When former President Joe Biden revealed in May that he had been diagnosed with an advanced and aggressive form of prostate cancer, the news rattled UConn’s Reza Amin ’18 Ph.D., ’19 MS.

Amin is the CEO and Founder of Bastion Health, the first and largest virtual urology group in the country. Bastion, a UConn startup, addresses men’s health care through at-home diagnostics, specialist-led care, and elimination of impediments to medical attention.

Detecting prostate cancer in its most treatable stage is more than a professional interest for Amin. He lost his grandfather to the disease and wants to spare others from that heartbreak.

“Prostate cancer is a cruel disease because it can often be asymptomatic and, without testing, men don’t know they have it,’’ he says. “The good news is that if prostate cancer is diagnosed early, the survival rate is close to 100 percent. Diagnosed later, it falls to about 40 percent.

“Our work at Bastion is about changing that equation—by offering early, accessible, and private care for our male patients,’’ he says. Bastion also addresses prostate, hormonal, and reproductive issues, as well as cancer prevention.

“Improving men’s access to care is at the heart of what we do. We’re building a future where men don’t delay care because of stigma, access issues, or inconvenience,’’ he says. “When care is confidential, virtual, and designed around them, men are more willing to use it.’’

Men’s Health a Growing Concern

Bastion Health is based at the UConn Technology Incubation Program (TIP) in Farmington, which unites research, facilities, and business support for high-impact startups.

The company, created in 2020, contracts with large employers who offer the medical service to their employees. Some 120,000 men—in all 50 states— have access to Bastion’s services. The company is growing quickly and is set to expand, adding multiple Fortune 500 employers to its ranks next year.

The statistics about men’s health are concerning. About one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. In the last seven years or so, there has been a spike in men being diagnosed with late-stage disease.

Bastion offers at-home testing, supported by a team of more than 60 board-certified urologists, who deliver comprehensive virtual care and guide patients every step of the way, offering fast referrals when in-person support is needed.

New patients begin with an app-based intake, followed by a nurse practitioner visit and at-home diagnostic kits delivered to their door. The tests cover blood, urine, semen, and stool. Samples are processed by certified labs, and results are reviewed by board-certified urologists to initiate treatment.

“The clinical accuracy matches traditional in-office care, but with greater convenience, faster follow-through, and a better patient experience,’’ Amin says.  The normalization of telehealth following the COVID-19 pandemic has only accelerated Bastion’s growth, making virtual specialty care not just viable—but preferred, he added.

The traditional health care system hasn’t evolved with men’s needs, and as a result, many men bypass it, Amin says. Long waits in a doctor’s office, missed time at work, embarrassing test requirements, and difficulty scheduling follow-up appointments result in men avoiding life-enhancing or life-saving care.

“Men deserve care that’s private, seamless, and designed for them, especially when it comes to issues ‘under the belt,’” Amin says. “We’re a team of technologists, physicians, nurses, and health professionals building the future of men’s health. With AI-powered telehealth, nationwide urologist access, and integrated at-home testing, we’re redefining specialty care—delivered from home, anywhere in the country. We are always keeping the patient in mind in whatever we do.”

The medical service not only improves outcomes and prevents late-stage diagnoses, but also reduces health care spending for employers and payers.

“Not only are we saving lives, but we are also saving companies a great deal of money. Every cancer patient who is diagnosed early saves employers and payers $300,000. That’s just huge,” Amin says. “In many cases that savings alone covers the cost of the program for the entire employee population.’’

From Avid Researcher to Business Entrepreneur

Amin’s business idea began 10 years ago when he was completing a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering, with a focus on medical diagnostic system design, at UConn. He published his first paper on at-home testing and how it can help with cancer detection.

“It started as an idea on paper, but it pieced things together,’’ he says. As the idea took root, Amin realized he wanted to create something more impactful than a testing company. He wanted to transform access to care.

“We dove into everything—regulations, diagnostics, emerging tech,” he says. “Today, we’re an AI-powered virtual care platform integrating at-home testing and automated clinical workflows. With help from AI, we streamline medical documentation, enhance clinical decision-making, and engage patients more effectively, improving the experience for both patients and providers. It’s about reducing friction, increasing satisfaction, and delivering high-quality care at scale.”

The year after completing his Ph.D., Amin added a master’s degree in global entrepreneurship from UConn to his resume. He is also the co-founder of Encapsulate, a precision personalized cancer therapy program.

Urologists Often Difficult to Find

Because urology practices are most frequently located in cities, some 62% of United States counties don’t have a single urologist, Amin says. That makes it difficult for many men, even those who are health-conscious, to get an appointment and schedule follow-ups if a problem is detected.

At Bastion, the team tries to make accessing care as seamless as possible. A dedicated care coordinator alerts men to appointments, testing, and medication refills. If follow-up care is needed, the patient is quickly referred to a health care system that can address even complex treatment.

If men are comfortable receiving care at home, let’s bring it to them there. We are leading the market but not abandoning high-quality service. &#8212 Reza Amin, Bastion Health

Through Bastion’s focus on patient satisfaction, Amin and his team reviewed and adopted technologies designed with the male patient experience in mind—making it easy to collect blood, urine, semen, and stool from home.

“We strive to be tech-savvy and futuristic thinking,” he says. “If men are comfortable receiving care at home, let’s bring it to them there. We are leading the market but not abandoning high-quality service.”

UConn Instrumental in Bastion’s Success

Bastion Health has also benefitted from numerous UConn entrepreneurship programs through the School of Business, College of Engineering, the Werth Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and the Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. As an entrepreneur, Amin says, he ran into many people who discouraged his efforts. The support from UConn offset the challenges.

“Our company is a UConn spinoff. We’re Huskies through and through. We’ve had great support, lab and office space, and we utilize talent from UConn,” Amin says.

Amin has also competed in prestigious entrepreneurship competitions, including Connect Next, Mayo Clinic Incubator, Mass Challenge, and Plug & Play.

Bastion has been recognized in Forbes twice and as a Top 100 Healthcare Tech Company by Healthcare Tech Report Nation. He was also chosen as a “40 Under Forty” award recipient by the Hartford Business Journal.

“In growing this business, I realized that talent is key. I wanted to spend enough time to find the right people. Technology and funding are important, but it is talent that brings the ideas, builds the culture, and shares the vision that creates value,’’ he says. “Our partnerships and alignment are very important.’’

‘It Impacts Everyone and Everything’

Although Amin is focused on caring for men’s health, he recognizes the work he does has a profound ripple effect.

“Whether you’re addressing men’s health, women’s health, or children’s health, it is all family health,” he says. “Everyone wants a healthy family and if any one member has a problem, it impacts everyone and everything, from fear and disruption to employment and income concerns.”

“Losing lives to conditions that are treatable, when solutions exist and can’t be accessed, is failure,” he says. “We hope to save many families from going through the terrible experience of advanced prostate cancer.’’