MarTech Interview with Harshit Jain, MD, Founder and Global CEO of Doceree

Harshit, could you share a bit about your personal journey and what led you to venture into the intersection of healthcare, AI, and marketing?
Ever since I was a kid, my dream has always been to help others and make a difference; and what better way to do that than by becoming a doctor. And hence, my professional journey as a certified physician began after completion of my degree in 2006, from Chicago’s Northwestern University. While practising I gradually started to become conscious of the limitations our global healthcare infrastructure was subject to, especially concerns pertaining to transparency and cost-effectiveness. This indeed fuelled my passion for creating a bigger difference in healthcare, making me acknowledge diverse ways in which better patient outcomes can be ensured, besides being just a physician.
Driven by creativity and the zest to experiment within the space, I took on a significant career transition from practicing medicine to cutting tooth in healthcare advertising. The experiences I garnered at some of the most prominent healthcare advertising agencies, like a McCann Health, where I held a variety of roles, including Country Head, Marketing Director, and Innovation Lead in Asia, Europe, and America, helped me understand how creativity can be leveraged to unbar the potential within the healthcare advertising industry.
By working on campaigns for numerous healthcare issues, including immunization and vitamin D deficiency, I realised how simple observations can make marketing initiatives invite changes only for the better. Instances like such motivated me to strive for more and finally made me step into the shoes of an entrepreneur in 2019 to establish Doceree, world’s first global platform that provides unparalleled solutions for healthcare cost-effectiveness programmatic marketing by utilizing exclusive data tools. In the last four year of its inception, the platform has experienced remarkable growth and significant rise in script lifts generated through trigger-driven messaging.

Personal Connection to AI:
How has your personal experience with AI influenced your vision for transforming healthcare marketing through Doceree?
When I commenced my journey as a life sciences marketer, I could sense the resistance pharma marketers held towards digital platforms and technology. This hesitance made the overall healthcare industry lag its consumer counterpart, that bravely leveraged the multifaceted abilities of the digital to pace up their marketing game. This is the phase where I felt that the Rx drug marketers are really missing out on the wave of opportunities induced by recent technological advancements.
At Doceree, our team has been constantly adapting to the needs of the industry and are looking at transcending conventional boundaries to emerge as a cutting-edge enterprise technology. With our unique identity resolution proprietary software, EspiyanTM, the platform’s integrated and collaborative ecosystem enables pharmaceutical brands and digital platforms to leverage undiscovered opportunities within the life sciences marketing landscape in the most streamlined manner attainable. With our solution, pharma marketers can now promote drugs in a personalised format to the targeted healthcare professionals while also providing an opportunity for digital platforms to generate good revenue, hassle-free.
The core understanding by which Doceree functions is that to move from data to information, utilize that information to obtain knowledge and later extract logic out of the garnered knowledge through conventional marketing initiatives will take at least a few years. It’s this very wisdom that defines the basics of our latest product, Insights, that enables one to save on both, cost and time.
Through its AI-driven analytical capabilities, Rx drug marketers can now extract crucial business insights by analysing the performance of their marketing campaigns within nick of time. This empowers brands to make data-driven decisions that enables marketing initiatives to lead to quality business outcomes as well. While initially we were recognized for our innovative tools and solutions in the healthcare sector, we will now strategically pivot to empower marketers with unparalleled customization capabilities through AI-powered capabilities.

Defining Moments:
Were there specific experiences that convinced you of AI’s transformative potential in healthcare marketing?
Being a marketer and an entrepreneur, it is essential to keep an eye for new innovations and trends that are setting new boundaries to enhance customer experiences. Witnessing the growth our consumer counterpart experienced because of AI, I realised that the healthcare marketing industry too required a ‘smarter way’ to achieve precision targeting and effective patient outcomes.
Smartly leveraging AI for predictive analytics, I observed a huge difference in the way HCPs can be targeted with precision and personalized outreach. Last year, Doceree platform observed that there was a significant script lift of about 32% higher when AI-driven trigger-based messaging was adopted by pharma manufacturers. This clearly highlights AI’s role in augmenting engagement and improving patient outcomes, when aptly tailored with pharma marketers’ efforts and unique HCP needs.
Additionally, by leveraging natural language processing (NLP) algorithms for analysis of vast amounts of data garnered from point of care platforms or client’s digital marketing campaigns, we were able to successfully facilitate the creation of more effective communication strategies and development of patient-centric messaging for our partners, that helped them, and HCPs attain their ultimate objective – better treatment outcomes. These advances did not only revolutionize healthcare marketing by optimizing strategies but also fostered better patient engagement, ultimately improving healthcare delivery.

