Alumni Founders & Advisory Council

Diana N. Contreras MD, MPH is chief health strategy officer at Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA). Dr. Contreras is a board certified ob-gyn with fellowship training in gynecologic oncology. As the chief health strategy officer, she studies national and federal data trends and insights and offers strategic recommendations to advance accessible, equitable, and high quality sexual and reproductive health care. She leverages health analytics to engage teams and identify trends to address gaps in health care. Dr. Cotreras also engages with external organizations to advance sexual and reproductive health care by representing PPFA in public forums — forging alliances and cross-sector dialogs to address systemic barriers to care. Dr. Contreras has an MPH in health care administration and policy from the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, an MD from Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, and an undergraduate degree in history, Latin American studies, and women studies from Princeton University.

Jean Drouin, MD, is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Clarify Health, an enterprise analytics and value-based payments platform company. Jean has over 25 years of experience in healthcare management, technology, operations, finance, and cultural change. Prior to founding Clarify, Jean was a Senior Partner at McKinsey, where he led the Healthcare Digital and IT practice. He also built and served as the founding Head of McKinsey Advanced Healthcare Analytics (MAHA), which provided services and products on healthcare reform, consumer analytics, new payment and pricing models, and risk management. Jean spent several years in the UK, where he helped set up the hospital regulator and served as the Head of Strategy for NHS London, a $15 billion organization which oversaw London’s hospitals, primary and social care. Jean holds an MD and MBA from Stanford University and an AB in Molecular Biology from Princeton. He is a Trustee of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, and the former Vice-Chair of the Board of Lester B. Pearson United World College of the Pacific

Ray serves on several healthcare boards and is an adjunct professor teaching Digital Health at Columbia Business School. Prior to joining THP, Ray was a Managing Director and Senior Advisor at Cain Brothers spanning 12 years and serving on the Executive Committee and co-heading the firm’s Services & Technology Corporate Finance practice. Ray’s banking focus included Healthcare IT and Revenue Cycle Management as well as healthcare distribution, specialty pharmacy and PBMs. Prior to joining Cain Brothers, Ray was an equity research analyst for 9 years, primarily at Bear Stearns where he was named to Institutional Investor’s All-Star Team for five consecutive years, including two number one rankings. Earlier in his career, Ray worked in sales and engineering at a start-up in the energy efficiency industry. Ray has represented THP as a board director at GrayHawk Health and Promptly, and as a board observer at Frontier Psychiatry. Ray graduated from The Cooper Union with a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering, earned a Master’s Degree from Columbia University in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Meghan Fitzgerald, RN, MPH, DrPH, is an adjunct associate professor with the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and a private equity investor. She has decades of experience working in the healthcare field, ranging from frontline patient care to advising prominent healthcare firms. Currently, she sits on the board of directors for the venture capital firm Thimble Point and for Tenet Healthcare Corporation. Dr. Fitzgerald received a B.S in nursing from Fairfield University in Connecticut, her MPH in Epidemiology and Health Policy from Columbia University in New York, and her DrPH from New York Medical College.

Maria is a seasoned leader focused on creating operational efficiency, improving experience, and driving revenue growth and cost savings through the use of data science and AI. Maria has global experience across digital health strategy and operations, including launching AI-enabled products, modernizing data platforms, designing patient-centric experiences and optimizing workflows, with full P&L management. Maria holds a BA in Applied Mathematics and Economics from Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College at Florida Atlantic University, and an MHA from the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University.

For several years, Jeff Goldsmith has worked to advance the state-of-the-art in functional data analysis by developing methods for understanding patterns in large, complex datasets in neuroscience, physical activity monitoring, and other areas. Working closely with clinicians and neuroscientists around the world, he and his collaborators have focused on improving the understanding skilled movements. This work involves reaching movements made by stroke patients. Dr. Goldsmith has developed new statistical methods to understand the impact of stroke on movement quality, and applied these to large, longitudinal datasets. In parallel, he has proposed methods for wearable device research, especially focusing on accelerometers. The methods developed include approaches for regression with activity trajectories as outcomes; for interpretable dimension reduction; and for aligning major patterns (like wake from sleep, mid-day dips in activity, and sleep onset) across subjects. Dr. Goldsmith has worked to incorporate data science techniques for transparency and reproducibility into biostatistical analyses. Research projects are accompanied by robust, publicly available software and analytical pipelines that ensure the reproducibility of the results. This approach is informed by his work in teaching data science.

