Digital Health from a Global Lens
VENTURE CAPITAL | HEALTHCARE | CONSULTING
Innovation leader who solves complex business problems across operational lanes. I evaluate current trends and ideas and identify opportunities for innovation by understanding problems, needs, and ideas. I lead diverse groups of people in both matrixed and direct reporting structures. Manages large-scale enterprise transformations, with experience in bringing new products and services to market, and the ability to lead in entrepreneurial, fast-paced environments.
Health Plan Strategy Value Based Care Enterprise Operations
Clinically Integrated Networks Technology Enablement Social Determinants of Health
Go-To-Market Strategy Corporate Development Population Health
CORE STRENGTHS
- Mission-driven leader who uses technology to improve the lives of others.
- Engages with leaders in key areas of the business to forge relationships; understands challenges and strategic goals.
- Presents innovative solutions to executive leadership and leads global teams to align with corporate strategies, position the company for market success, and be ambitious about cultural innovation.
EXPERIENCE
Tsahia & Company LLC | Founder
October 2020 - Present
Tsahia & Company, LLC provides strategic advisory services in value-based care to maximize reimbursement for early-stage digital health startups, small businesses, local and federal governments.
Blue Shield of California | Principal
2018 - October 2020 | San Francisco, CA
Created strategic plans for the management and execution of complex value-based models across various clinical specialties, including the identification of vendors to enhance programs and innovate across the enterprise.● Designed an innovative and disruptive 5-year state-wide plan for Blue Shield to counter the dialysis monopoly, impacting 12K people. Worked cross-functionally to provide recommendations and secure, NDA’s, BAA’s and business term sheet. Partnered with actuarial services to create 5-year financial model.
● Managed IT design and implementation process for new kidney care program. Led meetings with IT teams: data governance, security, enterprise architecture to plan the groundwork for implementing data sharing, remote-patient monitoring and new website integrations.
● Oversaw innovation pilot programs in Sacramento and Monterey that invested in more initial patient care services including robust patient data and care coordination and implemented a new payment model for select physician groups. Led contracting and implementation support.
● Created a framework to compare Blue Shield “payment models,” to compare product offerings across several clinical specialties, the most recent of which was an oncology program between Hill Physicians and Blue Shield.
Columbia University Medical Center | Senior Division Manager functioning as Division Director
2017 - 2018 | New York, NY
Directly managed a cross-functional team of 12 and numerous indirect reports via a project-based reporting structure. Worked cross-functionally with business units, including Finance, Patient Services, Research, HR, Compliance, Legal, IT, and Development, to guide innovation and mission alignment.
● Created and produced monthly revenue reports for a complex $9M budget, KPI analysis, and presentations to rheumatologists and senior executives. Held quarterly and ad hoc meetings with clinicians to review profit and loss statements. Designed and implemented policies, protocols, efficient program outcomes, and increased revenue collection by 20%.
● Structured business rules for shared resource financing, including staffing, salary support, and overhead expenses. Implemented a performance management process that included development plans, mid-year reviews, talent planning, annual performance reviews and increased productivity by 10%.
Division Manager functioning as Division Director
2012 - 2017
Managed the Office of Behavioral Medicine with one direct report, 15 research assistants, and 10 physicians and researchers. Worked closely with administration, faculty, and division chief to implement higher charge rates, patient volume, and diligent collections management.
● Led a team of 10 to implement a “pay card” program for the university’s controller office to replace cash payments with debit cards, which resulted in a 50% reduced turnaround time, improved user experience, and university-wide implementation.
● Managed 50+ grants and contracts for division including grantors: NIH, DoD, venture firms, Johnson & Johnson, private foundations and angel investors.
● Streamlined workflows and implemented matrix reporting for research assistants, which led to better results for researchers and administrators. Additionally, helped improve financial transparency, which led to increased recruitment and secured a $3M recruitment package for faculty.
● Managed the annual budget $11M and ensured granting agencies and donor requirements and all filings were completed accurately. Served as lead grants manager — including submitting and editing quarterly, annual, and ad hoc reporting, created budgets from $100K to $20 million.
Contracts Manager
2011-2012
Launched a centralized operations division to support research activities and build strong partnerships. Worked under high-pressure deadlines for several divisions to manage the lifecycle of grants and contracts.
● Managed 100+ pages of grants and ensured accuracy and compliance, which included developing budgets with cross-functional departments and budget reconciliation. Worked with subcontractors to submit progress reports to granting agencies such as National Institute of Health and Department of Defense.
Project Management
2007-2011
Worked cross-functionally with clinicians, senior leaders, and other stakeholders of multiple hospitals to implement state-of-the-art equipment for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) that helped streamline patient data collection. Developed a $100K budget and maintained a balanced budget.
