Leading the Mobile Health Market, the Top 10 Mobile Health CEOs

Written by Alyssa Clark

It’s surprising our fingers haven’t already fallen off— with over four million free and 300,000 paid downloads occurring daily, the mobile health market  is reaching levels that even its founders hadn’t anticipated.

Earning the respected title and reputation as a mobile health industry figurehead is not something to take lightly these days; in fact, of the over 97,000 mobile applications, from respective companies, existing today within the healthcare industry, the Top 10 Mobile Health CEO’s have not only proved themselves to be worthy of honorable distinction, but they have changed the game for industry companies on the global scale.

As if the constant publicity and essential global takeover of mobile technology wasn’t enough, the mobile health app marketplace is set to hit $26 billion by 2017; that being said, the Top 10 certainly have their work cut out for them.

Our countdown begins at 10 and works down to the ever-infamous 1 position, surveying companies and CEO’s across a wide-range of locals, products and services.

10)  Syncardia Systems: Michael Garippa

From the company that pioneered and privately-manufactures the world’s first artificial heart, comes the number 10 seed in our Top 10 countdown Michael Garippa. Garippa received his bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University, a master’s degree from New York University and has worked at corporations like TandemHeart, Omni Medical and the NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation.

Proving to be a solution to patients with the most serious of heart conditions, Syncardia Systems has now even been able to support patients with issues ranging from biventricular failure to standard heart transplants.

9) Cleveland Clinic: Delos M. Cosgrove

Making a typical trip to the doctor’s office available through a personal computer or tablet, is the mission of the Cleveland Clinic and their CEO Delos M. Cosgrove; by providing privileged doctor/patient communication, interactive q+a platforms, prescription requests and other types of necessary medical communication. Cosgrove oversees a $6.2 billion system, made up of over 75 domestic outpatient locations, 16 full-service Family Health Centers and international offices as well, the latest being under construction in Abu Dhabi.

Dr. Delos Cosgrove did his undergraduate work at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts and received his medical degree from the University of Virginia School of medicine, while completing his medical training at Massachusetts General Hospital, Brook General Hospital in London and Boston Children’s hospital.

8) Sproxil: Dr. Ashifi Gogo

Bent on their goal of combating counterfeit pharmaceuticals by authenticating prescriptions everywhere since 2008, Sproxil’s CEO Ashifi Gogo has led Sproxil to fully-developing its award-winning Mobile Product Authentication mobile technology. Dr. Ashifi Gogo has instituted four key pillars within his institution which ensure his company’s success: a reliable security infrastructure, widespread access to consumers, education to facilitate implementation and overall user-friendly ability.

By encouraging consumers to use their mobile phones in the fight against counterfeit pharmaceuticals, Dr. Ashifi Gogo and Sproxil have made waves in the huge mobile technology pool and stand as a huge resource to patients everywhere.

7) Safariland: Robert Collymore

Leading Safariland with more than 25 years of telecommunications industry experience is Bob Collymore, a trusted and well-known mobile technology industry executive who has worked for a number of widely-respected companies like Vodafone and Vodacom Group. On top of his leadership and people management skills, Collymore also is a trustee of the holding companies in Kenya and Tanzania for M-PeSA, for Vodafone’s money transfer service.

6) D-Rev: Krista Donaldson

For over 15 years, this non-profit company has been driven by their dedicated CEO Krista Donaldson, PhD., who prides herself on the company’s commitment to innovation in product design, engineering and international development. The success of their two biggest projects, Brilliance (a technology treating neonatal jaundice) and the ReMotion prosthetic knee, have not only solidified D-Rev’s place as a mobile technology industry contender, but promoted their all-around accessibility and user-friendly innovation which is so desperately needed in their industry’s market.

Krista Donaldson is a silicon Valley “40 Under 40” winner, a TEDx and Clinton Global initiative speaker and most recently, she was named Fast Company’s Co Design: 50 Designers Shaping the Future. Donaldson holds a BE in Mechanical Engineering from Vanderbilt University, a MSE in Product Design, a MSME and a PhD from Stanford University.

5) Proteus Digital Health: Andrew Thompson

Andrew Thompson has directed the goal of Proteus Digital Health from the broad spectrum of allowing people the ability to control their own health with the digital health feedback system, to allowing those same people to share the responsibility of taking care of each other as well. Thompson diagnoses two trends within the markets as being: more people have mobile phones than clean, running water and second, chronic diseases like diabetes are the world’s biggest health concern. By coupling medicines that treat chronic conditions with technology with their ingestible sensor, PDH is making healthcare more accessible, manageable and innovative to meet the ever-changing needs of the mobile health industry.

4) Dexcom: Terrance H. Gregg

Since 2011, Terrance H. Gregg has led Dexcom with his expertise, commendable leadership and commitment to his company’s vision. Knowing the high demand of Dexcom’s products within the market helps drive the desire to provide quality performance and results, Gregg’s company avidly claims.

With the recent launch of the fourth generation diabetes sensor, it’s clear that Dexcom is here to stay in the world of mobile health technology to continue to improve the lives of patients with chronic diseases. 

3) Teladoc: Jason Gorevic

Founded in 2002, Teladoc is the first and largest telehealth provider in the nation. Teladoc provides patients with a virtual question and answer session with a board of U.S. certified doctors, any place, any time, along with 24/7 phone or video consultations straight from their respective mobile device.

Serving as the CEO since 2009, Gorevic has promoted growth strategy and innovation within his company, and that mindset paid off with his company acquiring Lumenos Inc., which Gorevic also stands as President over. He also is responsible for Teladoc’s partnership with the Zagat Survey, which helps patients rate their physicians.

2) Voxiva: Justin Sims

Since 2001, Justin Sims and Voxiva have been bringing people towards a healthier lifestyle through their engaging social marketing and bettering the communication of health related news and information.

Utilizing multiple mobile technological tools like: SMS messaging, email, mobile apps, interactive voice and the web, Sims knows firsthand with his 20+ years of industry experience, what it’s like to take a company to the next level. After leaving AT&T’s Global Services business in 2005, Sims came to Voxiva serving a as the CEO and as a veteran member of the Board of Directors.

1) Athenahealth: Jonathan Bush

Jonathan Bush certainly has his patient-consumers in mind with his constant commitment to mobile health innovation, easy-communication and user-friendly solutions for all of those patients within the healthcare world. Bush knows that being a CEO is, “a great honor and a great responsibility”. Through his company’s providing online management of physician practices and electronic management record services, it’s no wonder why this company continues to climb.

Holding a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard, Jonathan Bush has presided as CEO and president over Athenahealth since 2000. In the year 2000 alone, Bush raised $10 million for Athenahealth before their successful launch of their IPO in 2007.