The Top 25 Healthcare Technology Leaders of San Antonio for 2022

The Healthcare Technology Report is pleased to announce The Top 25 Healthcare Technology Leaders of San Antonio for 2022. The city of San Antonio is one of three cities in the state of Texas with a population north of one million, and it’s currently experiencing a boom in its technology sector. In fact, the number of tech jobs in the city grew by 80% from 2021-2022. Part of this growth can be attributed to the dozens of healthcare technology companies in the city, which are developing products and services to solve some of the most pressing issues facing patients. This list honors the most effective, successful leaders in that space.

Some of the distinguished leaders on this year’s list include John Cleary, President of the Hospital Pharmacy Services Division at PharMerica, which provides exceptional customer service, contains pharmacy costs, and meets the pharmacy needs of rehabilitation hospitals, long-term acute care hospitals, and behavioral health hospitals nationwide. Meanwhile, Rohit Kashyap is EVP and COO of MiMedx, which processes human placental tissue to produce allografts by employing aseptic processing techniques in addition to terminal sterilization. And Philips’ VP of U.S. Government Solutions Christina Nichols has improved customer retention for the healthtech behemoth by 38% by facilitating high-touch experiences and connecting customers to relevant products and solutions.

The honorees on this year’s list lead from a range of positions, from CEO to EVP, CFO, and Chief Quality Officer, among many others. And though their companies specialize in everything from breathing technology to therapeutic biologics, medical cannabis, surgical products, and so much more, what they have in common is the incredible positive impact they are making on patients’ lives through their dedication to developing the best solutions possible and getting them into the right hands. Please join us in celebrating The Top 25 Healthcare Technology Leaders of San Antonio for 2022.

 

1. Gaurav Agarwal
Company: Vyaire Medical
Title: Chief Executive Officer

Gaurav Agarwal is the Chief Executive Officer of Vyaire Medical. Vyaire knows that each patient has different goals and every breath counts to achieve them. It is a company on the move, relentlessly innovating, challenging the status quo, and keeping patient needs at the forefront of everything it does to enable, enhance, and extend lives. Established from legacy brands with a 65-year history of pioneering breathing technology, Vyaire Medical Inc. is a global company focused exclusively on supporting breathing through every stage of life. It pledges to evolve what’s possible to ensure every breath is taken to its fullest. It accomplishes this through its values: One Voice, Patient Purpose, Promises Kept, and Expansive Innovation.

Most recently, as President and Chief Operating Officer of KCI, an Acelity Company, Agarwal transformed the company into an undisputed leader in advanced wound care by finding ground-breaking healing solutions for current and new customer segments. Prior to that, he served as President, Orthopaedic Reconstruction at Smith & Nephew, where he was responsible for defining a cutting-edge global strategy that expedited product development and redefined the company’s portfolio for joint reconstruction. Before that, he held Vice President and General Manager positions at GE Healthcare. Agarwal graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering.

 

2. John Cleary
Company: PharMerica
Title: President of Hospital Pharmacy Services

John Cleary is the President of Hospital Pharmacy Services at PharMerica, one of the largest and fastest growing institutional pharmacy companies in America. It is a premier pharmacy services provider, dedicated to providing innovative solutions for customers and patients. At PharMerica, clients can choose their career path, from hospital or long-term care pharmacy to corporate and non-clinical opportunities. It employs some of the industry’s best and brightest innovators and clinicians.

Before joining PharMerica, Cleary was an executive director at Kindred Healthcare, and before that a director of national sales at Total Healthcare Solutions. Earlier in his career, he worked with Deloitte Consulting as a senior consultant. Cleary graduated from Cornell University with an MBA and from the University of Florida with an undergraduate degree in business administration and management.

 

3. Paul Arrendell
Company: Jabil Healthcare
Title: Chief Quality Officer

Paul Arrendell is the Chief Quality Officer of Jabil Healthcare, the industry's largest provider of design, engineering, and manufacturing solutions. It collaborates with the world's leading healthcare brands to deliver advanced products and services that support optimal patient outcomes. Jabil strives to make anything possible and everything better. It combines unmatched breadth and depth of end-market experience, technical and design capabilities, manufacturing know-how, supply chain insights, and global product management expertise to enable success for the world’s leading brands. It is driven by a common purpose: to make a positive impact for each other, its communities and the environment.

