Past Speakers and Lifetime Achievement in Healthcare Award Recipients

Dimitris Agrafiotis, PhD, FRSC (2021)

Chief Information Officer, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research

Dimitris Agrafiotis, PhD, FRSC, is Chief Information Officer of the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, where he is responsible for leading Novartis' global technology and informatics organization for its research and early development division. Dr. Agrafiotis received his PhD in Theoretical Chemistry from Imperial College London in 1988, and held postdoctoral fellowships at the University of California, Berkeley and Harvard, where he worked with Nobel laureate EJ Corey. In 1991, he joined Parke-Davis as a Senior Scientist in the computational drug design group, and in 1994 he moved to 3-Dimensional Pharmaceuticals as a founding member of its scientific staff, responsible for building the company’s informatics and computational drug design capabilities. Following a successful IPO and the acquisition of the company by Johnson & Johnson in 2003, he was appointed Senior Research Fellow and Team Leader of Molecular Design and Informatics, a position he held until 2006 when he was appointed global head of Informatics and Research and Early Development IT. In 2013, he moved to Covance as Chief Data Officer and Head of Technology Products where he developed Xcellerate, an award-winning clinical platform and the first software-as-a-service offering in the company's history. His work is documented in 100 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters and 18 issued US patents. In 2012 he was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry for his contributions to chemical and pharmaceutical research, and in 2016 he was named in Computerworld’s Premier 100 Technology Leaders for his technology leadership and innovative approaches to business challenges.

John Agwunobi (2016)

Former Senior Vice President and President Health and Wellness, Walmart

John Agwunobi was responsible and accountable for a chain of almost 4,000 retail pharmacies, specialty and mail-order pharmacies, a central-fill distribution pharmacy and a pharmacy benefits management unit at Walmart. A pediatrician, Agwunobi joined Walmart in 2007 and was a member of its US leadership team, providing advice on health reform, public health advocacy, health benefits, employee wellness and emergency response. He was responsible for the $30 billion revenue health and wellness business until 2014. During his tenure, Agwunobi boosted market share, profitability and productivity, while improving quality and compliance. Previously, he served as assistant secretary for health at the US Department of Health and Human Services and was a four-star admiral in the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. From 2001 to 2005, Agwunobi was Florida’s secretary of health. Agwunobi presently serves as vice chair of the US African Development Foundation, a federal agency dedicated to fighting poverty in Africa.

Michael Baldridge, MBA '90 (2016)

President, Acumen Analytics, LLC

Michael Baldridge has been involved with a broad range of Fortune 100 health care, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology companies for over 20 years. He’s currently President of Acumen Analytics, LLC, a boutique consulting firm providing biotechnology and pharmaceutical therapy commercial assessments for manufacturers and investment firms.

Michael has over 25 years experience covering a wide range of functions related to pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and drug reimbursement, including clinical database development, sales analysis, global marketing and marketing research, global strategic and market planning, drug development and launch, and R&D portfolio analysis. Michael is a regular guest lecturer on Biotechnology commercialization at several universities, as well investment firm healthcare conferences. He’s also a biotechnology industry council member for the Gerson Lehrman Group. Michael has undergraduate degrees in Mathematics and Computer Science. He also earned his MBA from Pepperdine Graziadio Business School, and is a member of the school’s Board of Visitors.

Visar Berisha, PhD (2019)

Co-founder and Chief Science Officer, Aural Analytics

Visar Berisha is the co-founder and chief science officer of aural analytics, an assistant professor at Arizona State University, and a research fellow in the department of neurology at Mayo Clinic. With a focus on speech and language production, his research focuses on using technology to better understand neurological disease progression. Dr. Berisha received his PhD in electrical engineering from Arizona State University in 2007.

From 2007 to 2009, he was a member of the technical staff at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, where he worked on fundamental questions related to signal processing and machine learning. Following his appointment at MIT, Berisha worked in industry as principal research engineer. At the university, Dr. Berisha's research is funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, the Department of Defense, and industry. His research has been featured in the New York Times, on ESPN, in the Wall Street Journal, on National Public Radio, and on a number of other international media outlets.

General Peter Chiarelli (2018)

Ambassador, ONE MIND

General Peter Chiarelli, USA (Ret.) was appointed the Chief Executive Officer of ONE MIND in 2012. He is a retired General with almost 40 years of experience. As the 32nd Vice Chief of Staff in the Army, Chiarelli was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Army and its 1.1 million active and reserve soldiers. This included the oversight of many of the Army’s R&D programs, and the implementation of recommendations related to its behavioral health programs, specifically its Health Promotion, Risk Reduction and Suicide Prevention Program. In 2013, Chiarelli received the Patriot Award, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s highest honor for his dedication and ongoing efforts to help soldiers, civilians and families suffering from the invisible wounds of war.

