The National Center for Collaborative Healthcare Innovation Team
Dr. Thomas Osborne, Director for NCCHI
Thomas Osborne, MD, is the Director of the National Center for
Collaborative Healthcare Innovation (NCCHI) and Chief Medical Informatics Officer (CMIO) at
VA Palo Alto Health Care System. As Director of NCCHI, he is leading multidisciplinary teams
in the co-development and implementation of pioneering healthcare solutions throughout VA,
with other government agencies, and with leading technology companies. His teams overarching
goal is to deliver the best and most advanced healthcare solutions to our Veterans. He is
the inaugural recipient of the VA Under Secretary for Health Robert L. Jesse Award for
Excellence in Innovation. His work has been published in numerous medical journals and
textbooks on topics such as predictive analytics, artificial intelligence, sensor
technology, augmented reality, virtual reality, and the future of health care. Dr. Osborne
received his medical degree from Dartmouth Medical School, completed his residency at
Harvard Mount Auburn Hospital, and fellowship at Harvard Massachusetts General Hospital. He
is board certified in both Diagnostic Radiology and Neuroradiology. Dr. Osborne is also a
staff neuroradiologist at VA Palo Alto Healthcare System and Clinical Associate Professor
(affiliated) at Stanford University School of Medicine.
Innovation Superpower: Grit
Paola Suarez, MPH Data Scientist
Paola Suarez is a Data Scientist for
the National Center for Collaborative Healthcare Innovation (NCCHI). She has worked in
healthcare analytics for 12 years, mostly within VHA, analyzing data in the Veteran
population to learn about diseases and disease outcomes with the aim of improving quality of
care. She is very interested in the use of predictive models which include a broad array of
risk factors, to build algorithms that can help predict an individual’s health and thus
influence inflection points in the care trajectory that may result in a more positive health
outcome. She has an MPH in Epidemiology from UMDNJ-SPH, and dual B.S. degrees in
Biotechnology and Biochemistry from Rutgers University. In her spare time, she loves to
explore nature with her family, photograph and paint the beautiful landscapes she comes
across and to think of ways to keep squirrels away from her garden while still sharing the
fruits of labor.
Innovation Superpower: Perseverance
David Arreola, MCSE Technology Integration Analyst
David Arreola is a Technology Integration Analyst working with the National Center for
Collaborative Healthcare Innovation (NCCHI). David brings over 15 years of Information
Technology experience to NCCHI and has worked the last 7 years within the VA. He started
with VA at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System (VAPAHCS) in 2013, as an IT Specialist and
quickly rose through the ranks to become the Chief of the Palo Alto IT Customer Support
office. David’s desire to contribute to the VA in a greater capacity and passion for
technology has led him to start working with the National Center for Collaborative
Healthcare Innovation in 2019. David focuses on implementing novel and innovative technology
solutions into the VHA Innovations Ecosystem by leveraging his IT experience and VA OIT
institutional knowledge.
Innovation Superpower: Resolution
Ilya Vrublevskiy, PMP Project Manager
Ilya Vrublevskiy is a Project
Manager for the National Center for Collaborative Healthcare Innovation (NCCHI). He has been
with the VA for a total of 7 years. Ilya received his bachelor’s degree from San Jose State
University and is also PMP certified. He is an executive-level project manager with over 13
years of Information Technology (IT) and Project Management experience in both the federal
and private sector with key emphasis on IT system implementation, integration, product
development and systems analysis. He is a versatile, bilingual professional with global
expertise driving projects and leading cross-functional/global teams to consistently meet
key program deliverables. Adept at maintaining focus on achieving bottom-line results while
formulating and implementing advanced technology and business solutions to meet a diversity
of needs. Exemplary communication and attention to detail to exceed customer expectations
and maintain high levels of client satisfaction. Ilya is also a United States Army Veteran
who served as a Cavalry Scout.
Innovation Superpower: Persistence
Kalyn Essex, MPA Innovation Specialist
Kalyn Essex is the Innovation
Specialist for the VAPAHCS, serving as the local representative for the VHA Innovators
Network. In this role, she is working to create a facility environment that encourages
creative thinking, permission-less innovation, and collaboration. Her primary efforts are
focused around supporting staff in identifying problems, testing and implementing solutions,
and utilizing a human-centered approach to improve how we care for our Veterans. Kalyn is an
Air Force Veteran, served on Active Duty for almost 12 years as an Aerospace Medical
Technician, and is passionate about empowering staff to think big and fearlessly innovate.
She loves spending time snuggling her three dogs, propagating plants, hiking, reading, doing
yoga, and traveling. Always accepting captivating book and bingeworthy show recommendations.
Innovation Superpower: Balance
Zach Veigulis, MS Data Scientist
Zachary Veigulis has been with VHA for over 10 years and is currently serving as a Data
Scientist for the National Center for Collaborative Healthcare Innovation (NCCHI). He
received his Master of Science, Business Analytics and Health and Human Physiology degree
from the University of Iowa (Go Hawks). He has a strong track record of utilizing electronic
healthcare record (EHR) data to inform clinical decisions. His particular areas of interest
include utilizing predictive analytics (including machine learning/artificial intelligence)
to identify and improve outcomes for vulnerable patient populations. Through our work and
collaborations with internal/external government, industry and academic partners, Zach looks
forward to continue advancing our patient-centered advanced analytics capabilities and
projects, to improve healthcare.
Innovation Superpower: Ingenuity