Innovated, incubated, and launched a musculoskeletal digital pain therapy platform
Achieving 2× the pain reduction of opioids — without the risk.
The Challenge
Chronic musculoskeletal pain is one of the leading drivers of employer healthcare costs — yet treatment pathways are often opaque, ineffective, or dangerous. Fern Health recognized a critical gap: patients were routinely funneled into high-risk interventions (e.g., surgery, opioids) without access to scalable, evidence-based alternatives.
Fern aimed to launch a digital solution that would meaningfully reduce pain, deliver ROI for employers, and stand apart from the wave of generic wellness apps. They needed strategic clarity, validated concepts, and a product experience that translated medical trust into digital intimacy.
My Approach
I led design across the full innovation lifecycle — from white space discovery to market launch — leading multidisciplinary teams across venture strategy, experience design, and product development.
Key actions:
Ethnographic & Market Research: Interviewed patients, physicians, and system stakeholders to map pain journeys, identify systemic barriers, and distill opportunity areas.
Concept Development: Facilitated ideation workshops, framed opportunity spaces, and pitched multiple venture directions with ROI modeling and GTM scenarios.
Service & Product Design: Defined the MVP and program pathways, including onboarding, modular content flows, and adaptive feedback loops tailored to user inputs.
Validation: Conducted concierge pilot testing, A/B experiments, and usability testing to refine the user experience and de-risk assumptions.
Brand & Content Strategy: Managed a team to craft the brand strategy and visual and verbal brand identity system to humanize the tech—balancing clinically-backed confidence with emotional warmth.
Go-to-Market Enablement: Built app store assets, launch messaging, and B2B communications aligned to employer needs and pain points
The Outcome
Fern Health’s digital platform launched as a pioneering non-opioid therapy solution, backed by data and clinical rigor.
70% of users reported clinically significant pain reduction
2× the pain reduction compared to opioids
60%+ reduction in functional pain symptoms — without surgery or addictive medications
Built on best-in-class clinical foundations (Harvard’s MGH and Spaulding Rehab)
Validated employer ROI and supported expansion into new benefit markets
In 2023, Fern Health and BehaVR united to form RealizedCare—an industry-defining powerhouse revolutionizing chronic pain and mental health care with immersive digital therapeutics, cutting-edge neuroscience, and unmatched clinical impact.
Project Snapshot
Client: Fern Health (merged with BehaVR to create RealizedCare)
Industry: Healthcare / Digital Health / Employee Benefits
My Role: Experience Design Lead & Innovation Strategy