Wednesday, March 12th ǀ 10:00am - 12:00pm
Building the Future of Healthcare:
Interconnected Systems, Value-Based Care and AI
Think Tank Hosted in Partnership With:
Thank you for participating in the RISE National Think Tank, hosted in partnership with Inovalon. We are proud to host thought leaders and industry experts for lively discussion and idea exchange on current challenges and practical innovations to advance health care delivery capabilities and for optimal efficiency. Continue reading to learn more about who you will be interacting with during this valuable, invitation-only session.
Discussion Facilitator
Haren Vani
Senior Director, Product Management
Inovalon
Haren Vani serves as the Director of Product Management, where he is responsible for the Inovalon Healthcare Data Lake as well as the Converged Data Insights (previously INDICES) products. In his current role, Haren along with his team of product owners holds responsibility for analyzing healthcare business intelligence and data platform market trends, uncovering and addressing market needs/pain-points, developing product strategy and roadmap for his products, as well as commercialization of these products. Before this current role, Haren led the research, product definition and creation of Inovalon’s Value-Based Provider Portal solution considering the needs of both providers and health plans. In the past, he has also led the team in creating standardized content for all payer reporting within Data Insights, has worked on creating and maintaining supplemental data from Inovalon’s provider and patient facing interventions, and on measuring the impact of these interventions on key performance measures. He has supported primary source verification with health plan auditors for data generated by Inovalon interventions in prior roles. Haren joined Inovalon in 2012.
Discussion Facilitator
Jamie Huggins
Director, Product Management
Inovalon
Jamie Huggins has product management responsibilities for provider reporting within Inovalon’s Converged Provider Enablement and Converged Patient Assessment solutions. In this role, Jamie and her team are responsible for analyzing value-based care market dynamics and trends, discovering market needs, and developing product strategy and innovation.
Before her current role, Jamie led product launch and enablement for Inovalon’s Converged Data Insights and value-based provider portal solutions, where she gained extensive expertise in driving successful product planning, product launches, customer enablement, and release communications. Jamie joined Inovalon in December 2017.
Prior to joining Inovalon, 2011-2017, Jamie honed her skills in data visualization and reporting across various roles, including data integration, data analysis, business process analysis, and visualization design at healthcare and technology companies including Block Vision and Quality Technology, Inc.
Jamie received her degree in Business Administration from University of Maryland University College, now known as University of Maryland Global Campus.
Paula Daniliuc Sullivan
Chief Population Health Officer
Oak Street Health
Paula Daniliuc Sullivan is Chief Population Health Officer at Oak Street Health, a network of 239 value-based primary care centers for older adults on Medicare. Paula leads the care model strategy supporting a growing number of almost 1000 providers across the organization. Her team is focused on improving screening, diagnosis, and management of the 250k+ patients to achieve exceptional patient care outcomes.
Prior to her role at Oak Street, Paula worked as a consultant at Oliver Wyman.
Paula graduated from Harvard College in 2012 with an AB in Neurobiology and Global Health Studies. She continues to be very involved with the Harvard Club of Chicago, serving as Vice President and organizing events to bring Harvard and Ivy+ alumni community together.
As a first generation student and alumna of Chicago Scholars, Paula is excited to continue to mentor academically ambitious students and equip the next generation of leaders who will transform Chicago.
Paula is committed to addressing the crying needs in our communities and driving a culture of belonging and connection.
Sarah Paine
Staff VP, Risk Adjustment Programs
Elevance Health
Accomplished healthcare executive with over 11 years of comprehensive experience in risk adjustment. Expertise in leading diverse and multilevel teams, creating and deploying data centric solutions to elevate program performance. Proven track record of successfully managing risk adjustment programs with a strong emphasis on compliance and profitability.
Gabriel Medley
Vice President, Risk Adjustment
BCBS - MI
Gabriel 'Gabe' Medley, MHA, MBA, serves as Vice President of Risk Adjustment, Quality and Analytics at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, overseeing population health teams. With 24+ years in healthcare leadership, his previous roles include VP of Provider Network and Population Health, managing value-based contracts across New York and Connecticut markets.
His extensive experience spans oversight of healthcare operations, business, military, and data analytics teams. Before his civilian healthcare career, Gabe served in the US Army, later transitioning to the Department of Defense as Senior Manager of Patient Access and Senior Analyst for Healthcare Data Analytics.
--
Dyba Syed
AVP Quality
Aetna
She brings over 15 years of expertise spearheading critical quality strategies focused on the implementation of quality programs and compliance initiatives for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.
In her role at Christus Health, Dr. Syed led initiatives focused on improving quality operations and minimizing care expenses through the utilization of HEDIS performance metrics, culminating in a 5-star rating from CMS. Furthermore, she realized a seven percent enhancement in CAHPS scores and provided leadership support to drive advancements in network management, care transitions and provider relations. These initiatives helped foster business growth, optimize cost efficiencies, and increase satisfaction among both providers and members.
