Speaker’s Bios:
Dr. Toby Cosgrove
Former President and CEO, Cleveland Clinic; Adviser, MIDAS Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
Toby Cosgrove, MD, is former CEO and current Executive Advisor of Cleveland Clinic. He is Strategic Advisor to MIDAS Healthcare Solutions, Senior Advisor of Innova Health Partners, and is Member of the Board of Directors of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, American Well, and Hims & Hers. As an expert on health issues, he is a frequent commentator in national and international media. As CEO and President of Cleveland Clinic from 2004 through 2017, he led the $8 billion organization to new heights of achievement and efficiency, seeing it ranked the #2 hospital in America (U.S. News). In his role as Executive Advisor, he is working with Cleveland Clinic leadership on strategies for national and international growth. Dr. Cosgrove graduated from Williams College and the University of Virginia School of Medicine. He trained at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brook General Hospital in London. In 1967, he was a surgeon in the U.S. Air Force, earning a Bronze Star. Dr. Cosgrove joined Cleveland Clinic in 1975 and chaired the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular surgery from 1989 to 2004. He performed over 22,000 operations and earned an international reputation in valve repair. He holds 30 patents for medical innovations. As CEO from 2004 to 2017, he reorganized services, improved outcomes and patient experience, and strengthened the organization’s finances.
Monika Brown
Senior VP, Corporate Development: Corporate Strategy & Business Development, McKesson Corporation
Monika Brown is senior vice president of Corporate Development with McKesson Corporation. In this role, she has responsibility for all of McKesson Corporation’s mergers and acquisitions, divestiture and strategic partnership activities. Monika joined McKesson in 1999 through the acquisition of HBO & Company, and prior to joining Corporate Strategy and Business Development, she held positions in finance and investor relations. During her tenure, Monika has completed over 80 transactions with a total value exceeding $20 billion. Monika earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration from Ohio State University.
Jeffrey R. Wahl
President and Co-Founder, MIDAS Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
Jeffrey R. Wahl is a graduate of Franklin & Marshall College (A.B., Government) and Case Western Reserve University School of Law (J.D.), where he was a Law Review editor. He is president and co-founder of MIDAS Healthcare Solutions, Inc., a venture developing solutions for the safe handling, tracking and tracing of controlled substances and other high-value pharmaceuticals in healthcare institutions, pharmacies, and in the home. MIDAS systems prevent drug diversion, medication misuse, and irresponsible handling. Mr. Wahl has been called an “expert on drug abuse and prevention” by the Congressional Bipartisan Addiction and Mental Health Task Force to whom he testified in 2020. His testimony showcased MIDAS’s “technology to prevent addiction and promote patient safety.”
He is a recognized expert on the use of technology to improve medical outcomes, reduce pharmaceutical diversion, lower caregiver risk and liability, and improve healthcare communications between providers / patients and among caregivers. Mr. Wahl was a panelist at the Milken Institute Center for Public Health’s Conference on Digital Health Innovations Combatting the Opioid Crisis and its Future of Health Conference. He continues as a participant in Milken Institute sessions on opioids and drug abuse issues. He lectures and teaches regularly on a wide variety of topics in medical risk management, drug diversion, the use of innovative technologies in healthcare, and other patient safety topics.
Matthew McFarland, RPh, PhD,
VP, Commercialization and Industry Relations at Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Matthew joined Nationwide Children’s Hospital as director of the Office of Technology Commercialization in the spring of 2012 and currently serves as Vice President of Commercialization and Industry Relations. He has a diverse background in drug discovery, business development, startup generation and funding, and strategic partnerships. During his tenure at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, the Office of Technology Commercialization has experienced an increase in annual deal flow by 900%. Matthew brokered multiple strategic partnerships for NCH with industry and state partners and has been substantially involved in the recruitment and establishment of industrial partners in Columbus, Ohio. He designed and implemented novel deal-structures with licensing partners to foster increased engagement and deployment of development resources into the institution.
Michael Triplett, PH.D
Founder, President & CEO, Armatus Bio, Inc.
