Why Healthcare Startups Need Physicians Who Understand the System with Dr. Jennifer Miles-Thomas

Episode Description

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-Thomas, urologic surgeon, former private practice CEO, MIT MBA, and healthcare innovation leader at Northwestern Medicine.

Jennifer shares how she navigated the transition from academic medicine to private practice, led a large surgical group through the COVID-19 crisis, and ultimately moved into system-level innovation, incubators, and startup advising.

This conversation is a grounded look at how physicians create value outside of patient care—without burning out, giving work away for free, or abandoning medicine altogether.

In this episode, we discuss:

Why physicians underestimate their value in startups and innovation
What becoming a CEO during COVID taught Jennifer about leadership and pivoting
How private practice prepares doctors for entrepreneurship
Why AI and data literacy matter for physicians—without needing a tech background
How to start advisory work without getting taken advantage of
The role of incubators and health system innovation programs
Practical ways physicians can explore non-clinical impact while staying grounded

This episode is especially relevant for physicians who feel ready for more impact, creativity, or system-level influence—but want to move intentionally.

Chapters:

00:00 – Why Physicians Belong in Innovation

00:53 – Academic Medicine vs Private Practice Reality

02:59 – Becoming CEO in January 2020

03:43 – Pivoting During COVID

04:55 – Why an MBA (and Why MIT)

06:05 – AI Isn’t Magic—It’s Math

08:25 – Moving Into Health System Innovation

10:45 – The Hidden Value of Physicians in Startups

13:00 – How to Start Advisory Work

17:59 – Avoiding Exploitation in Business

21:56 – Defining and Pricing Your Value