The First Health Difference
Trust is earned through meaningful interactions, informed guidance, and doing what you say you are going to do, when you say you are going to do it. At First Health, we lead with our values and foster relationships through building trust: A guiding maxim that is ever more important in the field of healthcare cybersecurity, privacy, and digital transformation.
Our Vision and Approach
Today’s health technology and security initiatives go far beyond the IT department. Cyber risk spans the entire enterprise in every device, endpoint, and user interaction. CEOs, CMIOs, CFOs, clinicians, and biomedical engineering need greater investment in navigating the massive shift in how healthcare is delivered, how information is protected, and the impact on the balance sheet, as patients continue to have greater input in their healthcare and wellbeing.
First Health is the preeminent digital health risk assurance firm in the health and public health sector to the benefit of its patients and clients, led by the understanding that cyber is a moral and business imperative.
Clients are asking these questions:
- Do you have strategic leaders that will collaborate with us on our vision?
- How do we ensure our cyber investments show return and value?
- Can we trust outside parties to secure our assets and protect our clients?
- Where do we turn for healthcare-specific education in privacy and security?
- What regulatory and policy changes will impact operations?
The approach to digital transformation in healthcare must be rooted in healthcare cybersecurity, patient privacy, and effective governance to strengthen cyber resiliency and uncover inefficiencies. First Health continuously seeks effective strategies able to align an organization’s clinical, technical, and security processes tailored to their unique business model, culture, and workforce.
Our leaders, many of whom have worked in the clinical environment, have the expertise to guide your vision and implement it through innovative solutions built specifically for healthcare.
Working at First Health
First Health develops and sustains relationships by delivering dependable, budget-sensitive security, risk, clinical, and IT solutions for healthcare entities. Our understanding of sector requirements, regulatory changes, and the healthcare ecosystem make us uniquely qualified as trusted consultants and strategic advisors.
Healthcare delivery organizations, hospitals, health systems, academic health centers, and other healthcare entities turn to First Health for our security expertise and cybersecurity knowledge, on-site support, and ability to assess and remediate technology bloat and gaps in policy, governance, and technology.
First Health is dedicated to educating our clients and the overall health sector on the evolving landscape and what’s needed to keep healthcare networks secure. We invest our time to vet and prepare our associates to save our clients valuable time and dollars, while forging trust that our team can provide the ideal solution and resources to address all risks to the enterprise.
The People of First Health
- Healthcare technology and cyber leaders with demonstrated expertise with the most diverse, innovative healthcare entities in the world
- Provide benefit and value throughout the life of the engagement, training, or partnership
- Solve and support complex cyber risk and business imperatives, allowing clients to concentrate resources on core priorities and business objectives
- Deliver actionable plans and value driven outcomes while reducing risk.
Strategic Advisory Board
First Health’s mission and leadership are bolstered by the counsel of diverse, experienced industry leaders. Comprised of established, well-informed healthcare giants, our Strategic Advisory Board provide feedback, insights, and encouragement to ensure First Health’s vision for securing digital healthcare and protecting patient safety, at scale, is executed with clear objective and purpose.
MK Palmore - Director, Office of the CISO for Google Cloud
The Director of Google Cloud’s Office of the CISO, Palmore’s numerous accolades include cybersecurity strategic advisor, USMC veteran, retired FBI, nonprofit leader, and coaching executives on leadership and digital transformation. He’s the Founder & Managing Partner of Apogee Global RMS and President & Board Member of Cyversity. His expertise includes governance, risk advisory, compliance, and National Security.
Lisa Gallagher - Cybersecurity/CISO Support Services Consultant
Renowned independent consultant and former Managing Director in PwC’s Cybersecurity, Privacy and Forensics Practice, and Vice President of Technology Solutions and Senior Director of Privacy and Security for HIMSS, Gallagher’s previous roles include Co-Chair of HHS ONC’s Healthcare IT Standards Committee & Co-Chair of the HITSC Privacy and Security Work Group/Transport and Security Standards WG.
Michael Loria - Managing Director of Height of Land Strategies
A distinguished M&A/Corporate and Business Development leader, Loria is the Managing Director of Height of Land Strategies. His career spans more than 30 years in technology companies that include Kodak, Brightcove, and IBM, where he spent 19 years in the software security division with a focus on mergers and acquisitions.
