How Running a Startup Shapes Ansh Bhatt’s Medical Training at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine

How Running a Startup Shapes Ansh Bhatt’s Medical Training at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine

An M.D./M.B.A. student at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Ansh Bhatt is balancing medical school with leading an EV charging startup, gaining real-world insight into health care systems, business operations and patient access.

It may be uncommon for an M.D./M.B.A. student at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine to run a business, but it’s not unheard of. Some of these high achievers balance health care startups or consultancies with their medical training. Third-year University of Miami Miller School of Medicine dual-degree candidate Ansh Bhatt, however, is breaking the mold.

Bhatt’s a cofounder and head of operations of ChargeBay, a company that markets affordable, efficient, easy-to-use EV chargers to commercial real estate operations like parking lots and apartment buildings.

This year ChargeBay was among more than 550 entries in the prestigious Rice University Business Plan Competition. One of 42 selected to compete, ChargeBay won a $5,000 grant while Bhatt and his partners made the rounds and networked with angel investors, academics and fellow entrepreneurs. ChargeBay has six active chargers across three commercial sites in South Florida, including an implementation currently underway in Miami’s Brickell neighborhood. A Tampa Bay-area pilot is in progress.

ChargeBay and the Intersection of Innovation and Medicine

Texas-born and Tampa-raised, Bhatt has always intended to be a physician. In high school he volunteered at a hospital. In college he worked as a scribe and a pharmacy tech. He had little interest in business until his junior year at the University of South Florida. A part-time pharmacy job piqued his curiosity when he learned about insurance issues and other barriers to treatment that are beyond medical care. He interned at an insurance company and at implementing AI in health care. In his senior year he cofounded ChargeBay.

During a rotation in the Keys last year, Bhatt, who plans to practice rural family medicine, witnessed barriers to care in a health care desert. He learned that overcoming them requires more than just medical knowledge.

“I want to have a practice where I can do as much of the procedures and testing as possible at the practice,” he said. He believes his understanding of the health care system will help him find solutions “when it comes to getting drugs and figuring out formularies, so there’s no back and forth between the pharmacy, the doctor and insurance.”

Why Business Training Matters in Modern Medicine

Bhatt believes it’s important for all physicians to have a grounding in business.

“If you look into how the system works, it’s the result of adding layers without breaking anything,” he said. “This creates complexity.”

Understanding that complexity, he said, can help physicians run their practices and reduce the burden on patients. While one doesn’t need an M.B.A. for that, Bhatt saw an opportunity that he couldn’t resist. As soon as he learned about the Miller School’s four-year dual-degree program, he knew that’s where he wanted to be.

“The Miller School has the most comprehensive M.D./M.B.A. and it’s in the biggest city in Florida, plus they let me go to competitions,” he said.

Initially, Bhatt assumed he’d drop ChargeBay when he started medical school. But the Miller School was supportive of his company.

“The school enables me to go,” he said. “And there are so many people here who can help. There are data analysts. There are a lot of resources available.”

In addition to medical school and ChargeBay, Bhatt consults and mentors startups in health tech and insurance tech spaces. In his spare time, he tutors students preparing for the MCATs, mentors premed students and visits high schools through the Miller School’s Office of Community Engagement to talk with students about careers in medicine.

Bhatt doesn’t hesitate to describe himself as a medical student first and an entrepreneur second. He never forgets that the competition to get into medical school is fierce. He’s grateful for the Miller School’s support.

“I’m not only where I want to be,” he said, “but where I didn’t even imagine myself to be.”

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Tags: Department of Medical Education, dual degrees, M.D./M.B.A. program, medical education, medical students, startup, student leadership, student research