About Curana Health

Dr. Chao brings more than two decades of experience in managed care, clinical leadership, and healthcare transformation to Curana Health. Starting his medical career as a hospitalist and nephrologist in Southern California, Dr. Chao has held various leadership positions (including medical director and chief medical officer) within numerous healthcare organizations (including HealthCare Partners). Before coming to Curana, he served as chief executive officer of Optum Health’s western region, where he oversaw operations and care delivery across nine states. Dr. Chao’s expertise spans a range of healthcare models, from fee-for-service to value-based care across Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial plans. His broad experience has honed his ability to lead both clinical and operational teams through the complexities of healthcare delivery models, and his professional insights are shaped not only by his clinical expertise, but also by personal experience (having witnessed firsthand the challenges his elderly parents faced in navigating the American healthcare system). At Curana Health, Dr. Chao leads efforts to empower the organization’s healthcare providers, optimize care delivery, and ensure clinicians have the tools and support needed to achieve exceptional outcomes for patients and operator partners alike.

Dr. Requeijo attended medical school in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship that allowed her to study at New York Presbyterian Hospital and attend Weil Medical School in New York City. She completed her residency in Austin, Texas and became board-certified in internal medicine.

She worked as a hospitalist at HCA Hospitals for 13 years. While practicing hospital medicine, Dr. Requeijo developed a passion for acute/post-acute integration (with a focus on the clinical management of complex, chronically ill patients at high risk of re-admission).

In 2010, she co-founded the legacy company Elite Patient Care, a multi-state, post-acute, and transitional care company, where she served as Chief Medical Officer, Co-Founder, and Managing Partner. For the last 10 years, she’s worked as a medical director in dozens of skilled nursing facilities while actively managing a rapidly growing, specialized post-acute team of physicians and advanced care providers. Additionally, she helped develop and lead inpatient palliative care and transitional care medicine service lines.

Dr. Requeijo sought further education and became a Certified Medical Director through the Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. In addition to her board certification in internal medicine, she also obtained board certification in palliative care and hospice medicine. She is also a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

In 2021, Elite Patient Care, Provider Health Services, and AllyAlign Health came together to form Curana Health, where Dr. Requeijo currently serves as Chief Medical Officer. She oversees all quality outcomes for the company, including value-based care initiatives. Her focus continues to be on providing high quality and compassionate care to all senior residents across the care continuum.

In her free time, Dr. Requeijo enjoys adventuring in the great outdoors, where she runs, skis, and scuba dives. She is also an avid reader and traveler who is always eager to learn new things.

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Dr. Andrew Dahlgren serves as Curana Health Health Plan’s Chief Medical Officer. In this role, he oversees several key areas, including quality, credentialing, pharmacy, and clinical programs (which includes utilization management and case management). Additionally, Dr. Dahlgren works with Curana Health Medical Group to ensure that communication between the plan and providers improves the overall care and experience of our members. Dr. Dahlgren trained in family medicine at the Medical College of Virginia before completing a fellowship in sports medicine at the University of Michigan and a fellowship in patient quality and safety at the VHA National Center for Patient Safety (in conjunction with the VA Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky). After his medical training, Dr. Dahlgren obtained his Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Michigan. Before joining Curana Health, Dr. Dahlgren spent 20 years in a clinical role, where he specialized in sports medicine and student health. During this time, he built several sports medicine programs while also managing a large ancillary program for a major orthopedic practice. Realizing he wanted to have a larger impact on patient outcomes, Dr. Dahlgren left clinical practice. He went on to work for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as a fellow in its Quality and Safety Department and later a physician surveyor for the Joint Commission. He then went on to work for Humana and spent several years learning about the managed care space. Today, Dr. Dahlgren resides in Lexington, Kentucky (the horse capital of the world) with his wife and four children. Reading, exercising, and mending fences take up a majority of his spare time. View my LinkedIn Profile [email protected]

Timothy Puri, MD serves as Curana Health’s Chief Medical Officer of Population Health. In his role, he leads clinical strategy, program development, and care pathways. Dr. Puri is responsible for shaping and scaling the organization’s value-based care initiatives, driving operational excellence, and ensuring the delivery of high-quality outcomes across diverse care settings. Drawing on nearly a decade of experience in value-based care, he guides Curana Health’s efforts to optimize clinical models, align care with financial sustainability, and achieve measurable improvements in patient outcomes.

Board-certified in internal medicine, Dr. Puri has worked for successful and innovative companies (such as Landmark Health and ConcertoCare), where he held leadership roles focused on in-home, facility, and digital healthcare delivery. He has also served as a clinical advisor for multiple healthcare tech startups, contributing to the development of forward-thinking solutions that advance patient care.

