Dr. Ezekiel “Zeke” Emanuel, who helped shape the Affordable Care Act, is entering the private sector.
Emanuel Monday joined Oak HC/FT, Greenwich, Conn., a venture growth-equity firm that invests in healthcare information and finance technology companies.
“The Oak HC/FT team is nimble, experienced and smart,” he said in a news release. “I am excited to exchange ideas and knowledge with entrepreneurs that are driving true innovation that will increase quality and control costs thereby significantly improving the American healthcare system.”
Emanuel's role will be as a venture partner, and he will advise not only Oak HC/FT, but also current and potential partners such as entrepreneurs and portfolio company executives, Oak said in a news release. In the 18 months since its inception, Oak HC/FT has invested in 12 companies and met with over 200 entrepreneurs.
“Zeke's passion for transitioning the healthcare system to higher quality and lower costs is completely aligned with our firm's mission and purpose,” said Annie Lamont, managing partner at Oak HC/FT, in a statement.
Emanuel is a bioethicist and oncologist. Since 2011, he has served as the vice provost of global initiatives at the the University of Pennsylvania, as well as the chair of the medical ethics and health policy department and the Diane and Robert Levy university professor. He will continue to serve in all roles. Previously, Emanuel held the post of associate professor at Harvard Medical School.
From 2009 to 2011, Emanuel served as a special adviser on healthcare in the White House's Office of Management and Budget. In that role, he helped draft the ACA. Emanuel also helped navigate the H1N1 swine flu epidemic in 2009, worked with first lady Michelle Obama on her “Let's Move!” campaign to battle childhood obesity and drafted regulations in biomedicine. Emanuel was the founding chair of the bioethics department at the National Institutes of Health, a position he held until August 2011, according to his website.
Emanuel is a prolific writer, having authored over 250 academic articles and many books. His most recent, Reinventing the American Health Care System, was released in 2014. He has advocated for bundled payments for cancer care and hip and knee replacements and has fought for payment reform in end-of-life care.
His brother is Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
