We recently had the chance to connect with Dr. Patricia Kelly Marsh MD and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Patricia, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
Being named a quarterfinalist for the Digital Health Hub Awards at HLTH made me really proud. HLTH is one of the world’s leading health-innovation gatherings, bringing together providers, payers, employers, investors, policymakers, and startups to accelerate solutions that improve access, affordability, equity, and the consumer experience. The Awards spotlight companies actually moving the needle on outcomes and cost. That’s AMY MD’s lane, “telechat medicine”: real-time, text-based with board-certified physicians that helps families get evidence-based care quickly, avoid unnecessary visits, and close access gaps for underserved communities. The recognition feels like validation that our model aligns with HLTH’s mission, practical, consumer-centric innovation that makes healthcare simpler, more equitable, and more affordable. I couldn’t help but smile thinking about the parents who won’t have to miss work just to get care.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Dr. Patricia Kelly Marsh, MD a board-certified Family Medicine physician-scientist and CEO & Cofounder of Ask Me Your MD, Inc. (AMY MD). We built the world’s best “doctor chat”. It’s a real-time, text-based service that connects people to board-certified physicians across many specialties in minutes, no insurance, scheduling, or waiting rooms. My career sits at the intersection of clinical care, equity, and practical innovation. I’ve treated families, led community health programs, and now translate that frontline experience into a product that saves patients time and money while improving outcomes. What makes us different is simplicity and access, clear guidance from real doctors, anytime. Today we’re partnering with employers and community groups, scaling nationally so busy families get trusted care when they actually need it.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
The first time I felt powerful was in the boiling-hot balcony of Tuskegee University’s chapel during an awards ceremony. An elderly man, drenched with sweat in the heat, suddenly fainted. Instinct took over: I sprinted downstairs, soaked paper towels in cold water, and pressed them to his face while my father and another man helped him to the ambulance. He gripped my hand and whispered, “You saved my life.” Later, his wife called and wrote to thank me. I learned he was a Tuskegee Airman who served in WWII. That day crystallized what power meant to me: noticing, acting, and serving in a moment that mattered. It’s the moment that propelled me toward medicine and still guides how I show up for patients today.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
In 2023 I was my grandmother’s full-time caregiver while navigating a divorce and pausing work to be by her side. Bills piled up, my credit score tanked, and my medical school loans edged toward default. Most nights I cried myself to sleep, knowing these were our last days together, the woman who’d known me since birth and whose name I carry. After she passed, I told my co-founder I couldn’t keep running AMY MD; she had just learned she was pregnant again, and closing the company felt inevitable. Then, in a series of small blessings, unexpected checks from earlier work, awards and recognitions, and a major client opportunity, doors opened. Leaning on my faith in God, I showed up anyway. That season taught me this: “giving up” can be a moment, but resilience, when called on, can rise and carry you farther than you think.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
“Telehealth/Telemedicine = video visits.” In reality, much of primary and specialty care can be handled safely via real-time chat, with escalation to video or in-person only when needed. That’s AMY MD’s model: instant “telechat” with board-certified physicians, plus auto-generated notes we can share with your PCP, faster for families, simpler to document, and just as clinically sound.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
My internal moral code and the Hippocratic Oath, compel me to give my best whether anyone notices or not. Physicians are a tiny slice of humanity: WHO estimates about 17.2 doctors per 10,000 people globally (2022), roughly 0.17%, about one in 580 people.
With so few of us, communities rely on us to act with skill, honesty, and urgency. Praise isn’t the metric; patient safety and outcomes are. That’s how I practice, and it’s the standard I bring to AMY MD: do the most good we can, with the time and tools we have, for the families who trust us.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.askmeyourmd.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/askmeyourmd
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/askmeyourmd/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/askmeyourmd
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/askmeyourmd
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@askmeyourmd