Dr. Syed has also worked with Blue Shield California and Kaiser Permanente South California to drive optimization around the cost of health care, including strategic and programmatic approaches to improve healthcare affordability and deliver higher quality care at lower cost.
Dr. Syed received her undergraduate degree with honors from the University of Toronto and her Doctor of Chiropractic Medicine from Southern California University of Health Sciences. She cherishes the time spent with her three children, has a passion for international travel, and is a devoted fan of the LA Clippers and the Kings.
Jana Goldberg
Chief Medical Officer, Cardiologist
Heartbeat Health
Dr. Jana Goldberg is the Chief Medical Officer for Heartbeat Health, a virtual-first cardiology model. At Heartbeat, she has grown clinical programs in the value-based care, fee for service and direct to consumer space. She brings a wealth of experience in cardiovascular disease and innovation to scale the company nationally, building the highest standards of care, and contributing to the literature, particularly the impact of virtual-first cardiology on clinical outcomes. She has been named one of the Top 25 Women Leaders in Consumer Health Tech (2021), Digital MD awardee (2024), and American Heart Association Women of Impact Nominee (2025).
Prior to joining Heartbeat, she served as Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the Director of the Cardiac Care Unit at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center. Dr. Goldberg is a board-certified cardiologist and Fellow of the American College of Cardiology. She also serves on the American College of Cardiology Partners in Quality Committee where she works with other faculty members to support development and implementation of strategies to enhance quality of care in the cardiology field nationally.
Dan Helder
Sr. Director Risk Adjustment
HealthPartners
Dan Helder is a seasoned healthcare professional with extensive experience spanning the vendor, provider, and payor sectors. With a strong foundation as an allied healthcare professional, he has built a dynamic career in healthcare operations, clinical software development, informatics, and risk adjustment. Dan is passionate about driving strategies that enhance care quality and ensure complete and accurate diagnosis capture in his current role as Senior Director of Risk Adjustment at HealthPartners.
Leon Lead
AVP, Medicare Stars & Quality Improvement
Molina Healthcare
Leon Lead is an enthusiastic, lifelong learner who takes great pride in helping others improve their quality of life. Leon is motivated to improve Member Experience with a specific focus on access to care given the two most important people in his life have been impacted by access to care challenges. Leon and his team of incredibly talented employees are responsible for all member facing initiatives for Stars and FEP which includes CAHPS, HOS and HEDIS initiatives.
Leon has a wide-ranging resume which includes years of service in both public and private sectors. Leon has served as a people helper over the last 20 years in the fields of healthcare, behavioral health, juvenile justice, child welfare and education.
Leon is the proud adoptive father of two sons, Jason (30) and Caspian (18) who continue to teach him that past trauma do not predict future accomplishments and inspire him to be the best version of himself every day.
John Wise
NP, Clinical Director - Specialty Programs, Interventional Programs
Harmonycares
John Wise FNP-C is the Clinical Director of Specialty Programs at HarmonyCares, previously known as US Medical Management (USMM). John worked for HarmonyCares in both the primary care side as well as the prospective risk adjustment side of the business before joining the HarmonyCares leadership team in 2020. He has been responsible for growing, equipping, and managing a NP/PA network for the Complete Health Assessment program. HarmonyCares conducts the Complete Health Assessment program in 16 states serving Medicaid, Medicare, Dual and Marketplace populations.
Prior to joining HarmonyCares, John spent 20+ years providing in-home care, both as a registered nurse and later a nurse practitioner. He also has experience as a Director of Nurses, ACO Emergency Room Director, and Family Medicine Provider.
John has utilized his experience providing direct care to members to optimize the care we provide and enhance the patient experience.
Neetu Togani
Managing Director, Data & Analytics
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
Neetu serves as the Managing Director of Data and Analytics for the Medicare Advantage business at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. A results-driven leader, Neetu specializes in delivering scalable data solutions, driving innovation, simplifying complex problems, and driving productivity through automation. With extensive experience in integrating predictive models into real time systems and developing AI solutions for healthcare to unlock value for business across both top line and bottom line, Neetu ensures seamless incorporation of advanced technologies into business workflows. Passionate about empowering users, Neetu bridges technology and business to enable data-driven decision-making, foster high-performing teams, and deliver strategic value.
