Noom appoints new CEO and more digital health hires

Digital weight loss company Noom announced the appointment of Geoff Cook as its new chief executive officer and member of its board of directors. 

Saeju Jeong, Noom’s cofounder and the company’s former CEO of 16 years, is stepping down but will continue as executive chairman of the board. 

Cook cofounded and served as CEO of social networking services company The Meet Group, where he took the firm public before it was acquired by eHarmony’s parent company Parship Group. He also serves as a trustee of The Franklin Institute, a science museum and science education and research center in Philadelphia. 

“Having spent the last 18 years driving innovation to promote social connection and well-being, I’m thrilled to bring that spirit of transformative innovation to additional health and wellness dimensions. I believe Noom can build on its strong and compelling foundation to reach everyone everywhere on their wellness journey and deepen the sustained, positive impact we have on the lives of our customers. I’m looking forward to partnering with Noom’s cofounders, board and talented team to create the next chapter of Noom’s growth,” Cook said in a statement. 

Last year, Noom settled a lawsuit that alleged it had misled users into signing up for subscriptions that were difficult to cancel. In October, Bloomberg reported that Noom had begun searching for a new CEO to replace Jeong. 

In January, the company confirmed with MobiHealthNews that it had conducted another round of layoffs due to “tough economic headwinds.” The workforce reduction marked the third round of layoffs at the New York-based company in less than a year.

Value-based care startup Vytalize Health announced the addition of Dave Wichmann and Dr. Amy Compton-Phillips to its board of directors.

Wichman is the cofounder of private equity fund Jory Capital and formerly served as CEO of UnitedHealth Group. 

Compton-Phillips is president and chief clinical officer of Indiana-based healthcare company Press Ganey and previously served as president of clinical operations at Providence Health. She also sits on the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) board, which acquired MobiHealthNews in 2015.

“For me, this is about finding innovative care models that can fix our healthcare system. New tools and technologies applied in isolation aren’t enough to solve the industry’s complex challenges. We also need to focus on the human side of care and help physicians build stronger relationships with patients. Vytalize Health’s platform will enable the shift to whole-person, preventative care to achieve better outcomes. I look forward to working with the team to move value-based care forward,” Compton-Phillips said in a statement. 

Earlier this year, Vytalize scored a whopping $100 million in funding, less than a year after it garnered $50 million in a Series B round.