As the CEO of ONE MIND, Chiarelli continued his advocacy to benefit all affected by brain disease and injury through eliminating the stigma and fostering fundamental changes that will radically accelerate the development and implementation of improved diagnostics, treatments, and cures. ONE MIND is an independent, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that believes in Open Science Principles and creates global public-private partnerships between health care providers, researchers, academics and the health care industry, while supporting groundbreaking new research.

Christopher Corey (2023)

Managing Director, Nautic Partner

Mr. Corey joined Nautic Partners in 2008. Mr. Corey is a member of Investment and Executive Committees of Nautic Partners. Mr. Corey focuses on healthcare investments and currently serves on the Boards of Directors of CarepathRx, EmpiRx Health, LLC, Homecare Holdings, LifeStreet Media, PANTHERx Rare, and Summit Pharmacy Solutions.

Mr. Corey received a BA from Assumption College and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Amir Dan Rubin (2016)

Executive Vice President, Optum, UnitedHealth Group

Amir Dan Rubin serves as Executive Vice President at UnitedHealth Group and its Optum organization, the leading health benefits and services organization in the United States with over $150 billion in annual revenue and 200,000 employees. Previously, Amir served as President and CEO of Stanford Health Care, the $4 billion academic health system affiliated with Stanford University. Amir worked with a broad team to raise patient experience scores to the highest levels in the nation, advance quality and clinical innovation, grow a regional network of inpatient and outpatient settings, and deploy lean management approaches.

Formerly, Amir served as Chief Operating Officer for the UCLA Health System in Los Angeles, Chief Operating Officer for Stony Brook University Hospital in New York, Assistant Vice President of Operations for Memorial Hermann Hospital in Texas, and Director of Business Development for Memorial Hermann Healthcare System in Texas. 

Llyod Dean (2021)

2021 Lifetime Achievement in Healthcare Award Recipient

CEO, CommonSpirit Health

Lloyd H. Dean, a dedicated advocate for healthcare, currently serves as the CEO of CommonSpirit Health, overseeing one of the largest not-for-profit healthcare organizations in the U.S. With a vision for a future where healthcare combines innovation, technology, and compassion, Dean orchestrated the merger of Dignity Health and Catholic Health Initiatives, forming CommonSpirit Health in 2019. This collaboration resulted in a major healthcare provider with 137 hospitals and over 1,000 care sites across 21 states.

Dean's leadership extends to his previous role as the President and CEO of Dignity Health, where he transformed the organization into a dynamic healthcare enterprise with 41 hospitals and 400 care centers. His advocacy work includes contributions to federal and state advisory panels and participation in regional and national charitable organizations. Appointed by California Governor Gavin Newsom, Dean served on the state's Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery to address challenges arising from the COVID-19 crisis.

Recognized for his commitment, Dean has received accolades such as being named one of Modern Healthcare’s "100 Most Influential People in Healthcare" in 2019. With degrees in sociology and education, Dean brings extensive knowledge to his leadership roles, including directorships at McDonald’s Corp. and Cytori Therapeutics. His civic involvement includes chairing the Board of Trustees of the Catholic Health Association of the United States and serving on the boards of organizations like the Bay Area Council and Mercy Housing California. Currently, he is a member of the Health Affairs Council on Health Care Spending and Value and the American Heart Association CEO Roundtable.

Wyatt Decker, MD (2017)

Mayo Clinic Vice President and CEO in Arizona, Mayo Clinic in Arizona

Wyatt W. Decker is a vice president at Mayo Clinic and CEO of Mayo Clinic in Arizona. As a vice president of the largest not-for-profit integrated multi-specialty group practice in the nation, Decker helps direct Mayo Clinic’s research, education, and clinical operations in Arizona, Florida, and Minnesota.

Decker holds an MD from Mayo Medical School, an MBA from Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, and a BS from the University of California, Santa Cruz. He completed internal medicine residency training at Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Medicine and Emergency Medicine training at Denver Health and Hospitals.