Jon Gordon is an entrepreneur, investor and executive with 20 years of experience in healthcare at the intersection of strategy, innovation and policy. He is currently Founder, President and Chief Evangelist of F|42, a nonprofit designed to rethink and remake healthcare at scale. Prior to launching F|42, Jon was Managing General Partner at HC9 Ventures, an $83 million early-stage venture fund that he co-founded to provide deep healthcare expertise to emerging healthcare companies through an engaged LP network of leading healthcare executives and entrepreneurs. Prior to HC9, Jon served as Senior Vice President for Innovation at Commonwealth Care Alliance, a non-profit health plan focused on caring for vulnerable populations, and Managing Director of Winter Street Ventures, their corporate venture arm. He simultaneously was interim CEO of the Winter Street portfolio LifePod, a proactive voice-based remote patient monitoring and engagement digital health company. Previously, Jon founded and secured $40 million for NYP Ventures, the strategic venture capital arm of NewYork-Presbyterian. Jon was also co-founder and Director of the NewYork-Presbyterian Health Policy Center, which advocated for the role of Academic Medical Centers in addressing the challenges facing the US healthcare system. Jon is an adjunct faculty member at the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health. He holds a BA cum laude from Princeton University and an MBA with honors from Columbia Business School.

David launched TeamBuilder in April 2021 in response to the market’s need for a dynamic workforce management platform within ambulatory care. With no technology supporting the clinical and non-clinical workforce of the entire non-hospital clinical ecosystem, David was convinced as early as 2014 that a solution was necessary. David developed the use case, beta product, data architecture, and proof of concepts, culminating in a successful pilot with Mt. Sinai in 2016, and a vision and mission to change the future of healthcare for providers, staff, and patients. Now in the post-COVID paradigm where outpatient care has grown tremendously, in particular virtual and in the home, staffing complexity has multiplied. Putting the right resource in the right place at the right time will improve patient access, experience, and reduce costs. TeamBuilder is creating the team for tomorrow, today. David has spent 15+ years in healthcare consulting working with leading academic medical centers, large health systems and venture/private equity backed entities. He holds an MPH from Columbia University, an MBA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a B.A in Economics from University of New Hampshire. David also serves on the Columbia HPM Alumni Advisory Board.

Carol Huffman is a seasoned healthcare executive with extensive experience in strategic partnerships and clinical innovation. She currently serves as the Vice President of Clinical Innovation & Implementation at MVP Health Care, a leading health insurance provider. In this role, she is responsible for overseeing the development and execution of clinical programs aimed at improving patient outcomes and enhancing healthcare delivery. Prior to joining MVP Health Care, Carol held the position of Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at EmblemHealth, where she was instrumental in forging alliances that advanced the organization's mission and expanded its reach within the healthcare sector. Carol's career is marked by a commitment to innovation in healthcare, focusing on implementing strategies that drive efficiency and improve the quality of care for patients.

Karen Ignagni serves as the Executive Chair of EmblemHealth, one of the nation’s largest non-profit health insurers. EmblemHealth provides quality, affordable health care coverage and administrative services to more than 3.1 million people in the New York tristate area. Since joining EmblemHealth in 2015, Ms. Ignagni has led an enterprise transformation to improve the consumer health care experience and expand the company’s presence and reach across the greater tristate area. EmblemHealth’s family of companies includes ConnectiCare, a leading Connecticut-based health plan, and AdvantageCare Physicians, a multi-specialty medical group with more than 36 locations across New York City. Prior to joining EmblemHealth, Ms. Ignagni was President and CEO of America’s Health Insurance Plans, where she was active in working with the White House and Congressional leadership on the development of milestone health reform legislation, including the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the Medicare Modernization Act. Before her role at AHIP, Ms. Ignagni directed the AFL-CIO’s Department of Employee Benefits. She was a Professional Staff Member on the U.S. Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee and worked at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She holds an MBA from Loyola University Maryland and a B.S in Political Science and Government from Providence College. Karen also serves on Columbia HPM’s National Advisory Board.

