Esha Dhillon’s story in transforming healthcare innovation
Award-winning entrepreneur and businesswoman shares her experience with starting multiple companies—including Sigma Mental Health Pre-Med Clubs of Ontario and Global Health Core Inc.—at an early age and how she rose to success.

When not pursuing a major in biology for health science and a minor in psychology, 20-year-old award-winning entrepreneur Esha Dhillon is driving technological innovation in the healthcare industry. Her passion for medicine and drive to positively impact her community fueled her work and led to her significant contributions to the medical field.

In an interview with The Medium, Dhillon shares her experience in the healthcare industry and reveals how she founded and became CEO of her own company. 

From inspiration to action

From a young age, Dhillon was inspired by her mother, a cardiac technologist, while she worked with other doctors and nurses in both the intensive care and cardiac care units. Watching her mother inspired Dhillon’s commitment to healthcare after observing her mother’s journey in the medical field.

Dhillon revealed that watching everyone collaborate inspired her to realize that, while she didn’t want to become a doctor, she wanted to be involved in the healthcare system. “I found it so beautiful, it was just amazing,” she reminisced. 

Her experience volunteering at the hospital also contributed to her passion for healthcare. During this time, Dhillon witnessed the struggles people faced while accessing or attempting to access healthcare.

“I noticed that in the emergency room where I volunteered, there were a lot of patients waiting for a very long time,” said Dhillon. In some cases, wait times reached up to 50 hours for some patients. Dhillon shared that witnessing how patients, especially children and the elderly, struggle with issues like this inspired her to make a change and address these issues once and for all.

Action is not limited by age

In her junior year of high school, Dhillon started not one but two non-profit organizations—Sigma Mental Health and Pre-Med Clubs of Ontario. Dhillon founded Sigma Mental Health during the COVID-19 pandemic as classrooms shifted to online schooling.

“I noticed that [many] of my friends were experiencing a lot of mental health concerns,” Dhillon shared. “They didn’t know how to go through a lot of the changes that were happening at that time.” Realizing these difficulties propelled Dhillon to pursue immediate action to address these concerns.

“Sometimes going to a psychiatrist or psychologist can be very expensive, and they aren’t the same age group or don’t have the background as you.” Dhillon expressed that her focus when starting this organization was providing the community with an affordable mental health service that could connect with them. 

With Sigma Mental Health, users can anonymously send their mental health concerns through the application, where they are met by a team of youth who share similar struggles to answer their concerns. Though the teams are not professionals, they provide comforting advice and shared experiences on how they overcame similar obstacles. 

On the other hand, the Pre-Med Clubs of Ontario was aimed at students interested in pursuing the healthcare industry. Dhillon’s main goal with this organization was to give students a full picture of the healthcare industry—including providing insight into departments and roles that are sometimes less known or talked about in the community.

“I wanted to give to other people interested in health care the same resources that I gained growing up in the hospital alongside my mom,” Dhillon explained. “To show them that [healthcare] isn’t just about being [a] doctor so-and-so. You can take on so many other roles, and still influence the system and be a part of it.”

With the high number of interested students, Pre-Med Clubs of Ontario later became a house provider of resources such as documents, guest speakers, technicians, cardiologists, and more to other pre-med clubs. 

Founding Global Health Core Inc.

Dhillon’s experience in the healthcare industry and experience spearheading two non-profits eventually led her to found Global Health Core Inc.—an Artificial Intelligence chatbot that makes accessing healthcare resources easier for users. Once a user enters their health concerns, the chatbot directs them to the appropriate resources.

“I genuinely believe that the healthcare industry is very good in Ontario,” shared Dhillon. “It’s a matter of how our resources are being allocated and how efficiently we’re using them.” Global Health Core Inc. aims to efficiently allocate resources by leading users to the right place at the right time. 

“What would happen is that we would suggest the best place for you to receive healthcare, which isn’t always the emergency room,” added Dhillon. The chatbot suggests the best places to receive healthcare by taking into account factors such as the user’s health condition, their distance from the facility and wait times at the facility.

Dhillon explained that, for instance, if a user is looking for walk-in clinics, the chatbot would provide a database of live wait times and locations of walk-in clinics, giving the user knowledge and, in turn, control over the healthcare they receive. 

Navigating ongoing obstacles

Though Global Health Core Inc. continues to advance and improve, it still faces its fair share of obstacles. According to Dhillon, her three biggest obstacles are funding, the search for a reliable co-founder, and keeping up with how fast the company operates. 

There are two types of funding a company can receive, the first being dilutive funding, which is when a company raises capital by selling equity or stocks of the company. The second type is non-dilutive funding, which does not require a company to give up equity but includes grants and loans. Non-dilutive funding often holds specific restrictions for a company to follow. 

With dilutive funding, Dhillon shared how difficult it can be to choose the right investors. “You have to find investors and supporters that are not only interested in pushing money into your idea but supporting the community, which is my core mission and purpose.” 

Another difficulty Dhillon faces in her work is finding a strong co-founder. While Dhillon has an extensive background in business and healthcare, she lacks software expertise. Specifically, Dhillon is searching for a University of Toronto student of either the Mississauga or St. George campus who is not only passionate about health care but also passionate about supporting the community.

One of the greatest challenges, however, of starting a healthcare company is maintaining it. “The startup industry, health care specifically, is so fast-paced,” revealed Dhillon. “Not in the sense of regulations and rules, but in the fact that there are so many changing needs in the environment.”

In fast-paced instances like the pandemic, healthcare organizations have to remain adaptable and competitive, while ensuring patients can access their needs. 

The power of unconditional support

Unconditional support is key to achieving big dreams. Aside from her hard work and dedication, Dhillon credits her loved ones for her greatest achievements.

“A hundred per cent, [my family] is the number one reason that I’ve done anything good in my life,” she shared. “They’ve always been there, and that’s the support that I acknowledge the most to have been impactful to me.” 

In addition to her family, Dhillon also thanked one of her high school teachers, Mr. Paschalidis, for providing her with unwavering support and opportunities.

Know your health

Anyone can play a role in improving community public health, not just healthcare professionals—and staying informed is a crucial step in that process. It is also important to know how to seek help and what to look out for.

“Don’t just go on the internet and try to search your condition. But look at alternate sources of care. You can try and contact virtual care or a family physician if you’re worried about something,” Dhillon elaborated that patients looking for help should not only rely on emergency rooms but other sources as well.

“Putting an effort towards that can help prevent having to go to the emergency room. But then it also helps you to be better equipped in handling any post-treatment conditions,” shared Dhillon. 

Dhillon’s story serves as a reminder that with the right support and information, individuals can contribute meaningful change to the healthcare system, leading to a healthy and more informed community.