Improving the health care system is Dr. Cheryl Pegus’s lifework, a purpose ingrained within her from an early age. “As a 12 year old, I saw my grandfather become ill,” she says. “As a family we cared for him because we could not afford health care, nor did we have good access to it.”

Early in her career, Pegus helped document disparities in the health care system based on gender, race and geography, formulating ways to better meet the community’s needs. And in September 2018, she joined Cambia Health Solutions as the SVP of Health Care Services and Chief Medical Officer, bringing more than 25 years of clinical practice and business experience to the executive team.

From her new position, she’s motivated to push the cutting edge, where personalization, transparency, analytics and technology are all exciting possibilities for innovation and investment. “Our smartphones can provide access to physicians using telehealth, give us reminders about when to take our medicines and help us with healthy sleeps and diets.”