Ari Markenson practices at the intersection of healthcare, law, and business. Ari advises healthcare industry clients, including investors, lenders, providers, and suppliers, on a broad range of regulatory and corporate matters, and has significant experience in complex healthcare industry acquisitions and financial transactions. He regularly represents private equity firms and lenders in such transactions and evaluates and advises on compliance and regulatory issues with regard to sellers and potential borrowers from banks and financing sources. He also advises various healthcare entities on regulatory matters. Ari advises clients on Medicare and Medicaid conditions for participation, obtaining certificate of need approval, and state licensure. He has significant experience representing numerous providers in response to and appeals of audits and investigations by regulatory enforcement authorities regarding compliance with reimbursement rules and regulations under government healthcare programs. Ari frequently writes for industry publications and speaks at industry and professional events. He also teaches healthcare law, public health law, healthcare lawyering skills, and other healthcare management and policy topics at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, the Pace University College of Health Professions Department of Health Science, and the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University. Ari also serves on both the Mailman School of Public Health’s Alumni Board and Columbia HPM’s Alumni Advisory Board.

Cyrus Massoumi is Managing Partner and Founder of humbition, an early stage venture firm focused on NYC startups. Prior to humbition, Cyrus founded Zocdoc where he led the company for 8 years as CEO. Earlier in his career, he worked at the global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, where he gained extensive experience in healthcare technology and new product development. Cyrus is a graduate of Columbia Business School, where he earned an M.B.A with honors and received the Heffernan Award for Outstanding Service, and the Exemplary Leadership Award, and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a B.S with honors. Cyrus is a member of the Board of Overseers of the Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health. Cyrus has been recognized by both Fortune and Crains on their 40 under 40 lists and by Fast Company as one of the Most Creative People in Business.

Stacey Matlen is senior vice president of innovation at the Partnership for NYC, where she partners with New York governmental agencies across the transit, water, and built environment sectors to identify organizational pain points and recruit innovative technology solutions to solve their pressing challenges. Previously, she led multiple initiatives with the City of Detroit’s Office of Mobility Innovation and founded an award-winning startup that increased healthy food access for low-income residents. Stacey holds an MPH from the University of Michigan. Stacey is also a member of the Board of Advisors for Mailman School of Public Health.

Andrea Nye brings over 15 years of senior leadership experience to Xylyx Bio, with deep knowledge of the biotechnology entrepreneurship sector and the intersection of business, science, medicine, and the government. She joined Xylyx from Columbia BiomedX, where as Managing Director she oversaw targeted investment aimed at vetting and supporting promising early-stage ventures bringing medical technology products to market. Andrea has consulted with multiple successfully early-stage start-ups to define clinical road maps and go-to-market strategies, compose business plans, and assess commercial products in terms of market opportunity. She holds and MBA and MPH from Columbia University.

Andrea Nye brings over 15 years of senior leadership experience to Xylyx Bio, with deep knowledge of the biotechnology entrepreneurship sector and the intersection of business, science, medicine, and the government. She joined Xylyx from Columbia BiomedX, where as Managing Director she oversaw targeted investment aimed at vetting and supporting promising early-stage ventures bringing medical technology products to market. Andrea has consulted with multiple successfully early-stage start-ups to define clinical road maps and go-to-market strategies, compose business plans, and assess commercial products in terms of market opportunity. She holds and MBA and MPH from Columbia University. Kathy also serves on the Columbia HPM Alumni Advisory Board.

