Emerging Careers: Healthcare & Technology

Robin Farias-Eisner, MBA '15, PKE 133, MD, PhD, FACOG 

President, Western University of Health Sciences

The WesternU Board of Trustees appointed Dr. Robin Farias-Eisner as  WesternU’s third president effective March 1, 2022. Dr. Farias-Eisner attended medical  school at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. Dr. Farias-Eisner’s unique medical  education at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) established his  commitment to the concept of Physical Diagnosis, Humanism, and Compassion, a  tradition dating back to the founding of the Medical School in 1784, drawing him closely  to the Osteopathic tenets. 

After graduation from medical school, Dr. Farias-Eisner was recruited to the  University of Illinois’ Emergency Medicine residency training program, with a focus on  surgical critical care. During this training period in Emergency Medicine, Dr. Farias Eisner was acknowledged for his love for education, and he was offered a faculty  position to train future resident physicians in emergency medicine and critical care at  the University of Illinois.  

At that time, University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) was building a  program in women’s health. Recognizing Dr. Farias-Eisner’s unique clinical skills in  critical care medicine, UCLA recruited him to join the Residency training program in  Obstetrics and Gynecology, and then the Fellowship subspecialty training program in  Surgical Oncology within women’s health.  

Upon completion of surgical training, Dr. Farias-Eisner was offered the  opportunity to join the full-time teaching faculty at UCLA’s School of Medicine. Shortly  thereafter, Dr. Farias-Eisner entered the Specialty Training in Advanced Research (STAR) program at the Molecular Biology Institute (MBI) at UCLA, designed for faculty  with an aptitude in translational research, earning a PhD in Molecular Biology. Upon  completion, Dr. Farias-Eisner established the Farias-Eisner Laboratory and Center for  Biomarker Discovery and Cancer Research at UCLA. 

As an academic entrepreneur, while at UCLA, Dr. Farias-Eisner commercialized  new diagnostic platforms for the early detection of various cancers and discovered new  anti-cancer drugs. As a result of this work, and in partnership with the University of California, he shares numerous active patents.  

Dr. Farias-Eisner then spent the next three decades at UCLA serving the national  and international community as a surgeon, scientist, administrator, educator, and  entrepreneur. He worked indefatigably in a variety of academic leadership positions at  UCLA to improve the health of women through the establishment of successful delivery  models for high quality patient care and cancer research.  

In 2019, Dr. Farias-Eisner was recruited to Creighton University in Omaha, NE,  where he served as Director of the Henry Lynch Comprehensive Cancer Research  Center, Chief Academic Officer, Associate Dean of Women’s Health, and Professor and  Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, at Creighton’s School of  Medicine.  

Over the past decade he has served as the principal investigator for a highly  impactful NIH grant: To eliminate health care disparities in cancer cohorts in  underserved populations in Los Angeles. 

The Farias-Eisner Laboratory at UCLA, and later the Farias-Eisner Laboratory at  Creighton University, achieved numerous innovative discoveries that proved to be  highly clinically important, including the commercialization of biomarkers for the early  diagnosis of ovarian cancer, and the discovery of novel and innovative new anti-cancer  drugs.  

President Farias-Eisner has a decorated academic pedigree that includes a  Bachelor of Science in biochemistry from UCLA, a Medical Doctorate degree from the  Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the  Molecular Biology Institute at UCLA, and an MBA from Pepperdine University. He is  board certified in Emergency Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology and Gynecologic  Oncology.  

Dr. Farias-Eisner is Professor Emeritus at the University of California and  Professor at Creighton University School of Medicine. 

President Farias-Eisner resides in Pomona. 

Dr. Farias-Eisner takes the lead at a transformative time in health care and a transformational time for WesternU.

Amy Towner, MBA '18, PKE 139

Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Health Care Foundation for Ventura County

Amy Towner, is currently Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Health Care Foundation for Ventura County (HCFVC) and securing strategic public/private engagement to enhance and augment the public safety-net system, Ventura County Health Care Agency (HCA) in Ventura County, California. HCA has over 4,000 employees of the over 11,000 county employees and $750 million-dollar budget and added over $11 Million philanthropic dollars to date not including in-kind donations. Amy is part of the HCA Leadership team. 

Amy has been a successful serial entrepreneur and industry agnostic. As a Larraine Segil Scholar and Exceptional Woman Alliance(EWA), recognized as a woman who has walked the road less traveled. She has also been recognized by Pacific Coast Business Times, as a Leader in Healthcare awardee. Economic Development Corporation of Ventura County angel investing appointment.

In 2018, Amy earned her MBA from Pepperdine University’s Graziadio Business School for Presidents & Key Executives. In 2019, attended UCLA’s Anderson School of Business to attain the Corporate Governance Program and Pepperdine University’s Healthcare Leadership Certificate. 

Amy’s passion is mentoring women at Pepperdine and within the EWA worldwide network, cooking, travelling and entertaining. She has three grown kids and prioritizes family, faith, and impact.

Gary L. Mangiofico, PhD

Executive Professor of Management and Leadership, Pepperdine Graziadio Business School

Dr. Gary L. Mangiofico is recognized as a strategic and iconic thought leader and who is “a role model and true believer in change.” In 2020 he received the Award of Excellence from the AFI Foundation for his work in developing leaders, and later that year received the 2020 Organization Development Network’s Award of Service for his service leadership.  In 2019 he received the Graziadio Business School Aspire Teaching Award for transformational teaching.  Previously, in 2018 he was named the Honorary Associate Fellow for the Taos Institute for his “professional contributions of singular significance” on transformational and reflective practice leading change in organizations.  In 2012, he was honored with the Strategic Leadership Award from the World HRD & Development Congress at the Global HR/OD Excellence Awards, which recognizes the Best of Best in the OD professionals internationally and serves as a benchmark of achievement in Organization Development practices.  Dr. Mangiofico has also received numerous leadership awards at local, state, and federal levels including a “Special Congressional Commendation” from the United States Congress for “Outstanding Leadership”.  And, he is an award-winning scholar for his research and work on leading complex change, co-creation of meaning, and trans- organizational development.

