Former VA Secretary Shulkin joins Potrero’s board and more digital health hires

San Francisco-based predictive health company Potrero Medical has added former U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Dr. David Shulkin, to its advisory board. 

Shulkin has had a decades-long career in healthcare, from working at the higher echelons of the private healthcare sector to being appointed by President Barack Obama as undersecretary for health at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in 2015. Two years later, Shulkin was confirmed as the ninth secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs under President Donald Trump. 

The California-based company’s offerings include its FDA-cleared Accuryn Monitoring System, which allows for early intervention of acute kidney injury by utilizing data and algorithms to detect and treat the disease. 

“I am excited to join Potrero Medical’s advisory board and contribute to the company’s efforts to improve patient care,” Secretary Shulkin said in a statement. “The Accuryn platform provides critical care clinicians with real-time, actionable data on their patients that will inevitably disrupt the status quo. I see this as a needed innovation that can impact healthcare on many levels.”

Woebot Health, the company behind a chatbot for mental healthcare, announced the appointment of Matt Borowiecki as its chief financial officer. 

Borowiecki previously held the position of chief financial officer at Biofourmis, a tech-enabled care delivery and digital therapeutics company. Before that, he was the head of capital transactions and structuring at MassMutual Financial Group and director of corporate development and enterprise strategic planning at Aetna. 

“Matt’s deep understanding of the healthcare industry and investment acumen will be instrumental as we mature our operations and move to the next level of our company’s growth,” Michael Evers, CEO of Woebot Health, said in a statement. “His strategic experience is complemented by a deep compassion and commitment to helping people access the mental health care they need. We’re delighted he’s joined at this very pivotal moment.”

New York City-based Pager, a virtual care platform offered through health plans that helps patients navigate, coordinate and access care, announced Dave Dookeeram is joining the company in its newly created position of chief operating officer. 

Dookeeram previously served as president of diagnostics and chief of staff at Denver-based in-home care provider DispatchHealth, joining the company at its seed stage and serving as an executive through its growth.

He will oversee Pager’s strategic growth and day-to-day operations, working underneath the company’s CEO and chairman, Walter Jin. 

“Joining the Pager team is a tremendous opportunity to work for a company that is transforming how consumers interact with the healthcare system,” Dookeeram said. “Walter shared with me his compelling story of Pager’s origin and its ongoing mission: providing a doctor-in-the-family experience for everyone, one that delivers healthcare on a more personal and human scale. Having seen firsthand the impact high-quality care can have on someone’s health and well-being, Pager’s mission really resonated with me on a personal level. I’m excited to be part of a company that is effectively addressing the greatest challenge facing the American healthcare system—deliver better outcomes at a more reasonable cost.”