Discovery Behavioral Health hires chief medical officer
Los Alamitos, California-based Discovery Behavioral Health hired Dr. Matthew Ruble, a psychiatrist, as its chief medical officer. He reports to the company CEO and President John Peloquin.
Discovery Behavioral Health operates 130 mental health, substance use and eating disorder treatment centers in 13 states.
Before joining the company, Ruble worked for senior-focused insurance and health care company Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) for seven years — five years as medical director and a year as lead medical director.
Before that, he spent 14 years at Cambridge Health Alliance, a division of Harvard Medical School Teaching Hospital, as associate training director for the residency program.
“Dr. Ruble’s experience as a practicing psychiatrist, a teacher and a healthcare provider executive is foundational for meeting our goal of providing [the] best outcomes for the treatment of eating, mental health and substance use disorders,” Peloquin said in a news release.
Ruble holds a medical degree from the University of Iowa College of Medicine. He completed an internship and residency in adult psychiatry at Harvard Medical School’s Cambridge Health Alliance. He also completed a chief residency in advanced psychopharmacology and a fellowship in medical education from Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Ruble envisions one of his objectives as strengthening the alliance between patient and provider, the release states.
Discovery Behavioral Health is rolling out an integrated outpatient services division.
Summit BHC brings on insurance exec to oversee strategy and managed care
Franklin, Tennessee-based Summit BHC, a behavioral health hospital and addiction treatment center operator, announced that Clay Phillips was named as senior vice president of strategy and managed care.
Phillips comes to Summit after 15 years at BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee where he held the roles of vice president of network innovation and provider performance programs, director of provider relations and communications and associate general counsel and director of government relations.
“Clay’s deep knowledge of payer and governmental systems and his experience in healthcare innovation and value-based contracting will help Summit continue to lead in the behavioral healthcare space,” Brent Turner, CEO of Summit BHC, said in a news release
An attorney by training and education, he holds a law degree from the University of Alabama School of Law and a bachelor’s degree in political science and government from Birmingham Southern College.
Summit Behavioral Healthcare announced in January that it acquired seven psychiatric hospitals in six states from Strategic Behavioral Health.
Headspace co-founder replaced on Headspace Health board of directors
Santa Monica, California-based Headspace Health announced that Obama administration alumni — Cecilia Muñoz and Michael Strautmanis — would replace Andy Puddicombe and Rich Pierson on the company’s board, according to a news release.
Puddicome and Pierson founded the wellness and meditation app Headspace — one of the progenitors of Headspace Health — in 20210. In May, Puddicome announced his departure from the board on Twitter. He also said that he and Pierson would be taking a break to focus on family and philanthropy.
“We have exciting plans for the future, but I may be a little quiet on Twitter until then,” Puddicome said.
Muñoz presently is a senior advisor at the nonprofit New America and is on the boards of several foundations and nonprofits. Previously she spent about 20 years with UNIDOS US, formerly known as the National Council of La Raza. She also formerly was the White House Domestic Policy Council director and Intergovernmental Affairs director during the Obama administration.
Strautmanis worked as a legislative aide to Barack Obama while he was an Illinois Senator. He also served in campaign and White House roles including chief of staff to Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett in the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs.
Today, Strautmanis serves as Executive Vice President for Civic Engagement at the Obama Foundation.
UpHealth names new executive vice president for the U.S.
Delray Beach, Florida-based UpHealth Inc. has named Daniel Mandoli executive vice president of U.S. services. He assumes the role on June 13, according to a news release.
Mandoli will report to UpHealth CEO Dr. Ramesh Balakrishnan and will be a part of the executive team. He will oversee UpHealth’s full-service pharmacy Medquest Digital Pharmacy and the UpHealth Behavioral Health division.
“As I’ve learned about UpHealth, I’m convinced that it will, in fact, become a global leader in healthcare. The company is poised for increasing growth in all of its priority businesses, and I look forward to being part of the success and working with the talented team in U.S. Services,” Mandoli said.
He will come to UpHealth from the role of president of pharmacy services at Cordant Health Solutions, a lab and pharmacy services for the behavioral health industry. Before joining Cordant Health, he spent almost 20 years at Express Scripts in roles that include general manager and chief operating officer of The Express Scripts Pharmacy.
“Attracting top national talent, such as Dan, to UpHealth is yet another sign of the growing respect for our company,” Balakrishnan said in the release. “Dan’s outstanding leadership skills, coupled with his long experience in the healthcare sector and his disciplined approach to operations, will help accelerate our growth in one of our important business segments.”
Mandoli holds a bachelor of science degree in accounting and organizational psychology from the University of Michigan.
At-home psychedelics company Nue Life Health brings on three new leaders
Miami-based Nue Life Health hired Dr. Lynn Marie Morski as medical director, Anjali Ahearn as general counsel, and Mary Lamazares as safety and compliance officer.
The new hires come after a $23 million Series A equity and debt funding round in April.
“We are thrilled to have these incredible women join our diverse team, and it’s evident that Dr. Morski, Anjali Ahearn, and Mary Lamazares have a clear vision and share in our mission to create a new paradigm for mental health,” Christina Getty, co-founder of Nue Life Health said in a news release.
Nue Life Health provides telehealth services for mental health and at-home ketamine therapy in California, Colorado, Florida, Washington, New York, Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. The company plans to operate in 20 states by the end of the year.
National nonprofit Endeavors names new president
San Antonio-based Endeavors has appointed Chief Operating Officer Chip Fulghum to the concurrent role of president.
Fulghum has worked as COO since 2019 and is responsible for over 2,000 employees who provide services to vulnerable people in times of crisis. These services include veteran mental health, homelessness relief, disaster case management and emergency management services in 18 states.
“Chip is an amazing servant leader who has earned the respect of our board of directors, his colleagues and those he has served during his three-year tenure at Endeavors,” Jon Allman, the previous President and current CEO of Endeavors, said in a news release. “In his role as President, Chip runs the operation of all our services to the public. His promotion to President will align the structure of Endeavors to better meet the needs of the organization and our clients.”
Fulghum holds an MBA from Golden Gate University in San Francisco, California and a bachelor’s degree in history from The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina. He is a 28-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force, where he held the rank of colonel, and previously oversaw all management programs of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The organization grew from operating in 8 states in 2020 to 18 in 2021, according to Endeavors’ latest annual report.
Companies featured in this article:
Discovery Behavioral Health, Headspace Health, Nue Life, Summit BHC, UpHealth
