Company Leadership

Rick Hirsh brings UCM executive management experience, primarily in knowledge-driven and technology-enabled services companies. As a former Chief Executive Officer, active investor, and advisor in the mid-market, Rick helps build and fund companies with significant growth trajectories. Previously, Rick won the regional competition for Ernst & Young’s prestigious Entrepreneur of the Year, and Rick’s companies have consistently been recognized for growth by Inc. 500, Deloitte Fast 50, and other national analysts. He has been active on multiple boards of directors for national and global enterprises. Rick graduated from Brown University and earned his MBA at New York University’s Stern School of Business.

Steven Kroll brings the deep experience of two simultaneous careers in healthcare policy and emergency medical services to UCM. He recently led the groundbreaking integration of UCM’s Virtual ER with 911 call centers and responding EMS agencies– providing the payer-provider market with a new patient-centric version of the ER. With a Master of Health Administration from Duke University, Steven has served as Executive Director of NYSARC (New York State’s largest developmental disability service organization), Vice President of the Healthcare Association of NYS (HANYS), Chair of the New York State Emergency Medical Service Council and a health staffer for the United States Senate. Steve has been an EMS provider for more than 30 years.

Steve Weissblum is a healthcare entrepreneur and senior executive with deep experience in digital health and healthcare services. As Chief Revenue Officer for UCM Digital Health, Steve is responsible for all revenue-related activities, overseeing sales, marketing, business development, partnerships and customer success. An accomplished entrepreneur, Steve has started, scaled and managed healthcare services companies in the NEMT and EMS space, and was the co-founder and CEO of one of the first direct-to-consumer telehealth platforms. Steve is an active member of multiple advisory boards and mentors early stage digital health companies at Techstars, where he was recently named a Techstars All-Star Mentor. Steve earned his MBA from Columbia Business School.

Dave Harshbarger has been driving innovation in healthcare and entrepreneurial ventures over the last 25 years, including overseeing technical architecture underpinning two successful company sales. Most recently, he has been instrumental in driving innovation within one of the nation’s top-rated health plans – bringing to life some of the earliest and most successful programs in Patient-Centered Medical Home, Enhanced Primary Care, and analytics driven member engagement. Dave brings a comprehensive view of technology as both an enabler of business success and a driver of differentiation. He also brings a deep security background and is a CISSP. Dave is a graduate of Vassar College.

A longtime champion of quality, safety and efficiency in the healthcare workplace, Joe Santiago is an accomplished healthcare and EMS administrator. He has held executive, compliance, and operational leadership roles across a number of non-profit and PE-funded organizations, which have been recognized for workplace culture, patient safety and clinical quality. Joe holds dual Master’s degrees in business administration-healthcare and operations management with an undergraduate degree in nursing. Joe has held faculty positions at the university and industry level. He is also a highly-decorated US Army Nurse Corps Officer and Combat Veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Lauren Algozzine has spent her entire career taking care of patients. A Registered Nurse who graduated from the Samaritan School of Nursing, Lauren first worked in a cardiac unit at St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany, NY. She later decided to pursue a career in Emergency Medicine at St. Mary’s Hospital, where she quickly became the charge nurse of the department. During her 7 years in the ER, Lauren was a member of the QI committee and ED leadership committee. She began her journey with UCM as the Director of Client Services, where she managed hundreds of UCM accounts and tens of thousands of patients. Now as COO, she leads a team of dedicated staff in providing a concierge level of services for all business partners and patients.

John Kelleher is an accomplished executive in technology-based services in media and healthcare. As Head of Customer Success for UCM Digital health, John works with all clients across customer segments to ensure optimal use and consumption of UCM products and services. With a record of building value by leading strategic change, establishing best-in-class technology platforms, optimizing operations and accelerating revenue growth through new product development and launch, John has deep experience helping companies rapidly adapt to changing market conditions with an innovative, entrepreneurial style. Before joining UCM Digital Health, John was Chief Strategy Officer at Alliance for Better Health in Troy, NY., where he created and executed a business plan that moved the enterprise from a state-sponsored DSRIP organization to a for-profit Independent Provider Practice. Previously, John was Chief Information Officer for Glens Falls Hospital, a leading rural hospital in upstate New York; he also served as President and COO of Tribune Media Services (TMS), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Tribune Company (NYSE: TRCO). He holds a BA in Computer Science/Mathematics from Ithaca College, Ithaca, New York, and an MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York.

Laura Balogh understands the intersection of health care and health insurance. For over 30 years, she primarily spent her career negotiating, implementing and managing employee benefits for New York State’s largest public sector union and the third-largest health plan in the nation. She expanded her oversight to include over 1,200 local government municipalities and private sector employers and doubled the size of her department. She brings UCM a wealth of benefit knowledge and a passion for finding solutions to the health care delivery system. Laura served on the faculty for the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, and she is a licensed insurance agent and broker.

A digital transformation leader, Narayan Iyengar joined the UCM Digital Health team to assist in areas of Strategy, Design Thinking, Technology driven operations and enterprise sales / GTM strategy. Narayan was the SVP of Digital and E-Commerce at Albertsons Companies where he led Digital Product & UX and the E-Commerce business. Prior to that, he was the VP of E-Commerce and Digital Analytics with the Walt Disney Company. Before that, he was an Associate Partner with McKinsey Digital. Narayan has an MBA from Columbia Business School, where he was on the Dean’s list, and an Engineering degree from India.