Board of Directors
We are supported by an impressive team of believers, who bring their experience, passion, and drive to eternalHealth .
Page Last Updated On: October 11, 2023
We are supported by an impressive team of believers, who bring their experience, passion, and drive to eternalHealth .
Chairman of the Board
When John Sculley was appointed marketing VP at Pepsi-Cola Co, Coca-Cola Co outsold Pepsi 10:1 in 50% of the US. When Pepsi later surpassed Coke in the ‘Cola Wars’ and became the largest selling consumer packaged goods in stores in the US, Steve Jobs heard about it and reached out to John Sculley. Steve Jobs recruited John to join Apple as CEO in 1983. While Steve Jobs was creating the first Macintosh computer, John was turning around the Apple II computer sales, the only cash flow Apple had at the time. He was also teaching Steve Jobs how to do big brand consumer marketing. 10 years later the Macintosh became the largest selling PC in the world. 15 years ago, John Sculley wanted to reinvent himself in a Noble Cause. He chose the healthcare industry, as there are so many ways disruptive innovation can touch so many lives. John graduated from Brown and attended RISD. John earned his MBA at Wharton Business School and he holds a PhD from Johns Hopkins. John Sculley is Chairperson of nirvanaHealth and Chairperson of eternalHealth. John is on the boards of Zeta Global, Celularity, OnDemandPharma.com. Previously, he was on the boards of healthcare companies Misfit Wearables, Rally Health, and MDLIVE. John and his wife Diane Sculley live in Palm Beach, Florida.
Founder and CEO,
Kaden Health
Pooja Ika is the founder and CEO of eternalHealth. At the age of 24, she is the youngest woman to launch a new Medicare Advantage Health Plan in the United States.
A 2019 Babson College graduate, Pooja founded eternalHealth to deliver high quality, affordable care to her fellow Massachusetts residents. Committed to doing things the right way, eternalHealth was built on trust, transparency, and integrity. Pooja has been working tirelessly to be make healthcare accessible for all, while also acting as an advocate and educator for her members. Driven to make eternalHealth a catalyst for change in the health insurance industry, Pooja is not scared to tackle what some might call impossible. Ika states, “Nothing is impossible, with the right team and the right thought process, anything is possible. I wake up every morning, grateful to have the opportunity to do what I love and be an advocate for our members.”
Although she officially launched eternalHealth in later half of 2020, Pooja has been surrounded by the healthcare industry for as long as she can remember. Born and raised in Massachusetts, her mother is a primary care physician in Worcester, MA and her father is a healthcare entrepreneur. She credits her father for instilling in her a passion for entrepreneurship, and her mother for her love for healthcare and her commitment to always placing the member at the center of every decision eternalHealth makes. This passion and commitment to make a positive difference has shaped her into who she is today: a resilient, fearless, and innovative leader.
Founder & CEO, Nadastra, Inc.
Co-Founder Virtusa Corporation
Tushara Canekeratne is a global leader and entrepreneur with broad and deep experience in Information Technology Industry with an emphasis on enterprise technology, scaling and growing global companies, and excellence in people, process, and technology innovation. Tushara is an advocate for education, leadership and entrepreneurs, and an investor in early-stage companies.
In 2006, Tushara founded Nadastra, Inc. (knowledge-driven global services company) and has served as CEO since its inception. In 1996, Tushara co-founded Virtusa Corporation (global technology services company) and served as EVP Global Technical Operations. In 1989, Tushara was a founding member of INSCI Corporation (digital document management product company) and served in several leadership roles.
Tushara currently serves as a member of Brigham and Women’s Hospital Advisory Council. She is committed to public health in various ways, serving also on the Stanford University Longevity Center Advisory Council.
She also serves as a member of City Year Board of Trustees, Harvard Graduate School of Education Dean’s Leadership Council, Advanced Leadership Initiative Coalition Steering Committee, Kennedy School Center for Public Leadership Council, and New Map of Life initiative advisor, and John F. Kennedy Library Foundation Board of Directors.
Tushara holds a B.S. in Computer Science and Mathematics, received an Honorary Degree of Doctor from Loughborough University, Harvard University 2015 Advanced Leadership Fellow and 2016 Senior Fellow, and Stanford University 2017 Distinguished Career Institute Fellow and 2018 Continuing Fellow.
David Henderson, MBA, has over 30 years of executive-level health plan operations, network contracting, medical management, sales, marketing, and product development experience. He has held executive-level positions with several nationally ranked health plans all recognized for their focus on quality and service. As SVP and Chief Marketing Officer at various health plans including MVP Health Care, EmblemHealth, Cigna, and Fallon Community Health Plan, Mr. Henderson led various product developments, regional and national expansions, and developed marketing and sales strategies. He developed products that have won national innovation awards and he has been published in CIO Magazine, Managed Healthcare, Inside Health, and other publications.
As President of Insurance at Oscar Health, he built and managed national network and medical management, led national expansion initiatives, and facilitated national hospital system partnerships.
