Wondering who’s in and who’s out at major health companies, emerging startups, hospitals, and more? We’ve got you covered.
Welcome to July’s On Rotation!
Mike Cotton: After more than four years as a regional CEO at UnitedHealthcare Community & State, the company made Cotton CEO of its Medicaid business, filling a role that now Optum Health COO Krista Nelson left in May, Becker’s Payer Issues reported July 9.
Bill Gassen: The president and CEO of Sioux Falls, South Dakota-based Sanford Health has been named as the American Hospital Association’s Board of Trustees chair-elect designate. He’ll serve as chair-elect of the trade group in 2026 and become chair in 2027.
Robert Hunter: In a July LinkedIn post, Hunter announced he’s now UnitedHealthcare’s CEO of government programs, an expansion of his previous role, CEO of Medicare and retirement.
Laura Jensen: Medications savings platform GoodRx has tapped Jensen as its chief commercial officer and president of pharma solutions, effective July 28, where she’ll manage and grow partnerships with the pharmaceutical industry. She was previously head of manufacturer and provider business development at Amazon Pharmacy.
Jeff Jonker: Xaira Therapeutics, a Brisbane, California-based biotech startup, appointed Jonker as president and COO on July 9. He previously served as president and CEO of drug discovery company Belharra Therapeutics.
John Lee: Biotech startup Diagonal Therapeutics appointed the physician–scientist as its chief medical officer on July 8. He has held executive roles at Merck and Bristol Myers Squibb, and most recently was chief medical officer of another biotech startup, Nuevocor.
Cristian Massacesi: Bristol Myers Squibb turned to AstraZeneca for its new EVP, chief medical officer, and head of development. Massacesi—up until now, chief medical officer and oncology chief development officer for AstraZeneca—will take on the new roles on Aug. 1, when the old chief medical officer and head of development, Samit Hirawat, leaves.
Bilal Muhsin: Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) tapped Muhsin to be the company’s EVP plus the president of its soon-to-begin Connected Care segment, which will focus on advanced analytics and AI solutions. Muhsin came to BD after 25 years at Masimo, a health tech and consumer electronics manufacturer.
George Tidmarsh: The Stanford University school of medicine professor was appointed director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research on July 21.
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