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The 10 Most Prominent Wellness Leaders to Watch in 2023

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Company Management Description

Echelon Fit, Stuart, Florida, United States

Reulay New York

Advancells Group Noida, Uttar Pradesh

Highmark Health Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Onyx Health Newcastle-upon-Tyne England

Solve.Care Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States

FitXR London, England

Synappz Digital Healthcare Oss, North Brabant

ProPhase Labs Garden City , New York

Lou Lentine Founder and CEO

Dr. Srini Pillay Chief Medical Officer and Co-Founder

Dr. Lipi Singh Vice President

Dr. Stella Onuoha Vice President

Susheel Ladwa CEO

Pradeep Goel CEO

Sam Cole Co-Founder and CEO

Erik van der Zijden CEO

Ted Karkus CEO and Chairman

SMU Healthcare Jakarta Edward CEO

Echelon Fitness Multimedia, led by CEO Lou Lentine, is a global wellness powerhouse known for groundbreaking fitness products and content.

As the premier destination for mental well-being supported by neuroscience, Reulay emphasizes the importance of mental health.

Advancells Group is committed to advancing medicine for a cure-focused world.

Highmark Health, based in Pittsburgh, provides diverse health services nationwide, generating $22 billion in 2021.

Onyx Health, a premier healthcare marketing agency, seamlessly merges science and creativity to deliver impactful global campaigns in pharmaceuticals and medical technology, specializing in engaging healthcare audiences for positive change

Solve.Care is a blockchain healthcare platform that streamlines coordination and payments, fostering interoperable networks.

FitXR, a VR fitness tech company, has evolved into a well-funded remote-first team, offering a top-downloaded Meta Quest app with over a million users.

Synappz Digital Healthcare is revolutionizing healthcare through innovative mobile solutions, empowering patients with easy access to their health information.

ProPhase Labs is a diversified biotech company leveraging CLIA lab services for consumer genomics and maintaining traditional molecular lab services, including COVID-19 testing.

SMU Healthcare, an innovative Investment & Operations Company, bridges Indonesia's healthcare infrastructure gap with tailored solutions.

Editor’s Note

The Inspirational and Innovative Stories of Trailblazers in the Wellness Sector…

As the world navigates 2023 and begins to recover from COVID-19, the immense difficulties born out of living through a global epidemic, the wellness industry’s biggest and brightest players continue to showcase the vast opportunities that appear for those who can adapt, diversify, and take risks.

We always feel happy to share the change and transformation through our unique piece of content, and we have crafted this edition to focus on the dedication and devotion of some incredible wellness leaders.

We assure you that every single page you flip of the edition will add some value to your life and will surely inspire new entrepreneurs worldwide. Now, going straight to the latest report, the size of the health and wellness market was estimated to be US$ 4.92 trillion in 2022 and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.93% to reach US$ 13.89 trillion by 2032.

This special "read" is dedicated to all our dedicated and inspirational leaders out there in the wellness industry. Leaders can change people's lives for the better, and they play a crucial role in this process of transformation. They focus on significant issues, including equality, accessibility, community upliftment, sustainability, and mental health to mention a few.

To honor the change-makers of the wellness industry, we have featured the business owners who have established their endeavors to give back to their communities. As you go in-depth into these stories, you will be amazed to learn about their unique journey.

Our diligent team of professionals has strived hard to craft this publication for producing effectively engaging and entertaining content for our audience worldwide. We hope you will enjoy reading these stories and the in-house articles as much as we enjoyed while creating them.

This article was carefully crafted by our diligent team of specialists to provide our global audience with interesting and engaging content. We sincerely hope that you will find the stories and our in-house articles enjoyable to read as we did to create them.

Lipi Singh

A Catalyst for Chåge

They are fearless and clever and know how to break into the market by reinventing the wheel of an established industry. Women are not only flocking to the economic sphere; they are also paving the way. Whether in the retail, technology, educational, or social enterprise sectors, women are stepping outside their comfort zones to become change agents and leaders. And Lipi Singh, Vice President of Advancells Group, is an excellent representation of female leadership in the healthcare industry.

