"How come we have such powerful technology in hospitals, but people at home don’t have access? We have the best technologies and care in hospitals, but not everyone wants to go there, or sometimes they don’t even realize they need to. I kept thinking about this, especially about my friend, during the COVID lockdown when I had time to reflect. I used some web images to create a tool that could identify what’s normal and abnormal in male anatomy. I shared it with my friend, who then shared it with others. Within two weeks, I started receiving messages from strangers saying, ‘I love your app. It’s amazing. I had a pimple in my private parts, didn’t know what it was, and now I finally understand. Thank you!’ I was stunned by the response—thousands of downloads in just two weeks. It made me realize the huge gap in accessible healthcare solutions." - Yudara Kularathne CEO & Cofounder of HeHealth" - Yudara Kularathne
"I was immediately worried this guy might be in a crisis, so I rushed to his house. When I got there, he was on the balcony, about to jump. We pulled him back, and I asked, 'What’s going on?' It was Christmas 2019, and he said, 'I’m dying.' As a doctor, I had managed his medical records before, so I knew his history. I told him, 'You had the tests, and they came back fine.' Of course, he could have contracted a new infection, so I asked, 'How do you know you’re infected?' He said, 'I’ve embarrassed everyone. I can’t even tell my wife.' The social pressure was overwhelming. He’d had unprotected sex outside his marriage and noticed a rash on his private parts. After Googling his symptoms, he convinced himself it was HIV. The stigma and lack of access to accurate information in sensitive areas pushed him to suffer in silence, unable to share his fear with anyone." - Yudara Kularathne CEO & Cofounder of HeHealth" - Yudara Kularathne
"Technology moves so fast that by the time you publish a paper, your technology is already twice as advanced as what you published. This is a limitation of the FDA as well—there’s little point in getting approval for technology when six months later you have something significantly better. You have to reapply and modify submissions constantly. So, we decided to be upfront, communicate honestly, and work collaboratively with all the relevant organizations. For example, I’ve worked with the FDA and spoken at their conferences as a content expert on data. One of the key steps we took was collecting initial data directly from the community. We sent out brochures, inviting participation, and people responded. 'Pick for science!' Yes, believe me, people truly responded." - Yudara Kularathne CEO & Cofounder of HeHealth" - Yudara Kularathne
In this episode, Jeremy Au speaks on the child emergency doctor to AI founder journey, model training vs. regulatory affairs, and healthcare AI.
Keywords: Yudara Kularathne, Child Emergency Doctor to AI Founder, Model Training vs Regulatory Affairs, Healthcare AI, Southeast Asia, Healthcare, Artificial Intelligence, Founder Story
