Norma Padrón, PhD

I am a Health Economist and entrepreneur, currently serving as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Yale Ventures, where I support healthcare innovation and entrepreneurship within the Yale community. Previously, as the VP of Data & AI at Nayya, I led a team of experts in data analytics, actuarial sciences, and business intelligence, developing innovative models to navigate the complexities of employee benefits and enhance decision support through advanced technology.

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My experience over the last decade spans academia, nonprofit, and the private sector. I have served as a faculty member at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and as a Research Scientist at the New York Academy of Medicine. I also served as the National Director of Applied Research & Data Analytics at the American Hospital Association, overseeing large-scale data initiatives to advance quality and safety. At Anthem's Digital Incubator and accelerator programs, I supported the implementation of digitally enabled care to improve the patient care experience.

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I founded EmpiricaLab, a company specializing in peer-to-peer training within healthcare organizations, transforming it from an idea into a revenue-generating product within 18 months. EmpiricaLab is backed by Techstars, the AWS Impact fund, the Mount Sinai Incubation program, and Elementa Labs.

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I hold a Ph.D. in health economics from Yale University, a master's degree in economics from Duke University, a master's degree in public health from Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, where I was a Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholar, and a bachelor's degree in economics and math from the University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley.

My journey from McAllen, Texas, to leading data-driven healthcare initiatives is driven by my mission to improve healthcare access and equity.

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I am also committed to advancing diversity in STEM fields, having served on various boards promoting education and technology, including as Chair of the industry advisory board for an NSF Industry-University Cooperative Research Center. Currently, I am a board member of Consilium Bots, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing access to education in Latin America through AI-powered tools.

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