Navigating Challenges:
In the dynamic ad/martech landscape, what personal strategies do you find effective in navigating challenges?
I believe that navigating challenges in the dynamic ad/martech landscape requires a blend of strategic foresight, adaptability, and a steadfast commitment to innovation. At Doceree, I’ve fostered this very blend in steering through unforeseen complexities. Understanding the pace of change in our industry, one must proactively stay updated about emerging technologies, market trends, and evolving consumer behaviours. In fact, these learnings made me value the strengths of AI to stay ahead in today’s digital era as innovation is not merely about introducing new products or solutions but encompasses a mindset that seeks improvement across all facets of our operations. Encouraging creativity, experimentation, and calculated risk-taking within our teams has been instrumental in fostering groundbreaking ideas that address industry challenges with unique and effective solutions.
Having said that, maintaining a deep understanding of our client’s needs remains a priority. This involves actively listening to client feedback, understanding their pain points, and collaborating closely with them to develop tailored strategies and solutions. This customer-centric approach has helped me, and my venture stay aligned with market demands and deliver tangible value to our clients.

Balancing Innovation and Ethics:
How do you personally balance innovation with ethical considerations in AI-driven healthcare marketing?
Well, balancing innovation with ethical guidelines in AI within healthcare marketing is a nuanced and critical endeavour. As an entrepreneur operating in multiple markets, adhering to a structured framework that integrates innovation while steadfastly upholding ethical considerations is imperative. Considering the same, it is necessary to adhere to a process that involves conducting thorough risk assessments and impact analysis before implementing any AI-driven solutions. This proactive approach allows for the anticipation and mitigation of potential biases, ensuring fairness, transparency, and accountability in all decision-making processes.
Moreover, active collaboration with multidisciplinary teams comprising healthcare professionals, ethicists, data scientists, and legal experts, enables diverse perspectives to be considered, fostering discussions that evaluate the ethical implications of each innovation. Further, striking such balance also involves promoting responsible AI practices, including monitoring, auditing, and refining AI algorithms to minimize technology induced biasness and ensure that they contribute positively to patient well-being.
Overall, such conscious actions ensure that advancements in AI can positively impact healthcare marketing without compromising patient privacy and ensure health equity for equality within the ecosystem.

Professional Milestones:
Are there career milestones that you consider particularly defining, especially in the context of Doceree’s mission?
As an entrepreneur who aspires to innovate, my vision has been to create opportunities that empowers both – pharma marketers and HCPs, to attain a healthier future for the world. In 2019, when I realized that the pharmaceutical industry lacked a specialized digital platform dedicated solely to healthcare professionals’ network, establishment of Doceree certainly became a turning point. Even when I was recognised as the Elite 2020 Disrupter Award by premier global PM360 Magazine, Pinnacle award by MM+M in 2021 or The Drum as Highly Commenced Marketer of 2022 for initiatives addressing the acute problem of rising cost of healthcare through the venture, I was invested in bringing efficiency and effectiveness in creating a convenient network for quality HCP engagement through Doceree Provider and Doceree Enterprise. However, acknowledgments like such do reinforce my belief in the transformative power of our platform.
To add, last year we discovered through a study by Doceree in 2022 that script generation is three times more likely on point of care platforms than any other online medium. The insight seemed very crucial in shaping the future of healthcare marketing, and I decided to encapsulate my key learnings and observations about point of care messaging in my book, ‘The Next Marketing – To Healthcare Professionals’ with a purpose to educate and encourage aspiring healthcare marketers to optimise communication initiatives to HCPs in the most efficient manner possible.
My sole intent behind such initiatives is the belief that unimaginable innovations can be brought to life only if intentions are rightly placed and leveraged only for the society’s betterment.