In addition to his professional work, Dr. Puri volunteers on his city’s Senior Affairs Commission, advocating for programs that enhance the well-being of older adults. He lives with his amazing family just outside of San Francisco, and in his free time, he is learning to be a pilot and enjoys playing the guitar.

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Michael is responsible for the comprehensive design and development of Curana Health's clinical and operational products, and his team leads innovation in both the senior living and post-acute spaces for the company.

Michael has a strong clinical background as a family nurse practitioner (2012), and prior to that, he was a critical care intensive care unit registered nurse (2008). In 2020, Michael received his Executive Master of Business Administration from the University of Texas' McCombs School of Business. Leveraging his operational and clinical backgrounds, he successfully led Curana’s companywide operations until 2023. Tasked with developing the senior living model of care, Michael then transitioned to developing a robust playbook that is currently used to deliver Curana's "best in class" care delivery model.

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Dr. Amy Young started her health care career in 1996 as an emergency medical technician. She quickly progressed from paramedicine to nursing and went on to receive her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the Medical University of South Carolina. After obtaining her Master of Science in Nursing and practicing as a family medicine nurse practitioner, she went back to finish her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree at the Medical University of South Carolina.

She came to the legacy company Elite Patient Care (EPC) after a career in private practice. Amy started at EPC as a facility-based provider in South Carolina and grew with the company, from Director of Clinical Operations to her current position as Curana Health’s Senior Vice President of Operations.

She is passionate about value-based medicine, developing relationships with clients and colleagues, and providing services to seniors throughout the continuum of care.

Dr. Young enjoys spending time with her husband, five children, and her grandchild. When she has free time, she can often be found in the barn with her horses where she competes in dressage. She is also an active member of Rotary International and is passionate about service over self.

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Kelly Hamilton is a board-certified family nurse practitioner accredited through the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Texas at Austin and her Master of Science in Nursing from Texas State University (where she graduated with the highest honors).

Kelly has over nine years of experience working in trauma and emergency medicine as a registered nurse (working both at Seton Medical Center Austin and Seton Medical Center Williamson from 2005 to 2015). In these positions, Kelly was a charge nurse in a Level II Trauma Center. In 2015, Kelly received her family nurse practitioner certification and started with the legacy organization Elite Patient Care, where she quickly moved into a leadership position.

At Curana Health, Kelly oversees clinical operations of the mid-west region. She is passionate about the geriatric community and has worked with this population since becoming a nurse practitioner. Kelly is also an active member of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, Texas Nurse Practitioners, and Austin Advanced Practice Nurses Organization.

Born and raised on the Texas Gulf Coast, Kelly enjoys spending time with her husband and three beautiful daughters.

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Tara Jones is a board-certified acute care nurse practitioner, board-certified adult nurse practitioner, and board-eligible pediatric nurse practitioner. She graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1999 and her Master of Science in Nursing in 2001. She received a post-master’s certificate in pediatrics from the University of South Alabama in 2003 and her Doctor of Nursing Practice from Samford University in 2010.

Tara has over 13 years of experience as an ER nurse practitioner, during which she served as the first nurse practitioner hired by Russell Medical Center and the lead nurse practitioner. She has served as a guest trauma lecturer for the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s acute care nurse practitioner program and taught part-time for an online nurse practitioner program. She later spent eight years in a family practice/urgent care center prior to coming to the legacy organization Provider Health Services (PHS), where she quickly moved into a leadership role due to her extensive experience and knowledge of I-SNP plans.

At Curana Health, Tara oversees clinical operations for the south division. She has a love for geriatric medicine and enjoys sharing her work knowledge and experience with future leaders of the company.

Tara was born in Alabama, raised on the Florida coast, and returned to Alabama in 1997. She enjoys college football, traveling, and spending time with her husband and two children.

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Stephanie Bell, MSN, AGACNP-BC, is a proven healthcare leader currently serving as the Vice President of Clinical Operations, Southeast Region, for Curana Health and President of Sunshine Health Partners. She has over 20 years of healthcare experience in multiple settings with clinical expertise in hospitalist, post-acute, acute care/intensive care, and palliative care medicine. She also has expertise in driving quality outcomes to improve the lives of patients while developing strategic community relationships to drive overall facility quality and growth (for skilled nursing, long term care, assisted living, independent living, and affordable housing communities).

She leverages informatics, evidence-based clinical practice, and senior living partnerships to promote strategic value-based care initiatives (including Accountable Care Organizations and Medicare Advantage I-SNP plans). She also facilitates risk management and human resource efforts to reduce company and community risk and drives substantial growth through strong relationship management and proven quality outcomes.

Outside of work, Stephanie enjoys the outdoors, reading, and spending time with her family.