Most recently, Dave Henderson has founded and is the Chief Executive Officer for Kaden Health, a technology-enabled, coordinated care behavioral health company that tackles the opioid addiction crisis. Making advanced technologies and proven treatments accessible to all, Kaden Health centers the patient and provides a chance to reclaim a healthy, productive lifestyle.
Robert London has over 30 years of experience in the healthcare industry. Robert London is the Chief Medical Officer for WellCare in South Carolina. And is responsible for overseeing both medical services and quality results. In this role, London provides medical leadership for the effective care integration of pharmacy operations, behavioral health, utilization/case/disease management activities, and quality improvement activities.
Prior to joining WellCare, London was the national medical director for Walgreens and led the clinical solutions group in the health and wellness business segment. Prior to that, he served as the general manager of ikaSystems, a leader in enterprise software for the payer sector. Before that, London was the chief development officer for D2Hawkeye, a provider of medical data reporting and analytics solutions.
He has also served as the chief clinical officer for TriZetto, a health care information technology company. Earlier in his career, London led health care management for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s (WellPoint) Western region. He has also served as a corporate chief medical officer at CNA Insurance Company, chief operating officer for UnitedHealthcare’s mid-Atlantic region, and chief medical officer at NYLCare Health Plans.
London currently is on the faculty of the South Carolina School of Medicine and has served on the faculty of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the University of Colorado MBA program. He holds degrees from George Washington University and University of Maryland School of Medicine, is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology, and is a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
Chief Medical Officer, Johns Hopkins Healthcare
Dr. Wills earned her medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and completed a residency in adult psychiatry at Harvard’s Massachusetts General Hospital/McLean Hospital program, serving as chief resident in her last year. She also has a master’s in business administration from the Wharton School of Business. Dr. Wills has worked as a consultant at McKinsey & Company; served as the director of physician affairs at the TMC campus of Memorial Hermann Hospital System where she oversaw the Medical Staff Office and physician recruitment, contracting, and onboarding.
Dr. Wills then served as senior medical director for WellCare Health Plans, where she led the clinical strategy team responsible for optimizing clinical and quality outcomes for patients, oversaw the NCQA accreditation team and served in enterprise quality leadership roles. From WellCare she became the senior medical director for Centene, eventually moving on to become the Chief Medical Officer for Johns Hopkins Healthcare, where among other responsibilities she oversees Pharmacy, Utilization Management, Care Management, and Quality Improvement departments, and other areas of medical management and health services. Her work at Johns Hopkins Healthcare focuses on the health plans’ work to foster collaboration and innovation in achieving member-centered, high quality, and efficient care.
She has substantial expertise in driving value-based, member-centric care in managed health care programs across broad organizations, as well as a deep understanding of the clinical aspects of the health care delivery system. She has experience with government-sponsored health care and possesses sharp analytical, financial, and business acumen.
President and Chief Executive Officer of Lawrence General Hospital
Dianne was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Lawrence General Hospital in 2009. Anderson led the organization through many significant changes and improvements. Her unshakable vision produced creative, local provider partnerships at Lawrence General, as well as relationships with several Boston-based programs, which resulted in a broader array of locally available health care, for a traditionally underserved region.
In the Spring of 2018, Lawrence General, partnering with Greater Lawrence Family Health Center and Neighborhood Health Plan, becoming one of only 17 state-approved Medicaid Accountable Care Organizations in Massachusetts. The program, named My Care Family, aimed to provide high value care with a strong emphasis on preventative and chronic disease management, to keep people healthier in the long run.
Under Anderson’s leadership, Lawrence General crowned a five-year master facility plan with the opening of the Santagati Center for surgery in 2017, a full surgical services replacement project bringing vast new capabilities to the region. The project supported her vision that more care should be delivered closer to home. Additionally, the hospital expanded its outpatient footprint, opening offsite locations totaling almost 100,000 square feet of new primary care, outpatient diagnostics and treatment at the Andover Medical Center, the Andover/North Andover YMCA, and Methuen Medical Center, among a growing list of new sites.
Dr. Patel has 25 years of healthcare leadership experience and a proven track record of driving strategy and operations to deliver growth across a broad spectrum of healthcare services. In particular, he has been an innovator at the intersection of the payer, provider, and technology landscapes and has driven solutions around integrated pharmacy, physical and behavioral health care models to meet the needs of those with chronic and complex conditions. Dr. Patel is the CEO of MaxHealth, a leading primary care platform dedicated to simplifying healthcare and ensuring healthier futures. The company’s value-based primary care platform is focused on Medicare, Medicare Advantage, and Managed Medicaid patients throughout Central and South Florida, with more than 66,000 value[1]based-care members. Dr. Patel previously served as Anthem Executive Vice President and President of the Diversified Business Group (DBG), where he launched and led DBG’s strategic direction and its multibillion-dollar growth. Dr. Patel was responsible for delivering new sources of growth by advancing integrated in person and virtual 7 behavioral, medical, and pharmacy care models, and developing innovative solutions to improve quality and health outcomes for its members. Dr. Patel is a graduate of Cornell University Medical College (Alpha Omega Alpha) and of the University of Michigan (Magna Cum Laude).
