptoms like fatigue, joint pain, muscle aches or weakness, and loss of appetite.
Torres spoke with Healthcare Brew about his plans for WellTheory, which started seeing clients in August 2021 and works in all 50 states, and his mission to address health disparities.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Why did you create WellTheory?
I met Ellen [Rudolph, co-founder and CEO of WellTheory] four years ago through an entrepreneur fellowship, and she had this idea around an autoimmune company.
My wife also went through an autoimmune crisis herself, and so she started getting these crazy symptoms, not specific. We started going from doctor to doctor, trying to get answers. At the same time, I’m talking to Ellen about WellTheory and this idea about an autoimmune company. It was a little bit of seeing is believing and understanding that there was a huge need here. We had the resources to try and find answers, and we weren’t finding our own answers. So we’ve been together ever since.
How does WellTheory work?
When someone finds WellTheory, whether it’s through their employer or through social media, a website, or Google search, they sign up, they go through a 60-minute deep dive where we’re looking at everything: where you’ve been, where you are, where you’re going. The idea there is to really get at the root cause of everything that you’re going through. From there, you’re going to jump on a 60-minute call with a registered dietician.
Navigate the healthcare industry
Healthcare Brew covers pharmaceutical developments, health startups, the latest tech, and how it impacts hospitals and providers to keep administrators and providers informed.
We want to build a personalized care plan that’s really going to be a road map for you over the next three to six months as we work on getting you better. From there, you’ll be meeting with a care team twice a month for 30 minutes for the remainder of the program, and have access to other features. It isn’t just the sessions that you’re doing with your registered dietitian or health coach, depending on what pathway you’re in.
There’s a huge community component that is part of this, and there are master classes with topics ranging from how to travel with an autoimmune condition to tips and tricks on how to handle a flare-up.
How important is it to address the historic inequities in autoimmune healthcare, particularly among the Hispanic and Latino communities?
From day one, our goal is access. The kind of care that we deliver is very expensive, and it is inaccessible to most folks.
It’s been interesting, as we continue to grow the company, to see just that health inequity there. The cash pay offering was priced pretty low [$50/month during their beta] because the goal was to learn and build the business case for why this was going to be a great solution for others. As we move into the employer space, we’re seeing more and more folks that are Black or Hispanic or from minority groups finding us and being able to enroll for the program. It’s part of why we started the company. This is disproportionately impacting my community. How can we do our part in improving those health inequities?
How does WellTheory specifically address those inequalities?
The care plans take into account a lot of these things. Part of that onboarding is really understanding your circumstances, your background, what’s accessible to you, versus not. We look at where you live, and we try to understand what’s accessible to you. We’re not going to tell you to grow your own plants.