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Tasha Janssen is the Vice President of Operations, Midwest Region, at Curana Health. She is also a board-certified family nurse practitioner and received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from Graceland University. Tasha’s expertise and experience is in senior living, palliative care, and post-acute care. Her passion, drive, and expertise lie in quality of life-centered care, business development, and post-acute care. She finds joy in bridging the gap between hospitals and post-acute care facilities, forming partnerships between corporate entities and medical services, and aligning resident and family goals of care with their medical provider. Tasha currently sits on the board of the Iowa Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine, along with multiple other committees within Curana Health. Beyond her work in healthcare, she is a tutor, published author, and dedicated wife and mother. View my LinkedIn Profile [email protected]

Dr. Vlastimil Smetka serves as Curana Health’s Regional Medical Director for the Northeast. Dr. Smetka graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Physical Chemistry, then went on to medical school at the University of Sint Eustatius in the Netherlands Antilles. He then completed a post-graduate year one residency year at AnMed and a rural family medicine residency at Seneca Lakes in South Carolina.

Previously, Dr. Smetka worked for Apogee Physicians as a program director for a hospitalist program and for Sound Physicians as the Regional Medical Director for value-based care. His current role at Curana Health includes overseeing medical providers in the eastern division (including performance, quality metrics, and value-based programs).

 

In his free time, Dr. Smetka enjoys back country skiing and cooking for his partner and three dogs. He is also a licensed skydiver and pilot, and he likes sailing. Additionally, he appreciates the quiet time he finds while mowing his yard.

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Originally from the greater Detroit area, Dr. Brian Cooper began his journey into the medical field by earning his Bachelor of Science in biopsychology from the University of Michigan. He then went on to receive his medical degree with the highest honors from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2009. He concluded his doctorate studies by completing his residency in internal medicine at Banner Good Samaritan Hospital and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs systems in Phoenix, Arizona (prior to his relocation to Austin, Texas).

Since 2009, he has practiced as a hospitalist and nocturnist in multiple hospital systems and post-acute facilities, including long-term acute care hospitals, rehabs, and skilled nursing facilities. He has served as either the Local/Regional Medical Director or Local/Regional Program Director in every setting for the legacy organization, Elite Patient Care, leading the launch of multiple new markets.

Dr. Cooper is recognized by both the American Board of Internal Medicine and the Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine as a certified medical director (post-acute).

 

At Curana Health, Dr. Cooper has devoted considerable time and effort to improving the quality of care at his associated facilities, including but not limited to antibiotic stewardship and quality control and improvement. He also trained and led a 24/7 in-house acute care nurse practitioner program and served as part of the clinical teaching faculty for Texas A&M Medical School.

In his free time, Dr. Cooper enjoys ice hockey, snowboarding, traveling, gardening, landscaping, light carpentry, and do-it-yourself projects.

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Dr. Whyms works as Curana Health’s Regional Medical Director for the Midwest Division.

He grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has family in Minnesota and Illinois, and attended medical school/completed his residency in Iowa. He started his medical career as a hospitalist before transitioning to the post-acute care setting.

He joined the Curana Health team in the early stages of growth in the Midwest and has led rapid expansion in Iowa and neighboring states. He now oversees physician quality of care and value-based medicine programs for Curana Health’s Medical Group in the Midwest region, and he greatly enjoys engaging in growth, development, and training across 11 states.

Dr. Whyms is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine. He is also the President of the Iowa Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine.

As a former collegiate rower for the University of Wisconsin, he enjoys all physical activity and being outdoors. He also owns and maintains a small forest preserve in Iowa and enjoys meeting the communities that Curana serves on his travels.

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Originally from Buffalo, New York, Dr. Bugaj graduated from the University of Rochester and attended medical school at the State University of New York.

He completed his residency in internal medicine with a geriatric fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco.

Upon moving to Raleigh, North Carolina, he worked for Duke Health for five years and later joined Physicians Eldercare, where he served as a leader of clinician education, hierarchical condition category training and education, billing and coding, and its Accountable Care Organization committee. He also served as a medical director for multiple nursing facilities and a North Carolina PACE program. Through these roles, he developed a passion for innovative health care systems and solutions that improve the quality of care for seniors.

Dr. Bugaj and his wife have three children. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling and playing sports. He has also served as an assistant volunteer coach for both soccer and football teams.

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As Vice President of Clinical Programs, Joy Delpilar oversees quality, risk adjustment, and case management for Curana Health’s Medical Group. Her responsibilities include developing the unique care delivery model supporting our patients and providers.

Joy received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of the Philippines. She began her nursing career caring for the senior population as the director of nursing for a large long-term care operator.

Prior to joining Curana Health, Joy worked for Molina Healthcare of Texas as the Vice President of Healthcare Services, where she implemented Molina’s Nursing Facility Medicaid Service Coordination Team and managed their Medicare and Marketplace care teams.

Joy lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband and four kids. In her spare time, she enjoys snowboarding and reading.

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