Health Equity and Anti-Racism Statement

Statement from the Heluna Health Board of Directors
Our Commitment to Health Equity and Anti-Racism

The Board of Directors of Heluna Health strongly believe in health equity for all regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or socioeconomic status. We condemn systemic racism and all forms of social injustice and stand together with other public health leaders across the country in declaring racism as a current public health crisis.

Heluna Health’s mission is to enhance the health, wellness, and resilience of every community we serve.  For more than 50 years, Heluna Health and the hundreds of partner initiatives we support each year have identified racism, poverty, and other social injustices as key drivers of health disparities. As such, Heluna Health has worked tirelessly to develop and implement programs to combat their effects.

The disproportionate burden of COVID-19 on economically disadvantaged, Black, Latina/o, Indigenous, Asian American, other ethnic and immigrant communities is the latest example of how systemic racism leads to devastating health outcomes. Heluna Health has been deeply involved in pandemic relief efforts, including through vaccine distribution, contact tracing, support for laboratory testing and clinical trials, and community outreach. These efforts remind us, however, that the results of population health interventions are only as effective as the lens through which governments, philanthropic funders, and key stakeholders view and prioritize them.

Heluna Health has adopted an ambitious strategic plan that measures the impact of our important work to improve population health across the nation. Through this plan, the Board of Directors is committed to ensuring that Heluna Health continues to employ rigorous action and evidence-based solutions to removing obstacles to health equity for all in several ways:

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    Ensuring Heluna Health is a diverse and inclusive workplace reflecting and giving voice to the communities in which we serve; increasing awareness of the social determinants of health and the barriers they create to health equity through advocacy, education and training, locally and on a national level

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    Developing, expanding and supporting programs aimed at combatting obstacles to health equity, such as programs that increase access to housing, nutrition, food security, maternal health and early childhood education

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    Educating policy and other decision-makers of the causes of poor health and the need for funding of evidence-based programs that can improve health, enhance economic stability and address the impacts of social determinants

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    Seeking philanthropic and other funding support for new and innovative initiatives addressing gaps and refocusing the population health lens beyond what currently exists

By taking the above actions, the Board of Heluna Health reaffirms our commitment to health equity and anti-racism in the actions we take to accomplish our shared vision to achieve healthy, strong communities for all.

Heluna Health Board of Directors

Alexander Baker, MBA

Alex Baker is a consultant for mission-driven organizations. He most recently served as Chief Operating Officer for Boston-based public health consulting firm JSI where he was responsible for the daily operations of JSI’s 3,000 employees working in 45 countries. He was also closely involved in JSI’s strategic planning and organizational development efforts and served as the COO for World Education, Inc. (WEI), a JSI affiliate that focuses on improving the lives of disadvantaged populations through education and social support services. Alex has held positions in financial management, operations, and information systems in a variety of healthcare-related settings. Before JSI, Alex was Chief Operating Officer for Partners Community Healthcare, Inc. (PCHI), the provider network for Partners Healthcare System, where his responsibilities included network operations and performance management, practice operations, finance, and human resources. Alex joined PCHI in 1999 as its director of finance and was subsequently named Chief Financial Officer and then COO in 2005. Alex has a BA in history from Harvard College and an MBA from Northwestern University’s J.L. Kellogg School of Management.

Santosh Vetticaden, MD, PhD, MBA

Santosh Vetticaden is co-founder of Visgenx, a startup developing treatments for age-related macular degeneration—the leading cause of vision loss worldwide—affecting nearly 80 million individuals. Throughout his career, Santosh has pursued a passion for developing drugs to address unmet medical needs in diverse areas, including cardiovascular disease, infectious disease, hemophilia, sickle cell disease, and pediatric epilepsy. He has previously served as chief medical officer for multiple public companies, including Mast Therapeutics, Cubist Pharmaceuticals, and Maxygen. He also has held senior positions at Scios, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, Aventis Pharmaceuticals (now Sanofi), and the Whitehall-Robins Healthcare division of American Home Products Corporation (now Pfizer). Santosh has provided pro bono clinical care at a medical clinic for the poor and has served as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. He received his MBA from the Sloan School of Management at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, his PhD from Virginia Commonwealth University, and his MD from the University of Maryland. He completed his residency in internal medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.
Carladenise Edwards, PhD

