INVESTMENT TEAM

The NaviMed team has more than 75 years of collective healthcare experience in investing, operating, and clinical activities, complementary backgrounds, past experiences working together, and a depth of high-level strategic relationships in industry and with key health policy-makers.

Ryan Schwarz Managing Director

Mr. Schwarz has almost 30 years of investment and financial experience in healthcare. At NaviMed, he sits on the Firm’s Investment Committee and is responsible for leading investments and overseeing portfolio companies with a particular focus on payor services and technology-enabled outsourced services.

For fourteen years from 1997 to 2011, Mr. Schwarz led the U.S. healthcare growth capital practice at The Carlyle Group. His team’s investing activities focused on healthcare services, healthcare IT, and medical products. He joined The Carlyle Group at the inception of its initial U.S. venture and growth capital fund in 1997 and led the healthcare investing practice through all three of the firm’s domestic growth capital funds, which targeted growth and venture capital investments and growth-oriented leveraged buyouts.

Mr. Schwarz previously was a Vice President in the healthcare group at Robertson Stephens, where he led the firm’s health IT investment banking efforts and also served clients in the healthcare services sector. Earlier in his career, Mr. Schwarz was an investment banker at Morgan Stanley.

Mr. Schwarz is currently the Chairman of the Boards of Directors of NeuLife Neurological and OPN Healthcare.  He previously served as Chairman of the Boards of Directors of Argos Health and Lucent Health.

Mr. Schwarz holds an AB from Duke University where he was an Angier B. Duke Scholar, an MBA from Harvard Business School, and a JD from Harvard Law School.

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Bijan Salehizadeh, M.D. Managing Director

Dr. Salehizadeh has 25 years of healthcare operating and investment experience. At NaviMed, he sits on the Firm’s Investment Committee and is responsible for leading investments and overseeing portfolio companies with a particular focus on healthcare providers and pharmaceutical services.

Prior to co-founding NaviMed, he was a General Partner at Highland Capital Partners, where he focused on growth stage healthcare investments.

Prior to joining Highland Capital Partners in 2004, Dr. Salehizadeh spent several years in a variety of healthcare operational roles at publicly traded and emerging growth companies.

Dr. Salehizadeh is currently on the Boards of Directors for Advantage Surgical & Wound Care, BrentCare Behavioral Health, Citrus Health Group, and OPN Healthcare. Dr. Salehizadeh previously served on the Boards of Directors of CenterPointe Behavioral Health, The CM Group, Lighthouse Lab Services, and Velocity Clinical Research.

Dr. Salehizadeh holds an AB in Molecular Biology from Princeton University, an MD and MS in Health Policy from Columbia University, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

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Brian Canann Managing Director - Portfolio Operations

Mr. Canann has 28 years of operating and investing experience with healthcare companies. At NaviMed, he sits on the Firm’s Investment Committee and is principally responsible for operational enhancement assistance to the Firm’s portfolio companies.

Prior to co-founding NaviMed, he focused on growth stage healthcare investments at The Carlyle Group for seven years. Prior to joining Carlyle, he held various strategic planning and global marketing management positions at Medtronic, where he managed global launch planning efforts to achieve the company’s sales targets within a $5 billion product category, and Edwards Lifesciences (formerly Baxter International). He was also a CPA in the Boston office of PwC.

Mr. Canann currently serves on the Board of Directors of ClariMed, and previously served on the Boards of Directors of Lucent Health and Argos Health. Mr. Canann also previously served as a member of the Cleveland Clinic Innovation Advisory Board.

Mr. Canann holds an MS and a BS from Brigham Young University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

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Ryan Ross Managing Director

Mr. Ross has more than 12 years of private equity investing experience. Prior to joining NaviMed Capital in 2015, Mr. Ross was an Associate at Capitala Group, a capital provider to lower and middle-market companies, where he supported control equity, minority equity, and other structured investments across several industries.

At NaviMed, he has originated, executed, and managed investments in healthcare providers, healthcare payors, and outsourced pharmaceutical services. Mr. Ross currently serves on the Boards of Directors of Advantage Surgical & Wound Care, Citrus Health Group, and Lighthouse Lab Services. Mr. Ross previously served on the Boards of Directors of The CM Group and Velocity Clinical Research.

Mr. Ross holds a BS in Finance from East Carolina University and an MBA from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

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Pete Lee Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer

Mr. Lee has more than 14 years of experience in the private equity industry. Prior to joining NaviMed Capital, he was a Partner at American Industrial Partners, a New York based private equity firm, where he led multiple initiatives to enhance the firm’s finance and compliance infrastructure, implement new systems and technologies, and support every aspect of fund and transaction lifecycles.

