Dawg Tank Panelists
2023 Panelists
Umair A. Shah, MD, MPH, was appointed Secretary of Health for the great State of Washington by Governor Jay Inslee in December 2020. He is the first Asian-American physician of South Asian descent to serve in this leadership role in the history of Washington, home to over 7.6 million people.
His appointment came at a difficult time amid the severe winter wave of COVID-19 and only a few days after arrival of vaccines into the state. In assuming this leadership position at the nationally respected Washington State Department of Health, Dr. Shah made the transition from fighting the pandemic on the front lines of response in Texas as Executive Director and Local Health Authority for Harris County Public Health (HCPH) – serving the nation’s 3rd largest county with nearly five million people.
Les Becker (Alternate for Umair Shah) is the Chief of Innovation and Technology at the Washington State Department of Health. He joined DOH in June 2021 and he reports to Dr. Umair Shah, Washington state’s Secretary of Health.
Les is responsible for building and supporting innovation work across the agency and overseeing our data modernization, informatics, project management and health IT services.
Les previously provided public service leadership in Harris County, Texas. While in Texas, he advanced an array of innovation, data systems, and technology work, including the nationally acclaimed Public Health Innovation (PHI) Lab.
Les has also provided strategic consultation on the delivery and implementation of IT and data strategy services in Texas. He has over 18 years of public sector leadership, a B.A. in Management, and an MBA with a concentration in Finance from LeTourneau University.
Julie A. Kientz is a Professor and Chair of the department of Human Centered Design & Engineering at the University of Washington where she directs the Computing for Healthy Living and Learning Lab. Dr. Kientz’s primary research areas are in the fields of Human-Computer Interaction, Health Informatics, Ubiquitous Computing, and Interaction Design & Children. Her research focuses on understanding and reducing the user burdens of interactive technologies for health, education, and families through the design of future applications. Her primary research methods involve human-centered design, technology development, and a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods. She has designed, developed, and evaluated mobile, sensor, and social applications for numerous areas in the health, education, and family domains. The populations she has designed with in her research include individuals and families managing sleep health, parents of young children monitoring developmental progress, families managing screen time and remote learning, adolescents managing stress, and inclusive education teachers and therapists working with neurodiverse children.
Dr. Kientz received her Ph.D. in Computer Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2008. She was awarded a National Science Foundation CAREER Award (2009), named an MIT Technology Review Innovator Under 35 award (2013), an ACM Distinguished Member (2020), and is the only faculty member in the UW College of Engineering to receive both the Faculty Research Innovator (2014) and Teaching Innovator (2019) awards. Her research has been featured in a number of media outlets, including the NY Times, Parent magazine, the Atlantic, Geekwire, Time magazine, ABC News, and USA Today.
Kathleen Sullivan, Senior Director of Strategy, Microsoft Research, Health Futures Kathleen is a passionate advocate for driving innovation at the intersection of healthcare, life sciences, and AI. She drives Microsoft Research’s global strategy and partnerships in health and life sciences with a keen focus on pioneering research and incubation in the health and life sciences sector. In this capacity, Kathleen collaborates closely with researchers, leveraging their expertise to shape the future of healthcare and life sciences through innovative AI-driven solutions. Her role involves orchestrating strategic partnerships that amplify impact while fostering groundbreaking research that not only advances technology but also enhances the well-being of individuals worldwide.
Kathleen’s journey has been a dynamic one, encompassing various roles that have uniquely shaped her approach to creating meaningful change in the healthcare and life sciences landscape. Before joining Microsoft, she made significant contributions in corporate development and partnership creation at Castlight Health, a start-up that empowers better health navigation. In addition, she has held pivotal roles in the financial services sector, devising investment strategies and establishing co-developed product partnerships for industry leaders like Barclays.
Kathleen is an early-stage investor, a dedicated board member, and an active volunteer with non-profits committed to humanity, health, and sustainability. Supporting women in STEAM and fostering innovation through mentorship are among her guiding principles.