Paying homage and recognizing the talent seeping within the nation, “The 10 Most Eminent Women Leaders in Healthcare 2023” tries to encapsulate the great vision of the inspiring lady and the impact she is creating. In an exclusive conversation, Lipi Singh shared various aspects of her journey. Here are the edited excerpts:

Lipi Singh – A Person Worth Knowing

The amazing and inspiring female leader, Lipi Singh, is a competent professional with over 15 years of experience in stem cell biology, regenerative medicine, banking and consulting for stem cells, business and research development, and clinical research and study. Additionally, she is a fellow in anti-aging through the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine's fellowship program to be eligible for the American Board of Anti-Aging

Health Practitioners (Florida, USA) and an active member of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine.

She became part of the organization as vice president in 2021. Prior to joining Advancells Group, Lipi held the positions of Chief Technology Officer at Saffron Naturelle Products Pvt. Ltd. and Laboratory Director at Cryoviva PTE Ltd. in Singapore. She assisted the company in establishing itself, generating stability for commercial success, and expanding with technological improvement and innovation in the healthcare industry during her time at the previous healthcare companies (all three).

Lipi has a doctoral degree from Post graduate institute of Medical education and research , chandigarh , india and postdoctoral fellowship in Regenrative mediicne from california institute of Regenrative Medicine (CIRM), Los Angeles , USA. She has extensive training and expertise in medical device quality management systems certification, including QMS ISO 13485:2016, MDR 2017 (IVD), and QMS ISO 9001:2015. Internal Auditor QMS Certified ISO 9001:2015

Idea Of Joining Advancells And Taking The Plunge

When asked to brief about the idea to join the company, she explained her journey quite vividly.

Chronic diseases are the major causes of disability and untimely death among the older population in India. This is what motivated me to join Advancells. After completing my education, I have been motivated to join the effort by my desire to "make India chronic disease free" as perceived as a worldwide burden (require attention!).

Advancells Group and Companies: At a Glance

Advancells Group, a research-driven business founded in 2014, is largely focused on providing services and cellular products for effective therapeutic applications of precision medicine. Being a pioneer, the company is excited about adult stem cells' boundless potential to treat a number of degenerative disorders that are currently classified as "orphan diseases."

A part of Advancells, Cryoviva Singapore is one of the top family cord blood banks in Singapore that provides cord blood and cord tissue stem cell banking services. The leading lady, Dr Lipi, helps in technology development in different sister companies of the Cryoviva group like, Thailand, Vietnam, and India.

Their GMP-compliant lab is at the cutting edge of research and innovations and acts as a platform to introduce the newest technologies to their affiliated hospitals and medical professionals, ultimately benefiting thousands of patients each year with all-natural, risk-free, and efficient therapeutic modules to manage a variety of life-threatening illnesses. Using their superior technological capabilities, they also hold the top spot in the market for preventative healthcare solutions, such as cosmetic treatments, orthopedic treatments, anti-aging therapies, and immuno-boosting wellness programs.

A broad variety of medical applications have gained favour with regenerative medicine's capacity to replace worn or damaged tissue with new, healthy tissue. The "Advancells Group, Noida, India," has excellent facilities for research in regenerative medicine as well as a wellness program.

"We have reached a stage where we are able to put what we have learned in the lab to use in the clinic, influencing the future of medicine, networking, and educational goals to raise awareness throughout the world. According to the leading lady, this includes creating awareness of a new era of well-being through regenerative medicine" and promoting general health and endurance.”

Moving Towards Making India “Chronic Disease-free”

A chronic disease or sickness is one that is persistent, does not go away on its own, and is rarely totally cured, such as diabetes or a heart condition. The current healthcare system's "one size fits all" philosophy only works well for some people and circumstances. Why? One major query! Genetics, environment, and lifestyle are all unique to each person.

Precision medicine is a cutting-edge strategy that takes into account the unique variations in individuals' environments, habits, and genetic makeup. Further, Lipi Singh took the initiative with her consultancy program "Aging and Healthcare" and worked with Advancells Group, Delhi, to address the numerous unmet needs in preventive and predictive healthcare and offer precise, innovative, and regenerative health solutions for individuals and communities. This is referring to the prevention and reversal of chronic disease, diabetes, cancer, and cardiac health, which will be a global burden. Aging and healthcare cover a broad range of consultancy services and programs in connection with genomics, microbiomes, point of care, and regenerative solutions.

