In this recurring article, we track the career moves of the Health Evolution community. For this version of the column, we’re looking at who’s been on the move in May and June. If you recently made a career change, let us know here.
Government
Alex Azar, former HHS Secretary under President Trump, has found a new home at Aspen Institute’s Health Strategy Group. Led by AHSG co-chairs, former HHS secretary and former governor, Kathleen Sebelius and former US Senate majority leader, Bill Frist, the group of 20 senior leaders provides recommendations on important and complex health issues to promote improvements in policy and practice. Azar joins six other former U.S. Secretaries of Health and Human Services as ex officio members of AHSG.
Former FDA Principal Deputy Commissioner Amy Abernethy, MD, PhD joined Verily as President of Verily’s Clinical Research Platforms.
Read more: Clinical research 2.0: An interview with Verily Life Sciences’ Amy Abernethy
Speaking of those who recently worked at the FDA, former Commissioner Stephen Hahn, MD will join Flagship Pioneering, the venture firm behind Moderna, as its CMO. 6/14
From the Biden administration side, the Senate confirmed Chiquita Brooks-Lasure as the new CMS administrator. 5/25
Read more: Chiquita Brooks-LaSure: 5 things to know about Biden’s CMS pick
Andy Slavitt’s brief time in the White House in a temporary position helping coordinate COVID-19 response and operations came to an end. 6/9
Babylon hired former Obama White House official Darshak Sanghavi, MD as its new CMO. 5/25
Tech/Other
Intelligent Medical Objects named Dale Sanders as its new Chief Strategy Officer. He was previously at Health Catalyst. 5/6
Perryn Ashmore is retiring from his post as HHS’ chief information officer. 5/10
Tanya Tolpegin was named CEO of the American Medical Informatics Association. 5/10
Biofourmis, a Boston-based virtual care and digital therapeutics company, named Maulik Majmudar, MD, as its CMO. 5/10
Jennifer Schneider, MD, former President of Livongo, was named to the CareCentrix Strategic Advisory Board. 5/11
The Institute for Healthcare Improvement named four people to its board 5/17:
- Tosan Boyo, Senior Vice President, Hospital Operations, John Muir Health
- Rebekah Gee, MD, CEO of Health Care Services, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center (LSUHSC)
- Yvonne Coghill, Special Advisor to the NHS Race and Health Observatory
- Kara Odom Walker, MD, Executive Vice President, Chief Population Health Officer, Nemours Children’s Health System
Read more: Tosan Boyo op-ed: Trauma – The tyrannical time traveler
Virta Health, a diabetes digital therapeutics company, announced additions to its executive team, including the appointment of Cybele Bjorklund as Senior Vice President of Policy and Government Affairs. Accompanying Bjorklund’s hire are the promotions of Divya Bhat to Chief Product Officer and Amit Shah to Chief Clinical Operations Officer. 6/9
Rodrigo Martinez, MD was named the CMO at PerfectServe, a cloud-based clinical communication company. 6/9
The University of Virginia named physician-leader Melina R. Kibbe, MD as the 17th dean of the School of Medicine and chief health affairs officer for UVA Health. 6/9
Health systems
Ken Levitan went from interim CEO of Einstein Healthcare in Philadelphia to permanent CEO. The health system is merging with Jefferson Health. Levitan will lead Einstein through completion of the merger. 4/30
Also going from interim to permanent CEO was Michael A. Mayo, who was tapped for the role in Baptist Health in Northeast Florida. 6/1
Trinity Health named Daniel P. Isacksen, Jr. as the new executive vice president and CFO. 5/14
The Christ Hospital Health Network announced Deborah Hayes has been appointed President and CEO. 5/17
Susan Sandberg, RN is leaving her role as CEO of MelroseWakefield Healthcare, the Medford, Mass.-based health system after three years in the position. 5/18
Mayo Clinic named Vish Anantraman as its new CTO. He was previously at Northwell as its chief technology innovation officer. 5/11 Also at Mayo Clinic, Prathibha Varkey has been named president of Mayo Clinic Health System, effective August 16, 2021. 5/19
Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare named Octavia Stafford, PharmD, president of Methodist South Hospital. 5/22
Adair County Health System, an affiliate of MercyOne, named Catherine Hillestad as its CEO. 5/24
Allina Health announced Lawrence Cho has joined the organization’s executive leadership team as the Senior Vice President, Chief Strategy & Growth Officer. 5/24
UnityPoint Health announces the appointment of Lorenzo Suter as the new regional president and chief executive officer for UnityPoint Health – Sioux City and senior vice president for UnityPoint Health. 5/26
Cleveland Clinic has named D. Geoffrey Vince, PhD, as Executive Director of Cleveland Clinic Innovations, the commercialization arm of the health system. “Dr. Vince’s appointment to the helm of Cleveland Clinic Innovations is a key part of our new global strategy for research and innovations,” said Serpil Erzurum, MD, Cleveland Clinic’s Chief Research and Academic Officer. 5/26
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center announced Jay M. Anderson as its next chief operating officer. 6/7
Monica C. Vargas-Mahar was named CEO of Carondelet Health Network based in Tucson, Arizona. 6/7
New Jersey-based health system Inspira Health appointed Warren E. Moore to Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer. 6/9
Health plans
The combined organization of Tufts Health Plan and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care announced that its board of directors has appointed Cain Hayes as the organization’s next CEO. 5/20
Centene named Drew Asher as its executive vice president and CFO, replacing Jeffrey Schwaneke. 5/14
Former Aetna executive Shawn Guertin was named the CFO of CVS Health. 5/28
Marti Lolli has been selected as the new president and CEO of Intermountain Healthcare’s SelectHealth insurance plan. 6/2
UnitedHealthcare named Joy Fitzgerald as its Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer. 6/8
Humana similarly hired for this role—tapping Carolyn Tandy to the position of Senior Vice President and Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer. 6/9
Life sciences
Centessa Pharmaceuticals announced that Antoine Yver, MD has been appointed as Chief Medical Officer. 5/10
Ichnos Sciences, a biotech company focused on treatments for oncology and autoimmune diseases, announced that Alessandro Riva, MD, will be leaving effective August 15, 2021. Cyril Konto, MD, was appointed interim CEO. 5/12
Esperion announced that Timothy Mayleben has stepped down from the role of President & CEO. In his place, the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based pharma company appointed Sheldon Koenig as its new chief. 5/17
Verseau Therapeutics appointed industry veteran John Edwards, most recently Executive Chair at Tilos Therapeutics, as its new CEO. 5/26
AstraZeneca named Aradhana Sarin as an Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer after the pharma company’s acquisition of Alexion Pharmaceuticals closes. She takes over for Marc Dunoyer, who will move to a chief strategy officer role at AstraZeneca and will serve as Alexion’s top executive. 6/4
Moderna hired Johnson & Johnson veteran Paul Burton, MD as its new CMO. 6/14
