Startup Physicians
StartUp Physicians is the podcast for doctors who dare to think beyond the clinic and hospital walls. Hosted by Dr. Alison Curfman, a practicing pediatric emergency physician and successful healthcare startup founder, this series empowers physicians to explore dynamic career opportunities in the healthcare startup world.
Dr. Alison Curfman brings a wealth of experience to the mic, having founded and grown a healthcare company that served over 25,000 patients and achieved a nine-figure valuation in just two years. She has worked as a consultant, advisor, and chief medical officer, helping early-stage companies secure major funding and develop innovative clinical models. Now, she’s passionate about sharing the lessons she’s learned to help other physicians thrive in the startup space.
Whether you’re looking to launch your own venture, become a consultant, or join a forward-thinking healthcare team, this podcast is your go-to guide. Each episode is packed with actionable advice on topics like personal branding, creating marketable services, and navigating the startup landscape. You’ll also hear from trailblazing physicians and industry leaders in private equity and venture capital, sharing their insights on why physician voices are essential in shaping the future of healthcare.
If you’re ready to make a meaningful impact and build a career that excites and inspires you, StartUp Physicians will show you the way. New episodes drop every Wednesday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you listen. Visit StartupPhysicians.com for resources, transcripts, and to connect with a community of like-minded doctors. It’s time to reimagine what’s possible for your career—and for healthcare.
Episodes
65 episodes
Becoming a Founder Without Putting Your Finances at Risk
If you’ve ever felt called to build something beyond clinical medicine—but stopped yourself because of financial fear—this episode reframes everything.In this episode, Dr. Alison Curfman breaks down one of the biggest misconceptions hold...
[Re-Release] The 7 Startup Functions Physicians Can Support
In this episode, I talk about how physicians can add real value to startups without leaving clinical practice. I break down seven core functions where we already have a competitive edge: product design, marketing, business development, clinical...
Physician Entrepreneurship in Residency: Building a Startup While Training with Dr. Daniella Dennis
Many physicians don’t fully understand the contracts they sign when starting their careers.In this episode of the Startup Physicians Podcast, Dr. Alison Curfman speaks with Dr. Daniella Dennis, an emergency medicine residen...
5 Foundations Every Physician Founder Needs to Launch a Healthcare Startup
You already know what’s broken in healthcare.The question is—do you know how to build something that actually fixes it?In this solo episode, Dr. Alison Curfman breaks down the 5 foundations every physician founder needs to go f...
Healthcare Venture Capital for Physicians: Advisory Roles, Investing, and Startup Ecosystems with Dr. Daniel Dow
Physicians are increasingly exploring careers beyond traditional clinical practice, and venture capital is one path that allows doctors to help shape the future of healthcare innovation. In this episode of the Startup Phys...
From Allergy Practice to Startup Acquisition with Dr. Payel Gupta
What happens when a physician decides not to follow the traditional path?In this episode of the Startup Physicians Podcast, Dr. Alison Curfman sits down with Dr. Payel Gupta, a board-certified allergist and immunologist who...
How to Create Opportunity in Health Tech as a Physician Entrepreneur with Dr. Alex Mohseni
What if the skills that made you a great physician are the exact skills that can launch your next career?In this episode of Startup Physicians, Dr. Alison Curfman sits down with emergency physician turned founder and startup exe...
Escaping Burnout and Building SuperDoc Tech with Dr. Marissa Caudill
Career transitions are not failures — they’re expansion.In this episode of the Startup Physicians Podcast, Dr. Alison Curfman sits down with child psychiatrist turned tech founder Dr. Marissa Caudill, co-founder of Super...
How a Geriatrician Built a Global Health Tech Startup Without Leaving Medicine with Dr. Michael Fang
In this episode of Startup Physicians, Dr. Alison Curfman sits down with Dr. Michael Fang, a practicing geriatrician and serial entrepreneur, to explore how physicians can build impactful healthcare startups—without leaving cli...
Why Doctors Make Exceptional Founders (And How to Start Small) with Dr. Osama Hashmi
What does it really take for a physician to build a successful health tech company—without abandoning clinical medicine?In this episode of Startup Physicians, Dr. Alison Curfman sits down with Dr. Osama Hashmi, der...
AI, Entrepreneurship & the Physician Advantage with Dr. Daniel Kraft
In this episode of Startup Physicians, Dr. Alison Curfman sits down with renowned physician-scientist, entrepreneur, and futurist Dr. Daniel Kraft to explore what it truly means to build at the intersection of medicine, technology...
