Health Transformer Spotlight: Meet the Co-founder of EndoMD, Providing a Holistic Approach to Pediatric Endocrine Care
This week, meet Karim Ginena, PhD, CEO & Co-founder of EndoMD, a StartUp Health community member addressing the U.S. shortage of pediatric endocrinologists. Inspired by personal health challenges, Karim launched EndoMD in 2024 to support children with obesity and related conditions.
At EndoMD, Karim Ginena, PhD, Ladan Davallow, MD, and Shereen Ginena have created a telehealth platform that combines medicine with lifestyle and emotional support to help kids with endocrine disorders thrive. EndoMD Health reduces barriers by offering fast and convenient access to board-certified specialists for children with growth, weight, and hormonal concerns. Bringing together expertise in medicine, business management, and national policy, this team appreciates the intricacies of ensuring accessible pediatric care. EndoMD Health offers tailored plans to help families stay committed to achieving their health goals.
In our spotlight interview, Karim shares his journey from growing up in Canada to earning a PhD in management from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. He also reflects on his time at Meta’s responsible AI team and how his multicultural background and passion for sustainable business practices shape his leadership style.
Q&A
What is EndoMD Health, and what inspired you to start it?
I co-founded EndoMD in 2024 to tackle one of the biggest gaps in U.S. healthcare, the shortage of pediatric endocrinologists. In many parts of the country, families wait three to six months for an appointment, leaving children with growth, weight, or hormonal conditions without the timely care they need. I wanted to remove those barriers and give kids access to specialists much faster.
For me, the motivation is also deeply personal. As a child, I struggled with weight management, which affected my confidence and self-esteem. Later, I watched my grandfather lose his leg to uncontrolled diabetes. Those experiences showed me how devastating endocrine conditions can be when they go untreated. EndoMD is my way of ensuring that other families do not have to face what mine did.
You have a PhD in Management and worked on Meta’s responsible AI team, among other places. Why did you choose to become an entrepreneur?
My academic and professional background gave me the tools to think critically about how systems affect people’s lives and how to design them responsibly. But in large organizations, the impact often feels indirect and slow. I wanted to be closer to the problem and to the solution. Entrepreneurship gives me that opportunity, the ability to move quickly, take ownership, and build something where the impact is visible every day. With EndoMD, I can combine my training and experience in a way that directly improves access to care and outcomes for children.
How has your multicultural background shaped how you build EndoMD and lead your team?
I am a third-culture kid. My parents are Egyptian. I was born in the United Arab Emirates. And I grew up in Vancouver, BC. Living across cultures taught me not to put people into neat buckets. It pushes me to seek multiple perspectives, build bridges, and design systems that work for diverse families. That mindset influences how we hire, how we communicate with patients, and how we design care pathways.
Can you share a moment when that perspective changed a product or policy decision?
On Meta’s responsible AI team I learned you cannot assume what the experience is like for different users. You have to run studies and talk to them directly. I carry that forward by testing our assumptions with families from different backgrounds, listening first, and letting that input guide our product and clinical workflows.
What is EndoMD’s mission and vision?
Our mission is simple, helping kids with endocrine conditions thrive. We do that by delivering timely, specialized, and holistic care that supports the whole child, medically, emotionally, and socially. Our vision is bold, transforming lives by making specialized endocrinology care accessible for everyone, starting with children.
What traction have you seen so far?
Since launching in Virginia in September 2024, we have seen strong momentum. From January to July of 2025, our revenue grew 64% month over month, and patient visits climbed 50% month over month. We are already in-network with Virginia Medicaid, several Medicaid managed care organizations, and major commercial insurers including Anthem, Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, Sentara, and TRICARE. We have built a referral network of more than 60 pediatric and family practices, and we have expanded into Maryland, with more states on the horizon.
You are a father of three. How has being a parent influenced your leadership and the way EndoMD supports families?
This company is my fifth kid. My PhD was my fourth. I like that I have more control of my time. The number one thing is the sense of empowerment and the ability to make changes that reflect on society more broadly.
What kind of impact do you hope EndoMD will have?
I want to change the trajectory of children’s health. Too often, endocrine conditions get overlooked or undertreated, and that affects not just a child’s physical health but also their confidence, family dynamics, and long-term wellbeing. By making care accessible and holistic, we can lift that burden from families and help kids grow up healthier and more confident.
Is there a book that has influenced you lately?
I’m reading 1000+ Little Habits of Happy, Successful Relationships. It covers a lot of ground, including ways to be emotionally strong in relationships. As parents and entrepreneurs, one thing is for sure, we’re always on an emotional roller coaster ride!
Contact EndoMD via email
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Published: Aug 26, 2025
Produced by Nicole Kinsey
