AI, Product, and the "Unsexy" Problems in Healthcare
Recently, Matilda Health had the privilege of hosting Dr Jackie Rabec, Co-founder and Chief Product Officer at ThinkMD.ai and former Head of Product at Heidi Health, as part of the WA Government's Entrepreneur in Residence Grant Scheme.
Together with WALSIH, we hosted a fireside chat exploring AI, product development, women’s health, health in Lower and Middle Income Countries (LMIC) and why some of healthcare's most important problems often receive the least attention. During this fireside chat, Dr Tracey Wilkinson (Director Stakeholder Engagement at WALSIH) hosted the fireside chat with Jackie and Jo, exploring challenges, tips, product market fit, adoption of technology, and more.
Recording of the Fireside Chat with Dr Jackie Rabec, Co-founder and Chief Product Officer at ThinkMD.ai and Joanna Morris, CEO and Co-founder of Matilda Health
A few key themes stood out.
1. Start with the problem, not the technology
One of the strongest messages from the discussion was that great healthcare products don't start with AI. They start with a genuine problem worth solving (something co-founders Joanna and Kevin learnt deeply in their time at Perth Biodesign, the genesis of Matilda Health in 2022)
AI can be a powerful tool, but only when it helps people do something better, faster, safer, or more effectively. Building "AI for AI's sake" rarely creates lasting value.
For founders, clinicians, and innovators, the challenge is to remain obsessed with the problem rather than becoming distracted by the latest technology.
2. Product-market fit matters more than clever features
Healthcare is full of well-intentioned products that never achieve meaningful adoption.
Why? Because being clinically sound is often not enough.
Successful products fit naturally into the lives and workflows of the people using them. Whether those users are patients, clinicians, administrators, or carers, the experience needs to be simple, useful, and solve a real need.
A recurring theme throughout the conversation was that adoption is often a better measure of success than the sophistication of the technology itself.
3. Some of the most important healthcare problems are not the most fashionable
The discussion also explored what was described as the "unsexy" problems in healthcare.
These are areas that may not attract headlines, venture capital, or widespread attention, but they affect millions of people every day.
Women's health is a powerful example. Conditions such as endometriosis, chronic pelvic pain, and the recovery journey after surgery have historically been underfunded and under-supported despite the significant impact they have on quality of life, economic costs (dominantly through lost-productivity related to absenteeism and presenteeism).
Innovation is needed not only in emerging areas of healthcare, but also in the longstanding gaps where patients continue to struggle to access support.
4. Clinicians have a unique role to play in innovation
Many healthcare founders begin their journey as clinicians.
Their firsthand experience provides deep insight into patient needs, system inefficiencies, and opportunities for improvement. However, transitioning from clinician to founder often requires learning entirely new skills around product, business, technology, and commercialisation.
One of the encouraging messages from the evening was that healthcare needs more clinicians willing to bring their expertise into innovation, particularly in areas that have traditionally been overlooked.
Looking ahead
From the conversations had after the Fireside chat, it was clear there there was an energy of optimism and excitement. We had newly graduated high school students due to study medicine and keen to innovate, right through to seasoned innovators also solving important problems in the healthcare ecosystem.
We also had a number of free 1-on-1 office hours sessions with Dr Jackie Rabec where innovators got the chance to have their personal questions answered. Common themes explored during these sessions included: founder pathways trajectory, commercial viability balanced against clinical outcomes, and access to funding.
As an organisation, we’re incredibly grateful to have the support of the WA Government to make these events happen and proud to share that value with the rest of the WA Innovation ecosystem. We also had a wonderful week with Jackie deep diving into Matilda to explore how we can best support the gynaecological surgery journeys (endometriosis and hysterectomy surgery) of as many people as possible.
A huge thank you to Dr Jackie Rabec, WALSIH, and everyone who joined the conversation.
The "unsexy" problems in healthcare may not always receive the spotlight, but when solved, often have the largest outsized positive effect.
Learn more about our Matilda’s endometriosis and hysterectomy surgery support program.
Or, see the research the Matilda program was built on here
This event and bringing Dr Jackie Rabec to Perth was supported by the Western Australian Government through the Entrepreneur In Residence Grant Scheme.