From Eczema to Innovation: How Personal Struggles Sparked a Health Tech Revolution - Dr. Haroon Ahmad, MD

What if the practice of medicine is actually holding you back from building the healthcare company you envision?

Dr. Anna Chacon welcomes Dr. Haroon Ahmad, MD, founder and CEO of Proton Health, to discuss his remarkable journey from eczema patient to health tech innovator. A trained physician who practiced in the UK, Dr. Ahmad shares how his lifelong struggle with severe eczema—combined with witnessing physician burnout during medical school—inspired him to create Symphony, an AI-powered platform that gives dermatologists complete patient context before appointments even begin. His mission? Bring the human connection back into medicine by eliminating administrative burden and letting clinicians focus on actual patient care.

The conversation explores the intersection of dermatology, artificial intelligence, and entrepreneurship. Topics include the evolution of clinical workflows, how Symphony automates documentation while preserving the doctor-patient relationship, the role of AI in future dermatology practice, and Dr. Ahmad's personal victory over eczema using his own technology. They also discuss the challenges of building health tech, learning to code as a physician, balancing CEO responsibilities with family life, and the free patient app Skin X that helps individuals track and manage their skin conditions.owerful conversation about autonomy, impact, and designing life on your own terms.

In This Episode:

• (00:00) From childhood eczema patient to physician: how severe skin disease shaped an entrepreneurial journey
• (05:45) Proton Health's mission: bringing humanism back into medicine through Symphony's pre-visit AI platform
• (11:45) Why physicians should learn to code and how AI tools like Cursor are reducing barriers to entry
• (13:55) Solving his own severe eczema using Symphony's tracking and data analysis after 27 years of struggle
• (17:16) Getting involved with Proton Health and downloading the free Skin X patient management app
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About the show: Welcome to Skin Deep, a podcast designed for dermatology professionals. Host Dr. Anna Chacon, a distinguished dermatologist and author, shares her unique experiences and offers valuable insights on the future of dermatology, including telemedicine and teledermatology in reaching underserved communities. Dr. Chacon provides actionable recommendations for dermatology practices, emphasizing compassion, patient education, and staying current with advancements in the field.

About the host: Dr. Anna Chacon, board-certified dermatologist and founder of Indigenous Dermatology, specializes in treating patients in remote and rural communities. As the first dermatologist serving Alaska's Bush region, she travels by bush plane to reach isolated communities. Dr. Chacon holds medical licenses in all 50 states, DC, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, providing both in-person and teledermatology services.

Resources:

Dr. Haroon Ahmad Linked...

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - Scratching Your Own Eczema
• (00:00:43) - How did you get into health tech and dermatology?
• (00:02:41) - How to Get Invited to Techstars
• (00:03:50) - How to transition from clinical practice to startup life
• (00:06:10) - Proton Health's Symphony platform for dermatologists
• (00:08:49) - dermatology expert talks AI and the future of the field
• (00:11:06) - Dermatology App Available in UK, US
• (00:11:44) - How to Build a Health Tech App by Yourself
• (00:14:09) - Immunity for eczema
• (00:15:40) - What Kind of Criteria Do Techstars Have for Companies?
• (00:17:44) - How can people get involved with Proton Health's Skincare