Caralyst Health, a startup founded by Washington University alumni, aims to streamline student access to mental health services. The Caralyst platform, released to students on the Washington University Medical Campus, is designed to help students find therapists they can best connect with in terms of personal values, backgrounds, and therapy styles.
Matt Millett (MD ‘23) founded Caralyst after his medical school orientation highlighted historic distrust that marginalized populations face in the U.S. healthcare system. He teamed up with Washington University undergraduates Owen Zhang, Havisha Pedamallu, and Alex Stepansky, whom he met through Sling Health’s Accelerator program. During its development, Caralyst received nondilutive investments from the WashU Skandalaris Center for Interdisciplinary Innovation and Entrepreneurship through the Skandalaris Venture Competition and classes in the Olin Business School like The Hatchery and The League. Caralyst also qualified as a finalist in the Big Ideas and ArchGrants competitions. “Caralyst is the perfect example of a WashU startup taking advantage of every resource available to them – we hold them out as an example to other founders in our community of WashU innovators and entrepreneurs,” said II Luscri, Assistant Vice Provost for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Managing Director of the WashU Skandalaris Center. The platform was originally built to help patients find primary care providers and has since expanded its mission to address the growing demand for mental health care among medical trainees, following discussions with other medical students and Eva Aagaard, Vice Chancellor and Senior Associate Dean for Education.
Health professionals and graduate students face heightened risks of mental health issues due to academic pressure, work-life balance, financial burdens, and uncertainty. According to a 2016 JAMA study, 27% of medical students worldwide reported depression or depressive symptoms, and 11% experienced suicidal ideation—significantly higher than the general population. Moreover, only 15% of those who screened positive for depressive symptoms sought psychiatric treatment. This continues into medical practice: the U.S. Surgeon General recently released a report on the risks and high rates of burnout in healthcare workers. “As a medical trainee myself, I am proud to address our community’s deep need to find therapists who understand where we come from as well as what we are going through,” said Dr. Millett, CEO.
The Caralyst team developed a custom matching algorithm in collaboration with Washington University School of Medicine’s Student Health Services staff and therapists included on the platform, with an end goal of providing easy access to personalized, effective care based on preferences and needs. Following the significant increase in anxiety among medical students since the COVID-19 pandemic, the user-friendly platform simplifies the process of finding a therapist, making it more accessible and less intimidating. Multiple studies have demonstrated that a good match between therapist and client styles can lead to better satisfaction, care continuity, and therapeutic outcomes.
With the launch of the platform at Washington University School of Medicine, Caralyst has begun to gather data from students about the strength of the relationship with their suggested therapists for continuous quality improvement. Lyra Morina, a current Washington University MD/PhD student, is leading the effort to gauge how effectively Caralyst encourages the University’s professional and graduate students to attend therapy. Recent surveys indicate that students rate the platform highly for ease of use (4.7/5) and overall experience (4.4/5). Furthermore, 97% of students found it easier to find a therapist through Caralyst compared to previous methods, and 89% would recommend it to a loved one. Impressively, 100% of users reported their therapist met or exceeded expectations, with 88% returning for follow-up visits, indicating its initial success in improving mental health access.
“Finding a therapist who meets your unique needs and aligns with your preferences can be so incredibly hard and yet so important,” said Dean Aagaard. “The algorithm developed by Caralyst is designed to help make that process easier, and I look forward to seeing how it can impact the health and well-being of our students.”
Caralyst is available now to all students at Washington University School of Medicine, including MD students, health professional students, and all graduate students in the School of Medicine and those who are part of the Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences. This initiative reflects Washington University’s commitment to fostering innovation and supporting the mental health and well-being of its students, ensuring that the next generation of healthcare professionals and scientists can thrive both personally and professionally.