What will you focus on at Truveta?
My focus at Truveta is fundamentally about partnerships; and in my role I think of focusing on four things: 1. listening to customers and partners; 2. working with members to build the Truveta platform; 3. creating opportunities for customers to use data from the Truveta platform for ethical innovation; and 4. continuing to incorporate their feedback to ensure we are delivering great benefit and value to them and to the Truveta community.
What does Truveta’s vision “Saving Lives with Data” mean to you?
For me personally, Truveta’s vision to save lives with data speaks to the potential of reinvention and commitment to do better and do differently in pursuit of health and health equity, alongside our partners. The last chapter of my career was a daily reminder of human suffering that perpetuates because solutions like Truveta have not existed and it became a deeply personal calling for me. My path to lead a purpose-driven life has been influenced by so many mentors and incredible organizations from my volunteer work at the Kindering Center, to inspiration from my brother, to the incredible professionals throughout my years in high tech, to the last seven years at Seattle Foundation. Each person, each experience in my past has shaped me and empowered me to contribute in meaningful ways. I shared more about my experience and enthusiasm for the opportunity at Truveta and what it means to me in my blog.
What led you to Truveta?
Like so many of my colleagues here at Truveta, this work is deeply personal. I wouldn’t be where I am today had it not been for the modeling my brother showed through tremendous tragedy. My brother has always been a role model to me. Twelve years my senior, he was a successful entertainment executive, whose daughter was diagnosed with brain cancer. When she lost her battle with cancer at a young age, it changed him. He completely changed his professional focus, went back to medical school in his 40s and is now an ER physician in Los Angeles. His vision to live a life of purpose, motivated me to take my own journey. When I saw him courageously take this journey to focus his life on a greater good it was modeling at its most poignant. My brother’s influence set me on a path 7 years ago to live a more purpose driven profession. That’s what led me to the Seattle Foundation. That’s where I learned and embraced contributing and addressing the needs of marginalized communities. Ultimately, that’s the path that also led me to Truveta in a way that I felt I could do even more good.
What are you most excited about on the near horizon?
What makes Truveta special is that it is inherently an opportunity for the health community to learn from each other and encourage cooperation toward something we all hold as a mutual goal: saving lives with data. To be responsible, to have the humbling responsibility of guiding our partnerships toward this mutual learning represents the most exciting thing I could possibly do with my life to have a positive impact on others.