“Hopefully, this move will increase understanding of the value of precision medicine and contribute to India becoming chronic disease-free,” quoted the leading lady.

Insights on the Gender Pay Gap

It has a compounding effect that results in a woman's reduced earning capacity over her lifetime. On average, women are less likely to progress as far as

men in their careers and accumulate less money for retirement. Women are more likely to work all their lives and care for their families and homes. Therefore, eliminating the gender pay gap is crucial.

Women's pay gaps have decreased as a result of more education, a shift to higher-paying jobs, and increased labor market experience. Companies must keep working to close the gender pay gap, confront gender prejudices and preconceptions, and encourage diversity and inclusion in the workplace if they want to close the gender gap. Reforms should prioritize boosting the minimum wage, respecting women's work and skills, and expanding employment possibilities in order to advance equal pay.

1.Raising the wage floor

2.Improving the valuation of women's work

3.Improving access to employment and advancement

Awards and Accolades

The Prestigious Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam Inspirational Award at Plenary Hall, Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi (23rd June 2023) by a world-renowned Indian amateur boxer, Mrs. MC Mary Kom, for Outstanding contributions and Innovative research in Biomedical/Regenerative science over the past two decades, both nationally and internationally.

VISIONARIES AWARD RECOGNITION” IN HEALTHCARE, at the Health 2.0 Global, Dubai 2023, on 16 – 18th December 2022 at Intercontinental, Dubai Festival City, UAE on Diabetes Care.

ATAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS 22 “ICONIC WOMEN IN HEALTHCARE” AT ATAL SAMMAN SAMAROH 2022, 21st December, Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi, India.

"BEST WOMEN IN NATION BUILD IN HEALTHCARE AND WELLNESS" award

under ICONIC HEALTHCARE SUMMIT & AWARDS 2022 Ceremony with News 24 as Media Partner and Magazine Partner, OUTLOOK &

MedgateToday” as Print media Partner on 08th October 2022, Hotel Sahara Star, Mumbai, India.

Global Excellence Award in Healthcare for outstanding service & contribution to the health sector GLOBALLY, presented by " TopnothcFoundation” in Association with #News 24 as Media Partner and Magazine Partner, OUTLOOK & MedgateToday” as Print media Partner on 29th June 2022, Hotel Shangri la Eros, New Delhi, India.

Nation Woman Pride Award 2022 “Global Women Inspiration Award, 2021 for outstanding service & contribution to the health sector GLOBALLY, presented by " TopnothcFoundation” in Association with “IndiaNews” and “AajTak” International” as Telecast Partner & Magazine Partner “MedgateToday” on 29 th March 2022, Delhi, India.

Outstanding Leadership Award Recognition” at the Health 2.0 Dubai 2022 on 23rd - 25th March 2022 at Intercontinental, Dubai Festival City, UAE.

Awarded as "WOMEN INTERNATIONAL HEALTHCARE INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR" under INTERNATIONAL HEALTHCARE LEADERSHIP AWARDS 2021 for outstanding service & contribution to the health sector GLOBALLY, presented by " TopnothcFoundation” in Association with “IndiaNews” and “AajTak” International” as Telecast Partner & Magazine Partner “MedgateToday” on 23rd December 2021, Goa, India.

Awarded as "WOMEN HEALTHCARE PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR" for outstanding service & contribution to the health sector, presented by "Top-gallant Media the Iconic Healthcare Summit & Awards 2021, in Association with News 24 and AajTak” International as Telecast Partner & Magazine Partners are OUTLOOK & MedgateToday” on 29 September 2021, New Delhi, India."

Painting the Future Canvas

The primary causes of death and disability in India are chronic diseases and injuries, which are expected to contribute significantly to the burden of disease during the next 25 years. Examples of chronic diseases include cardiovascular disease, mental health disorders, diabetes, and cancer. The majority of chronic illnesses are equally common in poor and rural populations and often occur together. Although a wide range of cost-effective primary and secondary prevention strategies are available in routine medical practice, this chronic illness increases with time and becomes a burden on the healthcare system.

