Diversity by Doing HealthTech recently welcomed three accomplished health technology leaders to its advisory board: Jonathon Lobbins, Efraín Torres and Cynthia Yee. With expertise spanning medtech innovation, entrepreneurship and venture capital they will help DxD continue expanding opportunities for traditionally underrepresented talent in the health technology ecosystem.
“Cynthia, Jonathon and Efraín bring not only deep expertise but also powerful and diverse world views shaped by their unique journeys through the health technology ecosystem,” said Ingrid Ellerbe, executive director of DxD HealthTech. “Their perspectives will be invaluable as we work to open more doors for the untapped talent that has long been overlooked in our industry and to drive meaningful change in how health technologies are developed and delivered.”
Meet the new advisory board members
Jonathon Lobbins, founder of Keycard Health and managing partner at Naventra, is a seasoned executive with over 25 years of experience leading business strategy, operations, clinical initiatives, and technology development. Most recently, he served as CEO and Board Chair of Primasun, guiding the company through strategic growth and a successful acquisition by ResMed.
“I am excited and honored to accept the invitation to join the DxD board. I appreciate the mission of the organization and shared passion to expand opportunities and equip the next generation healthcare leaders,” said Lobbins. “We are at a distinct moment in history, and I believe the greatest opportunity to drive change and positively impact lives is ahead of us. For the many people who can benefit from access to medical innovation, we will win when our unique perspectives join to improve healthcare for all,” said Lobbins.
Efraín Torres, Ph.D., co-founder of Adialante, is innovating more accessible and affordable MRI technology. A first-generation Mexican-American from Chicago, Torres earned his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Minnesota. His work focuses on creating compact, silent, cost-effective MRI systems to make life-saving imaging technology more accessible globally.
“My parents instilled in me incredible habits and resilience, but they immigrated from México without graduating middle school. No one in my family was an engineer. I had no roadmap and got lucky to make it here. DxD gives the next generation what I needed: a real shot at transformative change, not based on luck, but on access and opportunity,” said Torres. “That’s why I’m excited to join!”
Cynthia Yee, partner at Vensana Capital, brings nearly two decades of experience in investing, operating and public equities within the medtech and healthcare sectors. She has led successful investments in multiple companies and currently serves on the board of Evident Vascular.
“As someone who has not always had a clear path in life, I’m proud to offer guidance through Diversity by Doing to underrepresented students and young professionals interested in pursuing careers in healthcare,” said Yee. “It is only with broad representation that we can begin to address the disparities and challenges in the U.S. healthcare system and create a future in which the next generation of innovators reflects and truly understands the needs of the patients and communities it serves.”
These new members join the advisory board that includes visionary leaders including Maria Aboytes, cofounder, Medina Medical; Sarah Arth, senior vice president, event strategy & industry engagement, Advamed; Omari Bouknight, CEO, Resonant Link Medical; Matt Kaufman, vice president and partner, The Mullings Group; Rebecca Lai, chief strategist & marketing executive, Rebecca Lai Consulting; Juan-Pablo Mas, partner, Action Potential VC and cofounder, Somos VC; Daniela Perdomo, medical device engineer, Zuno Medical and DxD alum; and Charisse Sparks, M.D., physician executive.
Founded as a partnership between Fogarty Innovation and Stanford Biodesign, DxD is an industry-driven collaborative dedicated to driving better health outcomes for all by supporting diverse innovators in health technology.
About Diversity by Doing (DxD) HealthTech
Diversity by Doing HealthTech (DxD) is an industry-driven collaborative dedicated to expanding opportunities in the health technology innovation ecosystem to drive better health outcomes for all. In collaboration with its partners, DxD empowers diversity change agents in early to mid-stage healthtech companies by providing education, expert voices, experiential programs and practical resources. DxD has built a suite of programs that address diversity across the pipeline, including a high school summer camp, an intensive internship preparation program for community college students, an immersive summer workshop for healthtech interns, virtual speed mentoring programs for early and mid-career professionals, and issues-based workshops for industry leaders. DxD was founded and is supported as a partnership between Fogarty Innovation and Stanford Biodesign. For more information, please visit https://diversitybydoing.org/.
About Fogarty Innovation
Fogarty Innovation, part of the Cardiovascular Research Foundation, is a nonprofit educational medtech incubator dedicated to advancing human health worldwide. Our experienced team provides “full-contact coaching” to help early-stage companies navigate the journey from idea to impact, delivers practical educational programming to stakeholders across the ecosystem, and forges alliances that accelerate the invention, development, and deployment of new technologies into clinical care. Founded in 2007 by Thomas J. Fogarty, MD, Fogarty Innovation is headquartered at El Camino Health in Mountain View, California. Learn more: www.fogartyinnovation.org.