Mr. Lee was previously at GSO Capital Partners, the former credit investment platform of the Blackstone Group, L.P., where he was responsible for the financial reporting and investor correspondence of GSO Capital’s rescue lending funds. Mr. Lee started his career at Ernst & Young LLP’s private equity advisory and assurance practice.

Mr. Lee graduated with a dual bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business, where he was a Stern Scholar. He is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in both New York and Virginia.

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Josh Boylan Principal

Mr. Boylan has more than ten years of healthcare investing, M&A, and policy experience. Prior to joining NaviMed Capital, Mr. Boylan led deal origination and execution at Epsilon Health Investors, a growth investment fund that invests on behalf of a number of leading health systems. At Epsilon, Mr. Boylan focused on investments in innovative health IT, tech-enabled services, and medical device companies.

Mr. Boylan was previously at DW Healthcare Partners, a lower middle market healthcare private equity fund. At DWHP, Mr. Boylan was involved in originating, executing, and monitoring investments that included branded and unbranded medical products, generic pharmaceuticals, and healthcare IT. Previously, Mr. Boylan was a policy advisor in the U.S. Senate, where he focused on Medicare & Medicaid policy and entitlement reform. He began his career as an investment banker in the healthcare group at UBS.

He currently serves on the Board of Directors for ClariMed.

Mr. Boylan holds a BSc in Economic History from the London School of Economics, where he graduated with First Class Honours.

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Bennett Mears Vice President

Mr. Mears has more than eight years of private equity and transaction advisory experience. Prior to joining NaviMed, Mr. Mears was an Associate at Caymus Equity Partners, an Atlanta-based private equity firm focused on investing in the lower middle market.

While at Caymus Equity Partners, Mr. Mears evaluated several acquisition prospects in healthcare, as well as business services, industrial services and consumer products. His responsibilities included the evaluation and selection of new investment opportunities, financial modeling, transaction due diligence, and assisting with strategic and operational management of portfolio companies. Mr. Mears started his career as a Valuation Analyst at Duff & Phelps, focused on modeling and executing valuation analysis for private equity portfolios.

Mr. Mears serves on the Boards of Directors for Advantage Surgical & Wound Care and BrentCare Behavioral Health. Mr. Mears previously served on the Board of Directors for The CM Group.

Mr. Mears holds a BS with a concentration in Finance from the Scheller College of Business at the Georgia Institute of Technology and an MBA from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

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Alex Tuan Senior Associate

Mr. Tuan has more than five years of healthcare private equity and M&A experience. Prior to joining NaviMed Capital, Mr. Tuan was an Associate at Council Capital, a Nashville-based private equity firm focused on healthcare investing in the lower middle market. While at Council Capital, Mr. Tuan evaluated multiple acquisition prospects in healthcare services and IT and supported several of the firm’s portfolio companies. Prior to Council Capital, Mr. Tuan was an Investment Banking Associate for Huron Consulting Group, focused on M&A advisory for companies in healthcare services and IT.

At NaviMed, he serves on the Board of Directors for Citrus Health Group.

Mr. Tuan started his career at Société Générale where he worked as an Analyst supporting the Leveraged Finance and Financial Sponsors team.

Mr. Tuan holds a BA from Colby College in Economics and Biology.

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Joe Stief Senior Associate

Mr. Stief has nearly a decade of healthcare M&A experience. Prior to joining NaviMed, Mr. Stief was a senior associate at Ziegler, advising management teams and investors on mergers, acquisitions, and capital raises in the healthcare services and technology sectors. In addition to executing more than $1 billion of transactions as an advisor, Mr. Stief also supported the Ziegler Link•age Funds’ investments in innovative senior care solutions.

Mr. Stief started his career at Cain Brothers, where he advised healthcare services businesses on M&A and debt financing transactions.

Mr. Stief holds a BBA in finance with a concentration in accounting and a minor in music from the Mason School of Business at the College of William & Mary, where he graduated with honors.

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Paige Lawrence Associate

Ms. Lawrence has several years of healthcare consulting experience. Prior to joining NaviMed Capital, Ms. Lawrence was an Associate Consultant at Bain & Company. While at Bain, Ms. Lawrence worked in the company’s Private Equity Group, supporting private equity clients in evaluating acquisition prospects in the healthcare provider, payor, and pharmaceutical spaces. Additionally, Ms. Lawrence engaged directly with a large pharmaceutical company, worked with a client fund’s software portfolio company, and assisted additional clients in a variety of industries at Bain.

