Why I Joined Omada Health, by Jocelyn Ding, SVP, Operations
I’m often asked how to best achieve career success. In the past, my answers were fairly typical: find a mentor, build a network of influential people, and outwork everyone. But somehow, these answers never felt quite right.
These days, when asked this question, I offer a much simpler answer: Find a mission. Not a job.
At Google, I did exactly that. So the decision to leave Google and join Omada Health didn’t come lightly, but it also speaks to the inspirational power of missions – a bold mission can suddenly inspire you to make a change, even if you hadn’t been looking to do so.
So why did I make the leap? There are seven reasons why I feel truly excited to join Omada and focus my energy on a new mission.
A hard, important problem.
As a first generation immigrant to the United States, I’m in awe of the vast amount of resources that Americans have access to. I’m also deeply concerned that oftentimes, these resources distract us from the single thing that matters the most – keeping ourselves healthy. The rigor I personally apply to managing my health doesn’t begin to compare to the rigor that I apply to my professional work. Through Omada, I learned that ‘three out of four Americans will die prematurely from a condition that is mostly related to lifestyle, to habit, or to circumstance’. This is a hard problem. It must be solved.
An audacious mission.
Omada’s mission is ‘to inspire people to change the habits that put them at risk for serious but preventable disease’. The more I thought about this, the more I wanted to be part of it. Being able to inspire people towards lasting change is as audacious – and worthy – a mission as I could imagine.
A reasoned, courageous approach.
Omada has never shied from taking the hard path. In an era when many entrepreneurs considered health care to be too heavily regulated for disruption, Omada has operated within industry standards while bringing a truly groundbreaking solution to market. In an era when too many startups have the science and technology but lack the human touch, Omada has never lost sight of the idea that a truly successful digital health product should be as intuitive and well-designed as any other consumer product. Finally, in an era when many new healthcare companies look to replace established actors, Omada has maintained a collaborative position, equipping health plans and employers with solutions that keep people healthy, and demonstrably bring down enterprise health care costs.
A role that matters.
Omada’s approach has four pillars: start with science, deepen with design, empower with people, and insist on outcomes. As Omada’s Senior Vice President of Operations and Client Services, I’ll focus on making two more things happen:
- Instrument to scale – delivering Omada’s products to as many people as fast as possible
- Strive to delight – creating magical experiences for all of our customers and partners
An opportunity to lead and learn.
Over the last 15 years, I’ve had the privilege of being part of an inspiring global mission to drive enterprise adoption of cloud computing technologies: between 2000 and 2007, as the Executive Vice President of Operations at Postini, a cloud-based email security company that was acquired by Google; then as Vice President of Operations, Google for Work (formerly known as Google Enterprise).
At both Postini and Google, I built and led the teams that were responsible for driving product implementation, adoption, and technical support for enterprise customers. On one hand, Omada’s strategy of making its products available through enterprises, either directly or through health plans, is a remarkable opportunity to apply my experience. On the other hand, I’m looking forward to learning, and ultimately mastering how technology and science can be combined to significantly extend the reach of behavioral medicine.
A chance to make health care better for our country.
I was born and raised in the Philippines, but have lived most of my adult life in the United States. The benefits that I’ve enjoyed as an American citizen are too many to enumerate. I’m joining Omada to confront one of the most serious problems facing our country’s healthcare system, and to do so in the most innovative, clinically-proven ways.
A team that’s positioned to succeed.
From the first moment I met the Omada team, I felt a genuine connection with their intellect, passion, resilience, integrity, and style. Success is by no means guaranteed, but having a strong team is a prerequisite to achieving an audacious mission. It’s also a fabulous gift to be in the company of like-minded people.
Having played a key role in building and scaling two successful businesses from the ground up, I’m excited about starting a third journey to do the same once again: this time, for a mission that’s equally, if not more inspiring than anything that I’ve ever been part of.