Global Leadership:
Leading globally requires a unique perspective. How do your values contribute to guiding Doceree’s global initiatives?
It goes without saying that that core values and principles of a leader form the bedrock of any organization’s success and significantly contribute to shaping global initiatives of a company. As I firmly believe in values that reflect integrity, innovation, and collaboration, I have strived my best to embed the same in the very DNA of Doceree operations to guide every facet of our approach.
By prioritizing ethical practices in healthcare advertising and ensuring transparency among key stakeholders, I envision to build lasting relationships between HCPs and healthcare marketers to foster an ecosystem founded on exchange of right knowledge at the right time to fulfil a commonly shared aspiration – better treatment outcomes. Through my initiatives at Doceree, my sole purpose is to keep the spirits of innovation high in life sciences marketing. For instance, Doceree’s partnership with Hello Health in 2023 was a classic epitome of my passion towards ‘associations for good’ and touch global contours to upscale healthcare standards not within just America, but the Southeast Asian region too.
Having said that, my commitment towards an employee-centric organization that believes in advocating policies of diversity, equality and inclusivity, is a key priority. I endeavour to empower employees who can dare to innovate independently but at the same time collaborate as a team when a challenge arises. With Doceree being acknowledged by the ‘Great Places to Work – India’ & ‘Best Places to Work – New Jersey’ this year, I’d like to believe that by staying true to such principles, we navigate challenges, adapt to diverse markets, and consistently deliver solutions that align with our mission to transform healthcare marketing for the betterment of healthcare communities, globally.

Continuous Learning:
In the dynamic ad/martech field, how do you stay informed and continuously learn to keep Doceree innovative?
Well, staying informed and adaptive in the fast-paced ad/martech industry is crucial for problem-solving. To ensure Doceree remains at the forefront of innovation, I believe in leveraging a multi-faceted approach to drive the company forward. With the value of ‘continuous learning’ being a core principle for any entrepreneur, I enrich my business acumen by garnering real-time knowledge through industry publications, latest research studies as well as industry conferences that can help me shape strategies and craft solutions to efficiently streamline the global healthcare infrastructure for all – HCPs, patients, or Rx drug marketers. In addition to that, maintaining a robust network of industry experts, thought leaders, and professionals, is equally important to collaborate and exchange right set of ideas without any filters on.
Such conscious actions not only broaden my perspective as the one who is striving to bring a change, but the team within Doceree that can provide invaluable insights about the industry trends or challenges that we all collectively must aspire to solve. By combining these approaches, I try to ensure that Doceree remains a dynamic, adaptive, and well-positioned environment to navigate the ever-evolving ad/martech ecosystem, foster continuous innovation and drive value for our clients and the healthcare ecosystem at large.

Legacy Building:
As you shape the future of healthcare marketing, what legacy do you hope to leave within Doceree and the industry?
To speak with all honesty, my vision is far beyond short-term success. If I must speak about Doceree, my purpose is to cultivate an environment where every employee feels empowered to innovate, where integrity is ingrained in every action, and where empathy forms the foundation of our relationships, both internally and with our stakeholders. Through technology-powered solutions, I aspire to be known as an innovator who strived his best to create an ecosystem that fosters continuous learning, values diversity, and prioritizes the well-being of its people and across the globe through diverse healthcare initiatives.
Speaking of the industry, since my early days I have attempted to pioneer a paradigm shift in healthcare marketing, where life sciences advertising is not limited to brand promotions but is equally about patient education and empowerment as well as initiatives that reflect experimentation and ethical engagement. If my actions can become a catalyst for change and elevate the healthcare marketing standards to newer heights, I’d start to believe that the large part of my job is done as one must prioritize ‘actions for the greater good’ as necessary as monetary gains to maintain an equilibrium.

Advice from Your Journey:
Reflecting on your journey, what advice would you give to professionals aiming to impact healthcare through technology?
I sincerely believe that everyone is destined to have a journey of their own. This is why I feel an advice can only be sufficient to navigate opportunities but what one extracts out of such opportunities relies solely on the person’s professional acumen. Being in the industry for over 15 years now, I believe my zest to innovate clubbed with a dream to ensure a healthier future for all has played a significant role in some of my most celebrated achievements. Additionally, one must stay true to themselves and be brave enough to step away from the conventional when need be. For instance, I alone strived to streamline the life sciences marketing landscape with technology powered solutions at a time when perhaps the entire industry was extremely sceptical of the digital.
Having said that, it is important to remember the problem you aspire to solve, for which scrutinising the unnoticed loopholes within the healthcare ecosystem is paramount. Leveraging technology responsibly as well as creatively to improve patient outcomes through personalized messaging or improving accessibility to vital healthcare information can transform the landscape gradually. However, this is only attainable only with investment in learning and adaptation as technology evolves at a rapid pace, and the healthcare industry is no exception.

Therefore, it is crucial for life sciences marketers to stay abreast of technological advancements, be open to learning by harnessing the power of technology to drive successful marketing initiatives with an intent to genuinely create a positive impact on healthcare delivery and patient well-being.

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