Ezekiel Emanuel, MD (2017)

Vice Provost for Global Initiatives, University of Pennsylvania

Ezekiel Emanuel, MD, is one of the leading practitioners shaping the future of healthcare, with a long record of experience at the top levels of policy. He is an engaging, incisive, forthright, and witty speaker on healthcare reform and the transformation of American medicine. Trained both as an oncologist (MD, Harvard Medical School) and a political scientist, Zeke offers a uniquely thoughtful perspective on the most difficult issues in medicine today.

From February 2009 to January 2011, Emanuel was a special advisor for health policy to the White House Office of Management and Budget. As one of the most prominent voices advising the White House about healthcare, he had a significant impact on federal healthcare budgets and the Affordable Care Act.

Today, Emanuel holds a joint position at the Wharton School and the School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, where he chairs the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy. He currently serves as chair of the meta-council on The Future of Health Committee for the World Economic Forum. 

Hill Ferguson (2017)

Chief Executive Officer, Doctor On Demand

Hill Ferguson is chief executive officer at Doctor On Demand. With nearly two decades of experience in mobile technology, he has led companies at all stages of growth, from being a founder to being a senior executive at PayPal, a high-growth public company. He holds deep commitment to putting customers first by delivering the best possible products, a value that resonates with Doctor On Demand’s commitment to its industry-leading clinical quality and best-in-class customer experience.

Before joining Doctor On Demand, Ferguson helped transform PayPal into a more customer-focused technology company, leading the global mobile team and eventually serving as the company’s Chief Product Officer.

John Figueroa, MBA '97 (2015-2019, 2021-2024)

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, CarepathRx

John Figueroa is the Chairman and CEO of CarepathRx, a company revolutionizing pharmacy services for Hospital Health Systems, offering end-to-end solutions for all pharmacy needs, including Specialty, Infusion, and continuous home prescriptions.

Before this role, he led Genoa Healthcare, a prominent behavioral health pharmacy and telepsychiatry company, tripling its size and ultimately selling it to United Healthcare Group for $2.5 Billion.

John's extensive career includes dual roles as Chairman and CEO of Apria Healthcare Group Inc. and Coram LLC, with Coram being acquired by CVS Caremark for $2.2 Billion. He also served as CEO and Board Member of Omnicare, Inc., a Fortune 500 healthcare services company.

Robert Geyer, MBA '89 (2024)

Senior Advisor, Office of the President Medica

With 35 years of health plan management experience, Mr. Geyer is a seasoned health care executive currently serving as Senior Advisor to the CEO for Medica, overseeing a $6B health plan serving 1.5M members in the Midwest. Previously, he held the role of chief operations officer at Medica for five years, where he ensured the organization's operational and IT readiness for growth in products and geography. Prior to his tenure at Medica, Rob served as the chief executive of Reta Trust, a nonprofit health care trust, and held executive leadership positions at Blue Shield of California for 20 years. With an MBA from Pepperdine University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the University of California at Davis, Rob is also actively involved in mentoring and teaching at Pepperdine University’s Graziadio Business School while balancing family life as a married father of two.

Kathleen Grave, DBA, MBA '01 (2017)

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, EI Group

Kathleen Grave spends her time as an Alliance Executive at IBM making a meaningful impact on increasing client success forging multi-stakeholder alliances that transform industries and deliver cognitive solutions to global clients. Kathleen established the first IBM Watson Strategic Alliances after bringing the first commercialized healthcare offerings of IBM’s famous Watson cognitive technology to the global marketplace.

Kathleen shares her time in academia as professor of strategy, at the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School, educating and mentoring future public and private sector leaders. Her doctoral studies at University of Liverpool, UK, focused on integrated smart cities and sustainability.

Jeanne Holm (2016)

Senior Technology Advisor to the Mayor, City of Los Angeles

As Evangelist for Data.Gov, an open government flagship project for the White House that uses government data, Jeanne led collaboration and built solutions from health data vastly improving the quality of lives for people across the globe. In her role, Jeanne worked extensively with healthcare open data to establish and develop the Health Data Community on Data.gov, as well as applications including Patients Like Me, connecting people to clinical trials and care for rare diseases and Propeller Health to improve the quality of breathing and life for individuals and families with asthma sufferers.

Jeanne is a Fellow of the United Nations International Academy of Astronautics and a Distinguished Instructor at UCLA. She has more than 130 publications on information systems, knowledge management, and innovation. Her courses focus on big data, knowledge management, and civic innovation.