To meet the gaps in preventative and predictive healthcare, which provides individualized and ground-breaking health solutions for communities. In addition, studies on stem cells and aging seek to comprehend how stem cells preserve tissue health, what factors ultimately cause stem cell activity to deteriorate with age, and how the regenerative potential of somatic stem cells might be improved to support healthy aging.

In a medical and technical environment, stem cell technology can have a significant impact on cosmetics that are both beautiful and functional. With technological and Anti- aging excellence, Lipi and her team hold the leading position in the field of preventive healthcare technologies. such as Cosmetic treatments, Orthopaedic treatments, anti-aging therapies, and immuno-boosting wellness programs.

Lipi's long-term goal is to employ iPSC technology or stem cell technology in novel and creative ways to enhance the drug discovery process (humanely and cruelty-free) and lessen the burden of failed clinical trials on academia, biotech startups, and big pharmaceutical companies.

Dr. Stella Onuoha-Obilor

An Outstanding Visionary Entrepreneur Revolutionizing the Healthcare Segment with Highmark Health

The healthcare sector has constantly given rise to exemplary value providers who have contributed to the recovery of numerous lives. The progress of medical science pushed the healthcare sector to its breaking point. Dr. Stella Onuoha-Obilor has gained recognition for her services to the healthcare business together with many other doctors and other healthcare professionals. This astute public health physician's efforts are recognized and honored in "Eminent Women Leaders in Healthcare 2023."

She was initially humbled and blessed for being a part of a noble profession and earning success on the right path after getting the rare title, which was bestowed upon her. Her 20 years of dedication to the fields of population health and clinical quality seem to be paying off. She is a Quality Champion, Results and Data-driven health Care Senior Leader. She is focused on continuously enhancing the quality of healthcare programs, conducting investigations, research, and root cause analysis to guarantee high-quality patient care, patient safety, and accuracy in billing-related issues, as well as clinical appeals and medical & usage management.

A Glimpse of Dr. Obilor’s Professional and Academic Achievements

Dr. Stella Onuoha-Obilor earned her medical degree from Nigeria’s University of Calabar College of Medicine and her master’s and PhD degrees in

public health from Walden University in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She is certified in the areas of Certified Professional in Health Care Quality (CPHQ), Certified Case Manager (CCM), Lean Six Sigma Healthcare Black Belt, Lean Six Sigma Healthcare Green Belt, Meeting the Leadership Challenge from Walden University, and Measurement, Design, and Analysis Methods for Health Outcomes from the Harvard School of Public Health.

Before joining Highmark Health, Dr. Obilor served as the department head for measures management at the New Jersey Innovation Institute Healthcare/ Garden City Practice Transformation Network. With a $50 million grant-funded practice transformation project, she worked with a team of more than 50 clinical and non-clinical employees to reach a goal of over 10,000 physicians in specialty and general care practices, saving $15 million.

The Key Factors That Encouraged

Dr. Obilor Become Leader in Healthcare

“As a child, I always wanted to be a part of solutions to the world’s challenging and complicated problems”, quoted the magnificent woman.

She observed a single doctor attending to more than 500 individuals (a crowd of sick people). Before seeing the doctor, they would often spend the entire

day at the clinic. She recalled telling herself during one of the visits that she would study to be a doctor so that she could help in the care of the sick. Therefore, seeing people live healthful lives fuels her passion. For her numbers in healthcare are not just mere numbers, they are people, and the inspiring lady tries as much as she can to be a part of improving their health outcomes and allowing them to live their best lives.

Work Culture: Combination of Diversity and Inclusion

Because the future is inclusive, only businesses with diverse and welcoming environments will endure. Because of the various perspectives and experiences of the diverse population, diversity and inclusion in the workplace encourage growth. As a result of the fact that not everyone views the world

through the same cultural lens, diversity and inclusion also lead to cultural intelligence. Because a varied thinking team is stronger than the sum of its parts, diversity and inclusion in the workplace foster strong collaboration.

The Remarkable Presence of Highmark Health

Highmark Health’s vision is a world where everyone embraces health! The goal is to reinvent health and Highmark Health will achieve this through Living Health, a new model of health care.

