Dr. Karen DeSalvo, formerly an acting assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services and the chief of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, has joined digital venture platform LRVHealth as an executive advisor.

“My entire career has been focused on improving the health of people and communities by catalyzing solutions to address all the determinants of health, and there’s no question that technical innovation will play an increasingly important role,” DeSalvo said in a statement. “We need to transform the way healthcare is delivered and paid for, and there’s no better way to do that than working with innovators who are disrupting the system from within. I joined LRVHealth as an executive adviser because its insider network provides a unique platform to find and nurture solutions to some of healthcare’s biggest challenges.”

Last year DeSalvo joined the board at OpenNotes, an initiative launched in 2010 to make clinicians’ notes available to patients. DeSalvo has also held the roles of New Orleans health commissioner and vice dean for community affairs and health policy at Tulane School of Medicine, and is currently a professor of medicine and population health at the University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School.

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Dr. Peter Staats has been appointed as the chief medical advisor of pain management company SPR Therapeutics. With nearly three decades of experience in the entrepreneurial space, Staats has also served as the president of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians, North American Neuromodulation Society, New Jersey Society of Interventional Pain Physicians and the Southern Pain Society.

“[Staats’] extensive knowledge and experience as a treating physician, entrepreneur and advisor to HHS, will be tremendous assets for our company as we expand commercialization of our proven peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) therapy to patients and physicians,” Maria Bennett, founder, president and CEO of SPR Therapeutics, said in a statement. “We look forward to working even more closely with Dr. Staats as we continue to advance our Sprint PNS System, addressing the critical need for less invasive, earlier stage non-opioid pain management therapies.”

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AliveCor CEO Vic Gundotra, formerly an SVP at Google, has stepped down from his position at the head of the digital health company, CNBC reported this month. Gundotra said his decision was based on personal reasons. He leaves AliveCor on good enough terms to remain a member of its board, with the company planning an announcement of his replacement in the coming weeks.

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Philadelphia-based mental health technology company NeuroFlow has hired athenahealth alumnus Andrew Kahn as its new senior sales manager. During his previous five years at the cloud-based EHR company, Kahn served as a manager of its hospital and health systems division and a senior sales executive in its small groups division.

“Andrew brings significant and relevant experience to the team — he comes from the healthcare world, starting out as an EMT-Paramedic, and then with athenahealth, he is passionate about helping people,” NeuroFlow CEO Chris Molaro said in a statement. “Like us, he is mission-driven and impact-oriented. He will no doubt enhance our overall process and be an important partner for our clients as we continue to grow.”

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Austin, Texas-based EverlyWell has tapped Jenifer Dasho as its first chief marketing officer. Dasho resumè includes stints at Pinterest and Trulia.

“As CMO, Jenifer will be delivering on the company's aggressive growth goals; increasing consumer awareness that there are options beyond the cumbersome, costly, time-consuming, confusing and overall outdated experience associated with the traditional lab process. Jenifer will be responsible for brand positioning, paid media, product innovation, content, communications, research and creative,” a representative of EverlyWell wrote in an email announcing the hire.

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Cecelia Health, a diabetes and chronic disease management company formerly known as Fit4D, has named Brad Fleugel to its advisory board. Fleugel was previously the SVP chief healthcare commercial market development officer at Walgreens, and also held roles at Health Evolution Partners, Wellpoint and Aetna.

"The day I met Brad, I was immediately impressed with his strategic sense of the market and its landscape. And, with his stellar track record for driving strategic goals and measurable business results in leadership and strategic board roles at publicly-traded and private companies, we are very excited to have him contribute to our business plans," David Weingard, CEO of Cecelia Health, said in a statement. "Brad's role on Cecelia Health's Board of Advisors will significantly advance our ability to innovate and positively transform the lives and health outcomes of the patients we serve."

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Livongo announced two high-profile hires that illustrate its commitment to this expansion into mental health: Anmol Madan, former CEO of Ginger.io, will join Livongo as chief data officer; and Dr. Julia Hoffman, formally the national director of mental health services for the Department of Veterans Affairs, will step into the new role of VP of behavioral health strategy.

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EHR and practice management software company Greenway Health has welcomed Kali Durgampudi as its new chief technology and innovation officer. Durgampudi most recently held an SVP position at Nuance and a VP title at Eclipsys.

“I am excited to join the Greenway team, a market leader for nearly 40 years, and I look forward to our work pioneering the future of healthcare,” Durgampudi said in a statement. “Our focus at the company is to deliver innovative and high-quality solutions on time, every time.”

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Clover Health’s Andrew Toy will be taking on the responsibilities of president and board member alongside his current role as the company’s chief technology officer. According to his LinkedIn page, Toy has been with Clover since February 2018 and previously held a product director position at Google.

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The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing’s Office of Nursing Research (ONR) has appointed Marion Leary as its first director of innovation. Leary, who has worked with the group part time and also had a researcher position at the Penn Center for Resuscitation Science, will help ONR design and conduct its ongoing innovation programs and broadly look to engage the University of Pennsylvania community in these efforts.