Carladenise Edwards is a healthcare consultant, providing strategy and business development services to healthcare provider groups, health plans, technology companies, community-based organizations, and state and federal government agencies. Carladenise is an expert in health policy, public and private health services, managed care programs, and health information technology. She recently served as Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of Henry Ford Health System and, before that, as Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for Providence St. Joseph Health (PSJH). Before joining PSJH, Carladenise held leadership roles with Alameda Health System in California and Cal eConnect, a nonprofit public benefit corporation created to serve as the state governance entity for the electronic Health Information Exchange in California. Carladenise earned a BS in Sociology and an MS in Education from the University of Pennsylvania and holds a PhD in Medical Sociology from the University of Florida.
Nicole J. Macarchuk, JD

Nicole J. Macarchuk is a partner at Dechert, LLC., previously serving as Angel Island Capital Management’s Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel. Nicole previously was a Managing Director and General Counsel of Public Markets at Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., including KKR Credit Advisors (US) LLC and KKR Financial Holdings LLC. Earlier in her career, Nicole was Co-General Counsel of Och-Ziff Capital Management Group LLC, responsible for the firm’s global private equity, energy, and transactional business groups and initiatives, as well as the U.S. public distressed debt, structured products, and public equity business units concerning transactional matters. Before joining Och-Ziff, Nicole was counsel at O’Melveny & Myers LLP and O’Sullivan LLP, focusing on private equity transactions and fund formation, and an associate at White & Case, focusing on banking and corporate credit transactions. Nicole received a BA in Economics from Fordham University and a JD, cum laude, from Fordham University Law School.
Nwando Anyaoku, MD, MPH, MBA

Nwando Anyaoku is a healthcare executive, strategic advisor, and entrepreneurial physician with extensive experience on community health boards. Nwando has focused on health and gender equity, healthcare innovation, population health, pediatric care, and global health throughout her career. Appointed Chief Health Equity Officer with Seattle-based Swedish Health Services in March 2021, Nwando is also the co-lead of Swedish’s Office of Health Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, which drives initiatives to dismantle systemic racism, reduce barriers to healthcare access, and improve health equity. She has held several positions at Swedish since joining the organization in 2016, including Executive Medical Director of Pediatrics and Executive Medical Director of Medicaid Strategy for Population Health. In 2021, she organized Seattle’s first COVID-19 Community Mobile Vaccination program serving people of color and vulnerable populations. Earlier in her career, she served as System Medical Director of Pediatric Medicine at CHI Health in Omaha, Nebraska, and Division Chief of General Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital of New Jersey at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center. Nwando earned Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degrees from the University of Nigeria in Nsukka, an MPH at Johns Hopkins University, and an MBA at the University of Washington.
Jennifer Covich Bordenick, MHRD

Jennifer (Jen) Covich Bordenick leads Washington, D.C.-based Executives for Health Innovation (EHI), the preeminent convener of health and technology’s most influential C-level executives and experts. She shaped EHI into a prominent thought leadership organization that inspires innovation through education, research, and advocacy. At EHI, Jen created a network of 30,000 health and technology professionals, leading initiatives in virtual care, artificial intelligence, privacy and security, maternal health, and consumer rights in health. She also serves as an adjunct faculty member at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at The George Washington University. Jen has held leadership roles in strategic marketing, product development, health policy, and health administration at both for-profit and nonprofit organizations. Prior to joining EHI, Jen managed strategic marketing for health security solutions at OpenNetworks, Inc.; led pharmaceutical and healthcare industry relations at MicroStrategy, Inc.; and served as Director of Policy and Product Development at the National Committee for Quality Assurance, developing national quality standards. She began her career at The George Washington University Medical Center and Health Plan in the areas of quality, clinical pathways, and healthcare administration. Jen has served on several prominent boards and advisory groups, including co-chair of the Federal HIT Policy Committee’s Strategy and Innovation Workgroup; member of the HL7 Board of Directors and Leadership Advisory Council; and member of the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions’ Leadership Council. She has served as the project investigator for grants from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Commonwealth Fund, and California Health Care Foundation. Jen received a master’s degree in Human Resources Development from The George Washington University.
Georgia Casciato, FACHE

