Cityblock Health, a US-based healthcare provider for Medicaid, dually-eligible and lower-income Medicare beneficiaries, has named Toyin Ajayi as its new CEO.
Dr Ajayi, who is a co-founder of Cityblock Health alongside Iyah Romm, previously served as the president of the company. She is taking over as CEO, after Romm’s temporary leave in 2021 has been made permanent.
Romm had taken the temporary leave to tend to his health, after having to deal with depression, and the long-term effects of trauma.
Ajayi has been instrumental in the growth of Cityblock Health, taking the company from startup to a company that is worth almost $6 billion.
Speaking on Toyin Ajayi’s expertise, Cityblock Health’s board chair, Andy Slavitt, said Ajayi “runs towards the places she can help people — places where there may be holes or gaps. She jumps into problems or challenge areas, and deals with them head-on.”
“From the beginning, Cityblock has been lucky to have had exceptional founders, employees, investors and partners as part of our team. On behalf of the board, I extend our deepest thanks to Iyah for his leadership over the past five years. His vision and commitment to developing a better care model for those who have been historically marginalized by our healthcare system has been instrumental both for Cityblock and the larger healthcare system. I’m thrilled to continue to work with him as a member of our board,” Slavitt added.
Prior to founding Cityblock Health, Dr Ajayi was a practicing physician. She served as interim CEO after Romm’s temporary leave, before being appointed as CEO by the board.
She served as Chief Medical Officer of Commonwealth Care Alliance, an integrated health plan and care delivery system for individuals eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid.
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Dr. Ajayi received her undergraduate degree from Stanford University. She also got an MPhil from the University of Cambridge, as well as her medical degree from King’s College London School of Medicine. She completed her residency training at Boston Medical Center.
Cityblock was founded in 2017, and is currently valued at $5.7 billion. In September, 2021, the tech-driven healthcare provider for those in underserved communities, raised $400 million in its series D funding round, raising its total funding to about $891 million.
The company works by matching patients with a team of caregivers – nurses, physicians, pharmacists, therapists and a community health partner – through its digital platform.
Cityblock currently operates in New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Washington, D.C., and North Carolina. The company plans expansion into Ohio later in 2022.