While a Duke medical student, I began to feel the inclination to launch my own business. It wasn’t until my time at Fuqua that my inclination grew into something more. This summer, I launched a new company and mobile game targeting an enemy shared by many: cancer. 

My Path to Oncology

I had wanted to be a medical oncologist practically my whole life. My mom was first diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer when I was six years old. Along the way to medical school, my brother survived colon cancer in his 30s, and I have had many other loved ones and friends survive or pass away from cancer.

So, while rotating as a Duke medical student, I was keenly aware of a young mother who was receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer at the Duke Cancer Institute. I noticed that she was playing games on her tablet to pass the time. Then, I saw her three young children bound into the treatment bay and snatch the tablet away to play the game themselves.

Today, we take for granted the ubiquity of phones and tablets. But, at that time, I was struck by the stark contrast between 1) the patient engagement struggles of American healthcare and 2) the incredible engagement powers of mobile games. I bet most people do not know that mobile games are a $100 billion annual industry, in which a single game title can reliably make more than $1 billion per year and engage hundreds of millions of active users globally for countless minutes per day.

An early business thesis formed in my mind: What if time and money spent playing mobile games could be leveraged for health impact, without sacrificing any fun?

As I continued my healthcare training at Duke, I became more interested in scalable health impact. Eventually, I made the significant decision to leave medical training to focus on healthcare transformation, technology, and payment reform.

I found myself reeling professionally for a few years — they don’t teach you about the business and technology of healthcare in medical school. The certainty of every next career step in medical training and health professions was gone.

Channeling My Purpose in Business

Ultimately, I knew I needed to make a structured change, and that Fuqua would offer me the best opportunity for success. I was attracted to the weekend executive program by its strength in healthcare and its focus on teamwork. I was not disappointed! My classmates at Fuqua were the most impactful and indelible aspect of my business school experience. Beyond the social fun and teamwork during the program, I was inspired by so many of my classmates who were starting and running their own businesses.

A few years after graduating from Fuqua, I attended a local cancer charity triathlon event…and wept for the first time in years over the crushing burden of cancer in people’s lives. I had repressed my own experiences for years. I knew I had to activate. If I were going to pursue my mobile games business concept at some point in my life, why not now?

I took the leap and launched Meaningfull Games PBC. This past July, its first product was released: “Crab Blast.” In Crab Blast, every puzzle you solve helps fund a cancer charity of your choice. It is the first product of hopefully many games that will tackle various health conditions, utilizing a variety of mobile gameplay, and leading to an assortment of health impacts.

I did not come to Duke intending to launch a business. But even over a 10+ year span, Duke has supplied the environments, experiences, and connections to spur my business dream. I am hoping I can make it a sustainable reality to serve American healthcare in an unexpected way.