Georgia Casciato is a consultant and former healthcare executive passionate about advancing collaborations among key stakeholders in healthcare. She is a board member and has twice been elected President of Chicago Health Executives Forum, the largest chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), and participates on numerous healthcare boards. Her expertise includes healthcare strategy, business development and growth, strategic partnerships, and entrepreneurship. For half her career, she held leadership roles with health systems and consultancies, including Adventist, Aon, William Mercer, Inc., and Columbia/HCA. The other half has been spent running her own consultancy. Georgia regularly speaks at or moderates industry conferences and has authored over 30 articles, including white papers for Modern Healthcare and Best Doctors. She has a background in wellness and community health outreach for underserved populations, is board certified in healthcare management, and is an ACHE fellow. Georgia earned a BS in Communications, Public Relations, and Journalism from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, and has completed coursework towards her MBA from DeVry University’s Keller Graduate School of Management.
Terhilda Garrido, MPH

Following decades as a healthcare executive and Latina leader, Terhilda Garrido founded Oakland-based consulting firm Camino Advisors in 2016. Terhilda is a leader in leveraging analytics and digital innovation to generate “smarter” health care. Over a nearly 30-year career at Kaiser Permanente, including serving as Vice President, Health IT Transformation & Analytics, Terhilda helped oversee aspects of its digital transformation, realizing strategic value and maximizing opportunities for the healthcare company. Her areas of focus included evaluation of Health Innovation Technologies (HIT), including IBM Watson and population management tools; predictive analytics and application of text mining/NLP; the Blue Sky Vision project for future healthcare; and leveraging HIT to improve patient engagement, quality of care, patient safety efficiency, and equity. While at Kaiser, she also served on its National Diversity Council. She is a founding board member of the Alumni Society, a networking association for Latino leaders. She also serves on the board of CareMessage, which uses technology to help safety net organizations fulfill the essential needs of underserved populations. Terhilda holds an operations research degree in engineering from Princeton and an MPH in Biostatistics from the University of California at Berkeley.
Celina Gorre, MPH, MA

Celina Gorre is the CEO of WomenHeart, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., whose mission is to improve the health and quality of life for women living with heart disease. Before leading WomenHeart, Celina served as the Executive Director of the Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases in London, overseeing more than $250 million in public research funding across 66 countries. Celina previously served as the Managing Director of the Foundation for the UN Global Compact, initiating a 501(c)(3) that helped companies support the world’s largest corporate responsibility initiative. Before that, she worked in the field with UNFPA and UNICEF in Angola as a senior HIV/AIDS advisor. Celina has had extensive experience at the intersection of corporate responsibility and global health, developing health and social programs for multinational companies as the Technical Manager for the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. She has held in-house corporate responsibility positions, leading global training for Gap Inc.’s social responsibility department and conducting factory audits for Mattel Inc. Celina received a BA in Psychology and an MPH from UCLA, and an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School.
Robert R. Jenks, MBA

Bob Jenks is Managing Partner of Redbrook Partners, an international consulting firm advising on mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, early-stage business strategies, and capital formation. His focus is on the media, telecommunications, and biotechnology. Bob served as an executive with General Electric for many years, including Managing Director of GE Equity, and also served as Chief Financial Officer of Internap Network Services. Bob was Vice Chairman, and CFO of WorldTel Ltd., a United Nations-affiliated telecom development company focused on establishing communications systems in underdeveloped countries and is a past Treasurer and board member of Outward Bound USA. Bob is a member of Belar Technologies, Inc. and DuArt Media Services board of directors. Jenks is a graduate of Lawrence University in Wisconsin and earned an MBA in finance from New York University’s Stern School of Business.
Tamara Joseph, JD

