MedStart gets first new Chair since its inception

Chris Wood Appointed as Chair of MedStart

Chris Wood, Senior Director, Mercy Neurological Institute at Dignity Health,

To Lead Efforts to Grow the Thriving Medical/Bioscience Industry in the Greater Sacramento Area

Sacramento, CA – February 8, 2016 – MedStart, the Sacramento regional not-for-profit medical technology advocacy program, is pleased to announce the appointment of Chris L. Wood, Senior Director, Mercy Neurological Institute for Dignity Health, as the new Chair of its program.   As a volunteer with a two-year term limit, Wood will provide input into decisions around general outreach to the Med Tech community within the nine county region and provide guidance on increasing the membership and sponsorship to ensure continued value and growth of the program.  Matt Phillips, the director of the MedStart program, will continue to manage MedStart in collaboration with Wood.

“As a longtime supporter of the MedStart program, I am excited to continue my contribution as the new Chair,” said Wood. “Founder Cary Adams has done a great job launching this program and forging its path since its inception. I look forward to adding my leadership experience and knowledge from my medical technology background to the MedStart program and guiding it to continued success.”

MedStart was established in 2008 by Cary Adams, Partner of Almond Tree Capital. “I’m very pleased to see MedStart poised to accelerate its progress on behalf of our medical technology community” said Adams.  “Chris is a visionary healthcare administrative leader at Dignity, and will work with Matt Phillips to take MedStart to the next level.” Adams will now assume the role of Emeritus Chair.

Wood’s appointment is the latest in a series of changes that are solidifying MedStart as an essential and valuable program for attracting, growing and supporting medical technology companies in the Sacramento region. In November 2015, Social Interest Solutions became the directing entity of the program, taking over the leadership role from the Sacramento Area Regional Technology Alliance. “We are excited to see Chris Wood take over as MedStart Chair,” said John Caterham, CEO at Social Interest Solutions.  “Certainly no one can replace Cary Adams, founder of MedStart, but we hope to build upon his legacy. Chris brings a new energy and fresh perspective to the organization.”

Under Wood’s leadership, MedStart will continue to support innovation and effective health outcomes by developing a thriving medical/bioscience industry in the greater Sacramento area.

About MedStart

The MedStart program was established to develop a thriving medical/bioscience industry in the greater Sacramento area by fostering, attracting and promoting medical and healthcare organizations, ultimately resulting in safer, more effective, less costly and more accessible medicine and healthcare for the region and the nation.  www.medstart.org

About Social Interest Solutions Social Interest Solutions (SIS) is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to leveraging technology innovation and influencing policy to improve consumers’ access to public and private health and social services. As an active influencer and promoter of policy reform, SIS has successfully developed and deployed pioneering technology solutions that have positively impacted the quality of life for nearly 17 million of the nation’s underserved population. www.socialinterest.org