From Radiology to Augmented Reality: Jesse Courtier on Transforming Surgical Planning

What if the solution to safer surgeries started with a radiologist teaching himself to code?In this episode of Lightning RX, host Colette Nataf sits down with Dr. Jesse Courtier, pediatric radiologist and founder of Sira Medical, to explore how he turned a reading-room frustration into an augmented reality platform reshaping pre-surgical planning, training, and education.Jesse shares his journey from anthropology major to self-taught Unity developer, building his first prototype with a HoloLens and YouTube tutorials. What began as a grassroots effort—showing 3D models to surgeons in his reading room has grown into a venture backed by UCSF and 500 Global. Together, Colette and Jesse dive into how Sira Medical is helping surgeons save time in the operating room, improving resident education, and even reducing patient anxiety by making anatomy understandable in 3D.What You’ll Learn:Why traditional radiology reports and imaging fail to fully translate complex anatomyHow AR is helping surgeons reduce OR time by up to 20%The surprising impact of 3D models on patient education and anxietyLessons from going through accelerators like UCSF Catalyst and 500 GlobalWhy early customer feedback is critical to finding product-market fitTips for healthcare founders on research, outreach, and knowing when “good enough” is better than perfect💡 Golden Nugget: “Don’t wait to perfect your product before showing it to people. Get it in their hands, your customers will tell you what matters most.”Connect with Jesse Courtier, MD:LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jesse-courtiermdWebsite: siramedical.comConnect with the Show:LinkedInWebsiteSpotifyAmazon MusiciHeartSubscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite platform.If you enjoyed this episode, share it with someone passionate about healthcare marketing, startup growth, or innovative product launches, and don’t forget to leave us a review. New episodes drop weekly!