Dr. Michael Triplett is co-founder, President, and CEO of Armatus Bio, Inc., a gene therapy company based in Columbus, Ohio developing next generation precision therapies for genetically driven neuromuscular diseases, and Neucore Bio, Inc., a gene therapy company developing next generation viral and nonviral precision therapeutics for genetically driven neurological disorders. Dr. Triplett is co-founder and board co-Chair of Clarametyx Biosciences, Inc., a preclinical infectious disease company pursuing paradigm shifting therapeutics and vaccines for the treatment and prevention of bacterial biofilm mediated diseases, after serving as founding President and CEO. Dr. Triplett co-founded and served as President and CEO of Myonexus Therapeutics, a clinical stage gene therapy company developing first-ever treatments for limb-girdle muscular dystrophies that Sarepta Therapeutics acquired in 2019.
Gareth Petsch
Director of Healthcare Specialty Group at Citi Commercial Bank
Gareth Petsch, Citi Commercial Bank Director, manages nationally the Healthcare Specialty Group (HSG) Gareth founded the HSG in 2012 to support the unique and specialized needs of medical, dental and veterinary providers of all shapes and sizes in the private sector. Today, the group specializes in support to investors, owners & providers of large-scale group practices for M&A or Roll-ups, Medical Support/Service Organizations (MSOs), Dental Support/Service Organizations (DSOs) and various other Physician Practice Management (PPM’s) companies. Over the past 10 years, Gareth has executed a variety of strategic transactions for companies ranging from small, high growth businesses through large multi-nationals. Recognized as a Washington, D.C. SmartCEO Top Banker, Petsch brings a deep understanding of the complex issues involved with the business of healthcare and the specific challenges CEO’s & CFO’s of group healthcare practices face. He and his team of Specialized Healthcare Bankers work with clients nationwide to create customized solutions that help enable the success and growth in these ever changing times.
Josh Gratsch
President & COO at Ascend Innovations
Josh Gratsch is the President & COO of Ascend Innovations and has been with the company since early 2016. Josh started at Ascend as a Data Scientist and was pivotal in transforming the foundational
business model and strategy into the sustainable, dual-purpose, product-driven approach that exists today; a transformation which has positioned Ascend to build a community health technology innovation business paired with a startup studio in Ascend Ventures. He has served the company at all levels, including Director of Data Science, VP of Data & Operations, Chief Operating Officer, and recently added the President role in January of this year as a transition to CEO. Josh will assume the role of President & CEO for Ascend in October of this year, shifting responsibilities from operations to leading growth and creation of new business pathways for the company. Josh was also instrumental in launching the first spinout company of Ascend, Positiv.ly LLC, a mental health application for high school students. He serves as the Board Chair of Positiv.ly and is leading efforts to create a repeatable spinout and product commercialization process for future products
Anthony S. Manna
Chairman at Brennan Manna Diamond (BMD)
Anthony (Tony) S. Manna epitomizes the entrepreneurial spirit of our Firm. As both a successful business lawyer and businessman, Tony and his team of lawyers are able to appreciate client concerns from a business perspective and to devise a concrete plan to address those concerns within the applicable legal framework.
Thomas J. Ferkovic, R.Ph., MS
CEO at Medic Management Group LLC
Tom is the CEO of Medic Management Group, LLC. and a leading expert in physician practice management. Originally a pharmacist and health care management professional by training, and prior to starting the current MMG, Tom was President of the practice management firm Telesis of Ohio, where he opened and grew the company to 123 employees and 185 primary care physicians. Prior to Telesis, he served as the vice president of St. Luke’s Medical Center in Cleveland, where he was responsible for strategic planning, managed care contracting, and physician relations, which led to the start of St. Luke’s Integrated Medical System (PHO) and Outreach Professional Systems — the first hospital-owned, non-staff primary care group practice in Cleveland.
Thong Q. Le
President & CEO at Accelerator Life Science Partners & ALSP ORCHID Acquisition Corporation I
Thong Q. Le currently serves as Senior Managing Director and CEO of Accelerator Life Science Partners (ALSP), an early-stage life science accelerator and investment firm that creates and builds next-generation biotechnology companies centered on innovative science. Mr. Le has over 20 years of experience identifying, investing in, managing, and successfully exiting numerous seed and early-stage investments in the biotechnology sector. He has served as the founding CEO and director of numerous Accelerator Life Science Partners portfolio companies, including Petra Pharma (substantial acquisition by a global pharmaceutical company in May 2020), Rodeo Therapeutics (acquired by Amgen Inc. for up to $721M in March 2021), and Lodo Therapeutics (acquired by Zymergen in May 2021). He currently oversees the firm’s investments in ALSP ORCHID Acquisition Corporation I, KayoThera, Lydian Neurosciences, and Proniras Corporation, where he also serves as CEO and Director of each company. Mr. Le completed post-graduate studies at the Templeton College of Oxford University and received his A.B. cum laude in Government from Harvard University. He serves on the advisory board for the Alexandria Seed Capital Platform and on the boards of Acylin Therapeutics, Oerth Bio, and Ravenna Pharmaceuticals. He was previously named one of the region’s “40 Under 40” by the Puget Sound Business Journal.