The healthcare system in the United States is overly convoluted, frustrating, and expensive. In order to help its clients live their best lives, Living Health is a proactive, well-connected system of care and support. Each person is informed, empowered, supported, and freed to be their best with Living Health at its core. As part of its distinctive blended health strategy, Highmark Health created the Living Health Model to take advantage of the skills, knowledge, and insights of payers and providers of healthcare. This new experience has the advantages of frictionless convenience, simplicity, cost, and beneficial health results.

With the aim of making the finest treatment available for members at the lowest cost while providing the greatest patient and clinician experience possible, Dr. Tony Farah, EVP Chief Medical and Transformation Officer, and his team are reinventing health care.

Overcoming Challenges as An Entrepreneur

Working with various stakeholders and notable figures across functional teams is challenging when some people are change-resistant. It is hard to ignite the emotions of other people to get them into seeing the value propositions of new ideas. Change is inevitable and getting people to challenge the status quo is very challenging. In addition, what people have is not knowledge deficiency but behavioral issues. Therefore, there must be a cultural shift in getting to get people’s buy-in and ensuring that a

culture of continuous performance improvement is cultivated. Also, it is vital to mold the organizational culture in a way that encourages individuals to perform at their highest level and feel safe.

Success & Recognitions Earned by Dr. Obilor

It was not an easy achievement to return to school for a Master's and a Doctorate in Public Health while working a full-time job and caring for four young children. The amazing woman exclaimed, "I am very pleased with what I have been able to do, and I am completely grateful to God.

"We will keep coming up with new ideas because we do not yet have all the solutions to reinvent health, and once we do, we will miss opportunities. Therefore, we'll keep thinking, questioning the status quo, and acting differently," she added.

A Piece of Advice to the Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Please always combine strategy with empathy. You can never be wrong when you lead with empathy, passion, and mutual respect. Most importantly, build resilience by always lifting others because you are lifted while lifting others. Always practice childlike courage. Hope, grit, and determination are all must-haves.

“My passion for improving numbers stems from the fact that every data point in the healthcare industry has a human narrative behind it. For me, numbers are not just numbers. People's spouses, siblings, friends, and relatives make up this group.”– Dr. Stella Onuoha-Obilor

SusheLadwa

SDisrupting Healthcare for Better Patient Care

usheel Ladwa has always been passionate about healthcare. He began his career at Texas Instruments before becoming part of the initial team that built Wipro's healthcare practice, where he led the growth of the payer, provider, and medical device business to over $250M in revenue. He then served as a client partner for major healthcare transformation projects at EDS, later acquired by HP.

However, Susheel’s most impactful role was at IBM, where he served as an industry leader for healthcare and life sciences for Cloud Application Services. Following his time at IBM, Susheel joined a start-up in Silicon Valley, and he learned valuable lessons on how not to run a company.

With this experience, he took up the CEO role at Onyx Health, a healthcare company disrupting the industry by making data interoperable across the healthcare value chain leveraging the FHIR standards.

Besides his work at Onyx Health, Susheel is a contributing editor at DistilINFO Publications and has chaired the American Health Insurance Plans IT workgroup. He has also authored over ten books of quotes and sayings.

Solving the Growing Issue of Healthcare Data Interoperability

Over the last decade, healthcare digitization has generated a massive amount of healthcare data.

However, the real problem in the healthcare sector is not the lack of data but the lack of interoperability across the healthcare value chain.

Patient health data is scattered across various health plans, providers, and pharmacies, creating a fragmented system that hinders effective care delivery for better patient outcomes. Onyx, however, is leading the charge in tackling this challenge head-on.

The Onyx team brings experience building Blue Button 2.0 for CMS, the world's largest FHIR standards-based interoperability implementation serving over 53 million beneficiaries. Refining the lessons learned at CMS, and applying them for Health Plans, has placed Onyx at the forefront of healthcare data interoperability.

Collaborating with Microsoft, Onyx has developed its revolutionary OnyxOS, the world's first “Interoperability Operating System” built on the FHIR standards. Onyx helps Health Plans comply to CMS Interoperability rules and leverage the investments to automate Prior Auth, Acquire Clinical Data for Quality reporting and more. Onyx also brings the first Payer to Payer data exchange platform that is connected to over 300+ healthcare plans.

