Nationally recognized expert on healthcare reform and transformation to lead MITRE’s efforts to advance data-driven innovation and accelerate healthcare resiliency

Dr. Stephen Ondra has been named vice president, Center for Transforming Health, and director of the CMS Alliance to Modernize Health Care (Health FFRDC). Ondra joined MITRE in 2022 and previously served as chief medical adviser and an acting managing director of the Health FFRDC. He has served in numerous leadership roles throughout the healthcare ecosystem, including neurosurgeon, hospital and healthcare insurance executive, policy adviser, entrepreneur, and educator.

MITRE works with government, industry, and academia to improve health outcomes for patients and veterans and well-being for all. Today, MITRE is enabling effective use of AI in healthcare, developing data-driven programs to strengthen maternal and mental health, enhancing medical device cybersecurity, and helping build resiliency in the healthcare ecosystem, among many other initiatives.

“Steve’s career spans numerous executive and leadership roles in government and industry, and his experience as a clinician and policy expert brings a unique vantage point to our government sponsors and our team,” said Beth Meinert, senior vice president and general manager, MITRE Public Sector. “He has a deep understanding of the complex health and healthcare landscape. He also brings an innovator’s mindset, having led breakthrough developments in surgical care and developed multiple medical devices that improved patient care and outcomes.”

“MITRE’s work in health has had a tremendous impact, as we work with others to improve the health of the nation today, while preparing to meet the challenges of tomorrow,” Ondra said. “I am honored to lead the MITRE team and collaborate with government, industry, and academic leaders on solving the problems we face in improving the health and well-being of our nation, and building tools that can help create a health system that is not only higher quality but also more accessible, equitable, and resilient, with economic sustainability for everyone.”

Ondra’s career has spanned the entirety of the healthcare ecosystem. He has served as chief medical officer at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, senior vice president and chief medical officer at Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), CEO of CygnusAI, and founder of NorthStar HealthCare Consulting, LLC. Ondra was a professor of neurosurgery, directed the residency program, and served as interim chair of neurological surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

During the Barack Obama Administration, Ondra served as senior health policy adviser for health affairs at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, in the Executive Office of the President as co-chair of the National Science and Technology Council for Health Information Technology, and as a member of the Implementation Deputy Group for the Affordable Care Act.

An Army veteran, Ondra was awarded a Bronze Star and the Army Commendation Medal for his service during combat deployments in Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield.

Ondra attended the U.S. Military Academy West Point and holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Illinois Wesleyan University and a medical degree from Rush University.

About MITRE

MITRE’s mission-driven teams are dedicated to solving problems for a safer world. Through our public-private partnerships and federally funded R&D centers, we work across government and in partnership with industry to tackle challenges to the safety, stability, and well-being of our nation.

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