Patrick Wathen
SVP, Managing Partner, Equity LLC
Patrick co-founded and has managed EVF since 2014, prior to that he lead a healthcare market analysis and tenant representation team with a specific focus on serving the needs of private equity portfolio companies. The work of this team spans 45 states and hundreds of practices of nearly every specialty from behavioral health and primary care, through surgery centers and free standing emergency departments. Through his efforts Equity was involved in nearly 10% of all new urgent care centers that have opened nationally in the early 2010’s. It is this leadership and management of multifaceted processes that provides Patrick with the experience critical to his role with EVF.
Matt Lasky
Managing Director, Equity LLC
Matt has more than 10 years of experience in real estate investing, leasing, finance, and portfolio/asset management; including over $1B in transaction value ranging from acquisitions and capital markets to large complex leases and real estate strategy. Prior to focusing on Equity Velocity Funds, Matt helped grow and lead a healthcare market analysis and tenant representation team that has been the recipient of multiple awards for their work in 45+ states partnering with clients of all different acuities spanning free standing emergency departments to behavioral health and primary care. Matt was responsible for multiple aspects of the business including strategic direction, growth, business development, and performance.
Katheryn Hickner-Cruz
Member, Partner at Brennan Manna Diamond (BMD)
Kate is a healthcare attorney who specializes in transactional matters and compliance with federal and state healthcare regulations. Her years of experience advising clients on a wide range of healthcare matters affords her the depth of knowledge necessary to help her clients stay ahead of the curve in a rapidly changing, highly complex industry. Kate is licensed in New York, Ohio and Michigan
Patrick B. Shevelson
Vice President at Stonehenge Partners
Patrick joined Stonehenge Partners in 2017 and is responsible for negotiating transaction terms, performing due diligence, working with portfolio company management teams, and monitoring portfolio company performance. Prior to joining Stonehenge, Mr. Shevelson was an Investment Banking Analyst with Brown Gibbons Lang & Company. Mr. Shevelson received his B.A. in Economics from Kenyon College.
Brett Thornton
Partner at Porter Wright
Brett Thornton is a partner at Porter Wright and chair of Porter Wright’s Corporate & Securities, Energy, Biotech and Emerging Business practice groups. Brett counsels companies of all sizes engaged in complex merger, acquisition and financing transactions, and helps entrepreneurs and emerging businesses with formation, growth and business operational issues confronting growing companies. He is a graduate of The Ohio State University and George Washington University Law School. Brett can be reached at bthornton@porterwright.com or 614.227.2194.
John Shallman
President at Harness LLC
In John’s 30+ years of healthcare experience he has built an extremely comprehensive perspective framework that is unmatched in the Healthcare Innovation field. John has managed global product development for Fortune 500 medical technology corporations. He has worked with investment firms and supported life science startup companies, so he has an acute understanding how technology is commercially integrated into the industry. John is familiar with the public/private interface which is so critical in healthcare innovation via his work with economic development organizations as well as the W.H.O. and governments globally. Through significant experience leading and negotiating complex agreements in the field including technology transfer and strategic corporate partnerships, John has the insights into how to structure complex and multi-variate agreements. John has advanced experience in health system-based innovation since he has not only been an employee of a large system and launched these strategic programs, but he also advises/supports multiple systems nationally in various aspects of strategic innovation development, strategy, and implementation. John understands the complexities of introducing innovation into a Health System and also how hospitals can influence and catalyze industry innovation.
Rosalyn Ryan
CEO of HealthFox
Rosalyn Ryan is the CEO of HealthFox USA, a subsidiary of a Finnish company that has been working with payers and providers all over the world, providing a platform for patients to have easy access to all of their health, wellness, recovery and rehabilitation data on their phone. Patients work with their own clinicial and health teams to improve patient outcomes, reduce cost, prevent adverse effects and own their own data. Ms. Ryan is a Subject Matter Expert for Healthcare with extensive experience on the business side, working as a Consultant and Strategist for major healthcare clients on provider, payer, academic medical center, government and life sciences issues and has spoken internationally on multiple healthcare topics. Her background includes working with Federal Health resources on policy and rule creation, including testifying before The Senate and The House, working with an architectural firm that built large provider facilities as the head of Business Development and for two large technology companies providing healthcare solutions, data analytics and new product development. She has also held leadership positions on several healthcare Boards and Committees and started and sold three healthcare companies.
