Kimberly Wilson experienced the healthcare gap firsthand. After a uterine fibroids diagnosis, she saw four White male doctors: two completely dismissed her pain and the other two said she needed a hysterectomy. Finally she found a Black female doctor in another state who offered proper attention and treatment, Wilson recently told CNBC.
“As a 30-something-year-old, I was completely traumatized by the experience,” she said, adding that she had to travel over 100 miles to find a doctor who actually understood her needs.
In 2018 Wilson founded the app HUED, which connects Black and Latinx patients with culturally competent doctors throughout the United States. The platform currently has more than 400 doctors.
She built the company without VC funding, relying instead on funding from partnerships with brands including Unilever’s Vaseline, according to CNBC. This year Google’s Black Founders Fund invested $50,000 in capital and support to grow the platform.
In this curation of must-read innovation and tech news, the Plug In South LA Beat, we’re getting a closer look at Wilson’s strategy to diversify the patient-physician experience:
This Founder Created a Tech Platform that Connects Patients of Color to Culturally Competent Doctors