Ms. Lawrence holds a BA from Yale University in History and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, and an MA from Yale University in History.

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Justin Divelbiss Associate

Mr. Divelbiss has years of healthcare investment banking experience. Prior to joining NaviMed, Mr. Divelbiss was an Analyst at Quadriga Partners, a Denver-based boutique investment bank focused exclusively on healthcare. While at Quadriga Partners, Mr. Divelbiss advised on sell-side M&A and capital raising solutions for private companies across the healthcare spectrum, primarily in provider services, behavioral health, and pharmaceutical service businesses. His responsibilities included developing intricate financial models, assembling actionable marketing materials, and maintaining thorough due diligence processes.

Previously, Mr. Divelbiss worked as an Analyst at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, where he created detailed models and crafted innovative financing solutions for healthcare clients.

Mr. Divelbiss holds a BSBA in Finance from Creighton University.

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HEALTH POLICY PARTNERS

The Honorable Nancy Johnson

 

Ms. Johnson served 24 years in the U.S. Congress. She served 18 years on the House Ways and Means Committee and played an integral role in the passage of every major tax, trade and healthcare initiative during years of rapid technological and political change and the globalization of the economy.

Ms. Johnson is an authority on health policy and a key member of any team seeking to negotiate policies governing Medicare or to develop a universally accessible healthcare system. As a member and then Chairwoman of the Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, she introduced the national Children’s Health Insurance Program and was a principal author of the Medicare Modernization Act. She introduced the health information technology legislation that led to the establishment of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology and continues to fight for broad adoption of HCIT to reduce medical errors and improve care quality.

She is the recipient of numerous national awards from physician, hospital, home care, community health centers, nursing home and minority health organizations, chambers of commerce, the National Federation of Independent Business, and manufacturer and trade organizations.

Farzad Mostashari, M.D.

 

Dr. Mostashari is co-founder and CEO of Aledade, a value-based healthcare company in Washington D.C. Prior to founding Aledade, he was a visiting fellow of the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform at the Brookings Institution.

He was previously the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In that role, Dr. Mostashari focused on information and technology in the healthcare system. Previously, Dr. Mostashari served at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene as Assistant Commissioner for the Primary Care Information Project, where he facilitated the adoption of prevention-oriented health information technology by more than 1,500 providers in underserved communities.

Dr. Mostashari also led the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-funded NYC Center of Excellence in Public Health Informatics and an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality-funded project focused on quality measurement at the point of care.

He conducted graduate training at the Harvard School of Public Health and Yale Medical School, served his internal medicine residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, and completed the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service program. He was a lead investigator in the outbreaks of West Nile Virus, and anthrax in New York City, and among the first developers of real-time nationwide electronic disease surveillance systems.

The Honorable Jim C. Slattery

 

Mr. Slattery, a six-term U.S. Congressman, was a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee during his entire 12-year tenure in Congress. This Committee has broad jurisdiction over healthcare, energy, telecommunications and environmental issues. He was a member of the Health Subcommittee for six years. He also served on the House Budget Committee, House Financial Services Committee and House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.

As a Partner of Slattery Strategy LLC, Mr. Slattery advises clients who have matters pending before Congress, federal agencies and regulatory bodies. He has experience in healthcare and insurance, including managed care organizations, online health insurance marketplaces, and other publicly traded healthcare companies.

Mr. Slattery is a former Chair of the Childhood Disability Commission of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Translational Genomics Research Institute. Apart from his professional work, Mr. Slattery travels regularly to the Middle East to encourage interfaith dialogue and reconciliation. He has served as an international election monitor in countries like Iraq, Ukraine, and Nicaragua.

The Honorable Tevi Troy Ph.D.

 

Dr. Troy is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Presidential Leadership Initiative at the Bipartisan Policy Center.  He was previously the Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) and founding President of The American Health Policy Institute.

In his role as Deputy Secretary of HHS, Dr. Troy was the chief operating officer of the largest civilian department in the federal government, with a budget of $716 billion and more than 67,000 employees. In that position, he oversaw all operations, including Medicare, Medicaid, public health, medical research, food and drug safety, welfare, child and family services, disease prevention, and mental health services.

He earlier served as the Regulatory Policy Officer for HHS, overseeing the development and approval of all HHS regulations and significant guidance. Dr. Troy has extensive White House experience, having served in multiple high-level positions over a five-year period, culminating in his service as Deputy Assistant and Acting Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, where he ran the Domestic Policy Council and was the White House’s lead adviser on healthcare, labor, education, transportation, immigration, crime, veterans and welfare.

