About Us

Pat Wang is President of the Healthfirst Foundation and President & CEO of Healthfirst, one of the largest not-for-profit health insurance providers in the country. In 2023, Pat was appointed to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s newly formed NYS Commission on the Future of Health Care, tasked with addressing the state’s pressing health challenges. She is a Director of the New York Federal Reserve Bank and plays an active role on the Boards of America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) and the New York Health Plan Association (NYHPA). Pat previously served as a commissioner for the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), as a member of New York’s Medicaid Redesign Team II and as co-chair of New York’s Vaccine Equity Taskforce.

Errol Pierre serves as Healthfirst Senior Vice President, State Programs. He oversees sales and retention across the company’s Medicaid and Long-Term Care product portfolios as well as the company’s community engagement activities. Errol previously served as Chief Operating Officer for the commercial business unit of Empire BlueCross BlueShield. He serves as a board member of the Arthur Ashe Institute of Urban Health, Medinova, and as a member of 100 Black Men of America’s New York City Chapter, where he serves as a member of their national Health and Wellness Committee.

Kathy Howell serves as Healthfirst Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel. Prior to joining Healthfirst in 2023, Kathy served as Chief Legal and Privacy Officer at Well Dot Inc., a health technology and services company. Kathy had previously served as Chief Legal Officer and Acting President of Northwell’s CareConnect Health Plan, where she built a new provider-owned commercial insurer and launched a long-term care plan. Kathy has also been a partner or associate at law firms, including Dentons, Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP, and Proskauer Rose LLP.

Christina Jenkins, M.D. is a Co-Founder and General Partner of Convergent Ventures, a seed and early-stage venture fund focused on health and sustainability. She also serves as a national advisor to Manatt Health. Recently, Christina was the vice-chair of the NYC COVID-19 Rapid Response Coalition, helping support vulnerable New Yorkers via tech-enabled outreach and social services supports. She was the founding CEO of OneCity Health, a subsidiary of NYC Health + Hospitals, the nation’s largest public hospital system. She is a former board member and Chair of the Quality Committee for MetroPlus.

Odin Erickson is the Director of the Healthfirst Foundation and serves on the Healthfirst Foundation’s Board of Directors. In his role he is responsible for leading the Healthfirst Foundation and helping it achieve its mission of reducing inequality and advancing a more just healthcare system. He has extensive experience in healthcare strategy, grantmaking and program management and brings exceptional leadership to the Foundation. Prior to joining Healthfirst in 2023, Odin served as a Program Officer at the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, the largest healthcare specific funder in New York State. Previous to that role he served as a Global Data & Analytics Business Project Advisor at Cigna and a Senior Program Manager at New York eHealth Collaborative. Odin holds a B.S. of Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.