Greg Nodland, CPA
CEO – Sunvera Group
Sunvera Group is MSO focusing on the ophthalmic and eye care space. Founded in 2018, it is currently comprised of 10 practices in the Midwest with 21 locations and over 30 physicians along with 2 ambulatory surgery centers.
COO/President – Great Expressions Dental Centers – Part of GEDC for almost 20 years as the group grew from a Michigan based dental group with 20 locations to over 300 locations in 10 states. Held the role of CFO for 15 years and then moved to COO / President of the group. Helped lead GEDC through its growth from a privately owned group practice through three consecutive investments by private equity.
Brady Steineck, MD, MBA
CEO of Community Health Care, Inc.
Brady Steineck is a primary care physician and the CEO of Community Health Care, Inc. He grew up in Canton, Ohio. He graduated from the University of Akron in 2004, from Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) in 2008, and completed a residency in family medicine at Aultman Hospital in 2011. Brady also graduated with an MBA in Healthcare Management from Walsh University in 2019. Brady sees patients at Community Health Care’s Louisville location, and became CEO of Community Health Care in 2020. He has overseen the growth of CHC and has led CHC into a partnership with Agilon Health, helping CHC to become a national leader in value-based health care. CHC has also formed a joint venture with Cleveland Clinic and Medic Management Group of Akron to form CurbsideQD, a full-service MSO, providing management services to independent physicians throughout northeast Ohio. Brady lives in Canton with his wife Tiffany and their five children.
Ronnen Isakov, CPA
Managing Director – Advisory Services at Medic Management Group LLC
Ronnen has more than 25 years of experience in the healthcare industry. Ronnen oversees the consulting, operational, and financial services lines of Medic Management Group. His focus is on hospital‐based and system aligned medical practices as well as independent medical practices across the country. Ronnen’s areas of expertise include for profit and nonprofit entities. His focus is on practice valuations and forecasting, physician compensation plans, due diligence reviews, market valuation analysis, system alignment modeling, operational management, budgeting, operations and reimbursement consulting within the healthcare and medical industry.
Parag Rathi
Principal at FKA River Cities Capital
Parag has been with RC Capital for more than 15 years. He first joined RCC as an intern while completing his MBA from University of Cincinnati, where he graduated with distinction in December 2007 and was awarded Beta Gamma Sigma. At RCC, he primarily focuses on Healthcare Services investments while also supporting the medtech practice. He is a board member for Endodontics Practice Partners, TaskEasy, a board observer at Canvas Solutions and works closely with portfolio companies Bardy Diagnostics, Bolder Surgical, Catalyst Orthoscience, DialogTech and Reputation. Prior to pursuing his masters at the University of Cincinnati, he was a manager at ICICI Bank (India), where he was responsible for providing working capital and senior debt facilities to small and medium size enterprises. ICICI is the largest private sector bank in India. He received his undergraduate in accounting from Mumbai University, India and also holds a Chartered Accountant degree (India’s equivalent to the CPA). He received a full scholarship from University of Cincinnati to obtain his MBA and was awarded the Best Business Plan in a year-long competition during his studies. In June 2010, he passed the CFA level III exam. In 2019, Parag was recognized as one of Cincinnati’s “40 Under 40” by the Cincinnati Business Courier.
