We are aligning a fractured pharmaceutical value chain to better serve the interests of employers and their members.
We are aligning a fractured pharmaceutical value chain to better serve the interests of employers and their members.
Inspired by our team’s deep and diverse expertise in healthcare delivery, services and AI, WithMe Health is working to build a more equitable and fully disclosed medication ecosystem.
Lending strategic advice and expertise, our advisory board members share our vision for personalized medication experiences that will build a better healthcare industry.
Oak HC/FT is a premier venture growth equity fund investing in healthcare and financial services technology. Oak HC/FT is peerless in delivering returns for investors and growing innovative businesses. Over the past decade, the partners at Oak HC/FT have had 21 realizations, four IPOs and six companies achieving valuations in excess of $1 billion.
Lynn Nishida’s professional commitment is focused on applying best practice approaches for medication management built on a strong scientific and value-based foundation for healthcare decision-making.
Lynn obtained her pharmacy degree from Oregon State University, Residency Certificate from the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Portland, Oregon, and Fellowship Certificate from the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy.
Lynn has more than 30 years of experience as a pharmacist and has served in leadership roles for health plans and PBMs, where she was responsible for the oversight and performance of pharmacy operations and a nationally recognized EBM pharmacy practice center for drug review. She has provided thought leadership at a national level for such organizations as AHRQ and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.
Lynn relaxes by enjoying leisurely strolls or bike rides out at the beach with family. Most days begin before the sun rises or the birds chirp with morning aerobics.
Joette Sweeney has more than 10 years of experience in healthcare consulting and PBM operations including pharmacy audits, financial analysis, and managing PBM plan setup and claim adjudication testing.
She has a Bachelor of Science degree in information systems management from the University of California Santa Cruz.
In her free time Joette enjoys spending time in Lake Tahoe and at Disneyland, as well as listening to Radiolab podcasts.
Amal Duriseti is a data scientist and software engineer. He previously worked at healthcare startups Lumiata and Basehealth. He has also used ML for applications in NLP and audio, including topic-based indexing, voice conversion and transcription.
Amal enjoys making starcraft bots, bowmaking and mountain biking.
Steve Dugan is passionate about building products that improve patient outcomes. He has spent the past seven years working in the pharmaceutical and healthcare technology spaces with various roles in sales, operations and product.
Steve graduated from University at Buffalo with a Bachelor of Science degree in exercise science.
Steve loves traveling and trying new foods. He is an avid skier, having competing in downhill ski races for 10 years. He also enjoys playing tennis and weight training.
Jonathan Cutting began his career as data analyst in the early 2000s at a medium-sized health insurance organization and was involved in a variety of analytics projects in the organization’s in-house PBM, including development and implementation of member and prescriber campaigns aimed at altering utilization and prescribing patterns to increase healthier outcomes and facilitate plan and member cost savings, Medicare MTM analysis and HPMS reporting. Over the past six years, Jonathan has focused on RFP reporting, including heavy involvement in repricing and benefit remodeling.
He is passionate about the need to bring more value for dollars spent by healthcare consumers and is excited to be a part of WithMe Health’s vision to leverage an alternative business model in the PBM arena.
On the weekends, Jonathan can be found at local auto cross. To offset the noisy adrenalin surge of auto sports, he also enjoys hiking Oregon’s quiet and beautiful mountain trails.
Nick Palefsky has led operations, sales and marketing as an entrepreneur and at scale in high-growth consumer technology companies.
Previously, Nick led operations for the sales organization at Tesla and at Apple. He started his career as an entrepreneur by turning a passion for cars into a successful e-commerce business.
Nick received a Bachelor of Arts in economics and history from the University of Southern California and a Master of Business Administration from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Nick enjoys being active with his wife, which helps them keep up with their endlessly energetic labradoodle. Nick is an avid endurance athlete having completed five marathons and a century ride, with plans for an Ironman once he perfects his swim stroke.
Jake Kramer’s role combines his passions for research, analytics and problem-solving to create transformative healthcare experiences.
Previously, Jake was a Director of Product and Design at Willis Towers Watson, working on employee and retiree benefits experiences. Before that, he was a product manager at Extend Health, the largest Medicare health insurance exchange.
Jake is an amateur CrossFit athlete, a decent cook and an apprentice potter. He also has a black belt and too many things on his reading list. His long-term obsession is to build an app that lets you talk to dogs.
He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley.
Bobby Mukherjee has led innovative technical teams in Silicon Valley for more than two decades. After starting his career at Oracle, he has been part of three startups: one IPO, one acquisition and one that he calls a fantastic “learning experience.”
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Carnegie Mellon University.
His passions outside work and family can be summed up with one word: tennis. All things to do with playing tennis, watching tennis and consuming obscure tennis trivia facts.
Praveen Kotha has led digital transformation and PBM implementations for numerous Medicaid, Medicare and commercial lines of business. He is passionate about simplifying healthcare outcomes that add value to members and clients while improving technology and architecture frameworks.
He holds a Master of Science degree from Mississippi State University and a Master of Business Administration from Strayer University.
Praveen loves to travel, enjoy local food and is extremely passionate about tennis. He coached his daughter to a top 15 USTA ranking in the midwest region.
Lisa Krajewski, a healthcare professional with expertise in operations, account management and product development, is passionate about providing best-in-class service to customers.
Prior to joining the WithMe Health team, Lisa held leadership roles in pharmacy consulting, PBM management and manufacturer relations. She led the development, implementation and customer support of products and services for large employer groups and health systems in her leadership positions at APS, EnvisionRx and Keenan & Associates.
Lisa holds a Bachelor of Arts in management from St. Mary’s College and a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in healthcare from Florida Institute of Technology.
