Mar 2, 2022

Also: Dr. Jay Bhatt becomes executive director of Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, and Owkin names two new executives. Photo: Hero Images Inc/Getty Images  Truepill has tapped Sid Viswanathan as its next CEO. This news comes after the digital pharmacy announced a $142 million funding deal in October . A cofounder of the company, Viswanathan started Truepill in 2016. Since then he served as the company's president. In this new position, he will handle day-to-day operations. He is taking over for fellow cofounder Umar Afridi, who will continue to have involvement with the company as a member of the board of directors. Previously Viswanathan served in Johnson & Johnson's Global Operations Leadership Development program and founded CardMunch. "From the very beginning, our vision has been to create a world where healthcare is accessible and convenient for everyone," Viswanathan said in a statement. “I’m honored to continue deepening Truepill’s work, partnering with industry leading organizations to create solutions that raise the bar for consumer expectations and empower everyone with access to the care they deserve.” Dr. Jay Bhatt was named the executive director of the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions and the Deloitte Health Equity Institute. Bhatt is coming from the American Hospital Association, where he served as the senior vice president and chief medical officer. Previously Bhatt was on the Northwestern Medicine faculty and served as the chief health officer at the Illinois Health and Hospital Association. "Growing up, I had a front-row seat to the challenges that many people face in disadvantaged communities, and these early life experiences convinced me not just to become a doctor, but to become someone who could meet the challenge of treating diverse populations, serving underserved neighborhoods, and helping communities and organizations change their future," Bhatt said in a statement. "I am excited to join an organization with a strong legacy of progress, execution and impact, and one with a mission that reflects my values and aspirations to transform the health of our communities and do it at scale." French artificial intelligence company Owkin named Dr. Vassili Soumelis as its next chief medical officer and Eric Durand as its SVP of data science. Soumelis is a professor at Université de Paris, coordinator of ImmunAID and a practicing physician. Durand is coming to Owkin after serving as director of data science at Novartis. His new duties will include overseeing data science activities at the company. “I was struck early on by the quality and the innovative nature of Owkin’s work," Durand said in a statement. "Combined with the incredible data asset the company is building through its federated platform, I believe Owkin is uniquely positioned to make a lasting impact on patients. "Helping to bring the best analytics to impact drug discovery has been my goal for many years, and it is hard for me to imagine a better place than Owkin for furthering this mission. I can’t wait to get started.”