Aura Appoints Dr. Scott Kollins Chief Medical Officer

Clinical psychologist will guide development of category-leading online safety tools for families

BOSTON, Aug. 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Aura, the all-in-one online safety solution for individuals and families, today announced the appointment of Dr. Scott Kollins as its inaugural Chief Medical Officer (CMO). Dr. Kollins will report directly to Aura's Chief Executive Officer, Hari Ravichandran, and will partner closely with Aura's product development organization to deliver first-of-their-kind family online safety features.

Online safety grows more complex every day, particularly for parents hoping to keep their children safe and help them develop healthy online habits. Aura data shows that kids spend an aggregated 3 months of the year on devices and parents struggle with the risk-reward ratio of tech use. In fact, in June Aura collaborated with Gallup to field The State of the Youth study which found a majority of parents (54%) believe their children's usage of electronic devices has equally positive and negative effects on their children's overall mood and wellbeing. Moreover, the balance of parents split about evenly between saying it has mostly positive (21%) versus mostly negative (24%) effects.

"It's not reasonable to think that kids will stay off of devices, so Aura is focused on creating tools that help parents confidently support their connected kids as they grow, as well as provide important feedback for the children themselves about their online activity," said Ravichandran. "Scott brings unique expertise in clinical psychology, digital health and his own personal experiences as a father of two children as we expand our product beyond traditional cybersecurity, fraud protection and parental controls to deliver intelligent insights for digital parenthood."

With more than 25 years of experience in both academia and industry, Dr. Kollins has a deep understanding of the role that technology plays in adolescent development. A licensed clinical psychologist and digital health veteran, he will work closely with technologists at Aura to develop next-generation youth online safety tools. 

Prior to Aura, Dr. Kollins served as CMO for Akili, Inc., where he led the creation of the first FDA-approved digital therapeutic for ADHD. Prior to Akili, he was the CMO for Holmusk, Inc., focusing on real-world evidence in mental health. Dr. Kollins was also a tenured professor at Duke University School of Medicine, where he led a wide range of mental health-focused research and clinical initiatives.

The news comes just ahead of back-to-school season and on the heels of Aura announcing its Digital Parenthood Initiative, dedicated to making a meaningful impact on the well-being of families and children in the digital age. Aura has built a coalition of 20+ partners across the U.S. that will be key to addressing the critical issues of adolescent tech use and digital parenthood and has introduced DigitalParenthood.com, a free online community and resource center that aims to support parents through the challenges of parenting in a connected world, built by parents and moderated by experts.

As part of his role, Dr. Kollins will regularly contribute to DigitalParenthood.com, distilling the latest research, policy, and professional society guidance to highlight the most relevant and actionable information for parents. Along with other DigitalParenthood.com content and product features, Dr. Kollins and Aura aim to facilitate everyday conversations between parents and their children to promote healthy and responsible digital development.

To keep up with the latest insights from Aura's partners and Dr. Scott, visit DigitalParenthood.com.

ABOUT DR. SCOTT KOLLINS
Dr. Scott Kollins joins Aura with an extensive background in clinical psychology and digital health. His career includes significant contributions to the development of digital therapeutics and mental health solutions, with over 200 scientific papers authored and more than $30 million in research funding secured. His role at Aura will be critical in shaping the company's approach and parent understanding of youth safety and mental wellness in the digital era.

ABOUT AURA
Aura is one of the fastest growing online safety solutions for individuals and families. Whether you're protecting yourself, your kids, or your aging loved ones, Aura can meet your needs at every stage of life. Customers trust Aura's simple interface to effortlessly safeguard the things they care about most. Through real-time monitoring and alerts, Aura helps detect and mitigate emerging online threats, such as scams, predators and cyberbullying. To discover how Aura is reshaping online safety for people everywhere, visit www.aura.com.

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SOURCE Aura