Josh Weisbrod
VP Risk Adjustment and Payment Integrity
Network Health
Mr. Weisbrod currently serves as the Vice President – Risk Adjustment and Payment Integrity at Network Health in Menasha, WI. Mr. Weisbrod brings over 25 years of health insurance, healthcare analytic and human service experience to Network Health. Mr. Weisbrod specializes in government programs, health plan operations, risk adjustment, payment integrity and data analytics. Prior to his work at Network Health, Mr. Weisbrod served as Director of Government Programs for a regional Wisconsin health plan serving the state’s Medicare, Medicaid and Marketplace participants. Mr. Weisbrod previously served as the Director of Operations for the Wisconsin Health Insurance Risk-Sharing Plan (HIRSP), the state’s high-risk insurance plan. HIRSP also administered the federal high-risk insurance plan in Wisconsin prior to the implementation of the Affordable Care act.
Mr. Weisbrod has taught part-time at the college level for over 11 years and has extensive experience training health insurance and human service professionals.
Josh lives in Neenah, WI with his wife and three teenage sons.
Terance Fowler, , CPA, CFA, MBA
Executive Director, Quality and Performance Management
Aetna Clinical Solutions
Terance Fowler is Executive Director of Healthcare Quality at Aetna/CVS Health. He has over 30 years of experience in healthcare consulting, finance, audit, quality and performance management, with multiple credentials, including MBA, CFA, CHCA, and CPA.
He leads the quality strategy and operations for Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans (SNPs), including Fully-Integrated Dual Eligible (FIDEs), and Medicare-Medicaid Plans (MMPs), ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and alignment with strategic goals. He also works on the national HEDIS/STARS cross-line of business team, creating and implementing initiatives to drive overall quality metrics and outcomes. He is passionate about improving the quality of care and health for the dual eligible population, as well as all healthcare populations. He has expertise in Medicare STARS, HEDIS, CAHPS and External Quality Review, and uses his analytical skills and data-driven approach to identify opportunities and solutions for quality improvement.
He also provides leadership on Medicare STARS improvement, member and provider initiatives, as an integral member of the HEDIS/STARS Brain Trust, a cross-line of business team focused on driving high quality for all members. He also has provided leadership to the Independent and Family Plan marketplace product.
For more than two decades, he was a healthcare consultant working with health organizations nationally. He started his career in healthcare and quality during the early 1990’s working for HCA. Since then, he consulted and audited for Divergent Health, Attest Health Care, IPRO (Island Peer Review Organization), HealthcareData.com, Emmaus Consulting, the Health Sciences Advisory Services practice at EY, and the Healthcare Consulting practice at PwC. Terance was one of the original Certified HEDIS Compliance Auditors when NCQA started HEDIS Compliance audits in 1997, performed Medicare Part C and D Validations starting in 2011 and has done External Quality Review and Compliance Audits. He has worked with Medicare, Medicaid, Commercial, Exchange, SNP and Dual Eligible programs.
As a healthcare consultant, he served over 40 national and statewide healthplans, including Aetna, Humana, Cigna, Anthem and Kaiser Permanente. He audited and consulted with multiple Blue Cross Blue Shield plans across the country including Arkansas, Western New York, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, South Carolina, Vermont and BlueCare Network. Other plans he served include: Allways, CareSource, Denver Health, Freedom, Vantage, NALCHBP, Cox, Kelsey-Seybold, Molina, Paramount, Passport, Simply Health, Independent Health Association, Lovelace Health Plan, Aultcare, Neighborhood Health Plan of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, Tufts, Prudential, Community Care of Oklahoma, First Medical, SummaCare and Universal American. He has audited all Medicaid plans in Puerto Rico and Kentucky.
Prior to that he has been an entrepreneur, consultant with PwC/EY, CFO for a national managed care organization and a financial analyst/accountant.
Veronica Villalobos, JD
VP DEI Strategy, Enterprise Equitable Health Institute
Highmark Health/ Allegheny Health Network
Veronica Villalobos, vice president of Highmark Health’s Enterprise Equitable Health Institute, joined the organization in 2020, having previously served as the principal deputy associate director at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. She also served as chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's Federal Hispanic Work Group.
Ms. Villalobos’s leadership transcends administration, fostering the next generation of medical professionals and empowering employees. She leads AHN’s Young Scholars program, a 5-year pathway for Pittsburgh public school students interested in medicine. This program offers rising 8th graders summer internships at Allegheny General Hospital, year-round support, and guidance throughout their academic journey, culminating in assistance with college and medical school applications.
Her commitment to employee development is evident in the flourishing Business Resources Groups (BRGs) program, which has grown to include more than 3,500 employees. Ms. Villalobos champions initiatives such as "Invest in You," which empowers women through support and leadership training, and "Mentorship Matters," a programming series that fosters meaningful connections and growth opportunities. Through her dedication to nurturing future medical professionals and empowering employees, Ms. Villalobos is shaping a brighter future for Highmark Health, AHN, and the communities we serve.
