Ask HN: What are tech fields that physicians can get involved in?
I'm a medical student and one of my career goals is to figure out how to combine my interest in technology/medicine. Thus far I've done so in research but I'm looking for other areas to explore. Does anyone have any experience in this?
14 comments
From someone who has built sensor/tech-enabled digital health products in a variety of settings (PT/OT, sports med, neurosurgery) I think the most helpful thing for joining (or building your own) product teams is:
1) using your leverage/support staff as an MD to speed up IRB/patient testing - can be super difficult for independent teams to get access to patients even for the most basic user testing/info
2) help understand the economics of a new medical idea. Dive deep into what the current billing codes are, how they're used, and how they can be leveraged to build economic space for novel tech. As an MD you have access/influence to a lot of billing info that's closely held otherwise
#2 is pretty interesting. As a medical student, I haven't had much exposure to billing codes but that will soon change. I'll keep your idea in mind while I'm learning. Thanks for sharing!
I would say in all the companies I worked in the medical field (mostly devices not pharma) I have seen a few ways in which MDs have collaborated:
- KOLs in that specific medical field are invited to be board members mainly working to steer the product towards market fit. And provide insight into what will work or not in 'the real-world'.
- MD's working as Clinical Advisors in 'research boards' they would come in every 2 weeks and join R&D/Product brainstorming sessions or demo days and provide feedback, suggestions, insights.
- MDs actively working as clinical researchers designing and coordinating clinical trials
- (less common) But a few people in my professional network are full time C level execs that have a Medical background (CTO/COO/CEOs) but they are all in more bio-tec/materials fields and most actually started the companies they are in.
The takeaway is tech companies usually struggle with access to clinical research, and have knowledge gaps about hospital workflow, procedures, surgical sub-steps etc. In both of those areas clinical staff is always needed.
I think another big part of the answer is that it will depend a lot on what medical specialty you choose in your medical career. Some fields are much more active then others in terms medical tech. (Cardio, Neuro, Pneumo, ENT, Sleep, Ortho, Endocrin) Hope it helps.
- KOLs in that specific medical field are invited to be board members mainly working to steer the product towards market fit. And provide insight into what will work or not in 'the real-world'.
- MD's working as Clinical Advisors in 'research boards' they would come in every 2 weeks and join R&D/Product brainstorming sessions or demo days and provide feedback, suggestions, insights.
- MDs actively working as clinical researchers designing and coordinating clinical trials
- (less common) But a few people in my professional network are full time C level execs that have a Medical background (CTO/COO/CEOs) but they are all in more bio-tec/materials fields and most actually started the companies they are in.
The takeaway is tech companies usually struggle with access to clinical research, and have knowledge gaps about hospital workflow, procedures, surgical sub-steps etc. In both of those areas clinical staff is always needed.
I think another big part of the answer is that it will depend a lot on what medical specialty you choose in your medical career. Some fields are much more active then others in terms medical tech. (Cardio, Neuro, Pneumo, ENT, Sleep, Ortho, Endocrin) Hope it helps.
Drug development is the second biggest sector receiving VC funding after software. Most biopharma startups are founded by PhDs and MDs
If you're interested I'm running a program called Biotech Startup School on how to start biotech companies: https://www.baybridgebio.com/biotech-startup-school.html
If you're interested I'm running a program called Biotech Startup School on how to start biotech companies: https://www.baybridgebio.com/biotech-startup-school.html
Anything biomedical related, we have a bunch of clinical collaborators at the research institute I work at, plenty of tech that needs clinical expertise.
I work in digital mental health at the Division of Digital Psychiatry; perhaps some of our projects can serve as inspiration (https://digitalpsych.org/).
NLP, Information Retrieval, and Data Discovery focused on empowering patients. My family has been writing clinical trial search and visualization tools to help inform kin in need
I moderate a small, low traffic Google Group called Health Techies. You are welcome to join it if you wish.
Awesome! I sent an invite.
I am running into a weird glitch. I have an email indicating a join request, but you don't show under "pending members." However, trying to direct add you gets me a message stating you are already a pending member.
¯_(ツ)_/¯
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Weird! Thanks for trying. I'll see if I can re-join on my end.
You've probably been added now, as of some time in the past couple of days or so.
Drug development, medical devices.