EDUCATION
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: Master of Health Administration (MHA), Health Policy & Management
CITY COLLEGE OF NEW YORK: Bachelor of Arts (BA), Economics
SWEDISH HEALTHCARE ACADEMY: Study in Sweden and Estonia | 2017
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY MAILMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: Tour in Cuba | 2017
VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY’S MAILMAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: Special Events & Mentoring Committee Member: Plans events and provide mentoring to students | 2016 – Present
OPTICSURG: Adviser: Managed tech start-up that transforms surgery with augmented reality and connected partnerships, programs, and investors | 2016 – Present
HERITAGE HEALTH AND HOUSING: Board of Directors | 2017
Provided executive leadership to a federally qualified health center in Harlem, NY.
EDUCATION & PANELS
2021 VC University Online Certificate Course
Created in 2019 by Startup@BerkeleyLaw, NVCA, and Venture Forward, VC University ONLINE is the definitive online certificate course in venture finance. Through video lectures, office hours, interviews with leading venture capitalists, and interactive assessments, VC University ONLINE participants learn the nuts and bolts of venture finance.
2020 Embarc Collective | 37 Angels
Inaugural Cohort
Embarc Collective is an education nonprofit that helps Tampa Bay's startup talent build bold, scalable, thriving companies.The model behind Embarc Collective's offering is hands-on support and driven by the specific goals and needs of each member startup. Member companies receive customized, on-going coaching from their assigned Executive Advisor, an experienced startup operator serving on the Embarc Collective team, and function-specific support from Embarc Collective's on-staff specialists. Member companies are also invited to tailored, hands-on small-group sessions to help propel their company's growth. All of this support is provided inside Embarc Collective's 32,000 square-foot physical space located in downtown Tampa.
2020 Black Venture Institute
Inaugural Cohort
Access, insight, and community for Black operators looking to become angel and venture investors.
2020 Smart Investing in Digital Health
Columbia Business School
A new digital health series offering four programs that provide executives in the healthcare and life science industries with immediate, actionable insights in light of the current pandemic and its economic aftermath.
2020 Hacking Dermatology | Hackathon Mentor
http://www.hackingdermatology.org/
Hacking Dermatology for skin equity now. Hacking Dermatology aims to shine a spotlight on skin health and to address the most pressing challenges for patients living with dermatologic conditions. The year-long initiative provides innovators with a framework to enable the formation of multi-disciplinary teams that are able to clearly identify a need in the field and to actualize their ideas. By engaging like-minded individuals in collaborative partnerships Hacking Dermatology seeks to generate and accelerate innovative technologies and products in dermatology.
2020 Minority Innovation Weekend | Podcast Guest & Conference Speaker
https://www.minorityinnovationweekend.org/
Minority Innovation Weekend is a weekend summit dedicated to aiding innovators of color launch tech-focused startups, exploring emerging technologies, and showcasing tech startups that have a founder or co-founder of color.
2020 Columbia University Venture Competition | Judge
This challenge is all about customer development and demonstrating product-market fit. Cash grants will be awarded to those teams that best prepare and present compelling and empirical evidence of market acceptance for their value propositions. For second-round submissions and final presentations, documented proof of business model viability must be provided. This proof may come in the form of qualitative and quantitative market surveys, customer development interview summaries, or current customer, revenue, or unit shipment counts.
October 2018 Becker's Annual CIO Conference | Panelist
"Women's Leadership & Diversity in Health and Health IT"
One of the largest attended panels of the conference. Shared my story about authenticity, fear and taking risk. Only presenter with a Silicon Valley lens and interest in the digital health tech industry.
February 2017 Mid-Career Alumni Networking Event | Panelist
How Physicians Can Add Value to the Digital Health Industry
Hosted table discussions with Columbia University physician alumni and introduced them to industry leaders, startups and other emerging companies in the health tech space. Physicians were interested in changing careers and inquiring how they could contribute to this booming and innovative industry.
March 2017 - May 2017 EMERITUS Institute of Management and MIT Sloan Executive Education
Innovation of Products and Services: MIT’s Approach to Design Thinking offered in collaboration with MIT Sloan Executive Education
Winning companies, such as Apple, Virgin, Toyota and others, innovate continuously because of their culture of design thinking – integrating the needs of people, the possibilities of technology and the requirements for business success.
February 11, 2017 United Way of New York City
Board Serve NYC Candidate Training
Training the board member candidates in nonprofit governance and actively preparing nonprofits to recruit, engage, and utilize new board members are integral components of BoardServeNYC.
November 2016 - May 2017 Coursera.org and PwC
Data Analysis and Presentation Skills: the PwC Approach
Make Smarter Business Decisions With Data Analysis. Understand data, apply data analytics tools and create effective business intelligence presentations. This specialization will include a project at the end of each of the 4 modules and a capstone project at the end of the specialization.