Congratulations to 40 Under 40 Winner: Obehi Ukpebor, Director of Product Management- Infusion Centers, LeanTaaS
Get To Know Obehi:
- Age (as of December 31, 2023): 33
- Hometown: Warri, Nigeria
- Alma Matter: Boston University, MIT
- Number of Years of Experience in Healthcare: 6
- Someone You Look Up to in the Industry: Aaron Miri, SVP & CDIO for Baptist Health (Jacksonville, FL)
- Favorite Hobby: Playing soccer
- Favorite Movie of All-Time: Avengers (all of them)
- Favorite Band or Musician: Black Eyed Peas
- Your Favorite thing about healthcare: The impact of work done in the space, being able to directly improve the lives of patients and staff. There are also many opportunities for improvement (increasing access & quality of care), and with the adoption of EHR/digital health, there's an abundance of data to leverage in creating/delivering tech solutions at scale.
Why is this candidate a good fit for 40 under 40?
As the director of product management for LeanTaaS, a healthcare SaaS company that combines lean principles, predictive and prescriptive analytics, and machine learning to transform hospital and infusion center operations, Obehi Ukpebor is a guiding force for the growth, development, and innovation of the company’s product iQueue for Infusion Centers. This product is critical because infusion centers are under incredible pressure to treat more patients with fewer resources. iQueue for Infusion Centers unlocks capacity to safely improve patient access to life-saving services. Ukpebor is passionate about using data to improve healthcare access and improve patient and staff satisfaction. He excels at leading highly analytical teams to problem-solve and build a world-class product for hospitals across the country. He views his customers as his partners, and integrates real-time feedback from nurses and patients into product roadmaps to achieve real-world impact like reduced patient wait times, increased access, reduced burnout. Ukpebor is also passionate about educating consumers about the healthcare space, opportunities, and best practices through speaking and writing opportunities. Please find speaking and written examples below of past engagements: - Conferences: https://conferences.beckershospitalreview.com/LeanTaaS-Virtual-Transform-Summer-2023/session/1479353/the-ties-that-bind-untangling-the-linkage-between-clinics-infusion - Webinars: https://iqueue.leantaas.com/infusion-center-operational-agility-adapting-to-the-new-normal-registration.html - Blogs/Articles: https://leantaas.com/blog/three-questions-to-ask-when-managing-linked-infusion-appointments/ - ONS Abstracts: https://ons.confex.com/ons/2021/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/9530 Outside of LeanTaaS, Ukpebor volunteers at Spark Program mentoring middle school students as part of an after-school program, partnering on school projects, exposing them to the healthcare industry early on and also helping them achieve their dreams.
Explain this candidate’s professional accomplishments:
Obehi Ukpebor graduated from Boston University with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and continued his education at MIT to receive his Master of Engineering in Manufacturing Engineering, and is currently enrolled at The Wharton School to receive his MBA. Ukpebor has always had a passion for research, engineering, and product management and decided to pursue a career in healthcare after various engineering and supply chain internships and jobs. Ukpebor joined LeanTaaS as a product manager in 2017 where he initially worked with more than 25 leading cancer centers throughout the U.S. As product manager, Ukpebor was focused on optimizing infusion scheduling and using predictive analytics to streamline daily operations - he developed and implemented product solutions that reduced patient wait times and increased volumes. These results were beneficial for both staff and patients, improving the overall experience and boosting revenues while lowering costs. Ukpebor has been a part of almost every team member’s journey over the past five years serving both as a strong people leader and problem solver in growing the infusion business and supporting over 100 hospitals. LeanTaaS’ product suite unlocks hard-to-reach capacity in asset heavy areas of the hospital with its three solutions: iQueue for Operating Rooms, iQueue for Infusion Centers, and iQueue for Inpatient Flow. Additionally, the company is bringing cutting-edge, generative AI technology directly to health system workflows with the recent launch of iQueue Autopilot. On average, LeanTaaS customers see an annual impact of performing 30-50 more cases per OR per year, a mean increase of 6% in case volume; $20k/infusion chair; and $10k/inpatient bed. Since joining LeanTaaS, Ukpebor has been promoted four times. As Director of Customer Success, he co-created and led a Customer Success function of 40+ people. He now holds the position of Director of Product Management, Infusion Centers where he oversees innovation, product development, and a team of 30 people, delivering data science driven capacity optimization for over 500 cancer infusion centers and more than 12,200 infusion chairs across the US. He works with some of the top hospitals, including the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, and The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Throughout Ukpebor’s education and career, Ukpebor has been a part of the Boston University Scarlet Key, Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society, and has received student leader and student advisor service awards.
How does the candidate show commitment to the industry and bettering their professional career?
Growing up in Nigeria, Ukpebor experienced many inefficiencies he thought were normal until he moved to Boston for college. The most painful experience he encountered was an inadequate healthcare system and poorly run emergency department that failed to save a close family member’s life after a heart attack. In college, he chose a concentration in manufacturing engineering to learn about reducing operational inefficiencies and received his Master’s from MIT to prepare him for technical leadership roles and spent the next several years, including a year in Singapore, improving processes at large companies across manufacturing and software industries. Working at LeanTaaS has been a way for Ukpebor to improve processes that save lives of patients at scale, and over the past five years, this has been critical to the company’s ~10x growth leading to its $1 billion valuation.