Todd Richter is currently a Senior Managing Director at Guggenheim Partners. His primary focus is on the healthcare services field including managed care/payer services, physician-related businesses and all forms of distribution and outsourcing. In addition, Mr. Richter is responsible for Guggenheim Partners' coverage of the global animal health field. From 2016 until 2018 Mr. Richter was Vice Chairman of Global Banking at Barclays. From 1999 to 2016 Todd Richter was a Senior Managing Director in the Global Healthcare Corporate & Investment Banking Group at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. From 1981 to 1999, Mr. Richter served as the head of the healthcare services analytical team for Morgan Stanley. Todd Richter earned a BA in Finance from the College of William & Mary in 1979 and an MBA in Finance with Honors from Indiana University in 1981. Todd was recognized 16 times as a member of the Institutional Investor's All-America Research Team. He was also listed many times among the Wall Street Journal's "All-Star" analysts and on the Reuters research poll. Mr. Richter is currently a member of the Board of Directors (Vice Chairman) of Bideawee, one of the nation's leading animal rescue organizations; a member of the Dean's Council for the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, and a significant contributor to the Stratton Foundation in Vermont. Finally Mr. Richter is on the National Advisory Board and faculty of the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, Department of Health Policy & Management and teaches a course on healthcare consolidation to MPH and MHA candidates.

Asha Saxena is a strategic, innovative leader with a proven track record of building successful businesses, a strong academic background, creative problem-solving skills, and an effective management style to communicate a clear vision and define specific goals to meet organization targets while sustaining revenue/profits. Asha has been instrumental in building business models for success. Asha Saxena is a Founder of Women Leaders in Data and AI WLDA. Bringing women leaders in data and AI together to create an impactful future. Asha also teaches entrepreneurship in the Department of Health Policy & Management to MPH and MHA candidates.

Specializing in policy, politics, and communications, Rob has worked in public affairs, issue advocacy, and strategy for over 35 years. He is a co-founder of SS+K. He has led an array of the firm's work across sectors including both President Barack Obama's campaigns (2008, 2012), the Obama White House, the Biden White House, Microsoft, HBO, Open Society Foundations, and the AFL-CIO. He has worked extensively in public health and healthcare, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, LiveStrong, Mt. Sinai Health System, Let's Move! (former First Lady Michelle Obama's anti-childhood obesity campaign), Sandy Hook Promise, No Kid Hungry, Planned Parenthood, the UN Development Programme, the ONE Campaign, and many more. Before SS+K, Rob advised several heads of state and presidential campaigns abroad. In the spring of 2014, President Obama appointed Rob to the President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition. Rob is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a board member of Neighbors Link. He is on the advisory boards of the Center for Health Communication at Harvard's School of Public Health, Hip Hop Public Health, and Share Our Strength. Rob also teaches public health communications in the Department of Health Policy & Management to MPH and MHA candidates.

As CEO of Rabobank, Rajiv was responsible for the bank’s business and investing activities in North America. He led and built Rabobank’s business segments of corporate finance, private equity, venture capital, mergers and acquisitions, specialized investment products, food and agribusiness research, and capital market activities. Rajiv spearheaded a new business plan, strategy, and vision to refocus the institution on being the key financial link for a better food system. He led the establishment of direct investing across strategies — Private Equity (Arlon Food and Ag Partners), Venture Capital (Rabo Ventures, Anterra, Rabo F&A Innovation Fund), Incubator/Innovation platforms (Terra and FoodBytes), and hybrid capital investing through Rabo Global Client Solutions. Additionally, Rajiv was the Chairman of the Board of Rabo Securities Inc., a broker-dealer regulated by FINRA. Rajiv serves as director and interim CEO of Agrivida, an innovative biotechnology company developing a revolutionary and sustainable way to express protein molecules in grain. He is founding partner of Amritam Holdings, Co-Chairman of Foodshot Global, and on the board of directors of SeaAhead. Rajiv is also a member of the Board of Advisors for Mailman School of Public Health.

