Teladoc VP steps down amidst misconduct allegations, Flatiron CMO heads to the FDA, and more digital health hires and departures

Also: Livongo names Zane Burke as the next CEO; Atrium Health taps Dr. Rasu Shrestha as VP and chief strategy officer.
By Laura Lovett
03:27 pm
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Yesterday Teladoc’s VP, COO and CFO Mark Hirschhorn resigned amidst allegations that he engaged in an inappropriate sexual relationship with a subordinate and took part in insider trading. Last week the telemedicine company was hit with a class action lawsuit filed on behalf of the company’s share holders, which accused the company of misleading or false statements. 

“While this was a difficult decision, it’s the right one for my family and the company,” Hirschhorn said in an official statement from Teladoc. “It has been an enormous privilege to play a role in transforming how people access healthcare around the world, and I know the talented team at Teladoc Health is well positioned to continue advancing this important mission.”

The lawsuit and the resignation come shortly after the Southern Investigative Reporting Foundation released a report describing Hirschhorn’s relationship with a subordinate. 

According to a statement released by the company, Teladoc is still looking to fill the COO and CFO positions. 

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Flatiron Chief Medical Officer Amy Abernethy will be heading to the public sector as the principal deputy commissioner at the FDA, according to numerous reports. 

A trained oncologist, Abernethy served as a medical professor at Duke University School of Medicine, where she ran the Center for Learning Health Care. 

Over the last year Flatiron has been going through many changes after it was purchased by Roche for $2.1 billion in March

This afternoon Livongo made two major leadership announcements: first that Zane Burke will be stepping in as CEO, and second that Dr. Jennifer Schneider will take over as president. 

Before joining Livongo, Burke was the president of Cerner Corp. Schneider was already working with Livongo as the company’s chief medical officer before this new appointment. 

“Zane spent two decades building relationships with the top health systems in the world. He knows the healthcare challenges facing employers, providers, and those with chronic conditions,” Glen Tullman, Livongo's current CEO and founder, said in a statement. “Livongo is growing rapidly with significant opportunities on the horizon. I believe Zane is the perfect person to take the company to the next level and to lead Livongo through this period of rapid expansion.” 

Atrium Health has tapped Dr. Rasu Shrestha to serve as its EVP and chief strategy officer. In this position Shrestha will be responsible for leading enterprise strategy, launching healthcare inventions and spearheading innovation projects. 

Before joining Atrium Shrestha was the EVP and chief innovation officer at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. 

"I am awestruck by the ambitions of Atrium Health to fulfill their mission to improve health, elevate hope and advance healing — for all,” Shrestha said in a statement. "I look forward to working with this incredibly talented team to forge ahead with meaningful strategies, partnerships and opportunities — and to support this organization's commitment and dedication to its patients and communities." 

Providence St. Joseph Health has selected B.J. Moore to serve as its next chief information officer. Before heading over to Providence St. Joseph Health, Moore served as a VP of enterprise commerce and compliance for the cloud and AI at Microsoft. 

“Health care is the last bastion to fully enter the digital age,” Providence St. Joseph Health President and CEO Rod Hochman said in a statement. “With data, cloud computing and artificial intelligence poised to enable and improve the way care is delivered, health systems need leaders who are well versed in the technology fields. B.J. has the depth and experience to guide our organization through this period of transformation, which will include collaborating with technology companies, as well as adopting enterprise-wide solutions that will modernize health care operations.”

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