Q: How has Medu’s client base in Latin America evolved in recent years? 

SP: Our platform will have 200,000 registered healthcare professionals in 2025. While the majority come from Spanish-speaking Latin America, we launched an initiative a year ago to expand our platform into Portuguese for Brazil, working in partnership with one of our strategic allies. Our key markets include Argentina, Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Panama, and Guatemala.

Mexico remains our largest market, as it accounts for 28% of our total users. The rest are distributed across our top 10 markets, along with other Latin-American countries where we also have a presence, albeit on a smaller scale.

Q: How does Medu balance access with profitability while expanding its offer and improving content quality? 

SP: Since Medu was founded, our vision has been to develop a business model that does not monetize through the end user, who is the healthcare professional. We explored various models, and, in 2022, we launched a subscription-based approach. However, we are now reconsidering that model and looking to return to our core principle of not charging users directly, as subscriptions inherently place the financial burden on the user. Our goal is to make the platform fully free for users, and we are actively discussing how to achieve that.

MP: The model that has proven most effective involves collaborating with the medical device and pharmaceutical industries through a branded content format. For example, if we aim to raise awareness about breast cancer, we can partner with a nonprofit organization dedicated to that cause and leverage resources from the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. This ensures that the end user can access the content at no cost. About 95% of our content is now free. The only exceptions are surgical content and AI-driven tools, primarily due to cost constraints. However, we are actively exploring ways to expand access to these programs. For example, we are offering one free surgery per week to assess audience engagement and adaptation. Our broader goal is to reopen access to more content and stay true to our original vision, which is ensuring that users never have to pay.

Q: What types of collaborations is Medu seeking to enhance its services?

SP: We aim to strengthen collaborations with medical associations and nonprofit organizations, especially in oncology. Since we are not experts in all fields, we consult relevant associations to ensure content accuracy and obtain certifications. Our programs are certified by the National Regulatory Committee for General Medicine (CONAMEGE), which offers continuing education credits for physicians. Our long-term goal is to offer certification for shorter content, such as individual videos, similar to systems in the United States. 

Q: What specific features does Medu AI offer, and how will it change the way healthcare professionals interact with Medu's content?

MP: We are aware of the risks associated with AI-generated hallucinations and inaccurate responses. While our AI is still in beta, we are committed to ensuring its reliability. To achieve this, we have trained our AI exclusively on peer-reviewed medical and scientific articles. Every response it provides is based on that foundation. More importantly, if the AI does not have a reliable answer, we will acknowledge that rather than generate incorrect information. 

To refine its accuracy, we conducted extensive focus groups with medical students and professionals to ensure that responses are as precise and useful as possible. Our AI also provides references and suggests related videos from Medu, making it a fully integrated learning tool. Users can access sources, watch supplementary videos, review responses, and navigate an intuitive index to track their queries.

From the beginning, we envisioned Medu AI as a tool primarily for medical students — not as their sole resource, but as a complement to textbooks, digital platforms, and scientific articles. Users have shared that it helps them resolve doubts in real time, even during class, making it a highly practical and efficient tool.

Q: How does Medu AI complement the traditional learning experience and how will it evolve as technology advances?

SP: Medu's AI is designed as an educational tool for medical students, providing reliable answers based solely on curated medical content and scientific literature. Unlike general AI models, it does not generate responses beyond its verified database, ensuring accuracy and preventing misinformation. To promote responsible use, Medu integrates AI into its broader learning ecosystem, offering references to PubMed articles and linking to relevant courses, lectures, and other educational materials. This approach enhances learning by directing users to comprehensive resources rather than relying solely on quick responses.

MP: Still in beta, Medu’s AI undergoes continuous evaluation, with weekly reviews of user feedback and response accuracy. Users can rate answers, helping refine the model by identifying gaps and improving content quality. Its ultimate goal is to evolve beyond a basic chatbot, finding new ways to enhance medical education through AI while maintaining high standards of reliability and integrity.

Q: What is Medu's long-term vision for AI?

SP: The goal is for Medu AI not to simply remain a chatbot.An interesting opportunity could be to create virtual patients using AI, where students, or even professionals, can practice skills related to consultations or diagnostics. These virtual patients would enable users to engage in more human-like interactions. For example, users could interact with a virtual patient who responds to personal, medical, or family-related questions, allowing the user to reach a diagnosis. This could offer a more immersive and valuable learning experience. Looking beyond education, AI could also have applications in research.

AI should not just be seen as a generative tool for basic interaction, but as a technology with much broader potential. As this technology grows exponentially, we at Medu must match that ambition and adapt to the curve of innovation.

Q: What challenges does Medu face when bringing its solutions to Mexican universities?

SP: While students and professionals are using the platform, it has been difficult to fully integrate it into university curricula. Despite attempts to approach student groups for support, we have faced many obstacles, which seem to be a widespread issue in Mexico. Mexico’s public and private universities are reluctant to integrate tools like the surgical library into their medical courses, as university leadership may view such tools as too specialized for medical students. The challenge lies in overcoming bureaucratic barriers and getting the universities to implement these resources across all classes. 

Q: How will AI change the role of healthcare workers in the future?

SP: Patients familiar with AI might self-diagnose. Future doctors must be prepared to guide patients who use these technological tools and assess if their assessment is clinically valid. If doctors are not equipped to understand these tools, they cannot properly guide patients in this new era of medicine. Some doctors, especially older ones, may view AI as a threat, but it is crucial to adapt to the reality of how patients engage with healthcare today.

MP: Some doctors do not know how to use these tools, so it is important to guide them on how to effectively use these resources. We are now focusing on students, so they grow up with these tools and eventually become experts. These future professionals will not only have a solid educational foundation but also access to a wide range of digital resources.

Q: How will Medu expand its educational offerings?

SP: We are working with an organization in the United Kingdom to launch a Master’s degree on the platform, which could be available as soon as July. This collaboration will grant graduates a degree recognized in the United Kingdom, which will open doors worldwide. A degree from this program will be valid for pursuing opportunities in the United Kingdom, the European Union, and even the United States, providing Latin American students with global career prospects. Courses will be taught by tutors from prestigious institutions such as MIT, NASA, Harvard University, the University of Oxford, and the University of Cambridge. 

Q: What obstacles is Medu addressing as it launches its Master’s program?

SP: Offering Master’s programs directly to consumers will be an interesting learning experience. We are evaluating ways to ensure that the end user does not bear their full cost, such as offering scholarships or alternative funding options. While we do not have a clear plan yet, we are studying how we can leverage our model to support this initiative. 

MP: Although there are many learning management systems (LMS) available, we want to create our own. Another challenge is the logistics of coordinating speakers in the United Kingdom with training sessions in Latin America. We may also need to integrate real-time translators, as we will offer both on-demand and live sessions. On-demand sessions are not too complicated, as they can have subtitles or be translated. However, live sessions present a challenge as the tutors may speak only English, requiring interpreters. If we limit the program to only English, we risk excluding those who may not have proficiency in the language.

Q: What legacy does Medu expect to leave in medical education in Latin America?

SP: Medu aims to leave an impact on current and future healthcare professionals. Our transformative mission is to improve global health through knowledge. Our goal is to support those who care for people from every angle. If we ensure that medical professionals are well-prepared, they can provide better care for everyone. We are particularly mindful of the mental health challenges medical residents face, as they often deal with depression and anxiety. While our primary focus is education, we have also taken steps to support mental health, such as through our documentary Resiste Residente, which sparked important discussions on the topic.

Medu generates health content platforms and audiovisual materials that can be used to train health professionals and improve global healthcare.