In her free time, Lisa can be found outdoors running or hiking. She is an avid runner who participates in marathons and ultra events.
Joe Murad was a founding team member and Chief Operating Officer of Extend Health, Inc. until its sale to Willis Towers Watson (WTW), where he then served as the managing director and head of individual benefits delivery and administration. Prior to joining WithMe, he served as president and CEO of PokitDok Inc., a platform-as-a-service that enables healthcare organizations to quickly bring modern commerce experiences to market, through its acquisition by Change Healthcare. Earlier in his career, he helped grow eHealth (EHTH) from inception as the director of business development.
Joe received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Southern California.
As a healthcare and AI entrepreneur, investor and advisor, Ash Damle has helped raise over $100 million in funding and founded multiple startups looking to change society to help people live better lives. As the founder and CEO of Lumiata, Ash drove the company’s mission of lowering the cost of healthcare delivery by predicting individual health risks with artificial intelligence. He pioneered a first-of-kind medical knowledge graph based on current scientific research and clinical practice. Ash is a technologist and data scientist deeply rooted in the application of big data to health and its intersection with design. Over the last 15 years, he has researched, built and applied AI technologies with leading institutions and organizations, including the UCLA AI and Robotics Lab, MIT’s AI Lab, the MIT Media Lab, the U.S. Navy and NASA.
Ash graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with degrees in computer science and mathematics.
Dr. Helen Sherman is committed to advancing the best use of medications through using solid scientific evidence as the foundation for healthcare decisions.
She has over 25 years of experience in the healthcare industry as a practicing pharmacist, clinician, pharmacy consultant and healthcare services leader. She has represented billions of dollars in pharmaceutical purchasing decisions for Fortune 50 companies, international employers, federal and state government-funded programs, health plan associations, health care systems, a U.S. intelligence agency, and privately held and publicly traded health plans and employers.
Helen holds a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from Oregon State University, a Doctor of Pharmacy from Purdue University, a Residency Certificate at Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital in Portland, Oregon and a Fellowship Certificate at State University of New York at Buffalo.
Helen is magnetized to outdoor adventures and competitions. She has run many half and full marathons, is a precision marathon pacer and coach, biked several centuries, and swam a 4-mile open water competition. For health and relaxation, Helen swims, runs, bikes, snow and water skis, paddle boards, hikes, and climbs rock terrain.
Smita Nair brings 14+ years product experience and a driving obsession to reduce waste and improve patient quality of life. Previously, she led the product management team at Evolent Health, building their value-based platform from the ground up, and leading her team through an IPO and numerous mergers and acquisitions.
She received her Bachelor in Computer Science Engineering from Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology and an MBA from Goa Institute of Management. After graduation, she explored the world of security and compliance during a short stint at the World Bank before beginning her healthcare journey at Lumenos (a startup in consumer-driven healthcare).
In her spare time, Smita enjoys sharing her love of classical dance with her two daughters. As a big believer of organic and clean eating, she enjoys improvising in the kitchen, creating healthy versions of chef-inspired meals.
Chris Price has led or played a significant role as an investor, executive or advisor on transactions representing over $4.5 billion in aggregate value during his more than 15-year career. At ADVI Health, he was a senior vice president advising clients in the life sciences, health care services and digital health sectors on go-to-market, growth acceleration and capital raising strategy. Before that, he was a senior vice president for strategy and product at EnvisionRx, a pharmacy benefit manager with more than $4 billion in annual revenue. He founded and was managing partner at Broad Creek Partners, a tech-enabled healthcare services investment and advisory firm.
Chris received a Bachelor of Science with Financial Applications degree from Southern Methodist University. He served as a mentor for the SMU Cox School of Business Associate Board and a sponsor of its MBA Venture Fund.
Tom Smith began his legal career at Latham & Watkins LLP, where he led numerous capital markets and M&A transactions for public and private healthcare, biotech and technology companies. Since moving in-house, Tom has served as the general counsel of four VC-backed, technology-enabled healthcare companies located in the San Francisco Bay Area. He began his career as a design and operations engineer in the satellite manufacturing industry before becoming an attorney.
Tom has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a Master of Science degree from Stanford University, a Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.
While Tom has three Ironman triathlons under his belt, he now stays fit by riding his Peloton bike during the week and chasing his two children around the Bay Area on the weekends.
Bill Brinkman has spent his career investing in, building and advising companies. He most recently worked on special projects for venture growth equity firms M33 Growth and General Catalyst. Previously, he was an investor at Nautic Partners, a private equity firm, where his investments included LDI, ExactCare Pharmacy, Community Medical Group and Warmelin Precision Products. Bill began his career at L.E.K. Consulting, advising companies on growth strategy and commercial due diligence.
Bill has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Carleton College.
Bill loves to spend time outdoors, whether hiking, fishing, camping or tossing a Frisbee. Some of his more memorable adventures include storm chasing with friends in Minnesota and exploring Denali National Park.
Dr. Meredith Keperling is a devoted healthcare professional who wholeheartedly believes patients and their families should come first.
She has over 15 years of dedication to healthcare, as a licensed clinical pharmacist. Her career has spanned across the pharmaceutical spectrum, including roles with PBMs, payers and manufacturers. Meredith’s unique experience has equipped her with immense perspective, which she applies to her mission of improving patient outcomes. She is passionate about delivering quality solutions and creating positive experiences throughout the healthcare journey.
She received her Doctor of Pharmacy from Duquesne University Mylan School of Pharmacy.
She enjoys staying active by scuba diving, enjoying the outdoors, and traveling with her husband and their two sons. You can routinely find her enjoying a good cup of coffee and watching reruns of The Office.
