Meet the newest member of the US Health and Life Sciences Industry Executive team

This post has been republished via RSS; it originally appeared at: Healthcare and Life Sciences Blog articles.

Claire Bonaci 

You're watching the Microsoft US health and life sciences, Confessions of Health Geeks podcast, a show that offers Industry Insight from the health geeks and data freaks of the US health and life sciences industry team. I'm your host, Claire Bonaci. On this podcast, I welcome Amy Berk, the newest member to our Microsoft health and life sciences industry team. Amy is our Director of population health. And she brings with her an extensive clinical background, as well as a global mindset and innovative ideas on how to transform healthcare. Hi, Amy, and welcome to the confessions of health geeks podcast.

 

Amy Berk 

 Hello, Claire. Thank you for having me. I'm excited to be here.

 

Claire Bonaci 

Thank you. That's great to have you. So Amy, you are brand new to Microsoft, you actually started in January, and you are our new director of population health. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your background?

 

Amy Berk 

Absolutely. So thank you for the question. I started my career as a nurse. 26 years ago, I worked in cardiothoracic ICU. And I did that for almost 10 and a half years, I finished my graduate degree as a nurse practitioner at Emory University. And I had had full intent of being an MP but life happened. And I was offered a position at IBM and I started career in consulting. And I had been a consultant in healthcare for 15 years. And with that said, My experience in consulting has spanned across payers and providers, it is spanned across public and commercial entities, it is expanded across domestic and international opportunities. I've actually worked in nine countries over the course of my career. And I would say that, you know, it has just been a journey that I couldn't have even imagined. And I'm thankful for all my opportunities and all my learnings across this world, I've really grown to understand how healthcare operates not only in this country, but in others and how the impact and influence of healthcare and other countries has on the US and vice versa. I would also say that, you know, my work with the government has been everlasting impressionable, and really has given me a keen perspective on the impact of government, in healthcare as well. So, um, so that's, that's my story. And, you know, after consulting, then I took a position with the tufts health plan here in Massachusetts, where I live now. And I was there for a little over two years. And, you know, I like that position very much, and operationalizing, the key tenants of care management, utilization management, but I felt that I was missing, where I really love the consulting arm of things, and hence technology being innovative, and on the cusp of what's next, and what's new, and what's coming, and what's really going to make an impact in healthcare. So this is how I learned in my position at Microsoft, and I'm very proud to be here.

 

Claire Bonaci 

Well, I love hearing that. And I love that you bring up just the global view, since you have such a diverse background, you've worked in government, you've worked, you know, around the world, I think that's just so great to have, and you really do know, kind of what what help providers but also what health plans are facing around around the world. So that is great. And I know you briefly mentioned it, but you know, why did you make that move from tests health plans to a technology company? Was there something that you are hoping to accomplish with this move? Or was there something that you felt that you can make a bigger impact here?

 

Amy Berk 

Yeah, you said it just they're having that bigger impact, if you will. So, you know, often when you work in industry, and you're working for one company that is very focused on a objective goal, if you will, you're you know, you're you're meeting that one goal here at Microsoft, I feel like those goals can be expanded upon and have influence on the broader world of healthcare, if you will. And that's very exciting to me, it brings us back to my days, when I started at IBM, way back when you know, in having such a resound impact on on healthcare and how healthcare works and, and what technology can bring to the table of healthcare, which is so important ever, even now more than ever, post pandemic and how we're going to be looking upon technology to really optimize healthcare for the best.

 

Claire Bonaci 

So I mentioned that you're the director of population health here at Microsoft Now, what is your opinion on population health? or How did you get into that?

 

Amy Berk 

Yeah, so my journey with population health started about, I would say, Wow, it started at IBM actually, in defining new care model delivery systems, if you will. So I had the honor to work with Dr. Paul Grundy, very influential in health care and working to design a patient centered medical home solution for IBM, and that then became the basis of how we look at healthcare to be more coordinated, more collaborative. And then that spawned, you know, the whole entity of accountable care organizations, right and value based care. So that journey then led to more of a framework around population health, right. So I've seen the evolution, if you will, of care delivery, and that goes for both providers. And in the health plan side, I think that population health serves as a framework for health plans, how they look at their clinical operations, if you will, to enhance performance and outcomes amongst their members. And also it performance amongst themselves right as health plans. So I think that the population health framework could be a catalyst to achieving those goals. And, you know, being the director of population health here at Microsoft, I feel that technology has a big part to play in that optimizing of that framework. So, you know, it is my hope as the director of population health that we can really bridge that gap of where technology can really be an accelerator for population health, in what health plans are trying to achieve, to better remember outcomes to reduce costs to really take a keen look at vulnerable populations, and how we can then identify their needs and entreat in and support accordingly.

 

Claire Bonaci 

Well, I love that answer. And I love to bring up the SDOH piece and vulnerable populations. So what are you looking forward to short term here at Microsoft, I know you only been here for around a month and a half. What are you hoping to accomplish in the next few months? Maybe?

 

Amy Berk 

Yeah, I, you know, I'm very much looking forward to supporting my teams and the customers in which we work with and bring my expertise to the table, having the operational experience and just academic experience of population health overall, I also feel that I'm to establish a footprint with our customers and what we can do for population health, anything that's very important, and really looking forward to speaking with some key leaders in population health, within health plans throughout the country. So I'm very much looking forward to that.

 

Claire Bonaci 

Well, I know that you're going to go far here Amy, and I'm so glad you were on the industry team. And last fun question. Um, what what's something that we don't know about you what would be a fun fact or an icebreaker that you could share with us? Wow.

 

Amy Berk 

I'm a fun lover of animals. I have two French Bulldogs and two beautiful Persian cats. And I love to travel. Having been traveled for my career so much, I often take time to serve, like I love to travel for pleasure as well. So, um, and I love to cook. So I think I'm a very good cook at that. I love cooking and wine and culinary, you know, just that makes me happy. And tennis. I love tennis. So I don't know if those are too exciting of things. But that's what I love to do. And, you know, I think I've learned over the years that you have to have a balance of work in life. And you know, life is always more important in the end of the day. So

 

Claire Bonaci 

Terrific. Well, thank you so much for being on the podcast, and I really looking forward to having more podcasts with you in the future. Well, thank you so much clear, and it was wonderful to be here and I look forward to my career at Microsoft and doing the better good for customers in which we serve. So thank you. Thank you all for watching. Please feel free to leave us questions or comments below and check back soon for more content from the HLS industry team.

 

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