He’s the one behind the smooth interface, fun interactions and ingenious set-up that the editorial team uses to create the thousands of questions, case studies and OSCEs in the backend. As the driving force behind the eMedici platform not only as an educational tool but as the core system of the business, Toby hopes to improve the accessibility and quality of medical education in Australia through creating high-quality products.

A Fusion of Passion and Purpose

In 2018, while completing his final year of medicine at the University of Adelaide, Toby embarked on a transformative journey by joining the eMedici team. At that time, eMedici was more of a passion project, and still just the brainchild of Professor Peter Devitt, who began the project out of necessity to help improve medical education in his own teaching. “I used (and loved) the old version of eMedici in my clinical years at the University of Adelaide. I also had a rotation in Upper GI surgery at the Royal Adelaide Hospital with none other than Professor Peter Devitt himself. He kept mentioning that a new version of eMedici was coming soon, and I was intrigued. A couple of years later, with no sign of anything new, I got chatting with Prof at a graduation dinner, and offered to help out with the software side of things.”

Toby was drawn to the vision of transforming it into a comprehensive, high-quality question bank for medical students across Australia.

Reflecting on those early days, Toby was "excited by this vision and got talking to Prof Devitt and the rest of the team, who were happy to bring me on board."

Toby's inspiration for designing the eMedici platform stemmed from his firsthand experience navigating the challenges of medical school. Frustrated by the lack of Australian-centric question banks and uninspiring study apps, he wanted to create a tool that met academic needs but could also spark excitement in the learning process.

"I wanted to combine my experience as a medical student and junior doctor with my software development skills to build something better - something that I would've wanted to use," Toby explains. The vision was clear: to craft the ideal study app with high-quality content from top specialists for Australian medical students.

From Clinic To Coding

Before going all-in on eMedici, Toby completed his internship at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in 2020. Feeling disenchanted with clinical medicine and a strong magnetism toward software, he made a bold decision to transition into a full-time software developer. This shift meant eMedici finally had the resources to bring it to life.

Toby grew up playing around on computers with his older brothers – making games, websites, and learning to program. During his teenage years, he and his brothers started working on more serious projects, including a video rental management system (back in the days of Blockbuster), and a software for online communities. He was the original founder of Flarum, an open source forum.

“I've been building stuff like this for as long as I can remember, so it was quite a natural transition from medicine into the familiar world of software.”

Staying Authentic As We Grow

As a grassroots initiative, eMedici opted to forgo external investments, prioritizing authenticity and high-quality content. Toby acknowledges the challenges this approach presented, stating, "It has been very challenging at times, juggling day jobs and limited resources, and also relying a lot on our wonderful contributors." Despite these hurdles, the team persevered with a lot of hard-work and long nights, recently expanding to welcome new employees and propel eMedici to new heights.

A Confetti of Achievements

One of Toby's favorite achievements in the journey thus far? The confetti effect that accompanies a correct answer on the platform. In addition to the playful touch, Toby finds immense joy in the positive feedback from medical students. "The work we're doing seems to be resonating with a lot of people, and I'm really proud of what we've been able to achieve so far."

The Vision Ahead

Looking ahead, Toby envisions eMedici as the premier all-in-one study app for Australian medical students and doctors. The platform currently caters to clinical med students with a robust set of features, but Toby hints at ambitious expansions. "We're working hard to expand the breadth of our content library to cover the pre-clinical curriculum, and we'd love to develop post-graduate resources in the future too." The eMedici team takes student feedback into a lot of consideration, which has been one of the platform’s key success factors.

Now, Toby has transitioned successfully into a full-time software developer, but is still very passionate about the medical field, specifically education. Outside of eMedici, you might find him finishing ultramarathons and eating too many raspberry bullets!

If you’re interested in contributing to eMedici, please reach out to our team at hello@emedici.com.