Former Washington State Secretary of Health named Chief Medical Officer of the company behind market-leading AI care platform Phamily, following $25MM fundraise

NEW YORK, Jan. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Jaan Health, the company behind the AI-powered proactive care platform Phamily©, today announced the appointment of Umair A. Shah, MD, MPH as Chief Medical Officer.

Dr. Shah is a nationally recognized health leader and healthcare executive with a proven record leading complex health systems through transformation and crisis across large, diverse health ecosystems. He most recently served as Washington State's Secretary of Health, overseeing a $3 billion agency with 3,000 staff serving 8 million residents. Previously, he led the health agency for Harris County, Texas—the nation's 3rd largest—serving 5 million residents, while completing a two decade career as an emergency physician at Houston's VA Medical Center. He is the founder of Rickshaw Health and a champion of health and wellness at the intersection of health technology and clinical care.

"Dr. Shah has a long track record of advancing care for millions of patients in Texas, across the State of Washington, and nationally," said Nabeel Kaukab, CEO of Jaan Health. "As we scale our platform to serve all people in the United States and globally, he brings deep experience connecting healthcare delivery systems, clinical stakeholders, and innovative technology to build a stronger, healthier America."

"Millions of Americans living with chronic conditions need consistent, meaningful support beyond the healthcare setting," said Dr. Shah. "Because only a small portion of life is spent in the clinic, healthcare organizations must help people stay connected between visits and as they go about their lives. Phamily helps extend care outside the clinic and strengthen prevention and wellness. After decades of public service, I am excited to join the Phamily team to advance this work."

Seasoned executives with proven enterprise healthcare success join to drive ambitious growth plans

Jaan Health is on track to triple in size in 2026, driven by the company's unique ability to profitably transform care delivery at health systems. The proprietary Phamily platform and services alleviates margin pressure while delivering an activated, highly-satisfied network of patients who receive concierge-style care between visits.

Dr. Shah joins other recent executives hired after the company's $25MM fundraise, led by Level Equity, to accelerate the transformation of between-visit care:

• Zach Mortensen, VP of Product, leads Phamily's solution management and delivery. His 30-year career spans product, services, marketing, and strategy leadership including executive positions at Rhapsody, Parexel, Hillrom, MModal, Carefusion, Microsoft, and MediServe. Prior to joining Phamily, Zach founded and led an advisory practice that served digital health, medical device, clinical research, population health, and health plan clients.
  
  
• Brian Yarnell, Head of Enterprise and Strategic Partnerships, is a seasoned executive with experience successfully founding, scaling, and exiting multiple healthtech startups serving the enterprise health system market. Brian founded and led Bluestream Health, a telehealth and virtual care Platform as a Service (PaaS) company acquired by eVisit in 2023. Previously, he was the founder and CEO of Starling Health, acquired by Hillrom.
  
  
• Kimberly Ta, VP of Talent Management, has delivered scalable, data-driven talent strategies in complex and fast-growing environments at 5 start-up companies in high-growth mode, with experience at Carbon Health, CARGO, Audentes, Genomic Health, Achaogen, and TikTok. Kim has been recognized with multiple honors, including being named a Top 100 Talent Leader for four consecutive years and receiving a prestigious Trailblazer Award.

"We've built a highly-experienced, growth-focused leadership team with multiple exits from start-ups and experience developing meaningful commercial partnerships with the country's largest healthcare organizations," said Kaukab.

Kaukab and Dr. Shah will be in San Francisco for the JPMorgan Healthcare Conference January 12-15. To meet, contact CFO Eugene Krishnan (eugene@jaanhealth.com).

About Jaan Health and Phamily

Jaan Health is the company behind Phamily, the leading AI-powered proactive care platform transforming how healthcare organizations deliver care at scale. For over a decade, Jaan Health has partnered with health systems, medical groups, and ACOs across the United States to profitably close care gaps and strengthen chronic disease management through between-visit care.

The Phamily platform delivers a full end-to-end solution—combining a proprietary AI Care Copilot, easy-to-use technology, and experienced clinical and operational staff—that enables healthcare organizations to extend high-quality care beyond the clinic without adding additional resources. As healthcare organizations navigate the transition to value-based care, Phamily provides a proven path: closing care gaps, improving patient access, and enabling meaningful clinical outcomes while driving substantial financial results.

Learn more about how we're transforming care for millions at phamily.com.

Media Contact

Alyssa Drew

Director of Strategic Growth

alyssa.drew@jaanhealth.com

Investor Relations Contact

Eugene Krishnan

Chief Financial Officer

eugene@jaanhealth.com

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SOURCE Jaan Health