Meet Our Team
Shana Lawlor
Board Member
Shana Lawlor is a Venture Capital Investor and the Managing Partner of 2raze and Totipotent Capital. She is a Limited Partner in Rock Health Capital and an investor with Health Tech Capital. She is the Board President of Health Tech X, a digital health entrepreneur and consultant. She was named “Trending 40 Power Woman in DC Tech”. She is digital health thought leader with expertise in IT, strategy, operations and innovation. Ms. Lawlor previously worked in healthcare and IT at Booz Allen Hamilton, Arthur Andersen and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Rene Quashie
Board Member
René Quashie is the first-ever Vice President of Policy & Regulatory Affairs, Digital Health at the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), the largest technology trade association in the U.S. with 2,000 member companies. He works on behalf of CTA’s Health Division, which supports the health technology industry through advocacy, education, research, standards work, policy initiatives and more. Prior to CTA, Mr. Quashie was in private law practice at several national firms for two decades focusing his work on digital health and privacy.
Liz DeMatteis
Board Member
At West Francis, Liz DeMatteis partners with entrepreneurs—ranging from seed-stage ventures to massive retail disruptors—focused on transformative health tech. Previously, Liz served on the executive teams of five high-growth ventures: Papa, Aetion, Included Health, Evolent, and Real Chemistry—all of which achieved 50%+ CAGR during her tenure. Liz also worked in R&D investment and global product launches at Medtronic. She is currently a Lecturer of Health Administration at NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.
Ross Friedberg
Board Member
Ross Friedberg is a Founding Partner of Goldsand Friedberg. He represents clients at the forefront of technology and care delivery on complex strategic, regulatory, and corporate matters. Previously, Mr. Friedberg was Chief Legal & Business Affairs Officer at Doctor On Demand, a national leader in virtual medicine. He was awarded the National Law Journal’s General Counsel Impact Award in 2020 and was a lead author of the first comprehensive legal guide on telehealth: “Navigating the Telehealth Landscape: Legal and Regulatory Issues," which received the Burton award for distinguished legal writing. Prior to Goldsand Friedberg, he practiced law at Epstein Becker Green.
Larry Hansard
Board Member
Larry Hansard, M.S.M., is a regional managing director at Gallagher’s Healthcare practice. He has over 33 years of experience in the insurance industry and has worked in national brokerage firms as well as small regional organizations. Mr. Hansard is a noted speaker on topics affecting the healthcare industry, including captive insurance companies, medical professional liability and general risk management issues. He previously served as an account executive on a large portfolio of healthcare accounts and as the National Healthcare segment leader for industry-specific teams.
Arif Sorathia
Board Member
Arif Sorathia is a Partner at Route 66. His primary focus is to collaborate with organizations, founders, executives, and operators to help develop investment strategies and identify opportunities to catalyze great digital health companies. Prior to joining Route 66, Arif was the CEO and co-founder of Karate Health, a healthcare startup that leveraged digital technologies and data to improve outcomes for people battling autoimmune conditions. Karate Health was acquired by Progentec Diagnostics where Arif became Chief Technology Officer, leading the strategy and development of digital biomarkers, digital therapeutics, and disease management platforms. Arif graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a degree in biomedical engineering and finance.
Julie Barnes
Executive Director
Julie Barnes is the Founder and CEO of Maverick Health Policy. She is a strategic advisor to organizations that need guidance about federal health policies and how to develop relationships with policymakers and influential advocacy organizations. As a former policy analyst, health care attorney, and Capitol Hill staffer, Ms. Barnes can inform business strategy and investments in myriad healthcare areas, including health information technology, data privacy and interoperability, valuebased care, transparency, health insurance and new payment models, and federal health programs.