Arrendell first joined Jabil in 2019 as Worldwide Vice President of Quality Management. Previously, he was a Vice President of Global Quality Systems at Wright Medical Technology, and before that a site manufacturing quality manager at Abbott Diagnostics. Arrendell earned an MS in mechanical engineering and automatic control systems and an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering and automatic control systems from The University of Texas at Arlington.

 

4. Rohit Kashyap
Company: MiMedx
Title: Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer

Rohit Kashyap is the Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of MiMedx, an industry leader in advanced wound care and a therapeutic biologics company developing and distributing human placental tissue allografts with patent-protected processes for multiple sectors of healthcare. MiMedx processes human placental tissue utilizing its proprietary PURION® process methodology, among other processes, to produce allografts by employing aseptic processing techniques in addition to terminal sterilization. MiMedx has supplied more than two million allografts through both direct and consignment shipments.

Kashyap first joined MiMedx in 2020. He earned a PhD in biomedical engineering and an MS in biomedical engineering from Case Western Reserve University, an MBA in business from Northwestern University – Kellogg School of Management, and an undergraduate degree in instrumentation and control from L.D. College of Engineering in India.

 

5. Jeanne Jones
Company: Sanofi Genzyme
Title: Vice President of Program Management

Jeanne Jones is the Vice President of Program Management at Sanofi Genzyme, an innovative global healthcare company driven by one purpose: chase the miracles of science to improve people’s lives. Its teams across the world strive to transform the practice of medicine, turning the impossible into the possible for patients. It provides potentially life-changing treatments and the protection of life-saving vaccines to millions of people, and affordable access to medicines in some of the world’s poorest countries.

Before joining Sanofi Genzyme, Jones was Vice President of Development at US Oncology. Jones graduated from the University of Nebraska at Omaha with an MSN and from the University of Iowa with an undergraduate degree in nursing.

 

6. Charlie Pavlich
Company: Medline Industries, Inc.
Title: Vice President of Corporate Sales - Distribution

Charlie Pavlich is the Vice President of Corporate Sales - Distribution for Medline Industries, Inc. Medline is a manufacturer, distributor, and so much more, doing business in more than 125 countries and territories around the world. It provides the quality medical products and solutions its customers need to deliver their best care to every person in every care setting. Medline works with its customers to free up the clinical and supply chain resources required to improve the overall operating performance of healthcare.

Pavlich is also the Vice President of Provider Services for Owens & Minor. Prior to working for Medline and Owens & Minor, he served as Regional Vice President of Corporate Sales for Covidien/Medtronic.

 

7. Christina Nichols
Company: Philips
Title: Vice President of U.S. Government Solutions

Christina Nichols is the Vice President of U.S. Government Solutions for Philips. Over the past decade, Philips has transformed into a focused leader in healthcare technology. At Philips, its purpose is to improve people’s health and well-being through meaningful innovation. The company aims to improve 2.5 billion lives per year by 2030, including 400 million in underserved communities. It sees healthcare as a connected whole: helping people to live healthily and prevent disease; giving clinicians the tools they need to make a precision diagnosis and deliver personalized treatment; and aiding the patient's recovery at home in the community – all supported by a seamless flow of data. As a technology company, it and its brand licensees innovate for people with one consistent belief: there’s always a way to make life better.

Prior to her current role, Nichols served as Head of Direct Sales of Philips Aging & Caregiving for Philips Lifeline and Head of Direct Sales of Philips Sleep & Respiratory Care for Philips. She graduated from Texas State University with an undergraduate degree in business administration and management.

