From Engineer to Product Executive: Building AI Products at Scale with Maddie Schults
What happens when healthcare, AI, and product leadership collide?
In this episode of Build Well, Kelly Scherer, Alex Tong, and Kristi Lui sit down with Maddie Schults, Senior Director of Product at Innovaccer [https://innovaccer.com/], to explore what it takes to build AI-powered healthcare products at scale.
Maddie shares her journey from software engineering to product leadership and the mindset shift that helped her move from focusing on how products are built to what should be built and why. The conversation dives into how AI is fundamentally changing product development—from replacing traditional PRDs with visual prototypes to enabling healthcare applications to be built in days rather than months.
Together, they discuss the importance of trust, explainability, and human-centered design in healthcare AI, as well as how product leaders can navigate strategy, prioritization, and decision-making in rapidly evolving environments. Maddie also shares practical insights on building high-performing teams, creating psychological safety, empowering individuals to play to their strengths, and leading through influence rather than authority.
Whether you're a product manager, healthcare innovator, founder, or technology leader, this episode offers actionable insights on AI, leadership, product strategy, and the future of healthcare innovation.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
* Why great product leaders focus on what to build, not just how to build it
* How AI is reshaping product development, prototyping, and delivery
* The future of PRDs and visual-first product communication
* Building trust and explainability into healthcare AI systems
* Creating high-performing teams through psychological safety and empowerment
* Product strategy frameworks for prioritization, roadmapping, and customer value
* Balancing innovation, execution, and stakeholder alignment
* Where AI-powered healthcare platforms are creating the greatest impact
* Lessons from leading enterprise healthcare products at scale
ABOUT THE GUEST
Maddie Schults leads product teams building AI-driven healthcare intelligence platforms at Innovaccer, helping health systems, payers, and life sciences organizations turn complex healthcare data into actionable insights and better outcomes.
Recorded at Women's Audio Mission (WAM [https://womensaudiomission.org/]) in San Francisco, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing women and gender-expansive people in music, audio production, and creative technology.
Chapters
* 00:00 The Journey to Product Management
* 05:54 Focus on 'What' vs. 'How' in Product Management
* 11:15 Challenges with Traditional PRDs and Visual Aids
* 17:27 Building Trust and Explainability in AI Systems
* 24:00 Team Dynamics and Motivation in Product Development
* 29:37 Building Trust and Resilience
* 35:56 Strategic Decision-Making and Leadership Flexibility
* 42:39 Leadership and Team Empowerment
* 50:12 Investing in Healthcare Innovation
* 55:43 A Day in the Life: Strategy and Sales
Comentarios
0Sé la primera persona en comentar
¡Regístrate ahora y únete a la comunidad de Build Well: Women Shaping Health Technology!