Randy Hyun (2024)

Chief Executive Officer, CarepathRx

Randy Hyun, the Chief Executive Officer of CarepathRx, oversees the company's portfolio and capabilities, prioritizing company culture, talent, strategy, execution, and growth. Previously serving as Chief Operating Officer, Randy focused on the strategy and operations of CarepathRx, particularly in the health systems solutions segment. Prior to joining CarepathRx, he served as CEO of Aetna Medicaid, overseeing national Medicaid managed care operations across sixteen states. Randy's extensive industry experience includes an 18-year tenure at McKesson Corporation, where he held various senior leadership roles, including leading Provider Solutions in McKesson Specialty Health and managing home care and hospice software. Randy is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering and holds an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Kim Kamdar, PhD (2019)

Partner, Domain Associates

Dr. Kamdar is a partner at Domain Associates, Kim has been involved in cutting-edge therapeutic start-ups and has been a major part of identifying companies with promising molecular and companion diagnostics to support personalized medicine.

Present board memberships include Aspen Neuroscience, Epic Sciences, Evofem Biosciences, Obalon Therapeutics, Omniome, ROX Medical, Sera Prognostics, Truvian Sciences, and Singular Genomics.  Formerly, Kim was a Kauffman Fellow with MPM Capital.  Prior to joining MPM she was a research director at Novartis, where she built and led a research team that focused on the biology, genetics and genomics of model organisms.  Kim is the author of ten papers as well as the inventor on seven patents.  She received her B.A. from Northwestern University and her Ph.D. in biochemistry and genetics from Emory University.  Kim serves as an advisory board member of Dr. Eric Topol's NIH supported Clinical and Translational Science Award for Scripps Medicine.

Josh Luke, MD (2018)

Healthcare Futurist and Former Hospital CEO

Josh Luke is a leading healthcare futurist, former hospital CEO, Amazon best-selling author and Adjunct Faculty for the University of Southern California’s Sol Price School of Public Policy. He serves as CSO/Senior Health Policy Analyst for Nelson Hardiman Law. Luke previously served as CEO of three acute hospitals, an acute rehab hospital, as Administrator for nursing homes and oversaw home health and hospice services as Vice President of Post Acute Services for a health system. Luke founded the National Readmission Prevention Collaborative in 2013, and hosts an innovation contest annually recognizing services and products that are improving the continuum of care and transforming value based delivery.

Luke has a PhD from the University of Nevada, and authored Readmission Prevention: Solutions Across the Provider Continuum and Ex-Acute: A former hospital CEO tells all on what’s wrong with American healthcare. 

Davin Lundquist, MD (2016)

Chief Medical Information Officer for Physician Integration, Dignity Health

Dr. Davin Lundquist is Vice President and Chief Medical Information Officer for Physician Integration at Dignity Health. He has responsibilities for the ambulatory technology strategy, including population health, telehealth and patient and provider digital experience. He is also a practicing Family Physician with Dignity Health Medical Group Ventura County in Camarillo, CA. Dr. Lundquist has a medical degree from the USC Keck School of Medicine and completed a residency in Family Medicine at the Naval Hospital in Bremerton, Washington. Dr. Lundquist has been involved with several EHR implementations and has a passion for finding innovative technology solutions for providers and patients. He joined the Dignity Health Medical Foundation in California as their CMIO in 2012. 

Samir Malik, MBA  (2017)

Senior Vice President and General Manager, Genoa Telepsychiatry

Samir Malik is currently the senior vice president and general manager of Genoa Telepsychiatry, part of Genoa, a QoL Healthcare company. He came into this role through the acquisition of his company, 1DocWay, a New York City-based telepsychiatry company, which he founded and served as CEO. Samir and his team have built the technology-enabled-services company from scratch, treating 50,000 patients across the country.

Malik received his BA with distinction in neuroscience from the University of Pennsylvania, as well as both his BS in economics and his MBA in healthcare management from the Wharton School.

Rajan Merchant, MD (2019)

Board Certified Allergist-Immunologist

Dr. Rajan K. Merchant is a board certified allergist-immunologist based in Woodland, California. Dr. Merchant received his bachelor of science in neuroscience from the University of California, Los Angeles, and graduated from the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine in Sint Maarten. Dr. Merchant is a Fellow of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, and is a professional member of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology as well as the Past President of the Sacramento Valley Allergy Society. He also participates in the Sacramento Sierra Valley Medical Society, and the California Medical Association House of Delegates.

For his 18 years of experience, Dr. Merchant has been recognized by the Dignity Health Leadership Development Program, and has been named one of Sacramento Magazine's top allergy doctors for three consecutive years: 2016, 2017, and 2018. He is the author of four health publications and has been featured in Dignity Health's physician symposium. Most recently Dignity Health and Propeller Health was selected as the Grand Award for 2019 Intelligent Health Association Improving Patient Care and Safety Award with Dr. Merchant being designated the physician champion.

