1x1 With Dr. Marla Dubinsky at Trellus Health

We recently sat down with Marla Dubinsky, CEO and Co-Founder of Trellus Health, to discuss the company’s mission, its unique challenges, and why Trellus Health selected Goodwin as its legal partner. Take an inside look at how Trellus Health is working to improve the lives of individuals struggling with chronic health conditions to enhance their quality of life on a long term basis.

Can you talk to us about what inspired the founding of Trellus Health and how it has evolved since its inception?

Absolutely. I’ve spent nearly three decades managing individuals with complex chronic conditions, particularly inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Despite remarkable progress in biologics and small molecule therapies, we’ve reached a therapeutic ceiling — fewer than half of people with IBD achieve true, holistic remission. Traditional treatments tend to focus on clinical markers, overlooking the broader picture of wellbeing. As a result, many continue to struggle.

At the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, we saw something different. Our patients experienced fewer hospitalizations, less emergency room visits, and remarkable outcomes. What set us apart was our GRITT™ program — Gaining Resilience through Transitions — which proactively teaches resilience at critical moments in a person’s health journey. Created and validated by world-renowned behavioral scientist Dr. Laurie Keefer, GRITT combines positive psychology and crisis intervention to strengthen resilience and guide individuals from a state of languishing to one of flourishing—transforming both their health outcomes and quality of life.

That human-focused, resilience-driven approach inspired the founding of Trellus Health. We built on that foundation to create Trellus Elevate™ — a digital platform that bridges the mental and physical impact of chronic conditions, empowering individuals to take control of their health and wellbeing.

What differentiates Trellus Health from traditional condition management and digital health solutions?

Traditional approaches often wait until individuals develop significant anxiety or depression before intervening — by then, it’s reactive, not preventive. Trellus Health moves upstream, equipping people from the start with the resilience and confidence to manage their lifelong conditions effectively. We integrate comprehensive education and human guided support, tailored to each person’s unique attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors — factors that are typically overlooked by traditional behavioral health solutions

Trellus isn’t just about managing clinical symptoms; it fosters human flourishing. It provides patients with tools for resiliency, enabling them to live confidently despite chronic conditions. By empowering patients early, we not only prevent crisis but enhance their long-term quality of life.

How does your partnership with pharmaceutical companies like Johnson & Johnson expand the Trellus Elevate® approach?

Managing and adhering to treatment regimens for lifelong, incurable immune conditions like IBD can be overwhelming for patients, making comprehensive support essential. By integrating Trellus Elevate™ into Johnson & Johnson’s Patient Support Program (PSP) that supports patients with moderately to severely active IBD, eligible patients with IBD will now benefit from holistic, wraparound support that helps them stay on track with their therapies and empower them to thrive. Importantly, our platform is compliant with industry regulations, enabling seamless integration into existing PSPs without added complexity for our partners.

What role does Trellus play in clinical trials?

Clinical trials face persistent challenges with recruitment, retention, and study completion. Trellus addresses these issues by proactively assessing and preparing participants mentally and emotionally before enrollment. This ensures only those who are ready, engaged, and committed enter the trial—significantly reducing screen failures and dropout rates, while accelerating timelines and speeding time to market.

Our proprietary readiness assessments evaluate participants’ mindsets, attitudes, and beliefs about clinical trials early in the process. This allows sponsors and CROs to better support sites in identifying individuals most likely to complete the trial successfully.

The result: faster, more efficient trials and significant cost savings—solving one of the most critical bottlenecks in clinical trials research today.

Why did you choose to partner with Goodwin?

Partnering with Goodwin was transformative for Trellus Health®. Their team provided essential guidance on compliance and regulatory considerations across both health plans and the pharmaceutical sector. The Goodwin Health team helped us navigate critical compliance nuances and continues to support us in maintaining alignment with evolving regulatory guidance.

This partnership enabled us to scale our programs and services with confidence and clarity—communicating our value proposition effectively, streamlining partnerships and contracts, and avoiding regulatory setbacks. Goodwin’s expertise has positioned us strongly for sustainable growth and long-term impact.

This informational piece, which may be considered advertising under the ethical rules of certain jurisdictions, is provided on the understanding that it does not constitute the rendering of legal advice or other professional advice by Goodwin or its lawyers. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.