Greg Sorensen has extensive work experience in the healthcare industry. Greg is the CEO and Co-founder of DeepHealth, a company that uses machine learning to improve patient care. In 2020, DeepHealth became the AI division of RadNet, Inc. Greg is also a Supervisory Board Member at Fresenius Medical Care and Siemens Healthineers. Additionally, they serve as a Board Member at Invicro, LLC, DFP Healthcare Acquisitions Corp, Fusion Healthcare Staffing, and DFB Healthcare Acquisitions Corp. Greg Sorenson was the Executive Chairman at IMRIS - A Deerfield Imaging Brand, where they contributed to the development of innovative surgical imaging solutions. Earlier in their career, they served as the President and CEO of Siemens Healthcare North America, a company that provides cutting-edge healthcare solutions. Greg also has experience as a Neuroradiologist, physician scientist, and Professor at Massachusetts General Hospital, where they held various roles and contributed to the hospital's reputation as one of the top hospitals in the country. Greg’s education history includes a BS in Biology from Caltech. Following this, Greg pursued a MS in Computer Science at Brigham Young University. Greg attended Harvard Medical School from 1985 to 1989, where he obtained a MD degree with a focus on Medicine. Greg also serves on Columbia HPM’s National Advisory Board.

Olajide Williams, MD, MS is a Professor of Neurology and Vice Dean of Community Health at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. He is also Vice Chair of the Department of Neurology and a specialist in the treatment of stroke and cerebrovascular diseases. Dr. Williams is an attending physician at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and a clinical neurologist at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. He attained his medical degree from the University of Lagos, Nigeria, and completed his neurology residency and neuromuscular fellowship training at The Neurological Institute of New York. Dr. Williams also holds a Master of Science degree from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Dr. Williams has published numerous scholarly articles, including the book "Stroke Diaries", and received many prestigious international, national, and regional awards, such as the European Stroke Research Foundation Investigator of the Year award, two-time Columbia University Outstanding Teacher of the Year award for the Major Clinical Year, American Heart Association’s Trailblazer award, and a National Humanism in Medicine award from the Association of American Medical Colleges. Dr. Williams has been named on Fast Company Magazine’s 100 Most Creative People list, Root 100’s most influential Blacks in America list, and New York Magazine's Best Doctors list. He sits on several nonprofit boards including the Board of Directors for the Partnership for a Healthier America, whose honorary chair is former First Lady Michelle Obama.

Richard serves as the Special Advisor to the President of Columbia University, a position he assumed after retiring as the Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the University. He is the Founder of Columbia Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Design and a member of the Columbia University Medical Center Board of Advisors, where he chairs the Cancer Advisory Council. Richard is also the Founder and Senior Managing Director of The Orienta Group, an investment and advisory firm, and is a retired General Partner of Goldman Sachs & Co, where he had a senior management role in the firm’s fixed income, currencies, and commodities businesses. Richard is the Co-Chairman of the Board of New York City Center, and a member of the Board of the Harlem Children’s Zone. He also chairs the Board of Advisors of the Ragon Institute, a health research partnership between the Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard University and MIT. Mr. Witten was graduated from Columbia College in the City of New York in 1975, and from Harvard Law School in 1978 (both cum laude).

Joshua Kriger, class of 2018, is the founder and CEO of Picket Pharmaceuticals, a privately held company that, “uses modern data tools to identify undervalued essential medicines at risk for shortage. Then, using a network of industry partners and contacts, manufactures and commercializes these products before a shortage occurs.”

Picket Pharmaceuticals aims to augment the health and wellbeing of patients by expanding medication selection on the market, improving medication access, driving down prices, and refining medication formulation. Although private, the company centers its goals around a public health mission to create medicine that is accessible to “families, neighbors, and the country.” “We look at what matters to people when they have to engage the healthcare system,” Kriger noted, “to ensure access is there, price is stabilized, and quality is good. We consider this when looking at products that are at most risk to be undersupplied.”  

Previous studies reviewed over 1,800 medications that were approved over an 18-month period. Findings indicated that 39.1% of these had shortages in the last five years. “What’s even more surprising,” Kriger explained, “is that for every shortage that occurs, there are, on average, 3 approved licenses that could be but are not marketed. It’s quite a big issue that people don’t often hear about. At Picket, we look to reactivate these approved applications that are not being used. This allows us to act on our data signals more quickly and get products in the hands of hospitals and pharmacies faster than traditional pathways.”  

