Medical What schools should I apply to with a background in healthcare technology/biotech startup?

[Goro]

Here's some context. Second time applicant from Michigan (attended UPenn undergrad) looking for feedback on my school list and general feedback on how to approach this cycle:

First application (2018-2019 cycle - applying after junior year):
Overall GPA: 3.69
BCPM GPA: 3.62
MCAT: 519
Complete: mid-September
Main Experiences: Biotech startup (3000 hrs)*, non-clinical volunteering (50 hrs), shadowing (50 hrs)*, clinical volunteering (100 hrs), research (300 hrs)*, school health magazine executive editor (200 hrs), cultural group social chair (200 hrs). * = most meaningful.

My PS was mainly about how the startup experience led me to want to pursue medicine as a career path.

Details on the cycle: I submitted my primary application towards the end of July and secondaries throughout September. In December I sent an update to schools regarding two papers that were recently published, one from the lab I worked in during college and one from my startup (I was 5th author on one and last author/PI on the other). Prior, to this update my only research accomplishments were two poster presentations, one from lab and one from my startup. I applied to Columbia, Michigan, Harvard, Hopkins, NYU, Feinberg, Perelman, Stanford, UCLA, UCSF, Pitt, Yale and WUSTL. I received no interviews. After the cycle one of the schools agreed to give me feedback and told me that there were no red flags in my application and that I should just apply earlier and to more schools. They also suggested more volunteering.

Second application (2019-2020 cycle - applying after graduating):
Overall GPA: 3.71
BCPM GPA: 3.68
MCAT: 519
Complete: end of July (projected)
Main Experiences: Biotech startup (4500 hrs)*, non-clinical volunteering (100 hrs), shadowing (100 hrs)*, clinical volunteering (150 hrs), research (300 hrs)*, school health magazine executive editor (200 hrs), cultural group social chair (200 hrs). * = most meaningful.

Details on the cycle: tweaked my essays/activities descriptions but kept most of the content similar. My BCPM gpa increased senior year (as shown). Added publications directly to activities section this time. Submitted primary on June 17th (as opposed to July 26th last year). Applied to Baylor, Boston, Case Western, Columbia, Duke, Emory, Harvard, Icahn, Hopkins, Kaiser Permanente, Mayo Clinic, NYU, Feinberg, Perelman, Stanford, UCLA, UCSF, UCSD, Pritzker, Michigan, UNC, Pitt, Virginia, WUSTL, Yale, Vanderbilt, UWash.

Interested in innovative, research heavy schools. How is this list? Any tips?

Add ALL MI schools, Keck and Einstein

Delete UNC.

invest in MSAR online, and delete any schools where your GPAs are less than their 10th percentiles

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[Catalystik]

Interested in innovative, research heavy schools. Any tips?

Look into Carle-Illinois, a newer, private, innovation-focused med school in Illinois: Carle Illinois College of Medicine – The World's First Engineering-Based College of Medicine

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I'm putting on the brakes here and highlight the fact you have been part of a startup as founder. Why are you interested in shifting into medicine? Why don't you want to see your intellectual property launch? I wouldn't remove Hopkins as an institution because they definitely will have graduate programs (noting I'm not talking specifically about medical school) that will feed into your interest in innovation in the biotech field: see link, specifically Biotechnology Enterprise and Entrepreneurship.

I say that because your 3000-4500 hours of meaningful experience as a startup founder outshine your 100-300 hours of clinical volunteering and shadowing. Ignoring the asterisks you're putting down as meaningful experiences, the number of hours alone tell me where you have been very passionate and dedicated.

Now I agree the Carle Illinois program is new and looking for real innovative engineering-oriented students, and I think they'll have a curriculum ultimately designed to help. As a new program, remember you are the guinea pig in a provisionally accredited medical school.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

" I would like to understand the biological, clinical and administrative workings of the field thoroughly as the first step in developing solutions is identifying and understanding the existing problems."

Can you further refine your explanation of your ability to make "an impact in healthcare"? What type of impact do you want to be known for in 50 years? There is a lot of conversation about nurturing entrepreneurship in medicine as early as encouraging student "research" in medical school. So I can argue you are already going to contribute to some impact with your venture (along with your advisory board to guide you).

I may be a bit jaded, but those physicians I know can argue whether you really get the proper understanding of the field with a medical school education. Any caregiver can argue that "the field" is pretty much dominated by ICD-10 codes and proper entry into an EMR. Many of us would like to understand how to CHANGE the current workings of the field so doctors don't have just 10 minutes to see a patient.