 

8. Tracie Ybarra
Company: Avantor
Title: Vice President of Global Talent Development

Tracie Ybarra is the Vice President of Global Talent Development at Avantor, a leading global provider of mission-critical products and services to customers in the biopharma, healthcare, education & government, and advanced technologies & applied materials industries. Its portfolio is used in virtually every stage of the most important research, development, and production activities in the industries it serves. Avantor has a deep enthusiasm for innovation, excellence, and achievement whether it is collaborating with its customers to advance science or solving multifaceted problems.

Before joining Avantor, Ybarra was a global leader of talent and learning at Vontier, and before that a global leader of executive solutions, talent, and culture at Dell Technologies. Earlier in her career, she worked with HP as a training development manager of marketing, channel, and leadership.

 

9. Danny Akina
Company: Medtronic
Title: Vice President of Inside Sales

Danny Akina is the Vice President of Inside Sales for Medtronic. Medtronic develops and manufactures medical device technologies and therapies to treat chronic diseases worldwide. It is a global healthcare technology leader boldly attacking the most challenging health problems facing humanity with innovations that transform lives. It fuses technology and research to develop groundbreaking solutions and uses insights from data to improve care, tailoring therapies in real time.

Akina first joined Medtronic in 2017 as senior district sales manager. Previously, he was a district sales manager at Takeda Pharmaceutical. Akina graduated from Saint Leo University.

 

10. Laura Romike
Company: BD
Title: National Vice President

Laura Romike is the National Vice President of BD, one of the largest global medical technology companies in the world. BD is advancing the world of health by improving medical discovery, diagnostics, and the delivery of care. The company supports the heroes on the frontlines of healthcare by developing innovative technology, services, and solutions that help advance both clinical therapy for patients and clinical processes for healthcare providers. BD and its 65,000 employees have a passion and commitment to help improve patient outcomes, improve the safety and efficiency of clinicians’ care delivery processes, enable laboratory scientists to better diagnose disease, and advance researchers’ capabilities to develop the next generation of diagnostics and therapeutics. BD has a presence in virtually every country and partners with organizations around the world to address some of the most challenging global health issues. By working in close collaboration with customers, BD can help enhance outcomes, lower costs, increase efficiencies, improve safety, and expand access to health care.

Romike has worked for BD since 2004 in several roles—including Senior Consultant for CareFusion, Director, and Vice President—before assuming her current role in September 2021. She graduated from Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis with a Bachelor of Science in health administration.

 

11. Joe Tammaro
Company: DrFirst, Inc.
Title: Vice President of Pharmacy - Consumer Solutions

Joe Tammaro is the Vice President of Pharmacy - Consumer Solutions at DrFirst, Inc., which since 2000 has pioneered healthcare technology solutions and consulting services that securely connect people at touchpoints of care to improve patient outcomes. DrFirst creates unconventional solutions that solve care collaboration, medication management, price transparency, and adherence challenges in healthcare. The company unites the Healthiverse™ by providing its clients with real-time access to the information they need, exactly when and how they need it – so patients get the best care possible.

Prior to DrFirst, Tammaro was National Sales Director for CaptureRx, and before that Vice President of Sales - High Volume Solutions for McKesson. He also served as Director of Pharmacy Productivity for H-E-B and attended The University of Texas at Austin.

 

12. Jim Keblinger
Company: Cresco Labs
Title: Senior Vice President of Operations, West Region

Jim Keblinger is the Senior Vice President of Operations, West Region at Cresco Labs. Cresco Labs is one of the largest vertically-integrated multi-state cannabis operators in the United States. Cresco is built to become the most important company in the cannabis industry by combining the most strategic geographic footprint with one of the leading distribution platforms in North America.

Keblinger first joined Cresco in 2022. Previously, he was Vice President of Customer Service and Inside Sales - Americas Diabetes at Medtronic, and before that Vice President of Order to Cash and Customer Service at Acelity. Earlier in his career, he worked with Dell as Director of Small Business Operations. Keblinger graduated from Texas A&M University.

 

13. Alexis Ward
Company: National Seating & Mobility
Title: Vice President of Payer Relations

Alexis Ward is the Vice President of Payer Relations at National Seating & Mobility. She first joined the company in 2018. For more than 25 years, National Seating & Mobility has been providing unparalleled products and services to meet mobility and accessibility needs, no matter how simple or complex. The company is committed to providing 360-Degree Complete Mobility Solutions, always striving to help clients move through life with confidence.