Gary Mangiofico, PhD (2015-2019, 2022, 2023)

Executive Professor of Organizational Theory and Management, 
Pepperdine Graziadio Business School

Dr. Gary L. Mangiofico has taught at the Graziadio Business School since 2002 and brings more than 20 years of experience leading strategic development, operations management and integration, and turnaround operations solving complex challenges as a CEO, COO, and as a general management executive for both start-ups and Fortune 50 companies. He is a former vice president for Johnson & Johnson Health Care Services, COO and senior vice president for Pathmakers, and senior vice president for Apria Healthcare Group. He holds a BA and MA in psychology from Chapman University in Orange, California, and a PhD in organizational psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology.

Vivek Murthy, MD (2018)

19th Surgeon General of the United States

Dr. Vivek Murthy served as the 19th Surgeon General of the United States (from December 2014 to April 2017). As The Nation’s Doctor, he brought both passion and innovation to the challenges of leading America’s national healthcare initiatives. Throughout his career, Dr. Murthy has led the way in medical education, social action, and healthcare dialogue. He has co-founded several healthcare community organizations and grassroots citizen movements, including Visions, a peer-to-peer HIV/AIDS education program in India and the United States that reached tens of thousands of students and Swasthya, a community health partnership that trained women in small villages in India to become healthcare providers and educators. He also co-founded TrialNetworks, a software company that developed collaborative technology for accelerating clinical trials, and a nonprofit organization, Doctors for America, that organized physicians in all 50 states to advocate for high quality, affordable health care for all.

As the Surgeon General, he issued the first Surgeon General’s Report on Substance Use and Addiction, calling the nation to action to address this deadly disease. His final Surgeon General’s Report was on E-cigarettes and Youth and was the first federal report on the topic. As Vice Admiral of the Public Health Commissioned Corps, Dr. Murthy was the youngest active duty flag officer in federal uniformed service. Before serving as Surgeon General, Dr. Murthy practiced and taught internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. He also has an MBA from Yale.

Megan North, MBA '91 (2017)

President of Value-Based Care, Conifer Health Solutions

Megan North is president of Value-Based Care for Conifer Health Solutions. She has led Conifer Health’s Value-Based Care business unit, based in Encino, California, since its formation in 2012.

Under North’s leadership, this fast-growing business unit now manages nearly six million lives and more than $22 billion in medically managed spend. She brings more than 22 years of experience to her role and has earned a reputation for creating risk-based care delivery models that successfully align hospitals and physicians. She received her bachelor’s degree from Boston University in Massachusetts and her MBA from the Graziadio School.

Michael Ochoa, MBA '17 (2018)

Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Ascend PBM and Transcend Onsite Care

Michael is Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Ascend PBM and Transcend Onsite Care. Mr. Ochoa's vision has lead to the creation of a disruptive model which combines Onsite Care with the use of formularies, disease management, and data to improve the quality of healthcare. He is dedicated to providing innovative, science-based products and services that improve peoples' health through a portfolio of cutting-edge products and services such as, onsite care for employers, diagnostic testing, compounding, specialty pharmacy and medical devices.

Mr. Ochoa oversees the financial, sales, marketing, and strategic business development activities of the companies. With more than 16 years of sales, management and leadership experience. 

Stephanus Philip, MD, FAAP (2018)

Internal Medicine Specialist, Dignity Health St. John's Regional Medical Center

Stephanus (Steve) Philip went to medical school at the Medical College of Wisconsin, and did a combined Internal Medicine/Pediatrics Residency Program at Indiana University initially thinking that he would go into primary care. However he took an unexpected career detour into academic hospitalist medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine, which turned into a more extended career as an academic hospitalist at Ventura County Medical Center (VCMC), although he dabbled in primary care. While at VCMC he developed an interest in efficient hospital care, and became the Medical Director of Utilization Management. He later moved on to building a hospitalist program at Santa Paula Hospital with Apogee Physicians, and then moved to St. John's Regional Medical Center as the assistant program director with Sound Physicians. Still pursuing efficient and more coordinated patient care from the community perspective, he now works as the Medical Director of Advisory Services over Dignity Health St. John's Regional Medical Center in Oxnard and St. John's Pleasant Valley Hospital in Camarillo.

