Our 40 Under 40 Healthcare Innovators of 2015

39. YiDing Yu

YiDing Yu is the inspired visionary, co-founder, president and CMO behind Twiage, a web and mobile platform that bridges the communication between ambulances and emergency rooms. The application was the recipient of MedTech Boston’s mHealth Rockstar of the Year Award, as well as the Mass Medical Society CIT award. As a third-year resident in Internal Medicine at Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Yu came up with the idea for Twiage when she realized that many patients arrive at the hospital after an accident with almost no medical information, leading to significant delays that can have devastating consequences.

Yu is quick to acknowledge that entrepreneurship is exciting – but it can be a lonely experience as well. “By definition, an innovative idea is ahead of its time and there will be many challenges,” she says. “So more than anything, you need to believe in what you’re creating.”

“We spend so much in healthcare that almost any idea could be a billion-dollar market opportunity,” Yu says of the most valuable “hot spots” in healthcare innovation. However, healthcare can also be a complicated sector to enter because of its fragmentation. “This fragmentation is why many great startups die on the vine,” she says.

What’s in the future for healthcare innovation? Yu believes in developing consumer-facing products with fastest uptake, and she expects to see global payments that will pave new opportunities in community-based care for community health workers and telemedicine.