Previously, Ward was an executive director of managed care and medicaid affairs at Numotion, and before that a director of contract administration at Rehab Specialties, Inc. Earlier in her career, she worked with Rehab In Motion, Inc. as a director of operations. Ward earned an undergraduate degree in modern dance from Texas Christian University.

 

14. Ingela Danielsson
Company: Worldwide Clinical Trials
Title: Vice President of Early Phase Medical Management

Ingela Danielsson is the Vice President of Early Phase Medical Management at Worldwide Clinical Trials, a global, midsize contract research organization (CRO) that provides top-performing bioanalytical and Phase I-IV clinical development services to the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.  Founded in 1986 by physicians committed to advancing medical science, its full-service clinical experience ranges from early phase and bioanalytical sciences through late phase studies, post approval, and real-world evidence. Major therapeutic areas of focus include cardiovascular, metabolic, neuroscience, oncology, and rare diseases.

Before joining Worldwide Clinical Trials, Danielsson was Chief Medical Officer at Nexus Medical Consulting, and before that a Medical Director and Chief Medical Officer at the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services. Earlier in her career, she worked with the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke as a staff physician. Danielsson graduated from the University of Gothenburg with an MD and PhD in neurophysiology and CNS plasticity, and from the Rice University Jones Graduate School of Business with an MBA.

 

15. John Youngdahl
Company: BioBridge Global
Title: Chief Financial Officer

John Youngdahl is the Chief Financial Officer of BioBridge Global (BBG), a San Antonio, Texas-based nonprofit that offers diverse services through its subsidiaries – South Texas Blood & Tissue, QualTex Laboratories, GenCure, and The Blood & Tissue Center Foundation. BBG provides products and services in blood resource management, cellular therapy, donated umbilical cord blood and human tissue, as well as testing of blood, plasma, and tissue products for clients in the United States and worldwide. BBG enables advances in the field of regenerative medicine by providing access to human cells and tissue, testing services, and biomanufacturing and clinical trials support. It is committed to saving and enhancing lives through the healing power of human cells and tissue.

Before joining BioBridge Global, Youngdahl was director of category optimization at Getinge Group, and before that director of finance, FP&A and business operations at ArjoHuntleigh. Earlier in his career, he worked with Dell Financial Services as a funding accountant. Youngdahl graduated from Texas State University with an MBA in finance and from Gustavus Adolphus College with an undergraduate degree in finance.

 

16. Carlos Castilleja
Company: Elekta
Title: Vice President of Americas

Carlos Castilleja is the Vice President of the Americas region at Elekta. At Elekta, its outcome-driven and cost-efficient solutions provide lasting clinical differences and are developed through sustainable environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices. It has been working openly and proactively with clinicians and its partners for almost half a century to advance precision radiation therapy and meet continuously evolving patient needs no matter where they are in the world. Elektra doesn’t just build technology, it builds hope.

Castilleja has been with Elekta since 2007. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Baylor University.

 

17. Stacey Churchwell
Company: Medtronic
Title: Vice President & General Manager of Procedure Innovations

Stacey Churchwell is the Vice President & General Manager of Procedure Innovations at Medtronic. He first joined the company in 2011 as director of corporate sales. Medtronic is a global healthcare technology leader boldly attacking the most challenging health problems facing humanity with innovations that transform lives. It is developing groundbreaking healthcare technology solutions for more people in more places around the world.

Previously, Churchwell was a regional sales manager of cardiac rhythm management as well as a sales representative and field clinical representative for Boston Scientific. Earlier in his career, he worked with Accenture as a consultant. Churchwell earned an MBA in strategic planning from University of Minnesota – Carlson School of Management, an MPH in health policy & management, and an undergraduate degree in biology/pre-medicine from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University.