Chris Pike (2023)

Special Partner, Advent International

Chris Pike is a Special Partner of Advent International, one of the world’s leading global private equity firms. With more than $89 billion in assets under management, Advent invests in companies across a variety of industries in North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia via 14 offices around the world. 

With over 25 years of investment experience at Advent, Chris has led or worked on more than 20 investments in the financial services and healthcare sectors, including Americus Dental Labs, ATI Physical Therapy, CCC Intelligent Solutions, Cotiviti, Genoa Healthcare, Long Term Care Group, Managed Healthcare Associates, NielsenIQ, TransUnion and Worldpay.

Chris co-chairs the board of Boston Scores, an after-school and summer learning program that has served under-resourced youth and families in the Boston Public School system since 1999.  Scores offers after-school soccer, poetry and service-learning programs for ~1,500 youth in grades k-12 at more than 30 schools across the City and is one of Boston’s largest providers of free after-school programming.

Chris received his BA in Economics and Spanish from Amherst College. Chris and his wife Lindsay live in Newton, MA, and they have three children.

Thomas Priselac (2015, 2017, 2023)

2023 Lifetime Achievement in Healthcare Award Recipient

President and Chief Executive Officer, Cedars-Sinai Health System

Thomas M. Priselac is president and chief executive officer of the Cedars-Sinai Health System—a position he has held since January 1994. He has been associated with Cedars-Sinai since 1979. Prior to being named president and CEO, he was executive vice president from 1988 to 1993. He has served the health care field in various roles during his career at Cedars-Sinai. He also serves as an adjunct professor at the UCLA School of Public Health. A native of Pennsylvania, Priselac obtained a bachelor’s degree in biology from Washington and Jefferson College in Pennsylvania, and a master’s degree in public health services administration and planning from the University of Pittsburgh.

Rich Roth (2019)

Chief Strategic Innovation Officer, Dignity Health

Mr. Roth leads Dignity Health’s innovation efforts, which seek to create and test novel services, programs, partnerships, and/or technologies – from within and outside of healthcare- that challenge the status quo and have the potential to reduce the cost of care, improve quality, and/or increase access to services.

Working in concert with Dignity Health employees and physicians, Mr. Roth works to anticipate emerging trends and technologies with the goal of incubating, studying, and scaling efforts to improve care.

Mr. Roth holds a Masters degree in Healthcare Administration from the University of
Minnesota and a Bachelors degree in Public Health from West Chester University.

Mr. Roth regularly advises venture capital organizations and co-manages Dignity Health’s
Strategic Investment Fund.

Samuel Seaman, PhD (2019)

Professor of Decision Sciences, Pepperdine University Graziadio Business School

Dr. Samuel L. Seaman is professor of decision sciences at the Graziadio Business School, where he teaches graduate courses in applied statistics and evidence-based decision analysis using mathematical models to solve dilemmas in economics, finance, healthcare, and marketing. Dr. Seaman has published in numerous academic journals, including Business Economics, Communications in Statistics, Head & Neck Surgery, Journal of Business Forecasting, Journal of Business Venturing, and Strategic Management Journal. His consulting engagements have led to meaningful improvements in credit-scoring models, predictive models of charitable giving, and assessment models used to evaluate the efficacy of strategic initiatives on corporate financial performance.

Marc Siegel, MD (2021)

Doctor Radio Medical Director, SiriusXM at NYU Langone Health

Marc Siegel, MD is a professor of medicine and the medical director of Doctor Radio on SiriusXM at NYU Langone Health. He is a Fox News Medical Correspondent. He is a member of the board of contributors at USA Today, a columnist for The Hill, and a regular contributor to the WSJ, the LA Times, NRO, the NY Daily News. He is the author of several books on contagions and flu, The Inner Pulse - about medical miracles, and the bestseller False Alarm, the Truth About the Epidemic of Fear, which was also voted top science book of the year. Dr Siegel runs a medical journalism course at NYU, and is a key participant in the opioid task force at Brown University.

Lou Silverman (2017)

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Advanced ICU Care

Lou Silverman has a 20-year track record of success as CEO in health care information technology and health care services companies, translating a passion for the transformative benefits of innovative health care solutions into successful clinical and commercial organizations. His experience in building nimble companies that enable high-quality care, drive intelligent growth and serve as catalysts for evolutionary industry change is at the heart of his vision for Advanced ICU Care.

Silverman has committed Advanced ICU Care to working innovatively with its hospital partners and their bedside teams to bring the promise and positive outcomes of tele-ICU and telehealth services to the patients and families we jointly serve.