Mac McMillan - Former CEO and Co-Founder of CynergisTek
McMillan’s senior executive experience spans over 40 years. He’s the retired Co-Founder/CEO of CynergisTek, specializing in consulting and managed privacy, security, and audit services for healthcare. His former roles also include Director of Security for two Defense Agencies (OSIA/DTRA) and a decade as the Serving Chair of the HIMSS Privacy & Security Policy Task Force.
Major General Elder Granger, MD (retired) - President/CEO at THE 5Ps, LLC
MG Granger retired from the US Army in 2009 and previously served as deputy director and program executive officer of the TRICARE Management Activity, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense. He’s certified by the American College of Healthcare Executives and in Medical Quality by the American Board of Medical Quality, as well as a Certified Physician Executive by the Certifying Commission in Medical Management, NACD- Certified Director, Certificate in Cybersecurity Oversight from Carnegie Mellon University, certified in Healthcare Compliance by HCCA, and certified Compliance Officer by AAPC.
Drex Deford - Former CrowdStrike Executive Strategist
As President of This Week Health’s 229 Cyber/Risk Community, DeFord is a notable senior healthcare executive, business/clinical strategist, start-up CEO and CIO, and cybersecurity and digital health leader. His former roles include CrowdStrike Executive Healthcare Strategist and CIO at Scripps Health; Seattle Children’s; Steward Healthcare; and USAF Health.
First Health Leadership Team
Our leadership is made up of some of the most experienced, talented healthcare business, security, and IT leaders in healthcare, who consistently demonstrate the vision necessary for leading a global digital health risk advisory firm. First Health separates itself by leveraging a wide network of relationships in areas that strengthen our core risk assurance expertise to the ultimate benefit of our clients. Each First Health leader is focused on solutions that provide our clients expertise in the field and issues driving digital transformation.
Carter Groome - Chief Executive Officer
Carter is a Founder and the Chief Executive Officer of First Health. He brings 26 years of healthcare information technology management, consulting, and security leadership experience to the company. As Chief Executive Officer, Carter is able to draw upon his cyber health, managed services, and vendor leadership background to benefit First Health’s commercial and Federal clients and partners. Before becoming CEO of First Health in 2010, Carter was Executive Vice President responsible for sales, marketing and strategic direction. Prior to founding First Health, he was the Director of Business Development at Park City Solutions. Carter spent 5 years as an applications and integration Program Manager and consultant in the healthcare information technology arena with First Choice Consulting. Prior to his consulting career, Carter held various IT management positions with Adventist HealthCare. Carter holds a B.S. in Health Science from the University of Arizona and a M.B.A. from Johns Hopkins University.
Kerri Gallagher - Chief Revenue Officer
Kerri is the Chief Revenue Officer at First Health, providing strategy and oversight of business and financial operations for the company. Kerri has extensive experience within healthcare information technology sales, marketing, recruiting, HR, legal, and client delivery. With her dedication to First Health’s clients and advisors, Kerri continually commits to positioning First Health as a trusted partner for all models of healthcare business. Prior to joining First Health, Kerri spent years with Vitalize Consulting Solutions. Kerri holds a BS in Psychology and Marketing from Arizona State University.
Dan Thelen - Chief Operating Officer
Dan Thelen, First Health’s Chief Operating Officer, is a strategy-minded healthcare executive with 19 years of healthcare leadership experience in consulting and operations in both the commercial and federal space. Dan is passionate about supporting the vital mission of healthcare organizations via efficient, value-adding managed security and technology solutions.
In addition to cybersecurity, Dan’s comprehensive experience includes a focus on governance, program and project management, IT Service Management, and Chief Information Officer roles.
Dan holds an MBA from Auburn University and is a certified CISM, CISSP, PMP and ITIL Expert.
Trish Alexander - EVP, Strategic Sales
Trish has a unique ability to build strong, trusted relationships with healthcare decision-makers and providers, which supports First Health’s values and industry vision. She is central to furthering First Health’s outreach and strategically expanding our exceptional service offerings. Trish has over 10 years of extensive experience in strategic and programmatic consulting, risk analysis, compliance, and technical programs. She’s led client services, sales, and strategic planning through focused relationships with industry leaders, most recently as a Senior Account Executive at Cyderes.
Matt Dimino - Chief Security Officer - Clinical & Operational
Matt is on a mission to help our nation’s public health sector and critical infrastructure recognize and prepare for tomorrow’s IoMT cyber threat landscape. Matt’s unique clinical, HTM/BioMed, Security and leadership experience bring unparalleled depth to the Clinical & Operational service line of First Health. Matt has over 16 years’ experience in various HTM roles from senior technical to leadership roles and 6 of those years as a practitioner in medical device security. Through his career he has developed multiple security programs, integrated complex architectures, performed security consulting, as well as developed risk assessment methodologies coupled with hands-on device hardening experience.