 

18. Victoria Styles
Company: CONMED Corporation
Title: Vice President and General Manager

Victoria Styles is the Vice President and General Manager of CONMED Corporation. CONMED is a global medical technology company that specializes in the development and sale of surgical and patient monitoring products and services that allow its physician customers to deliver high quality care and, as a result, enhanced clinical outcomes for patients. With products that are recognized as technological leaders by the specialties it serves, healthcare professionals within the Orthopedic, Laparoscopic, Robotic & Open Surgery, Gastroenterology & Pulmonology, and Cardiology & Critical Care specialties have come to value the CONMED name around the world.

Before joining CONMED Corporation, Styles was a director of U.S. sales at Conmed Endoscopic Technologies. Earlier in her career, she worked with Airborne Express as a corporate account executive. Styles graduated from Grand Canyon University with an MBA in organizational leadership and from Texas State University with an undergraduate degree in small business administration and management.

 

19. Samir Lakhashe
Company: Scorpion Biological Services
Title: Director of Bioanalysis

Samir Lakhashe is the Director of Bioanalysis at Scorpion Biological Services, an integrated contract research and contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) focused on cell- and gene-based therapies and large molecule biologics. It will offer commercial-scale biomanufacturing in the coming years from its newly announced site in Manhattan, Kansas. The company currently provides a broad array of clinical-scale biomanufacturing, analytical, and R&D services to pharmaceutical and biotech companies from its San Antonio facilities. Scorpion is proud to focus on offering services using American equipment, reagents, and materials.

Lakhashe first got his start in 1998 as a research associate for the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). At ICMR, he worked his way up to research scientist before becoming a postdoctoral scientist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Later, he worked as a principal scientist at BioBridge Global and as a senior scientist at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, his most recent position prior to joining Scorpion. Lakhashe graduated from Savitribai Phule Pune University with a PhD in health sciences, an MS in microbiology and immunology, and an undergraduate degree in microbiology and chemistry. He did his postdoctoral training in immunology & virology at Harvard Medical School.

 

20. Alexis Hoffend
Company: Invitae
Title: Senior Manager of Commercial IT Operations

Alexis Hoffend is the Senior Manager of Commercial IT Operations at Invitae. Invitae is a leader in medical genetic testing, driving genetic information into mainstream medicine to improve healthcare for billions of people. Invitae is aggregating the world's medical genetic tests into a single service with higher quality, a faster turnaround time, and lower prices. By driving down the cost of genetic testing, it makes it affordable and accessible to everyone who can benefit. Invitae’s platform is setting the standard for the exploding medical genetics industry by harnessing the power of advanced technologies like robotics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning as well as software engineering and world-class genetic expertise.

Hoffend first joined Invitae in 2022. Previously, she was a sales leader and assistant manager at Team 210, Inc., and before that a medical sales representative at BTNX Inc. Hoffend earned an undergraduate degree in biology and biological sciences from Niagara University.

 

21. Paul Richmond
Company: Transcarent
Title: Senior Vice President

Paul Richmond is the Senior Vice President of Transcarent, a health and care experience company that makes it easy to get the high-quality, affordable health and care that everyone and their families deserve – where and when they want it, on their terms. Transcarent puts health consumers back in charge by directly connecting them with an integrated ecosystem of high-value providers and health solutions, providing transparent information, and offering trusted guidance – in as little as 60 seconds, 24/7/365, from the palm of their hand, often at no cost to members and at a lower cost to their employer. Transcarent takes accountability for results – offering at-risk pricing models and transparent impact reporting to align incentives towards measurably better experience, better health, and lower costs.

Before joining Transcarent, Richmond was a senior vice president at BridgeHealth, and before that a senior sales professional at InMotion Medical Inc. Earlier in his career, he worked with Richmond Surgical Devices as a distributor principal. Richmond graduated from Baylor University with an undergraduate degree in accounting.

 

22. Lee Wolff
Company: Acelity
Title: Vice President and Corporate Controller

Lee Wolff is Vice President and Corporate Controller for Acelity, a global advanced wound care company offering innovative solutions from the hospital to home that improve the lives of patients in more than 90 countries. Its mission is to change the practice of medicine with solutions that speed healing, create economic value, and improve patients’ lives. Its shared values drive the company’s personality, culture, and priorities by providing a framework for making decisions: Customer First, Integrity, A Will to Win, One Acelity. It is the undisputed leader in negative pressure wound therapy and the market leader in collagen dressings.