Dee Anna Smith, '86 (2023, 2024)

Chief Executive Officer, Sarah Cannon Research Institute

Dee Anna Smith serves as the CEO of the Sarah Cannon Research Institute (SCRI), a leading oncology research organization specializing in community-based clinical trials. In 2022, she orchestrated a groundbreaking collaboration with US Oncology Research, connecting physicians across 250+ locations in 26 states to expand patient access to clinical trials.

Smith's career began as a CPA at KPMG, but her entrepreneurial spirit led to founding two clinical trial service companies, with one being acquired by Oracle and the other becoming a part of HCA Healthcare.

Passionate about helping others, she has received numerous honors, including recognition as an AACSB Influential Leader and one of Pepperdine University's Outstanding Alumni in Healthcare. Smith was also named a Health Care Hero by the Nashville Business Journal.

Beyond her professional achievements, Dee Anna actively contributes to organizations such as the American Institute of CPAs and the American Society of Clinical Oncology. She also chairs Pepperdine's Board of Regents and sits on the board of the Nashville Health Care Council. 

Judy Smythe (2018)

Chief Operating Officer, Science 37

Judy Smythe has spent more than a 15 years in healthcare leadership roles with significant emphasis on population health management, wellness, consumer engagement, and value-based payments. Her experience has led to an appreciation that coordinating care across disciplines and teams avoids fragmentation and leads to better care and value.

She has served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Revenue Officer at Centauri Health Solutions and now serves on Centauris Advisory Board. Centauri Health Solutions provides software and services that enable risk adjustment, quality and eligibility programs for health plans and providers.

Keith Stewart, MB, ChB (2016)

Consultant,  Mayo Clinic Department of Internal Medicine

Keith Stewart, MB, ChB, is a consultant in the Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. He currently serves as the Carlson and Nelson Endowed Director of the Center for Individualized Medicine and is recognized as the Vasek and Anna Maria Polak Professor of Cancer Research. Dr. Stewart holds the academic rank of professor of medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. He joined the staff of Mayo Clinic in 2005.

He has over 20 years of sustained national funding for a laboratory research program in genomics and biology of myeloma and has led numerous clinical trials of new drugs for this blood cancer. He consistently publishes in high-impact scientific journals and holds editorial and reviewer responsibilities for several prominent publications. 

Jeff Stibel, PhD (2019)

Vice Chairman, Dun & Bradstreet

Jeff Stibel is the former CEO of Web.com (NASDAQ: WWWW), vice chairman of Dun & Bradstreet (NYSE: DNB), and a partner of Bryant Stibel. He is a USA Today columnist and a New York Times bestselling author of two books, Breakpoint (Macmillan) and Wired for Thought (Harvard Press).

Stibel was the recipient of a brain and behavior fellowship while studying for a PhD at Brown University and received an honorary doctorate degree from the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School.

Anushka Sunder (2023)

Senior Managing Director - Head of North America Healthcare Private Equity, Blackstone

Anushka Sunder is a Senior Managing Director at Blackstone and Head of North America Healthcare Private Equity. She is also actively involved in technology, media, and consumer opportunities. Ms. Sunder joined Blackstone in 2013 and serves on the Board of Advarra, Candle, Medline, Precision Medicine Group, HealthEdge, Optiv, and TeamHealth and was previously a Director of Blue Yonder. She is the Executive Sponsor of Blackstone’s Women’s Initiative and on the Blackstone Charitable Foundation Leadership Council. Ms. Sunder was previously at TPG Capital and Goldman Sachs. She received her BA from Harvard College, where she graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, and her MBA from Harvard Business School.

Christopher T. Sununu (2024)

82nd Governor State of New Hampshire

Christopher T. Sununu, New Hampshire's 82nd Governor, now in his fourth term, holds the record for the most votes in state history (2020). Under his leadership, New Hampshire ranks as the #1 state for personal freedoms and fiscal responsibility, per the Cato Institute. He's achieved three balanced budgets with no new taxes, cutting the Interest & Dividends Tax for retirees, offering tax relief to employers and small businesses, reducing property taxes by $100 million, introducing voluntary paid family medical leave, and increasing public education funding. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he balanced health and economic concerns effectively, making New Hampshire one of the safest states for COVID. The state is now the Northeast's fastest-growing, boasts low unemployment, and has the nation's lowest child poverty rate. Governor Sununu pioneered The Doorway and the Recovery Friendly Workplace initiative, national models for substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery. New Hampshire, per the CDC, was one of four states to reduce drug overdose deaths in 2021. Chris is an MIT graduate with a BS in Civil/Environmental Engineering and a former environmental engineer. He also completed a five-month through-hike of the Appalachian Trail in 1998. Governor Sununu resides in Newfields with his wife, Valerie, and their three children.

