Cogitativo, Inc. today announced that former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Robert Wilkie has joined the company’s Board of Directors. As Secretary of the VA under President Donald J. Trump, Mr. Wilkie helped lead multiple nationwide healthcare initiatives, including the White House Coronavirus Task Force. Established in early 2020, the task force provided critical guidance to the Trump administration to help monitor, contain, and mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the US.
In addition to managing the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Wilkie helped launch and implement the VA MISSION Act. This important piece of bipartisan legislation established a new Veterans Community Care Program in 2019 that resulted in the expansion of access to critical services – allowing Veterans to see outside providers based on several factors, including the local availability of VA care.
“I am honored to serve on the board of directors at Cogitativo, a company whose innovative AI approach to precision health holds the promise of transforming access to healthcare,” said Mr. Wilkie. “I’m particularly proud that Cogitativo is supporting our Veterans and their unique issues.”
Earlier this year, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) deployed Cogitativo’s machine learning solution called Visión. Using Visión, the VHA is working to identify Veterans within its healthcare network who are at greatest risk of experiencing advanced disease progression, including diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and arteriosclerosis progression.
Gary Velasquez, CEO of Cogitativo, welcomed Mr. Wilkie by saying, “This appointment supports Cogitativo’s commitment to bring in experienced leaders to its Board of Directors. With Mr. Wilkie’s additional insight and experience, we aim to help Veterans lead longer and more fulfilling lives.”