Prior to his current position at Acelity, Wolff held several positions within the company, including as a senior manager, director, and assistant controller. Before joining Acelity, he served as senior manager of audit and business advisory at Arthur Andersen LLP. Wolff graduated from Texas A&M University with an undergraduate degree in accounting.

 

23. Mary Jimenez
Company: Caris Life Sciences
Title: Vice President of Strategic Account Management

Mary Jimenez is the Vice President of Strategic Account Management for Caris Life Sciences. Caris is a molecular science company developing and delivering technologies to revolutionize healthcare. The company’s suite of market-leading molecular profiling offerings assesses DNA, RNA, and proteins to reveal a molecular blueprint that helps patients, physicians, and researchers improve outcomes and save lives. Caris is also advancing precision medicine through advanced AI and machine learning algorithms. Leveraging the company’s proprietary AI analytics engine, DEAN™, across its extensive catalog of molecular intelligence and clinical outcomes data, Caris is actively developing a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of cancer in ways never before possible. This information provides an unmatched resource to help physicians better identify and predict patient response to therapy, as well as to support researchers and biopharmaceutical companies in deriving unique insights for research development, clinical trials, and target identification.

Jimenez first joined Caris in 2021. Previously, she was a division manager at Genentech, and before that an account executive for Caremark Homecare. Earlier in her career, she worked with Estée Lauder as an account manager. Jimenez earned a bachelor of business administration in marketing and management from The University of Texas at San Antonio.

 

24. Nicholas Walp
Company: American Regent
Title: Vice President of Quality Affairs

Nicholas Walp is the Vice President of Quality Affairs at American Regent, a Daiichi Sankyo Group company that develops, manufactures, and supplies high quality sterile injectables for healthcare providers, clinics, and hospitals across the United States and Canada. American Regent continues to position its business for sustainable growth, with significant investments in the modernization and expansion of its U.S. manufacturing sites. These enhancements are expected to strengthen its business and represent its commitment to the ongoing success of its company and its employees. Supporting patient health is its guiding principle, and its promise is to provide the healthcare marketplace with a steady supply and broad portfolio of brand-name and generic specialty injectables.

Before joining American Regent, Walp was President of QS and RC consulting, LLC, and before that a senior consultant at Pharmaceutical Associates Inc. Earlier in his career, he worked with Hanford Pharmaceuticals, Inc. as Vice President of Manufacturing. Walp graduated from the University of Rochester – Simon Business School with an MBA in finance and economics and from The Ohio State University with an undergraduate degree in microbiology and chemistry.

 

25. Jose Murillo
Company: BioBridge Global
Title: Vice President of Information Technology Services

Jose Murillo is the Vice President of Information Technology Services for BioBridge Global (BBG), a San Antonio-based nonprofit that offers diverse services through its subsidiaries: South Texas Blood & Tissue, QualTex Laboratories, GenCure, and The Blood & Tissue Center Foundation. BBG provides products and services in blood resource management; cellular therapy; and donated umbilical cord blood and human tissue; as well as testing of blood, plasma, and tissue products for clients in the United States and worldwide. BBG enables advances in the field of regenerative medicine by providing access to human cells and tissue, testing services, and biomanufacturing and clinical trials support. It is committed to saving and enhancing lives through the healing power of human cells and tissue.

Previously, Murillo served as a corporate information technology manager at L'Oreal. From there, he worked as RMA Manager for Dinastia International Corporation, before eventually rising to Director of Enterprise Operations, Oracle Applications, and Change Management at Texas Biomedical Research Institute, his most recent position prior to joining BioBridge Global. Murillo graduated from Texas A&M International University with an MBA in finance and an MS in information systems, and from Instituto Tecnológico de Morelia in Mexico with an undergraduate degree in industrial engineering.