"OnyxOS enables healthcare companies to adopt FHIR standards quickly and make their data interoperable, facilitating effective programs that deliver impactful healthcare to patients. We're thrilled about the opportunity that lies ahead and believe that Onyx is well-positioned to disrupt the healthcare industry,"- states Susheel Ladwa.

Changing the Industry for Good

Despite being a relatively new start-up, Onyx has made remarkable progress in the healthcare industry. Presently, Onyx’s platform hosts over 4% of all Government Regulated healthcare lives including Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, CHIP, and QHP plans. The OnyxOS platform is rapidly becoming the preferred choice for healthcare organizations that want to embrace FHIR standards and accelerate data interoperability.

OnyxOS is a revolutionary plug-and-play product that seamlessly integrates with legacy healthcare data and platforms, enabling the adoption of FHIR standards and creating new business cases to enhance patient outcomes. The organization is presently focused on helping health plans meet the CMS Interoperability requirements, but the benefits of its FHIR standard-based operating system extend far beyond just health plans. Providers, medical device companies, pharmacies, and life sciences companies can all leverage the power of OnyxOS to unlock the full potential of their healthcare data.

Embracing New Technologies

Healthcare data is notoriously complex, and adopting a new standard like FHIR can add to the complexity for healthcare organizations. However, with Onyx's platform, OnyxOS, healthcare organizations can quickly embrace the new opportunities that arise from the boundaryless healthcare data enabled through the FHIR standards.

OnyxOS simplifies the process for healthcare organizations to transform their businesses and reap the benefits of FHIR standards without undergoing a lengthy and stressful build project. Onyx provides a straightforward configuration program that enables organizations to take advantage of the full potential of their data. Moreover, new use cases like prior electronic authorization, digital insurance cards, payer-to-payer data exchange, good faith estimates, and upgrades to FHIR standards are handled on the platform as a version update, making the process seamless.

Onyx is proud to offer the industry's first fully SaaS platform for interoperability, making it easier than ever for healthcare organizations to unlock the full potential of their data. Under Susheel’s leadership, Onyx has won the “Frost and Sullivan Best Practices" Award for Healthcare data interoperability.

Assembling a World Class Team

Susheel feels the best thing a leader can do is to assemble a great team, inspire and encourage them, set an aggressive goal and then step back and let

them work their magic. To achieve this, Susheel follows three guiding principles that he prioritizes:

● 10x Rule: The first guiding principle that Susheel prioritizes is that every team member should strive to deliver 10x better than anyone else in the industry. When every team member is committed to performing at their best, the collective impact of Onyx on the industry can be almost magical.

● Maniacal Sense of Urgency: In his second guiding principle, Susheel believes that traditional human thinking can be limiting. So he and his team strive to challenge themselves to think differently and disrupt the healthcare industry. They believe that disruptive innovation occurs when people challenge themselves to achieve what may seem impossible, like building something assumed to take sixteen months in just six weeks. Susheel and his team are relentless in their drive to #DisruptHealthcare for the better.

● Comfort Zone Elimination: Susheel believes that culture is one of the hardest things to get right and keep it right. The first element of culture he believes in is "Open Communication," it's incredible how open, non-hierarchy, honest, and candid communication can create an environment for the best ideas to win. Two, "Empathy," treat people how you want them to treat you. Three "Comfort Zone Elimination," nothing significant gets accomplished in the boundary of the comfort zone. As a leader, it is essential to push teams out of their comfort zones; that is where the magic happens.

The Future

Susheel believes building a meaningful business that positively impacts patients' lives is critical to success. Over the next half a decade, the Onyx platform will touch 1 in 4 lives in the US, impacting positive healthcare delivery by making patient data interoperable. Also, the healthcare system is in dire need of a new, easily scalable Operating System that can roll out new capabilities within weeks instead of several years, and OnyxOS is poised to become the gold standard for the next generation of healthcare systems.

Personally, Susheel is also a big advocate for girl empowerment and will continue his work to improve the lives of underprivileged girls worldwide.

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