Dr. Manan Shah is a founder and Chief Medical Officer (CMedO) of Wyndly. As CMedO, Dr. Shah oversees every aspect of Wyndly which interacts with patients (and many that don't!), including patient experience, provider experience, medical operations, marketing, and customer support. He's led Wyndly from just an idea, to its first patients, to the fully-functioning medical practice and company it is today.Dr. Shah is academically active at national and local levels. He has published multiple peer-reviewed articles in medical journals and book chapters. Additionally, he gives presentations and lectures locally and nationally on topics relating to otolaryngology. He was nominated by local colleagues to serve as the President of the Colorado ENT Society, and also elected by his national peers to serve as the Secretary of the YPS of the American Academy of Otolaryngology, and is also a member of the Academy's Telehealth Committee.Dr. Shah created Wyndly with co-founder and cousin Aakash Shah in 2020, participating in the Y Combinator W21 batch. Prior to Wyndly, Dr. Shah completed his medical school at the University of Maryland and pursued an additional certification in clinical research. He subsequently completed his Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery training at the University of Connecticut.Before his medical career, Dr. Shah attended Tufts University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts, double major: Music and Biomedical Engineering. Outside of Wyndly, Dr. Shah focuses on increasing the understanding and accessibility of allergy care and otolaryngology both through research articles on his website and answering common medical questions on reddit, Youtube, and TikTok.
Dr. Manan Shah Vroom Vroom Veer Show Summary
Episode Summary:
In this episode of "Vroom Vroom Veer," host Jeff Smith engages in a compelling conversation with Dr. Manan Shah, the founder and Chief Medical Officer of Wyndly, a fully virtual allergy care practice. Dr. Shah shares his journey from the initial concept to the actualization of Wyndly and discusses the innovation of providing allergy treatments online.
Key Points Discussed:
Introduction and Background:
Dr. Shah describes Wyndly’s mission to provide long-term allergy treatment through immunotherapy that patients can administer at home.
Shift in Allergy Treatment:
Dr. Shah discusses how traditional allergy treatments necessitate frequent visits and injections at a medical office, which is inconvenient and outdated in the current fast-paced world. He compares this to Wyndly's method of sublingual immunotherapy, which is popular in Europe and easier for patients to manage at home.
Early Years and Inspiration:
Growing up in Maryland, Dr. Shah was heavily inspired by his parents, both of whom were in medical professions. This familial influence steered him toward a career in healthcare, specifically otolaryngology, bridging his mother's dentistry and his father's surgery practices.
Career and Educational Background:
Dr. Shah touches on his educational path, including attending Tufts University, the University of Maryland for medical school, and the University of Connecticut for Otolaryngology training. His career choice was further solidified by personal medical experiences and the desire to improve patient care.
Challenges in Traditional Medical Practices:
He discusses the challenges within traditional medical setups, including the constraints imposed by insurance companies on patient care. This frustration led him to explore more patient-focused solutions that would not involve the cumbersome and often opaque billing practices associated with insurance.
Starting Wyndly with Tech Support:
Dr. Shah recounts how his cousin, Aakash Shah, helped him integrate technology into his practice, which became particularly useful when transitioning to virtual consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Expanding Wyndly’s Reach:
