About
Dr. Kara Walker is a primary care physician and health care executive who bridges care…
Articles by Kara
-
The White House Just Held a Conference on This Critical Issue — For the First Time Since the Nixon Administration
The White House Just Held a Conference on This Critical Issue — For the First Time Since the Nixon Administration
I’ll give you a hint: one of the speakers was Chef José Andrés, and another was Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack…
1 Comment
Activity
11K followers
-
Kara Odom Walker, MD, MPH, MSHS, FAAFP reposted thisKara Odom Walker, MD, MPH, MSHS, FAAFP reposted thisA couple of new opportunities in my Aetna, a CVS Health Company Med Affairs Network team! Come join our dynamic team aiming to be a preferred partner to our healthcare provider network. Executive Medical Director, National Value Based Care - https://lnkd.in/e4mJAa8A Lead our clinical partnerships with national value-based providers in advanced primary care, complex care, and specialty value-based care Senior Network Medical Director, Southeast https://lnkd.in/eXQg_vRm Partner with providers throughout the Southeastern US to drive improved quality, experience, and affordability And- join an all star team including Benjamin Kornitzer, MD, Ali Khan, MD, MPP, Kara Odom Walker, MD, MPH, MSHS, FAAFP, Brian Powers, Dana Carne, MD, MBA, Chris Jagmin, Heather Urban MD, FACP, CHIE, Derek Darling, Kaitlin Morin, M.S., Michelle Johnson, and many more
-
Kara Odom Walker, MD, MPH, MSHS, FAAFP reposted thisKara Odom Walker, MD, MPH, MSHS, FAAFP reposted thisThere's something humbling about cleaning dirt from under your fingernails before an afternoon of meetings. This week, my team and I joined KNOX, Inc. at Burns Latino Studies Academy in Hartford, spending the day working in the school's gardens. As we planted, weeded, and worked side by side, I was reminded that strong communities are built through simple acts of care and stewardship. These gardens will grow alongside the students who learn here, creating a healthier and more vibrant space for years to come. Hartford has been home to Aetna, a CVS Health Company for generations, and we feel a special responsibility to invest in the city's future. I'm grateful for colleagues who embrace opportunities to serve, connect, and contribute to something larger than ourselves. Brian Powers Heather Urban MD, FACP, CHIE Dana Carne, MD, MBA Rodrigo Cerda Michelle Johnson Kara Odom Walker, MD, MPH, MSHS, FAAFP Kaitlin Morin, M.S. Vishnukamal Golla Chris Jagmin Brenda Pabon Derek Darling Deborah Fernandez-Turner, DO, DFAACAP, CHIE Jeffrey Spear MD, MHA Leah Alger
-
Kara Odom Walker, MD, MPH, MSHS, FAAFP shared thisChildren may represent a small share of healthcare spending today, but they represent 100% of our future. Honored to join leaders at the McKinsey Healthcare Conference to discuss the future of children's health. Abe Sutton, Charlene Wong, Steve Davis, MD MMM MS, Tamara Baer, MD, MPH One takeaway: meaningful transformation will require innovation in both how we deliver care and how we pay for it. Programs like our work in OhioRISE demonstrate what's possible when care coordination, behavioral health, and community partnerships are designed around the needs of children and families. Thanks for all you do @Marti Taylor! Equally important is advancing pediatric payment innovation and interoperability—connecting healthcare, schools, payors, and community organizations to support whole-child health and better outcomes. #ChildHealth #Pediatrics #PopulationHealth #ValueBasedCare #OhioRISE #Medicaid #HealthcareInnovation #Interoperability
-
Kara Odom Walker, MD, MPH, MSHS, FAAFP shared thisJobseekers and my fellow VBP champions! Great opportunity to join an incredible leader at Aetna, a CVS Health Company! Take a look ⬇️ #TeamCVSHealth #valuebasedcare #outcomes #medicaid #medicare #commercialKara Odom Walker, MD, MPH, MSHS, FAAFP shared thisOur team is growing! At Aetna, a CVS Health Company, we're focused on being a great partner to our network providers in driving outcomes that our members care about, like care quality, experience, and affordability in all of our lines of business. This role is a critical leadership role in a new team focused on exactly that. Specifically the role will help us ensure we are data-driven in everything we do, and we are able to deliver complex and ambitious new care models in a matrixed environment. Take a look below, forward to your friends, and apply! https://lnkd.in/eXucvjWv
-
Kara Odom Walker, MD, MPH, MSHS, FAAFP shared thisWorking with Brian Powers is an unparalleled opportunity for impact and growth on an incredible team led by a visionary healthcare leader Benjamin Kornitzer, MD Joining us Aetna, a CVS Health Company as we advance healthcare innovation and clinical excellence.... Such a transformative time to join our team! Share this widely and apply below! 👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾Kara Odom Walker, MD, MPH, MSHS, FAAFP shared thisMy team at Aetna, a CVS Health Company is growing, and we're looking for two exceptional physician leaders. We're adding two Senior Medical Director roles — senior clinical leaders who will help redefine quality, affordability, and experience for our 18M+ Commercial members. 🩺 Senior Medical Director, Commercial Clinical Strategy — will evolve the clinical direction for our Commercial line of business, driving care models that improve quality and lower cost of care across priority populations and conditions. 💡 Senior Medical Director, Digital Innovation — will lead how we apply digital tools and technology to transform the way members access, receive, and experience clinical car, including our efforts around clinical AI. If you're a physician leader ready to help shape care at this scale — or know someone who is — I'd welcome the introduction. Postings and application links below 👇 Commercial Clinical Strategy: https://lnkd.in/g3uK4rnT Digital Innovation: https://lnkd.in/gg4u4NEv
-
Kara Odom Walker, MD, MPH, MSHS, FAAFP reposted thisJoin the Howard University Hospital team a be part of supporting the next generation of exceptional physicians as the Director of graduate Medical Education.Kara Odom Walker, MD, MPH, MSHS, FAAFP reposted thisSome roles don't just support an organization—they help shape its future. At Howard University Hospital, we're recruiting an Administrative Director, Graduate Medical Education (GME) to partner with Rachel Thornton, MD, PhD, FAAP in advancing our vision to be recognized as one of America's premier graduate medical education institutions—developing culturally competent physician leaders committed to innovation, research, and eliminating health disparities. This is more than an operations role. It's an opportunity to strengthen the foundation that supports our residents, fellows, faculty, and the future of healthcare. If you're passionate about academic medicine, operational excellence, and making a lasting impact through medical education, I'd love to connect. If someone comes to mind, please tag them or share this opportunity. Great talent is often found through trusted networks.
-
Kara Odom Walker, MD, MPH, MSHS, FAAFP reposted thisKara Odom Walker, MD, MPH, MSHS, FAAFP reposted thisThe Executive Officer role at the National Academy of Medicine is one of the most consequential leadership opportunities in health and science policy right now. The NAM sits at a rare intersection: trusted independence, elite scientific membership, and genuine convening power across government, academia, industry, and philanthropy. The EO is the COO and strategic partner to the President — shaping how that platform gets used at a moment when AI, genomics, workforce strain, and eroding public trust are all converging at once. This isn't a traditional C-suite role. It calls for someone who can help lead a mission-driven organization, steward relationships with some of the world's leading voices in medicine, and translate evidence into policy influence. PhD required; 20+ years of executive experience expected. If you know someone whose career has been building toward exactly this kind of role, now is the time.
-
Kara Odom Walker, MD, MPH, MSHS, FAAFP shared thisThank you to Elena Fuentes-Afflick for your leadership, service and work and dedication to the NAM. Congratulations to Bob Phillips, MD MSPH for this election! The work ahead continues to improve the health of our nation! #primarycare #leadership #servantKara Odom Walker, MD, MPH, MSHS, FAAFP shared thisCongratulations to Bob Phillips, MD MSPH, who was elected Home Secretary of the NAM for a 4-year term beginning July 1, 2026. The Home Secretary plays a critical role within the Academy by representing member interests and overseeing annual elections. Bob will succeed current Home Secretary Elena Fuentes-Afflick, with whom he has worked closely for many years as chair of the NAM Membership Committee. We are grateful for Elena's exemplary leadership and unwavering support of both members and staff, and we look forward to working with her in new contexts. Thank you, Bob and Elena! Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eBxHNejn American Board of Family Medicine
-
Kara Odom Walker, MD, MPH, MSHS, FAAFP reposted thisThrilled to share our newest research: the largest study of medically tailored meals to-date, among nearly 2,000 individuals in Medicaid. We found that MTMs significantly reduce hospitalizations, ED visits, and overall healthcare costs -- essentially paying for themselves. In patients with kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or depression, MTMs produced major net cost savings. I'm deeply grateful to our outstanding team at the Food is Medicine Institute, UMass Chan Medical School, Community Servings, and all our terrific Accountable Care Organization partners. Thank you to MassHealth, our state Medicaid agency, for implementing this test program in the state and for contributing much of the data for the analysis; and to the The National Institutes of Health for supporting the research The full paper is here, published today in Nature Medicine: https://lnkd.in/eVdjCCvf
Kara Odom Walker, MD, MPH, MSHS, FAAFP commented on a post
1w
Congrats Uma!! So exciting and good luck in this new chapter 🎉
-
Kara Odom Walker, MD, MPH, MSHS, FAAFP reacted on thisKara Odom Walker, MD, MPH, MSHS, FAAFP reacted on thisMy first concert was Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers. I was in second grade, and I remember walking to the front to hand her red roses. Dolly's life was a song of tolerance and love, a song that America needs to hear now more than ever.
-
Kara Odom Walker, MD, MPH, MSHS, FAAFP reacted on thisKara Odom Walker, MD, MPH, MSHS, FAAFP reacted on this23 years. It is easy to post a photo from a beautiful evening and make marriage look like a collection of moments like this one. Of course it is not. A life together is built in the years between the photographs. In the celebrations and disappointments. The plans that worked and the ones that didn’t. The times we have learned from each other. I know enough about life to take none of this for granted. I feel gratitude for 23 years of laughter, adventure, friendship, forgiveness, growth, and love. Gratitude for the life we have built together. And gratitude that, after all these years, you are still the person I most want beside me for whatever comes next. Happy anniversary, Claire. I love you and I am profoundly grateful for you. ❤️
-
Kara Odom Walker, MD, MPH, MSHS, FAAFP reacted on thisA heartfelt thank you to Daniella Gratale, Casey Osgood Landry,Tom Joos, and Kimberly Lattimore for your leadership in making visits like these so successful. I’m also incredibly grateful to our Central Florida leadership, including Martha McGill, BSN, MBA, MHA, Daniel J. Podberesky, MD, FACR FSAR, and Heather Fagan, for consistently being such strong advocates and partners throughout these visits. Your leadership, collaboration, and commitment make such a meaningful difference. Thank you all for your continued support!Kara Odom Walker, MD, MPH, MSHS, FAAFP reacted on thisIn 2025, Nemours Children's Health cared for 194,240 unique patients across Central Florida. During this congressional recess period, we welcomed Congressman Darren Soto and Congressman Mike Haridopolos to our Orlando hospital to meet with our clinical leaders and see some of this care firsthand. The Congressmen saw the specialized pediatric care and services Florida's children count on every day, including cardiology, hematology/oncology, physical and speech therapy services, and our Clinical Logistics Center and Simulation Lab. As Central Florida's only freestanding children's hospital, we're proud to provide this care directly to Florida's children and families. Thank you to both Congressmen for visiting and seeing this work firsthand.
-
Kara Odom Walker, MD, MPH, MSHS, FAAFP reacted on thisKara Odom Walker, MD, MPH, MSHS, FAAFP reacted on thisRosalind never stopped qualifying for Medicaid. She lost it anyway. Her renewal notice was mailed. The required attempts were made. Her document was received. Every transaction could be marked complete. No one could show that her coverage held. Issue 2 of The Continuity Record is live. It’s about the invisible ways people lose Medicaid, and the infrastructure required to stop coverage loss before it reaches the pharmacy counter, the emergency department, or someone’s body.
-
Kara Odom Walker, MD, MPH, MSHS, FAAFP reacted on thisKara Odom Walker, MD, MPH, MSHS, FAAFP reacted on thisI’m excited to share that I’ve stepped into a new role as Vice President of Data Strategy and Clinical Intelligence at CVS Health. This opportunity brings together areas I’m deeply passionate about: harnessing data, high-impact analytics, AI, real-world evidence, and clinical intelligence to drive meaningful transformation in healthcare. As the healthcare and technology landscapes continue to evolve, there is tremendous opportunity to bring these capabilities together to shape how we understand and improve care. That includes strengthening how we generate and apply evidence, shaping the responsible use of emerging technology, and building a measurement-based culture where outcomes, impact, and continuous learning guide decision-making. Together, these efforts can help us ask better questions, make smarter decisions, and translate insight into meaningful, measurable improvements for patients, clinicians, and the healthcare system. I’m grateful for the colleagues, mentors, and teams who have shaped my journey and challenged me to think bigger along the way. I’m looking forward to this next chapter and to partnering with an incredible team.
Other similar profiles
Explore more posts
-
DrCHHuntley
How we talk about public health can shape how people understand its value. Episode 471 reminds us that advocacy doesn’t always begin with a policy brief or a podium. Sometimes, it begins with helping someone recognize public health in their own everyday life. Charlotte Hughes Huntley, PhD, MPH, Oluoma Eze, MHA, PMP, CLSSGB, and Savaiz Siddiqui, MHA bring that idea to life through stories that make the systems around us easier to see and understand. 🎧 Listen to Episode 471, then keep the conversation going inside the PHEC Podcast Community, where public health professionals from around the world can connect beyond the episode. - #advocacy #PublicHealth #HealthEquity #HealthEducation #Epidemiology
2 Comments -
Einheit Consulting LLC
Operational Clarity for VBC Readiness FQHC funding tied to Rural Health Transformation is earmarked for Value-Based Care in several states. The pressure to adopt workable models that produce defensible data is real. We developed the Value-Based Care Evaluation Framework to help FQHC leadership understand what is operationally ready and where reinforcement is needed before expanding participation. Einheit Consulting works directly with your team to co-create a tailored Value-Based Care model built around practical structure and grounded in respect for how your organization functions. Download our one-page Evaluation Model for insight into our approach: https://lnkd.in/dQGXrW3e We are prepared to work with your team to identify gaps, strengthen alignment, reduce exposure, and position your organization for sustained performance. Know what’s ready and what carries risk so you can move forward with confidence.
1 Comment -
Primary Care Collaborative
At the release of the PCC's 2025 Evidence Report, Eugene S. Farley, Jr. Health Policy Center's Dr. Lauren Hughes outlined how rural communities have key strengths that can support primary care innovation, but only when policy enables it. Read a summary and view the full webinar ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/eP6R4Suq
Explore top content on LinkedIn
Find curated posts and insights for relevant topics all in one place.
View top content