Hey Health Techies!

One reason that I started this newsletter was to share stories and lessons that I wish my former self could have read, and that includes stories of other healthcare professionals doing amazing things outside of the clinic. Today, I’m thrilled to spotlight someone who’s walked the nontraditional path and is paving the way for other clinicians.

I’d like to introduce you to Alex Lee, a pediatric dentist turned product manager, who shares his winding, honest, and inspiring journey from the dental chair to the world of health tech. Alex now works as a product manager at Overjet, a dental AI company, and he joined us recently in the Hey Health Tech Community to walk us through exactly how he made it happen.

Here's what stood out, and what every clinician thinking about a pivot needs to hear.

A little about Alex

“I am a pediatric dentist by training. I practiced for about seven years before realizing that wasn't the only thing I wanted to do for the rest of my life. That first role I landed had nothing to do with health or dentistry — I just wanted to get my foot in the door. I knew I could do the job. I just needed an opportunity to prove that out.”

After a quick intro, Alex got right into some amazing perspective shifts and advice.

🔑 "It took me eight years to pivot. Seven of those were in my head."

Alex had comtemplated a change for awhile. He recognized that there was really no room for growth in dentistry outside of opening his own practice, which he considered. But one day he opened a Google Doc and wrote down everything he loved about practicing dentistry and everything he didn't.

"I didn’t want this to just disappear into my Google Drive and never see it again. So I shared it with my friends."

What a brilliant idea. There’s no better way to hold yourself accountable than to tell others what you’re up to.

◀️ He reverse-engineered his way in

His advice? Don't just wander into tech. Find the specific role that fits your skill set, then work backwards from there.

"Take the time to understand the different types of roles, see which one suits you best, and then be intentional with your applications and your networking."

Once Alex decided product management was his target, he got strategic. He read job descriptions obsessively and reverse-engineered the skills they were asking for.

"If the job descriptions kept asking for SQL experience, I went and took a SQL class. I wanted to be able to speak to it."

🧠 Your clinical identity is an asset but learn to translate it

One of Alex's biggest realizations was that the language of healthcare and the language of tech are different, and if you're still speaking only in clinical terms, hiring managers won't understand what you're offering.

"When people call me who are still early in their pivot, it's very obvious they're still a clinician. My first piece of advice is always: start speaking the same language."

🐔 The chicken-and-egg problem and how he solved it

Once he felt like he was developing the skills and the language, he ran into another problem. We all know it too well. You can’t get the job without the experience. But can't get the experience without the job. Sound familiar?

Alex spent most of 2022 trying to crack this. His solution: build the experience himself.

He joined a product management bootcamp, volunteered with Hack for LA, and kept iterating on side projects even after the boot camp ended — all while still practicing dentistry part-time.

"I wanted to show rather than tell. I could tell them I could do the job, or I could show them this little product I built — the thought process behind it, the challenges I faced."

And yes, he was doing all of this on his days off from the dental chair, with a strict schedule: LinkedIn outreach from nine to ten, resume work from eleven to twelve, lunch break, then back at it.

📬 His first offer came from his network

All the cold applying he had done? Mostly silence. His actual break came from someone in his network — she referred him to a former manager who was hiring for a product manager.

That was his foot in the door. He began as an Associate Product Manager (APM) and has worked his way up from there.

🗓️ What his day-to-day actually looks like now

At Overjet, Alex leads their 3D imaging product, a tool that uses machine learning to detect anatomical structures and pathology in dental scans. It’s an opportunity to build something from zero-to-one role inside a more mature startup. He wears a lot of hats from user research to customer calls to sales calls to running daily standups with the engingeering, design, and machine learning teams.

🎯 Quick takeaways

Get specific about the role. "Tech" is too broad. Find the lane that fits your skills and personality, then go deep.

Learn the language. You don't need a new degree but you do need to start speaking the way the people in your target role speak.

Show, don't just tell. Build something. Volunteer. Create a portfolio you can actually talk about.

Network with intention. Alex did two coffee chats a week minimum while he was actively looking to transition. Set your goal and stick with it. Your next opportunity is almost always going to come from a person, not an application.

The mindset shift is the hard part. The actual doing takes far less time than the convincing yourself to start.

A big thank you to Alex for giving us a little insight into his path into product management! Feel free to forward this to to any dentists you know that are interested in a change. While his story and advice is applicable no matter your clinical background, I’m sure Alex would love to see some more dentists in product!

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Until next time,

Lauren