Tamara Joseph is a health care executive with diverse, global experience with publicly-traded and privately-held companies and public health non-profits. She is the Chief Legal Officer at Spero Therapeutics and has served as the general counsel at biotech companies Cubist Pharmaceuticals and Transkaryotic Therapies in Boston and Mayne Pharma in London. She previously served as a director of LTK Pharma, a French cell therapy biotech, and spent more than six years at Biogen Idec’s international headquarters in Paris, establishing legal, compliance, government affairs, and public affairs departments. Before entering the healthcare sector, Tamara served as a litigator and then an international corporate lawyer with Morrison & Foerster and as a litigator with Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver, and Jacobson. She devoted significant time to advising non-profit organizations and indigent individuals while at those firms. She authored a submission in 1989 that successfully persuaded the U.S. Department of Justice to liberalize admissions for Jewish refugees from the USSR seeking political asylum. In 1991 she argued a case before the California Court of Appeals that established the right of indigent plaintiffs to have their cases heard in civil courts rather than by paid arbitrators, thereby protecting their access to justice. Tamara serves as a member of the audit committee of Crittenton Women’s Union, a non-profit dedicated to helping low-income women attain economic independence. She received a BA in economics from Duke University and law degrees from the University of Michigan, the College of Europe (Belgium), and the University of Paris.
Alessandro Lazzarini

Alessandro (Sandro) Lazzarini is an Investment Analyst at The Capital Group, a Los Angeles-based investment management firm. He is responsible for sourcing, underwriting, and managing a portfolio of investments, and focuses on investments in the technology and financial sectors. Sandro has spent his entire career as an investor, and prior to The Capital Group, he worked at SRS Investment Management in New York and Bain Capital in Boston, where he focused on healthcare and financial services investments. He is also a former board member and board chair of Possible, a non-profit organization conducting collaborative research and innovation to address equity, quality, and accessibility of healthcare and channeling resources to deliver life-saving healthcare in Nepal. Sandro received a BA in Applied Mathematics and Economics from Harvard College.
Hope Tarirai Mago, MBA

Hope Tarirai Mago is responsible for the origination and analysis of new investment opportunities, investment due diligence, deal underwriting, portfolio management, and value creation at HCAP Partners, a San Diego-based firm that provides growth capital to lower middle market companies throughout California and the western U.S. He has led the firm’s development of its impact investment initiatives, which focus on investments that generate social and environmental impact along with financial returns. A thought leader in impact investing, Hope was elected in April 2021 as Chair of the Board of Directors of Impact Capital Managers, an association of private capital fund managers whose members advance private capital impact investing. Hope is active with several corporate healthcare boards and is an Advisory Committee Member of Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) San Diego, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit funding organizations, which has invested more than $200 million in San Diego’s low-income communities. Before joining HCAP Partners, Hope worked as an analyst at the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, where he was involved in economic policy formulation. Hope holds a BA in Finance and Banking from the University of Zimbabwe and earned an International MBA from the University of San Diego.
Bonnie Midura, MPH

Bonnie Midura serves as a Senior Program Manager at The California Endowment, overseeing a grant portfolio that includes the Los Angeles region and statewide health system teams. Bonnie’s career has spanned public health, community health, and philanthropy, and she has experience working in nonprofit community-based organizations, health systems, foundations, and public agencies. Bonnie rejoined The California Endowment in May 2016, having served as a staff member at the Foundation earlier in her career. During these years, she focused on grantmaking related to expanding access to health coverage for all children in California and protecting and expanding the health care safety net across the state. Before returning to The Endowment, she served as an independent consultant, providing initiative development, content expertise, and program management services to various California public and private health-related funders. Bonnie was one of the founding members of the Los Angeles chapter of Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy and is an active troop leader for Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles. Bonnie received a BS in Sports Medicine from Pepperdine University and an

