Board

Ashish Cowlagi is a healthcare and ed-tech innovator, with a passion for leveraging technology to foster responsible innovation. He is a leader in AI commercialization, having pioneered the use of AI in clinical healthcare settings over 12 years ago. 

He currently works with startups and healthcare organizations, advising them on AI product innovation, new product introduction and community engagement. Previously, Cowlagi held senior roles in product management and strategy at IBM Corporation, where he was responsible for pioneering AI products in clinical use, including Watson for Oncology & Clinical Trial Matching.

Cowlagi is a co-founder & CIO of the Worcester Free Care Collaborative, helping bring fully free, compassionate and culturally sensitive healthcare to uninsured & under-insured patients in central Massachusetts. He also serves on several boards, including as Vice Chair of the Ascentria Care Alliance and as a member of the Community Advisory Board for the University of Massachusetts Medical School’s Center for Clinical and Translational Science.

Kim Cenkl is Chief Operating Officer at The Cenkl Foundation, where she leads operations and program delivery focused on advancing research, health, and wellbeing in rural communities through the integration of technology, data, and science.

She previously served as Vice President and Director of the Health FFRDC at MITRE, supporting federal health agencies with initiatives in AI, health IT, data analytics, and public health. With over 30 years of experience in FFRDC leadership, Kim brings a systems-thinking approach and a strong commitment to public service.

Martin Kohn, M.D., S.M.,MSHA is CEO and Chief Clinical Scientist at MedPredixAI, LLC, and Adjunct Clinical Faculty in Biomedical Informatics at Wake Forest School of Medicine. A board-certified emergency physician and clinical informaticist, Dr. Kohn brings decades of experience in health data analytics, policy, and care delivery innovation.

He previously served as Chief Medical Scientist at Sentrian and at IBM Research, where he developed predictive analytics and decision-support tools for complex care. Dr. Kohn holds degrees in electrical engineering from MIT, an M.D. from Harvard Medical School, and a master’s in health policy from NYU. He has advised Congress, led healthcare organizations, and published widely across clinical, technical, and policy domains.

Deborah Weymouth is the President and CEO of Prospect Medical Holdings’ Connecticut operations, overseeing Eastern Connecticut Health Network (ECHN) and Waterbury HEALTH, including Manchester Memorial Hospital, Rockville General Hospital, and Waterbury Hospital.

Since joining ECHN as CEO in 2019, Weymouth has brought extensive healthcare leadership experience, previously serving as a senior executive at UMass Memorial Health Care. There, she led a three-hospital system focused on improving care quality, expanding access, and advancing technology. She is committed to equitable healthcare delivery, community partnerships, and fostering a culture of wellness and prevention.

Rebecca Kush, Ph.D. is President of Catalysis, Inc., Scientific Innovation Officer at Elligo Health Research, and a Fellow at Japan’s Translational Research Informatics Center. With over 40 years of experience in biomedical research, she is internationally recognized for her work in clinical research standards and innovation.

As the founding President and CEO of CDISC, Dr. Kush led the organization from its inception to global adoption, with standards now required by regulatory agencies including the FDA and PMDA. She has served on advisory committees for NIH, the National Academies, and the U.S. Health IT Standards Committee, and co-led the CFAST Scientific Advisory Committee. A frequent speaker and published author, she continues to advance data-driven approaches to improve health and research worldwide.

Charles Friedman, Ph.D. is Chair of the Department of Learning Health Sciences at the University of Michigan Medical School, where he also holds the Josiah Macy Jr. Professorship of Medical Education. His work focuses on learning at all levels of health systems and the infrastructure needed to support continuous improvement.

Previously, Dr. Friedman served as Chief Scientific Officer and Deputy National Coordinator at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, where he led development of the first U.S. health IT strategic plan. He has also held academic leadership roles at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of North Carolina.

Mary F. Tobin, Ph.D., is ACRES’ Chief Strategy Officer and the Special Advisor to the President. She leads strategy, development of the Synergy Forum, planning, education in systems thinking, and business development. Formerly, she directed the ACRES Patient Engagement Initiative. She also supports communications, international and domestic cultural competency, and stakeholder engagement.

As Managing Director of IMPACT LLC, Dr.Tobin oversees consulting projects for private, nonprofit, and federal biomedical organizations. Her work encompasses bringing clinical trial operations and outcomes into alignment with the diversity of the general population, assessing international research landscapes, and providing tools for organizational effectiveness. She has also contributed to U.S. government efforts to repurpose former Soviet bio-weapons facilities for clinical research.