Prior to the creation of Picket Pharmaceuticals, Kriger attended Hampshire College where he received his B.A. in Entrepreneurship and Statistics.  Before completing his degree, he began his own mobile software company, and later worked as the head of U.S. operations for a Bangalore, India-based mobile software development company. After working as a partner there for two years, he completed his undergraduate degree and went on to complete his graduate degree. “I saw that data was starting to be used more, as this was around 2008, and this eventually led me to the department of biostatistics at Mailman.”  

“At the School of Public Health,” Kriger recalled, “I was fortunate to use the experience I had with those early companies to be a successful clinical trials statistician.” During this time, he worked as the lead clinical trial statistician on three phase II trials at CUMC and designed a continual reassessment dose finding trial at Baylor University through NAMDC. Through a contract with Novartis, Kriger became a program manager as a student of the biostatistics department. “I was later asked to work with ICAP on the largest biomarker assessment conducted by the CDC,” he stated. Following this, he joined the HPM department and completed his executive MHA degree. “During this time, I did expert statistical consulting, including for state attorney generals and insurance companies. All these experiences culminated and led me to the formation of Picket.”  

As CEO of Picket Pharmaceuticals, Kriger works to pull together expertise across the different areas of healthcare and therapeutics. His days consist of a wide array of tasks to achieve this, including administration, navigating regulatory requirements, coordinating with developing partners and manufacturers, and working to bring abbreviated new drug applications to market. The company’s teams utilize a robust data platform to improve product selection and enhance understanding of drug supply and risk of undersupply. They also develop new sets of mathematics and statistical procedures to better understand the generic markets. Currently, their teams are working on running R&D with machine learning A.I. models to predict shortages. “My days tend to be 10-12 hours, 5-6 days a week. The mental jump off point was when I realized that if I was going to do this, I wanted to do it right. Once you accept that, there’s always something to do. I consider it a marathon, not a sprint.”  

During the creation of this start-up, Kriger was no stranger to challenges. Entering the start-up space in pharmaceuticals and healthcare was a daunting task. The company decided to focus on a value proposition of utilizing available data resources, to ascertain risk of a shortage combined with the clinical durability of different drugs. “We had to have statistical inference and good evidence to prove this… and it sometimes felt like going into the unknown. When we started, we would ask ourselves, was it even possible to predict shortages?” The Picket team proved that yes, it is.  

However, when doubts arose, he attributed much of his perseverance to his professional family, both at Picket Pharmaceuticals and Mailman SPH. He found a professional support system amongst colleagues. “I was reassured by other folks on the front lines that my work was meaningful,” he said. “Doing something that’s meaningful and really trying to engage the world always requires a good fight. It comes down to how much you want it and what you’re willing to do and stand up for. That’s a question I have to ask myself every day.”  

Linda Nedell is a practicing physician assistant (PA) and the founder of SAYge Link, a digital peer-support platform that equips individuals to tackle real-life issues collectively. "SAYge Link enables women with shared experiences to connect and support one another through a private and convenient digital platform.”  

Prior to creating this online tool, Nedell noticed a lack of communication between healthcare providers that often resulted in the decline of care quality. To address this, she decided to attend the Mailman School of Public Health. By attaining a Master of Healthcare Administration degree at Columbia, she "hoped to explore healthcare from a system level and make a bigger impact as a clinician through leadership.” However, halfway through the program, Nedell decided to take a course that would unexpectedly shift her career trajectory and lead to the formation of SAYge Link.   

Led by Professor Asha Saxena, the Healthcare Entrepreneurship course prompted Nedell to critically consider her passions and how to effectively apply them to the field of health. "On the first day of class,” she explained, “[Professor Saxena] asked, 'Has anyone ever had a business idea? If you have, raise your hand and share it with the class.” In response, Nedell explained her idea of digitally connecting women of different expertise to help one another navigate real-life issues.  

The idea had originally stemmed from a conversation with her cousin, who was able to successfully leave an unhealthy relationship with the guidance of an older woman who experienced a similar situation. "It truly inspired and empowered her… I remember thinking, 'We have technology. Why can’t we enable these invaluable conversations to happen for women when they need them?”  