Debbie Rittenour is CEO of the UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust. Prior to joining the Trust, Rittenour was senior vice president of government programs at Capital BlueCross, an independent licensee of the BlueCross BlueShield Association serving 21 counties in Central Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley, and president of Vibra Health Plan, a Harrisburg, Pennsylvania-based health insurance company. In this capacity, she led all government program product lines including Medicare, individual and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). With more than 30 years of experience—mostly leading Medicare and Medicaid programs—Rittenour has also held leadership positions at Florida Blue, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, and BlueCross and BlueShield of Tennessee. Rittenour holds a master’s degree in business administration and a bachelor’s in business from Robert Morris University. She has participated in executive leadership and negotiation programs at Harvard University, and completed the BlueCross BlueShield Association Executive Training Leadership Program at Duke University.
President and Medical Director of Apollo Medical Group P.A.
Dr. Jay Chowdappa is a highly accomplished physician with an extensive background in internal medicine, managed care, and physician leadership. He earned his medical degree in 1985 from Bangalore Medical College in India and completed his residency training and graduate medical education at Catholic Medical Center Hospitals, affiliated with Cornell University Medical School, NY (1992-1996.)
With over 20 years of experience in the field, Dr. Chowdappa has been a prominent figure in the New Port Richey Area medical community since 1999. He is affiliated with The Medical Center of Trinity and Morton Plant-North Bay Hospitals, where he has made significant contributions to the field of internal medicine.
Dr. Chowdappa is a seasoned physician executive, demonstrating exceptional leadership skills in value-based care, particularly in Medicare risk management and Accountable Care. He is the visionary behind the founding of six Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) since 2012. Under his guidance, all six ACOs have consistently achieved shared savings year after year. He has served as the CEO and CMO, providing invaluable direction to these organizations.
In addition to his role in ACOs, Dr. Chowdappa has also established and led a physician-led Independent Practice Association (IPA). His expertise extends to various aspects of healthcare, including population health, Medicare risk adjustment strategies, physician practice transformation, physician education, and motivational speaking. He is highly skilled in healthcare consulting, strategic planning, organizational leadership, and medical compliance.
Currently, Dr. Chowdappa serves as the President and Medical Director of Apollo Medical Group P.A., a primary care practice with three locations in the Tampa Bay Area (www.ApolloMedGroup.com). He has also held prestigious positions in professional organizations, serving as the immediate past president of his County Medical Society and past president of the Florida Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (FAPI). Furthermore, he is the market Medical Director for a Medicare Managed Services Organization (MSO), where he continues to make a significant impact on the healthcare landscape.
Dr. Chowdappa’s dedication to improving healthcare delivery and his innovative approaches to physician leadership have made him a respected figure in the medical community. His passion for excellence, coupled with his vast experience and knowledge, continues to shape the future of healthcare in the region.
Director of Operations
Tom Cunniffe comes to eternalHealth with over 20 years of healthcare operations’ experience, having held leadership positions in Call Center, Enrollment, Credentialing, UAT and Reimbursement teams. Tom has worked with Medicaid, Commercial and Medicare lines of business and has consistently built teams who are metrics driven with proven successful outcomes. Making sure our business strives for an efficient, best-in-class customer experience is at the center of Tom’s philosophy.
Tom has a bachelor’s degree from Fordham University and a master’s in business administration from University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Tom Lawless has spent the past 20+ years building, sustaining, and growing new healthcare-related programs that balance fiscal responsibility & prudence with creativity & innovation, focusing on models of care that are novel, person-centered, and improve the social welfare of those who are served. He is very excited to continue doing so in his role as the Chief Financial Officer of eternalHealth.
Tom comes to eternalHealth from a not-for-profit, member-centric, health insurance cooperative. He helped the company continuously strive toward its dual goals of thriving financially, while keeping members at the very epicenter of its mission and service model. While there, Tom also spearheaded the creation of a brand new private, charitable foundation, which will be meaningfully giving back to those in need in the surrounding communities for years to come. Previously, Tom worked in the finance department of a successful hospice that provided high-quality care to persons experiencing their unique and poignant end-of-life journeys, assuring that the appropriate financing was always available. Tom’s career began as a civil servant in the Wisconsin Medicaid program, where he helped to create a program that expanded the institutional entitlement to care into home and community-based settings. Starting with only a blueprint in hand, the program now serves more than 57,000 frail elders and disabled adults and is considered a national model. Growing into a senior leadership role, Tom was a key architect of an innovative financing model, through which the public and private sectors successfully collaborated to better the lives of persons in great need.
Tom holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Chicago, with additional graduate work in economics completed at the University Wisconsin-Madison.