Additionally, Matt is an associate faculty member for Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) in which he has developed and taught numerous HTM, computer information technology and security courses. Matt holds a BS degree in Biomedical Engineering Technology from Purdue School of Engineering and Technology and an MBA from Indiana Wesleyan. He is also a certified CISM, CRISC, CEH, CDPSE, and HCISPP.
Toby Gouker, PhD - Chief Security Officer - Government Health
As the former Provost for the SANS Technology Institute, Dr.Toby Gouker brings a wide breadth of privacy and security expertise to First Health’s Government Health service line. Coupled with years of experience in the Federal Healthcare IT industry, his expertise sits at the nexus of cybersecurity, health policy, and healthcare risk management frameworks. With over 32 years of industry experience and 10 years in the educational arena, Dr. Gouker represents the kind of security and technology scholar/practitioner you would want to have advising a healthcare organization on theoretically sound, business effective tools, techniques, and teachings to fortify a healthcare organization’s defense of its information assets.
Brad Marsh - EVP, Government Health Security & Technology
Wm. Bradford (Brad) Marsh, EVP of First Health’s Government service line, is a US Army retiree with more than 20 years of service. His military career was split between two areas of concentration (a decade in each) which helped him to develop a unique perspective as well as a wide range of capabilities. Brad began his career as an Air and Missile Defense officer where he gained technical and tactical leadership capabilities in complex environments, including a deployment to Mosul, Iraq. He then returned to school to become a (RN) Registered Nurse in 2011 and transitioned to the Army Nurse Corps, caring for both Department of Defense (DOD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) patients.
In 2015, Brad was selected to attend the National Defense University and graduated with a Master’s degree in Cyber Leadership. Using his background in both medicine and technology, he became directly involved at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels for the DOD’s modernized Electronic Health Record (EHR) deployment. His military career culminated as the Deputy Chief Medical Informatics Officer of the Federal EHR Modernization Office, which oversaw the deployment of the Joint EHR between DOD, VA, and the DHS-US Coast Guard. Brad brings to us leadership, sound judgement as well as a deep understanding of the nexus between medical data and cybersecurity.
Olin Dillard - EVP, Clinical & Operational Security & Technology
As First Health Advisory’s executive vice president, Olin leads the FHA Clinical and Operational Security and Technology Service Line. He has more than 23 years of health IT experience, 18 of which was spent at Children’s Health in Texas. Dillard began his career as a biomedical equipment technician, leveraging his dedicated expertise to join a host of leadership positions. He began his journey with First Health Advisory less than three years ago as a Principal Cybersecurity Advisor, consistently tackling delivery success and organizational strategy initiatives. He holds a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Applied Technology and Performance Improvement from the University of North Texas.
Rick LeMay - EVP, Enterprise Security & Technology
With 26 years in the Army, LeMay was the senior advisor to the commanding general of the United States Army Cyber Center of Excellence, advising on all IT and information management matters. He was also the Senior Advisor for all United States Army forces in South Korea (8th Army and subordinate commands, which included a 68-bed hospital), served as a strategic planner for US Military forces in the Middle East, and participated as a member of multiple classified planning teams within US Government Agencies, Allies, and Coalition Partners. As Executive Vice President of Enterprise Security & Technology, LeMay plays a major role in the continued advancement of First Health’s exceptional and innovative Healthcare Enterprise Security & Technology Services as well as furthering the company’s values and industry vision.
David Finn - EVP, Governance, Risk, and Compliance
Finn has spent nearly four decades as an IT, privacy, and security leader in the healthcare sector. He joins First Health after two years as Vice President, AEHIS, AEHIT, AEHADA at The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME). Prior to CHIME, Finn served as EVP of External Affairs, Information Systems, and Security at CynergisTek; Health Information Technology Officer for Symantec; and CIO & VP of Information Systems of Texas Children’s Hospital, one of the largest pediatric integrated delivery networks in the US. Finn’s expertise in planning and management, as well as his experience in information and business process controls will fuel First Health’s continued expansion into cyber leadership and governance support for healthcare clients.
Contact
First Health Advisory
6501 E. Greenway Parkway
Suite 103-479
Scottsdale, AZ 85254
(866) 597-3270
First Health Advisory, Private Limited
City Vista, A-Wing, Office No: 17
Kharadi, Pune, Maharashtra, 411014
020-4288-5365
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