Louis Szura
Michigan Healthcare Attorney at Szura & Delonis, PLC
Louis C. Szura advises clients on business law issues, primarily focusing on health care law and regulation. Mr. Szura represents health care providers, from all areas, on the formation and operations of their businesses, mergers and acquisitions and in various types of related litigation. He has experience with issues ranging from due diligence, contract negotiations, tele-medicine guidance, employment disputes, management contracts, non-compete agreements, insurance network disputes, in addition to HIPAA, Stark, AKS and other compliance and license concerns. Mr. Szura has also represented numerous parties in cases involving the federal False Claims Act, the Michigan Medicaid Act and other similar statutes. Mr. Szura is the former Chair and an active Council Member of the Health Care Law Section (State Bar of Michigan). He has been recognized annually as a Rising Star by “Michigan Super Lawyers.” Mr. Szura received his B.A. from the University of Michigan and his J.D. with a Concentration in Business Law and Regulation from Cornell University Law School
Kyle Culver
Founder of Rhiza Health
Kyle Culver is a thought leader in the application of Blockchain Technologies to the Healthcare Industry and the founder of Rhiza Health community. For the past 20 years, he has demonstrated his passion for software engineering across a wide variety of IT roles concentrating on development, integration, architecture, and quality assurance. In his current role as Director of Emerging Technologies at Humana Inc., Mr. Culver is a key member of the firm’s Technology Advancement team and a winner in the Blockchain challenge hosted by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). Mr. Culver is a co-founder of the Synaptic Health Alliance, holds Bachelor of Science and Masters of Engineering degrees in Computer Engineering and Computer Science, as well as an MBA in Entrepreneurship, all from the University of Louisville.
Alex Clark
Cyber Practice Leader, at Hylant
With extensive experience in the insurance industry, Alex is the Cyber Practice Leader and serves as a resource for all things cyber, technology, and media. Alex engages both clients and colleagues to assist in the placement of coverage, enhancing the understanding of cyber and emerging risk, and pre and post breach readiness through incident response planning. Alex takes a hands-on approach not only placing coverage with the correct carrier but making sure our clients know how to utilize the policy, how to prevent incidents, minimize payouts, and execute incident response plans come claim time.
Alex currently holds a Life & Health license, P&C license, and a Cyber Risk Manager designation. He is currently a member of PLUS – Professional Liability Underwriting Society.
Reed Van Gorden
Managing Director- Investments at Deerpath Capital Management, LP
Mr. Van Gorden is a Managing Director on the Investment Team, and his primary responsibilities include structuring, underwriting, and executing new investments. He joined Deerpath in 2015 and has 20 years of industry experience. He previously worked in leveraged finance and private equity at Golub Capital, Abingworth Management and JP Morgan. Reed is a graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (M.B.A.) and Northwestern University (B.A.). He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).
Brian Colao
Brian Colao is the Director of Dykema’s Dental Service Organizations Group. He has been serving the dental industry for over 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the foremost authorities in the United States on DSO formation, DSO business structures, DSO related mergers and acquisitions, and the full array of regulatory compliance requirements for DSOs. Brian was named a “2019 DSO Influencer” by Group Dentistry Now.
Jon Moore
Senior Vice President & Chief Risk Officer at Clearwater Compliance
Jon Moore is an experienced professional with a background in privacy and security law, technology and healthcare. During an eight-year tenure with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Moore served in multiple roles. He was a leader of the Federal Healthcare Practice, Federal Practice IT Operational Leader, and a member of the Federal Practice’s Operational Leadership Team. Among the major federal clients supported by Moore and his engagements are the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Indian Health Service (IHS), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Administration for Children and Families (ACF). Moore holds a BA in Economics from Haverford College, a law degree from Penn State University’s Dickinson Law, and an MS in Electronic Commerce from Carnegie Mellon’s School of Computer Science and Tepper School of Business.
Bruce Gordon
Enterprise Healthcare Strategist at Ventech Solutions, Inc.
Bruce Gordon is an Enterprise Healthcare Strategist with Ventech Solutions and its spinoff company QurHealth. Bruce spearheads strategic initiatives across the healthcare market and supports direct program delivery to the customer base. He leads QurHealth technology licensing efforts with research hospitals in the U.S. and is a leader for QurHealth Medicare and Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) efforts. Bruce also has over 30 years of experience supporting public and private healthcare entities including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
Bruce brings over 40 years of experience as a services and IT executive providing innovative leadership to government, healthcare and financial services organizations. He provides insights and solves customer challenges based on a full understanding of the information that is part of our healthcare system, including claims, quality measures, provider data, beneficiary data and benefit program data. He has served as the Chief Architect for CMS’s systems that process quality measures from the nation’s healthcare providers and he architected provider data repositories for several health plans. Bruce supported the CMS CIO directly in endeavors including creating Enterprise Data Centers and issuing an Enterprise System Developer IDIQ. He also helped fashion operational rules for the dialysis Quality Incentive Program. Bruce led the formation of MITRE corporation’s CMS and HHS mission support organizations and established American Management Systems’ (now part of CGI) CMS business organization. Prior to working in the IT services industry Bruce served as the Vice President of Information Technology for the New York Insurance Exchange.
And many more to come!