As an Executive Professor of Leadership and Management, in the area of Organizational Theory and Management he teaches across the graduate programs at the Graziadio Business school, where he also serves as the Academic Director for the Master of Science in Organization Development.  Additionally, he is the Immediate Past Chair, having been elected three times as President and Chair of the Board of Trustees for the global Organization Development Network, the largest professional association for OD in the world.  He also serves as Vice Chair for the Organization Development Education Association.  Dr. Mangiofico prepares leaders in the art and science of leading strategic change through learning that is applied and practical, values-centered and globally oriented.

Dr. Mangiofico has led strategic development, operations management and integration, and turnaround operations solving complex challenges as a CEO, COO, general management executive, and as a consultant for both start-ups and Fortune 50 companies. He served as Chief Executive Officer of Los Angeles Universal Preschool (LAUP) network, an independent public benefit corporation working to make voluntary, high-quality preschool available to every 4-year-old in Los Angeles County. He is a former vice president for Johnson & Johnson Health Care Services; COO and senior vice president for Pathmakers, an integrated behavioral health practice management group; senior vice president for Apria Healthcare Group; and chief executive officer for CPC Alhambra Hospital.

Dr. Mangiofico joined Pepperdine University's Graziadio School in 2003 and has held several administrative and faculty leadership appointments over his tenure at the business school.  As Associate Dean for fully-employed and executive programs, he oversaw several signature programs including the Executive MBA, Presidents and Key Executives MBA, M.S. in Organizational Development, part-time MBA, MSML, as well as Executive Education non-degree programs.  He also was responsible for Marketing & Communications, Admissions, Student Accounts, and Student Services/ Financial Aid for the Graziadio School.

Dr. Mangiofico holds a B.A. and M.A. in psychology from Chapman University in Orange, Calif., and a Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology (Alameda/Berkeley). He is an active member of the Academy of Management, where he served on the Board for the Management Consulting Division, the American Psychological Association, the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychologists, and the American College of Healthcare Executives. He has been delivering consulting services to corporations, private business, and non-profits since 1989, as well as conducted over 300 workshops and keynote presentations in leadership, healthcare, complex transformation, and the co-creation of meaning and dialogic OD. 

Sooraj Sushama, MBA '12, PhD '23

Chief Actuary and Director of Workers' Compensation Actuarial Analytics, NYSIF

Dr. Sooraj Sushama is a dynamic C-level Executive with over 18 years of experience in analytics, data science, and management, specializing in applying advanced technologies to drive strategic decision-making and operational efficiency. As Chief Actuary and Director of Workers' Compensation Actuarial Analytics at the New York State Insurance Fund (NYSIF), he leads research and analytics initiatives, focusing on reducing fraud, optimizing claims models, and introducing innovative cost management solutions.

Dr. Sushama is passionate about advancing the fields of artificial intelligence, data analytics, and blockchain technology. He holds a Ph.D. in Global Leadership and Change from Pepperdine University, where his research centered on Socially Assistive Robots in healthcare. He also earned two MBAs in Digital Innovation & Information Systems and Finance. His expertise includes leveraging cutting-edge data science techniques to transform organizational processes, implement predictive analytics, and develop data-driven strategies that enhance operational outcomes.

In addition to his leadership role at NYSIF, Dr. Sushama is an Adjunct Professor at Pepperdine University's Graziadio Business School, where he develops and teaches data science and business analytics courses. He is a Six Sigma Black Belt and the author of a leading textbook on Blockchain applications across various industries.

Dave Anderson, MBA '18, PKE 139

SVP Portfolio Management and Board Director

Dave Anderson is an executive leader and Board Director known for creating value and unlocking growth. He has  successfully operated businesses, led enterprise strategies and executed transformative acquisitions and divestitures.  He has led multi-billion businesses to double digit growth while expanding margins. He has continually been recruited  to roles requiring new growth and profitability trajectories leveraging his strong P&L and operational expertise. 

Dave is currently the SVP of Portfolio Management for Medtronic. He is executing a portfolio transformation for  Medtronic including multi-billion acquisitions and divestitures to drive growth, strategic fit and shareholder value. 

As President of a $2B Neuromodulation business, Dave led a turnaround from a market laggard to an innovation  leader through a combination of organic and inorganic moves that transformed their strategy and competitive  offerings. With full P&L ownership, he drove above market top line growth while expanding operating margins more  than 10%. As General Manager of a $1.5B Enabling Technologies business, He drove double digit revenue growth  while advancing an enterprise strategy that also grew $5B in adjacent Medtronic businesses above market. 

Dave's prior M&A experience includes leading integrations of St. Jude Medical, Thoratec, CardioMems and Spinal  Modulation along with multiple smaller acquisitions. His prior functional leadership roles include R&D, Operations and  Quality. He began his career as an engineer and his early career includes start-up environments - bringing a practical  perspective to Fortune 50 capabilities. 

Dave is passionate about making a difference through governance work. He is currently a board member for Mozarc  Medical and College Possible. He is a Certified Director and active member of The National Association of Corporate  Directors (NACD) at both the National and Twin Cities Chapter levels. He is eager to grow his impact with board work  in healthcare, in small to mid-cap companies, public and private. 

Dave is an MBA from the Pepperdine-Graziadio School of Business, and has a Bachelor of Science from Kettering  University. He’s also a graduate of Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program. He holds five medical  device and medical procedure patents.