With the help of Professor Saxena, Nedell turned her idea into a class project. She practiced pitching it to investors, and upon completion of the course was prompted by Saxena to bring the project to fruition. "It was the first time I thought about really going for it. Being just a healthcare [provider], I didn’t have the wherewithal until [coming to Mailman]. It really gave me the wings and resources to turn this idea into a platform.”  

Throughout product development, Nedell was able to create a technical network to refine her product, coordinate with designers, and work with leaders in technology like Saxena – and continues to do so. She has since witnessed clients cope with isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, personal issues, and traverse career prospects using her product. With its unique ability to foster such conversations between women, SAYge Link now has members between seven different countries and continues to grow.  

While she implements what she learned at Columbia as a clinician in system quality initiatives, Nedell’s passion for SAYge Link is simultaneously a daily focus of hers. Although she once believed her interests only lay in healthcare improvement, she found herself realizing her "heart’s passion for the wellbeing of people, of women.” “SAYge Link,” she added, "is congruent to but definitely different from what I originally expected for my life. It truly is a lesson in following your heart and following what may not be the exact path you intended.” 

Dana Le is a Forbes 30 Under 30 recipient and the accelerator lead at KidsX, an international consortium that aims to streamline innovation in the pediatric field. "I always love being able to provide value and opportunities for others,” Le stated. "Here, I was able to build a path and an outlet for entrepreneurs to hospitals."

The pediatric field is broad in scope, consisting of different age groups, demographics, and specialized medical issues – as such, there are rarely 'one-size-fits-all' solutions for its hurdles. Consequently, many digital health founders can be deterred from entering the field and pediatric hospitals may find it difficult to innovate relative to generalized adult hospitals. Recognizing this gap, Le worked with her colleagues to help develop KidsX and address such issues. "We want to make it easier for those going into this already challenging field," she noted. "We want to provide them with the resources needed to scale their solutions to enterprises and hospitals around the world."

Prior to attending Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health, Le was no stranger to bridging the gap between innovation and healthcare. She had previously co-founded a health leadership apprentice program geared towards community members in Austin, Texas, who sought to launch their own initiatives for city’s healthcare. Here, she connected program members with mentors to flesh out their initiatives among other projects. "This was very rewarding," she added, "because I was able to see ideas from scratch then come to life. What I did here really supported me in what I am doing now. The feeling of making an impact and supporting people’s dreams was what I wanted to continue to do."

Seeking greater expertise on the intersection of health and innovation, Le went on to complete her Master’s in Health Administration at the Mailman School of Public Health. Upon graduation, she began to work as a healthcare consultant in managed care. "Although I learned invaluable skills as a consultant… I knew I wanted to work at an incubator/accelerator to impact patients and healthcare entrepreneurs." Realizing she wanted to continue her entrepreneurial work, Le decided to reorient and search for new opportunities. Following a cold-call via Linkedin, she was connected to colleagues at KidsX who aligned with her mission and offered her a position in the program’s development. "I realized this was the perfect role – on my first day we hit the ground running! We fleshed out what the program would look like, how it would function, and how to work with early-stage start-ups."

"Now," Le added, "the KidsX program is the largest pediatric digital health accelerator in the world. We have a collaborative of 30+ hospitals that have agreed to pilot at least one company from our cohort." At the program, Le currently runs operations, supports daily functions, designs curriculum and programming, and helps provide support and mentorship to founders accepted into the program. "It has been such a fun journey, being able to support and develop this program, and build entrepreneurial ecosystems geared towards pediatrics."

Outside of her entrepreneurial work, Le continues to seek out opportunities to consistently grow herself. In order to maintain a balanced life, she spends time outside of work as a boxing coach and professional model. "These open up my creative side and support my physical and mental health," she emphasized. "The activities I do motivate me to get up every morning… With a balanced life, you look forward more to the work that you do. It gives you more perspective and color to life and has helped a lot with my own work."

