For Boston-based ZappRx CEO and founder Zoe Barry, her younger brother’s epilepsy diagnosis — and the subsequent issues preventing him from obtaining the medication and treatment he needed — influenced her foray into healthcare. Ms. Barry spoke with Becker’s Hospital Review about her family’s struggles and the strong leadership qualities necessary to build her startup ZappRx, a secure platform for patients, physicians and pharmacists to coordinate the management of specialty medications, in 2012.
Editor’s note: The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Question: How did you initially get involved in the healthcare industry?
Zoe Barry: A few years ago, my youngest brother — nicknamed Scooter — was diagnosed with severe epilepsy. It took my parents nearly nine months to get an appointment with a pediatric neurologist and for my then 5-year-old brother to receive an accurate diagnosis. During that time, Scooter was constantly at risk for having a grand mal seizure, which would cause permanent brain damage. As it was, his “mild” seizures caused him to develop a stutter and a learning disability as a result of the short-term memory loss often associated with his condition. Scooter has since received the correct diagnosis and medication and has overcome those challenges to become a voracious reader.
Shortly after my brother’s diagnosis, I landed my first job at athenahealth as an implementation specialist where I was able to learn quite a bit about technology systems and clinical practices. I left the company in 2012 to launch ZappRx, where I’ve been ever since.
Q: What has your experience been like as a woman directly involved in the startup culture of the healthcare industry?
ZB: In the early years of ZappRx, my age and gender presented a challenge, especially when trying to launch our product at large healthcare institutions. I found it difficult to establish my credibility among older, mostly male, healthcare providers and executives. Eventually, I decided to bring a supportive advisor and ZappRx investor to my meetings at hospitals.
It’s unfortunate that the technology and healthcare industries still are skeptical of female leaders. I’m working hard to change that by mentoring other female CEOs at healthcare technology companies, with the goal of shifting perceptions in the industry. I believe women bring a unique and valuable perspective to entrepreneurship and healthcare. It’s time to level the playing field and create an environment where female CEOs — and most importantly, new ideas — can thrive. That’s what will end up being beneficial for everyone.
Q: What is one piece of advice you would give yourself as a young professional?
ZB: Listen. Listen. Listen! At ZappRx, I’ve tried to surround myself with a team of industry professionals where each person brings immense and valuable expertise to our growing business — from our software engineers, to product and sales experts, to our customer support professionals. I love hearing directly from team members who are passionate about the success of our product, and subsequently using that feedback to make a difference for our customers. It takes a team, complete with diverse ideas and perspectives, to create a game-changing product.
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