Dr. Troy also served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy at the Department of Labor. Dr. Troy has held high-level positions on Capitol Hill as well. From 1998 to 2000, Dr. Troy served as the Policy Director for Senator John Ashcroft. From 1996 to 1998, Dr. Troy was Senior Domestic Policy Adviser and later Domestic Policy Director for the House Policy Committee, chaired by Christopher Cox. Dr. Troy has also been a Research Fellow at the Hudson Institute and a Researcher at the American Enterprise Institute.

Dr. Troy’s many other affiliations include serving as a member of the publication committee of National Affairs, a member of the Board of Fellows of the Jewish Policy Center, a Visiting Scholar at the School of Policy and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University, a member of the International Advisory Council for APCO Worldwide, and a regular contributor to National Review Online.

SENIOR ADVISORS

Robert F. Higgins Chairman

 

Mr. Higgins has more than 40 years of private equity investment experience. He is the co-founder of Highland Capital Partners and Causeway Media Partners. He is a former director of the National Venture Capital Association and president of the New England Venture Capital Association.

Before entering private equity, Bob spent nine years in the not-for-profit sector. He was the chief executive of three private, grantmaking foundations in New York for three years each. He is a former Assistant to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce and was appointed to a position in the U.S. Treasury Department. Earlier, he served as an officer in the Army at West Point.

Mr. Higgins graduated from Harvard College, and he earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Steven C. Wheelwright, Ph.D.

 

Dr. Wheelwright served as the president of Brigham Young University–Hawaii from 2007 to 2015 prior to which he had a distinguished academic career at Harvard Business School as senior associate dean of the MBA program, Baker Foundation professor, and director of publication activities. Dr. Wheelwright also holds the position of Edsel Bryant Ford Professor of Business Administration, Emeritus, at Harvard Business School.

Dr. Wheelwright has authored several influential management textbooks in the fields of business strategy and operations management. He has a B.S. degree in Mathematics from the University of Utah and an M.B.A. and Ph.D. from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.

Steven B. Kelmar

 

Mr. Kelmar is Executive VP and Chief of Staff to the CEO at Oscar, overseeing corporate strategy and growth. His experience includes senior policy and leadership roles at CVS Health, Aetna, Novartis, and Medtronic. Mr. Kelmar also spent 14 years in public service in several executive positions. In 1990, he was appointed by President Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to be an Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. During his public service career, Mr. Kelmar was Chief of Staff to two Members of the U.S. Congress and also worked in several legislative capacities for Members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

Mr. Kelmar holds a BA in Public Administration and Economics from Penn State.

David Levin, MD

 

Dr. Levin is a physician executive with more than 25 years of experience in healthcare information systems, clinical operations and enterprise strategic planning.

He has served in senior leadership roles including as Chief Medical Information Officer (CMIO) for the Cleveland Clinic Health System (CCHS), where he led the Clinical Systems Office. Dr. Levin has founded several Health IT startups and served as an advisor to many more. He is a nationally recognized speaker and has appeared in academic, industry and consumer media. He currently serves on several industry advisory and non-profit boards.

Dr. Levin holds degrees in Biology and Medicine from Brown University. He completed his residency in Family & Community Medicine at Brown and a fellowship in academic Family & Community Medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS).

Christine Nash

 

Ms. Nash is a marketing and commercial executive with more than 20 years of experience in emerging biopharmaceutical companies. As Principal at Chatiemac Consulting, LLC, she provides strategic and commercial planning guidance to biotechnology companies developing medications for rare diseases. Ms. Nash was previously Chief Commercial Officer of Hyperion Therapeutics (HPTX).

Ms. Nash currently serves on the Board of Directors at Rallybio (RLYB) and previously served as Executive Board Chair and senior advisor to the President and CEO at The CM Group, an integrated healthcare agency focused on providing scientific and commercialization strategies and services to life sciences companies and a NaviMed Fund I Portfolio Company. Ms. Nash is also active as a volunteer and Board member in the Cystic Fibrosis community. She earned both a B.A. with honors in public policy and an M.B.A. from Stanford University.

Thomas Strauss

 

Dr. Strauss has several decades of successful healthcare and hospital leadership. Most recently, he served as president and CEO of the Sisters of Charity Health System and CEO of Summa Health System in Ohio. He has also held senior leadership positions at Meridia Cleveland Clinic and Baxter Healthcare.

Dr. Strauss received his Doctor of Pharmacy and Bachelor of Science from Duquesne University. He served on various boards and received multiple awards, including the Northeast Ohio Business Hall of Fame induction and Nonprofit Executive of the Year.

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