When asked about her advice to students now navigating public health careers, Le emphasized the importance of self-reflection and active opportunity engagement. "Be honest with yourself," she stated, "and if there’s an opportunity that isn’t there, build it yourself. Don’t wait around and think the perfect opportunity will come to you. Everyone can take control of their own life. If there’s something you’re passionate about, use the resources around you to build new opportunities and invest in yourself."

Lauren Driscoll is the founder and CEO of NourishedRx, a food-as-medicine platform designed to provide personalized food solutions for vulnerable individuals, specifically those with diet sensitive chronic health conditions and at risk of nutritional insecurity. "Along with personalized meals and food sourced from our marketplace, [NourishedRx] provides education and encouragement to individuals to create lasting behavior change."  

Today, the team at NourishedRx consists of 30 people who interface directly with members. By collecting information on individuals, such as preferences, functional status, diet attitudes, and clinical needs, they craft personalized food solutions. The company utilizes a marketplace where it partners with several local and national healthy food partners to provide ready-to-eat meals, meal kits, and grocery/produce bundles. "Together our wellness associates and clinicians directly work with individuals to coordinate personalized food plans and provide educational materials, delivery access, and address any issues that arise," said Driscoll.  

Prior to the creation of NourishedRx, Driscoll had always been interested in healthcare. "In college, I pivoted from the pursuit of a clinical career to a more system and public health focused career," she stated. "I ended up becoming fascinated with the international arena… I shifted my focus to history, politics, and how it shaped culture, and eventually zeroed in on healthcare." Throughout her life, she maintained a focus on healthcare and vulnerable populations. Following public health schooling, she supported the Clinton administration’s healthcare reform taskforce as policy staff, supporting the long-term care work group. "We focused on dual-eligibles, people who were on Medicare and Medicaid. As such, I developed a real passion for vulnerable populations, and in particular, older adults. "By the time she left this position, Driscoll then finished her master’s degree at Columbia and went on to work for Oxford Health Plans, where she ran their Medicare business. "It was a very entrepreneurial environment," she added.  

It was here that the social determinants of health became extremely apparent. Realizing this, Driscoll began a program that screened members for non-medical needs. "This time, the late 90s," she noted, "was before the private sector of health care really recognized the importance of the social determinants of health. By screening the members, I was able to apply a public health mindset to managed care." Her work continuously exposed her to the hurdles faced by vulnerable populations, among which included resource inequity, travel limitations, and food insecurity. Outside of work, she then experienced a self-taught importance of food for health and wellbeing while navigating her child’s extreme diet sensitivity. 

"I quickly came to the belief that, among the different social determinants of health, although all critical, food and nutrition ranked highest," Driscoll stated. In 2018, the passing of the 2018 Balanced Budget Act would finally provide a formal mechanism by which Medicare Advantage plans could pay for solutions to non-medical needs. "I realized I was now able to productize interventions and make it easy for government sponsored health plans to offer aid to members who needed it the most." When Rebecca Sale, Senior Director of Education in HPM, then reached out to share that Mailman was supporting alumni in the Start-Up Lab, Driscoll decided to actualize her mission. "I was so passionate about the opportunity that I couldn’t not jump in and take the plunge."  

Together, they discussed productizing interventions that addressed the social and structural deficits in health. "I saw food as more actionable and impactful," she stated. "There are many food solutions out there, but they tend to be single stream… There were not many personalized solutions that were correct for an individual’s life. "With this mission in mind, Driscoll began her company, Project Well, later renamed NourishedRx. Adopting a lean-launch approach, she learned to overcome the challenges of beginning a new company by networking with similarly mission driven people. "I had to roll up my sleeves and be face-to-face with customers to understand exactly what was needed before building and investing," she added.  

"I never set out to be an entrepreneur," Driscoll clarified. "But my mission drives me to get up every day. I see such an opportunity with value-based care [because] there’s so many people that need help." She advises students now traversing public health to take time for self-reflection and understand their individual missions. "If you’re personally grounded in a mission, it will just put such wind in your sails and pull you through hard work in challenging times. And don’t forget to find such like-minded people to join you on the journey!"