From Supply Closet Prototype to Medical Device Founder with Dr. Hilary Gallin

Dr. Hilary Gallin is an obstetric anesthesiologist, medical device founder, and startup advisor who has built companies from problems she saw in clinical practice.

In this episode of Startup Physicians, Dr. Gallin joins Dr. Alison Curfman to talk about the path from physician to founder, including how she started Fastline, a medical device company focused on making central line placement safer and easier. The first version was not polished. It was built from supply closet materials, a glue gun, and the willingness to test whether the idea could work.

This conversation is for physicians who have seen a clinical problem and wondered whether they could build something to solve it.

Dr. Gallin and Alison talk about design thinking, early feedback, ugly prototypes, medical device development, tech transfer offices, AI as a founder thought partner, and why doctors often underestimate how much they already know how to learn.

You do not need a perfect product to begin. You need a real problem, early feedback, and the willingness to ask the next person who can help.

Chapters:
00:00 Meet Dr. Hilary Gallin
01:16 From medicine, business, and engineering to startups
02:31 Finding startup ideas in clinical practice
03:33 Design thinking and problem validation
06:22 Why feedback feels different for doctors
10:00 Building the ugly first prototype
15:47 From supply closet materials to medical device
17:25 Navigating medical device development
22:25 Using AI as a founder thought partner
25:51 Why “I’m just a doctor” is the wrong frame
29:08 Outreach, advisors, and asking for help
30:13 Where to find Dr. Gallin

Resources:
Connect with Dr. Hilary Gallin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hilary-gallin-md-mba-1112b67/
Startup Physicians: https://www.startupphysicians.com/
Startup Physicians Incubator: https://www.startupphysicians.com/incubator
Free resources for physician founders: https://www.startupphysicians.com/resources