Innovators are rarely one thing, which was a major point of discussion when our Director Stakeholder Engagement Director Dr Tracey Wilkinson sat down with Joanna Morris (Co-founder & CEO, Matilda Health) and Dr Jackie Rabec (Co-founder & Chief Product Officer, ThinkMD) for a candid chat about the founder journey and product-market-fit at last week’s special Entrepreneur in Residence (EiR) seminar, delivered by Matilda Health under the EiR Scheme (Department of Energy and Economic Diversification), supported by WALSIH.
Both Jo and Jackie began their careers in clinical practice. But notably, neither defines themselves solely through that lens. As Jackie put it, she is now “a product person, with a clinical background”.
It is a simple reframing that captures a much bigger idea (and became a key theme to the discussion): great biomedical innovators don’t leave their backgrounds behind, nor are they confined by them. Instead, they become an amalgamation of their professional training (clinical, research, industry-based and beyond), lived experience, curiosity, and passions. It’s this integration, rather than any one discipline alone, that enables deeper insight, sharper problem-solving, and ultimately, more meaningful innovation.
An engaged audience heard Jo discuss the Matilda story, and how her clinical background as a physio has been key in her own motivation to join the world of innovation by starting a company with co-founder Dr Kevin Wernli. Matilda Health is a digital health platform transforming pre- and post-surgical care for women with endometriosis and other gynaecological conditions. Matilda provides a meaningful way for Jo “to have impact beyond [her] four walls” of a consulting room. To date, that impact has seen Matilda support 600+ patients from 80+ gynaecologists across 8 countries.
It was fantastic to have Jo joined by Jackie in the speaker’s seat, bringing another expert voice to the conversation. Through her global work with ThinkMD and experience across multiple digital health companies, Jackie brings an international perspective on digital health innovation, and having her on the ground as part of Matilda’s residency, seminar Q&A, and one-on-one business consultations with WA companies, is a valuable way that the EiR Scheme helps bridge the gap between global expertise and our local innovation ecosystem.
We are proud that Matilda is an alumni of Perth Biodesign, and to have featured the company’s origin story in WALSIH’s 7-Year Impact Report.