Before joining AHN, Ms. Villalobos served over a decade within the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), most recently as Principal Deputy Associate Director of Employee Services division. Before that, she led OPM’s government-wide diversity effort. She was also appointed one of the first Honor Program Attorneys for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), where she served as the Chair of the Federal Hispanic Work Group. She has spent decades opening doors for minoritized individuals by fighting institutional hiring biases, and by helping all voices to be heard and represented, first within the federal government and now in the health care industry.
Ms. Villalobos was born and raised in El Paso, Texas. She graduated from Saint Mary's College in South Bend, Indiana, in 1996 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Psychology. She subsequently earned her law degree from American University's Washington College of Law in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Margaret Larkins-Pettigrew
Senior Vice President and Enterprise Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, Enterprise Equitable
Health Institute for Highmark Health / Allegheny Health Network
Margaret Larkins-Pettigrew, MD, MEd, MPPM, FACOG, is a Senior Vice President and the Chief Clinical Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer for Allegheny Health Network. She is also a professor and academic chair of Obstetrics & Gynecology at the Drexel University College of Medicine, which has a clinical campus affiliation with AHN.
As Chief Clinical DEI Officer, Dr. Larkins-Pettigrew’s role is to advance diversity and inclusion among the clinical and caregiving staff at AHN, and to advocate for equitable health outcomes among all patient populations by developing programs that target disparities in medical care. An internationally respected expert in cultural humility within the health care field, Dr. Larkins-Pettigrew has spent her career engaging marginalized communities and building programs that focus on promoting outcomes equity for vulnerable patients and mitigating socio-political barriers to care. She has a special interest in educating and empowering women, especially those pursuing careers in medicine.
Although Dr. Larkins-Pettigrew cares for all women in her general OB/GYN practice, she also focuses on providing care to women living in low- to middle-resource communities, with a clinical focus in the care of women living with HIV.
A native Pittsburgher, Dr. Larkins-Pettigrew returned to Pittsburgh in 2020 from Cleveland, Ohio where she led the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs for University Hospitals of Cleveland. There, she served as Chair & Director of the Center for Clinical Excellence and Diversity at University Hospitals as well as Dean of Students for Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Larkins-Pettigrew is the founder and current CEO and President of JUSTWONDOOR (Women and Newborns, Diversity, Outreach, Opportunity and Research), a program that aims to educate global medical providers through local and international health care collaborations.
Prior to receiving her medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh, she practiced as a critical care nurse, receiving her baccalaureate degree in nursing from the University of Pittsburgh, a master’s degree in education from California State University Los Angeles, an Adult Nurse Practitioner certification from California State University, Long Beach, and a master’s degree in public policy and management (International Affairs) from the University of Pittsburgh. She is also a veteran of the United States Navy, where she cared for active-duty members, veterans and their families.
Dr. Larkins-Pettigrew lectures frequently, regionally and internationally, on health issues relating to the wellness of women and strategies that advance diversity, equity and inclusion in healthcare. She is also the author of “The Colors of My Heart: Embracing My Blackness with History, Family, Fear and Faith,” a recently published autobiography.
BK Kajopaiye, MHSA, CRC, CSCS
Risk Adjustment Manager | Quality STARS and Risk Adjustment | Health Services
CareFirst Blue Cross BlueShield
Biodun Kajopaiye better known as BK is a health care and fitness enthusiast, with over 20 years of experience as both a health care professional and a fitness and lifestyle coach. Born in Nigeria but raised in the Bay Area of Northern California BK has been guided by the wisdom of his father who always reminded him, "you make a living by what you receive, you make a life by what you give." These words have inspired BK to focus his education, and professional experiences to expose him to environments where he could nurture his love for health, fitness, medicine, care delivery so that he can contribute to the lives of others. BK received his undergraduate degree from Tufts University as a double major in Sociology and Community Health, received his master’s degree in health service administration from George Washington University. BK is a certified risk adjustment coder and has worked in various health professional spaces including Children's national medical center, Inova Health Systems, George Washington Medical faculty Associates, and Evolent Health. Currently BK is a Program Manager at CF Blue Cross Blue shield where he is the lead manager for Risk Adjustment on the Quality, STARS, and Risk Adjustment team.
Joanna Ramirez, MD. FAAP, FACP
Medical Director Population Health/ Accountable Care Organization
Tampa General Medical Group
Dr. Joanna Ramirez is a board-certified internist and pediatrician with expertise in population health, value-based care, and healthcare operations. As Medical Director of Population Health & ACO at Tampa General Medical Group, she leads strategic initiatives to enhance care quality, optimize HCC coding education, and improve efficiency in risk-based models. She collaborates with hospitals to implement readmission reduction strategies, aligning clinical and financial goals to improve patient outcomes. With a strong background in optimizing care delivery through collaborative, multidisciplinary teams, Dr. Ramirez is dedicated to advancing healthcare innovation and mentoring the next generation of medical professionals.