Belinda Tan, MD, PhD (2019)

Co-founder and Chief Medical Officer at Science 37

Belinda Tan, co-founder and chief medical officer at Science 37, is a physician-scientist and educator. As an entrepreneur, she is driven by the audacious goal of building a universal medical-scientific ecosystem that will connect all people to scientists. Prior to starting Science 37, Dr. Tan joined a team of physicians to build the nationally scaled telemedicine company DirectDerm, whose services have improved health outcomes throughout central California. Belinda trained in dermatology and dermatopathology at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and Cornell-New York Presbyterian Hospital. She earned her MD and PhD from UCLA and bachelor of science from MIT.

Eric Topol, MD (2019)

Founder and Director, The Scripps Research Translational Institute

Dr. Eric Topol is one of the leading innovators in medicine today, specializing in the use of artificial intelligence, "deep" data, and smart technology in the practice of individualized medicine. Also called precision medicine, individualized medicine tailors diagnosis, prevention, and treatment to the full biological and social profile of the individual, rather than the "average" human of traditional medical science.

Dr. Eric Topol is the Founder and Director of The Scripps Research Translational Institute. He also is Executive Vice President of The Scripps Research Institute and Professor of Molecular Medicine. Britain's National Health Service has called on Dr. Topol to lead a review into how the NHS can pioneer new treat- ments and technologies to transform healthcare. Dr. Topol will look at technologies such as artificial intelligence (including robotics), genomics and digital medicine and how to train tens of thousands of staff at the NHS.

Lisa Watanabe, MD (2019)

Chief Medical Officer, CureMetrix, Inc.

Lisa Watanabe, MD is chief medical officer at CureMetrix, Inc., a start-up venture that has developed artificial intelligence based software that analyzes medical images such as mammograms. The algorithms can flag cancerous lesions and also pre-sort the work list of cases based on suspicion level to expedite interpretation. Dr. Watanabe has presented research on the potential use of A.I. in radiology in the US and Europe.

Dr. Watanabe is a clinical associate professor of radiology at USC and also on the medical staff at Scripps Clinics. She is past president of the American Society of Spine Radiology and serves on the Executive Committee of the California Radiological Society. She received her BS at Stanford and was a regent’s scholar at UCSF where she obtained her medical degree. She is a reviewer for numerous journals including Radiology and American Journal of Neuroradiology.

Adrienne White, MBA (2018)

Vice President of Solutions, NextGen Healthcare

Adrienne White is the Vice President of Solutions for Care Coordination at NextGen Healthcare, one of the leading Ambulatory market Electronic Medical Records. In this role, she is focused on setting and driving the strategy for Care Coordination solutions, and more broadly, supporting NextGen's overall Population Health Management goals. Prior to NextGen Adrienne was Senior Innovation Strategist for the Hearst Health Innovation Lab, a research team funded by Hearst Corporation, where she was responsible for innovation strategy and product prototyping.

Adrienne spent the decade prior to Hearst in various divisions at IBM, including transformation consulting in Global Business Services, and product development work in the Research and Software divisions. Her solutions work at IBM was focused on advanced analytics and developing solutions for care management and collaborative care.

Rachel Zayas (2024)

Founder and CEO, AGED Diagnositics

Rachel Zayas, Founder and CEO of Active Genomes Expressed Diagnostics (AGED), is a distinguished professional with a Master of Science in Biotechnology and Business. Renowned for launching a successful molecular diagnostic venture, she has contributed significantly to cancer research at MIT, specializing in the development of gene silencing therapeutics. Zayas operates at the intersection of genomics and entrepreneurship, securing funding from the National Science Foundation and serving as an adjunct instructor at George Washington University, imparting business expertise to technology ventures navigating product market fit. Recognized for her exceptional achievements, she has been a fellow for prestigious programs such as 757 Accelerate, Halcyon, and Healthworx, the latter being the discerning investment arm of CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, selecting less than 2% of applicants. Zayas has showcased her expertise at the annual Liver Disease Conference and made impactful contributions to Hepatology, the leading journal for liver diseases. A versatile professional, she is also an accomplished science fiction novelist. In her role at AGED, Zayas oversees all facets of R&D, guiding her team to achieve technical and commercialization milestones with unwavering leadership.