MPH from UCLA.
Jean C. O’Connor, JD, MPH, DrPH, FACHE

Jean C. O’Connor has spent many years working at the intersection of law, policy, and public health. Managing Principal in the Atlanta Office for Health Management Associates, a leading independent, national research and consulting firm specializing in publicly funded healthcare and human services policy, programs, financing, and evaluation, O’Connor was previously Principal Associate at Abt Associates. Jean is passionate about improving health outcomes through evidence-based interventions and policies and building the public health workforce. She previously served in senior and executive roles in state public health, at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in consulting, and in a federally qualified community health center. Her research and practice resulted in the adoption of state and federal public health laws and policies and strategic plans, and she also helped develop new programs and strategies related to chronic disease, alcohol, tobacco and other substance use, and emergency preparedness and response. She is an adjunct associate professor in the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, and a part-time associate professor in the University of Georgia’s College of Public Health. Jean earned a BS and joint JD and MPH degrees from Emory and a DrPH degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Virginia Pryor, MSW

Virginia (Ginger) Pryor has nearly three decades of experience leading child welfare and social services policy and system improvement initiatives. In her current role as President and Founder of Phoenix, Arizona-based VP Consulting Collective, she serves as a strategic thought partner, building the capacity of individuals, groups, communities, and organizations to promote positive system transformation and generational impact for children and families. Ginger has also served as Principal Associate at Abt Associates, leading the design and implementation of child and family well-being domestic strategy. Prior to joining Abt, she served as Acting Director and the Chief Deputy Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, where she oversaw all business operations and programmatic services. Ginger previously served as Senior Director of Casey Family Programs’ Los Angeles Field Office and as Senior Director of Strategic Consulting, supporting more than 45 different child welfare jurisdictions. She also served as Director of the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services. Ginger’s commitment to bringing hope to vulnerable communities and organizations through human service innovation, leadership development, and strategic system and policy reform extends to her volunteer work as a mentor for youth in the foster care system, as well as her service as past board member and President of the Black Administrators in Child Welfare (BACW). She has also served as adjunct faculty for the schools of social work at Howard University and Virginia Commonwealth University, helping to prepare the next generation of child welfare advocates. Ginger received a BA in Sociology from Washington University and an MSW from Howard University.
Sarah Rich, MBA

An independent healthcare consultant, Sarah Rich has an extensive background in finance and operations, working primarily in the healthcare sector for the past 15 years. She previously served as Vice President of Operations at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Boston, Director of Strategic Operations at Tenet Healthcare, and Associate Administrator at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts. Before entering the healthcare field, she was an associate at Joseph Littlejohn & Levy and an analyst at J.P. Morgan. Most recently, Sarah has focused on raising her young family while doing consulting assignments in the healthcare and non-profit sectors and running a small farm. Sarah has a BA in finance from the College of William & Mary and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.
Vivian Vasallo, MA, MSc
Vivian Vasallo

Vivian Vasallo is Executive Director of Delta Dental Institute, an oral health research, community outreach, and advocacy organization that partners with Delta Dental companies and partners across the U.S. A mission-driven leader with executive experience in Fortune 500 companies, philanthropic institutions, and non-profit organizations, Vivian previously held leadership positions at AARP Foundation, First American Financial Corporation, and Milken Institute. She has led high-performing teams and has a demonstrated track record in business development, strategic planning, and launching national initiatives. With expertise in financial services, housing, health, and longevity, Vivian is pursuing an MS degree in aging and health at Georgetown University. She holds a BA in International Relations from American University and an MA in International Studies from the University of Miami.
Edward Yip, JD

Edward Yip serves as Vice President, Legal and Compliance at Euclid Systems Corporation, a leader in myopia management based in Herndon, Virginia. He also serves as President of Three5Eight Consulting, a Bethesda, Maryland firm that provides strategic advice on complex ventures and other commercial matters. Previously, he held senior positions (including Chief Legal Officer and Chief Compliance Officer) at other life sciences companies, including QIAGEN, Celera Genomics, Evidera, Human Genome Sciences, ImClone Systems, and Osiris Therapeutics. Edward is a member of the National Diversity Advisory Council for the American Red Cross and has served as commissioner on the Maryland Governor’s Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs, co-chair of Maryland’s Asian American Business Conference, board chair for the Union of Pan Asian Communities, and board member for Girl Scouts San Diego. Edward received his BA in international relations from Brown University and his JD degree from the UCLA School of Law.