Why Healthcare Startups Need Physicians Who Understand the System with Dr. Jennifer Miles-Thomas
Physicians are trained to follow clear pathways—but innovation, advisory work, and startup leadership rarely come with a playbook.In this episode of Startup Physicians, Dr. Alison Curfman sits down with Dr. Jennifer Miles-Thoma...
From Accidental Discovery to Market-Ready Innovation with Adam Friedman
In this episode of Startup Physicians, host Dr. Alison Curfman sits down with dermatologist, researcher, and inventor Dr. Adam Friedman to explore what happens when physicians lean into curiosity instead of rigid career plans....
Do You Really Need an MBA to Work in Startups? A Pediatrician’s Path to VC + Founding Grapevyne with Zhen Chan
What does it actually take for a physician to break into startups or venture capital—and do you need an MBA to do it?In this episode of Startup Physicians, Dr. Alison Curfman talks with Dr. Zhen Chan, a practicing ...
Designing a 50-State Telemedicine Career on Your Own Terms with Dr. Takashi Nakamura
In this episode of Startup Physicians, Dr. Alison Curfman interviews Dr. Takashi Nakamura, an emergency physician whose search for a simple telemedicine side gig evolved into a fully remote, 50-state clinical career and a leadersh...
How Physicians Become Health Tech Founders with Dr. Jhonatan Bringas Dimitriades
In this episode of Startup Physicians, Dr. Alison Curfman interviews Dr. Jhonatan Bringas Dimitriades, a Peruvian physician whose global journey led him from clinical practice in Latin America to recertifying in the Netherlands an...
Inside the CMO Role at a Pediatric Telehealth Startup with Dr. Lyndsey Garbi
In this episode of the Startup Physicians Podcast, Dr. Alison Curfman talks with Dr. Lyndsey Garbi, neonatologist, pediatrician, and co-founder/CMO of Blueberry Pediatrics. Lyndsey shares how she went from new attending to ...
Breaking Into Pharma and Biotech as a Physician Leader with Dr. Nerissa Kreher
In this episode of the Startup Physicians Podcast, Dr. Alison Curfman sits down with Dr. Nerissa Kreher, MD, MBA—a pediatric endocrinologist who transitioned into biotech and pharma and went on to serve as a four-time Chief Med...
From Pediatric ER Doc to FemTech Founder with Dr. Lara Zibners
In this episode of the Startup Physicians Podcast, host Dr. Alison Curfman talks with Dr. Lara Zibners, a pediatric emergency physician whose winding career path led her from the chaos of the PEDs ER to the world of women...
[Re-Release] Rethinking Healthcare: Adapting to the Startup Mindset
In this episode (a replay from earlier this year), we’re diving into how startups think and what we as physicians can learn from their approach to innovation. If you’ve ever wondered how design thinking, rapid iteration, and minimum viable prod...
Transforming Pediatric Care Through Innovation with Dr. Janene Fuerch
In this episode of the Startup Physicians Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Janene Fuerch, neonatologist, entrepreneur, and Director of the Stanford Biodesign Innovation Fellowship. Janene shares how her path in academic medicine une...
From ER to Innovation: Building New Healthcare Paths with Dr. Kevin Baumlin
In this episode of Startup Physicians, Dr. Alison Curfman interviews Kevin Baumlin, an emergency physician and Chief Medical Affairs Officer at the Science Center. They discuss the evolving role of physicians in healthcare startups,...
The Startup Leap: One Doctor’s Path from Medicine to Product Innovation with Dr. Kieran McLeod
In this episode on Startup Physicians, I had the chance to sit down with Dr. Kieran McLeod, a former emergency physician who made the leap from clinical work in South Africa to building startups in Australia. We first connected on LinkedIn, and...
Beyond the Clinic: Building Impact in Pharmaceutical Startups with Dr. Heather Lampel
In this episode on Startup Physicians, I sit down with Dr. Heather Lampel to talk about what it really looks like to move from traditional clinical medicine into the pharmaceutical startup space.Heather shares her story with clarity and ...
Physicians Belong in AI: A Founder’s Path from Academia to Impact with Dr. Shakira Grant
On this episode of Startup Physicians, I interview Dr. Shakira Grant, who shares her remarkable journey from practicing medicine to influencing healthcare policy and AI development. We talk about the importance of health equity and the role phy...