Announcing the 2017 Top 50 in Digital Health

Each year fifty of the leading entrepreneurs, investors, technologists, reporters, and providers dedicated to bringing technological advancements to healthcare are recognized at the Top 50 in Digital Health Dinner hosted by Rock Health, Fenwick & West, Goldman Sachs, and Square 1 Bank.

Within the Top 50, a number of individuals and organizations are awarded through public nominations and votes from the digital health community for making exceptional progress in driving resources, attention, and innovation toward a massively better healthcare system. From writing healthcare policy to steering corporate acquisitions to moving technology from the bench to the bedside, we want to honor the people and organizations making digital health thrive. We’re proud to announce the winners of the Top 50 in Digital Health.

Disruptive Founder of the Year

Dr. Piraye Yurttas Beim, Founder and CEO, Celmatix

Dr. Piraye Yurttas Beim, the founder and CEO of Celmatix, is leading the charge in personalizing reproductive medicine and advancing women’s health. Through big data analytics and genomics, Celmatix empowers women with insights about their fertility and reproductive health.

Reporter of the Year

John Carreyrou

John Carreyrou is a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist with The Wall Street Journal. Based in New York, he covers healthcare, science, and finance. His series of investigative stories on Theranos exposed serious issues and possible malpractices within the organization.

Biggest Digital Health Evangelist

Brian Ahier

Brian Ahier is a nationally-known expert on health information technology with a focus on health data exchange and population health management. He works for Aetna as the Director of Standards and Government Affairs at Medicity and is an influential voice in digital health with 39,000 followers.

Biggest DC Champion

Dr. Karen DeSalvo, Acting Assistant Secretary for Health, HHS

Dr. Karen DeSalvo is a physician who has served as a leader in improving access to affordable, high quality care by pushing for advanced health technology policy and data tools. As a prominent voice for the patient, she champions innovation through technology that benefits the direct consumer.

Most Beloved CEO

Dan Burton, CEO, Health Catalyst

Dan Burton has been at the helm of healthcare data warehousing, analytics, and outcomes-improvement company Health Catalyst since 2012, and was the company’s first investor. Dan, who has an impressive 99% approval rating on Glassdoor, believes Health Catalyst’s culture is critical in accomplishing its mission to fundamentally transform healthcare.

Angel of the Year

Marc Benioff

Marc Benioff’s 2016 angel investments include Remedy (Seed 9/16), Bloomlife (Seed 8/16), and Zebra Medical Vision (Series A 5/16 and Seed 4/15). Marc was also an early angel investor in ZocDoc, FitBit, and Cue. In addition to quietly building a premier digital health angel portfolio, Marc has made generous philanthropic investments in healthcare innovation.

Most Tech-Friendly Provider

Dr. Raegan McDonald-Mosley, Chief Medical Officer, Planned Parenthood

Dr. McDonald-Mosley is the Chief Medical Officer at Planned Parenthood, which is revolutionizing the way people engage in their reproductive health by making care and education more accessible through technology on a variety of platforms. Recent innovations in care to reach all patients in need include the Chat/Text digital education program, SpotOn application, and care via telemedicine.

Best New Startup

EverlyWell

EverlyWell is transforming the consumer lab testing experience by enabling people to have access to their own personalized health and wellness information. At-home health tests are available to order with comprehensive results viewable online—a convenient alternative to traditional diagnostic tests.

Best Digital Health Company to Work For

Grand Rounds

Grand Rounds provides a solution that gives employees and their families the information they need to make life’s most critical choices—whether and where to receive medical treatment. Grand Rounds supports happy and healthy team members through free-flowing communication and comprehensive benefits including unlimited use of the platform.

Fastest Growing Company

Validic

Validic’s platform delivers easy access to actionable clinical and wellness data. Over the last year, Validic has fueled the largest digital health ecosystem in the industry, serving a client population reach of 223 million in 52 countries and has integrated 68% more devices and applications.

Invention of the Year

Owlstone Medical

Armed with a vision to save 100,000 lives and $1.5B in health care costs by 2020, Owlstone Medical has developed ReCIVA—a breathalyzer for disease. The breath sampling and analysis technology can diagnose cancer and other diseases earlier than existing tests allowing for more effective treatment and ultimately, improved survival rates and reduced treatment costs.

Diversity Leadership Award, Startup

Wellist

Wellist gives healthcare providers the tools and insights they need to address actual human needs resulting in improved patient satisfaction and outcomes. Reflecting the diversity of the patient populations they serve, the Wellist team represents a full range of age, race and, gender. Outside of the office, Wellist participates in a number of efforts to increase diversity in the digital health community.

Through criteria for the Diversity Leadership Award developed in partnership with Disruptive Women in Health Care, Wellist emerged as a clear champion of diversity.

Diversity Leadership Award, Corporate

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation supports a wide array of research and programs which are working to achieve better health for all. Diversity and inclusion are core values of the organization, reflected in their leadership and the numerous efforts they support to provide opportunities to minorities and women within their organization.

In partnership with Disruptive Women in Health Care on determining the honoree for this award, it was clear Robert Wood Johnson Foundation showed an exemplary commitment to building and sustaining a diverse workforce.

Most Prolific Corporate VC

UPMC Enterprises

UPMC Enterprises, the commercialization arm of UPMC, is shaping the future of health care through innovation. Focused on generating impactful technology solutions, they invest in key focus areas: clinical tools, population health, consumer-centric health care, and business services and infrastructure. As the most active corporate venture investor of the year in digital health, UPMC contributed to several funding rounds including investments in Health Catalyst and Lantern.

Most Prolific VC

Khosla Ventures

Khosla Ventures helps entrepreneurs with large problems that are amenable to technology solutions. A longtime tech and healthcare investor, Khosla Ventures participated in five digital health deals this year, including Neurotrack and Color Genomics.

Best Performing IPO

Evolent Health

Evolent Health partners with health systems to accelerate their transformation to value-based care. By integrating the people, processes, and technology needed to drive clinical and financial growth, Evolent has found the secret to success—it is one of the digital health stocks with the biggest returns YTD, up 114% since the start of the year.

Crowdfunding Hero

BSX Technologies: LVL

LVL is the first wearable hydration monitor that gives users the complete picture of their health by also tracking activity, sleep, mood, and heart rate. Their wildly successful Kickstarter campaign resulted in over $1.1 million pledged of their $50,000 goal, and backers will soon be able to measure their hydration in real time. Fewer than 200 crowd funding campaigns have ever raised over $1 million.

Best Designed Product

Pokémon GO

Pokémon Go took the world by storm this year, engaging 21 million people per day to get up and on the go to catch Pokemon in the real world. Although not technically a health app, the exciting new technology has increased activity and gotten players young and old outside and walking—thanks to its innovative design around augmented reality.