The Webs She Weaves
Photo Credit: Sarah Deragon
Alum Kristi Ebong establishes influential networks in Silicon Valley.
Connecting the right people to each other in Silicon Valley is at the core of Kristi Ebong’s mission to harmonize the tech sector with the health care field.
“Health care isn’t just about doctors,” asserts Ebong, who earned an MPH and MBA in 2011 through JHU’s dual degree program. “It requires people across an extraordinary array of disciplines coming together and understanding each other to really impact lives.”
Post Bloomberg School, Ebong migrated west to settle in California, joining a large contingent of alums from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she had studied as an undergraduate. Tapping into a broad network in the Golden State proved vital as she continued her work as an independent consultant.
Now, clients like Stanford Health Care depend on her to evaluate products worth piloting across the health system: an mHealth app, for instance, that could help prevent patient readmissions.
Ebong also brings together creative minds for her client Healthspottr—a private network of investors, entrepreneurs and business executives—by facilitating the exchange of ideas online and at exclusive events. The theme: accelerating change in health care.
“People around the globe have brilliant ideas everyday, but being able to bring those ideas to fruition is both an art and a science,” says Ebong. “That’s where my JHSPH experience was so important. I developed my ability to understand health care beyond the one-on-one interaction between physician and patient.”
With an academic background in both public health and business, as well as solid experience on the tech turf, Ebong has earned the distinction of being the first female and youngest professional to serve on the board of the Badger Entrepreneurship Forum, a Cali-based group of UW-Madison alumni.
She aims to leverage her status as board member to advance the visibility of both women and people of color in Silicon Valley where, she contends, there exists a “serious diversity problem.”
When Ebong was invited to join the board, she felt compelled to connect back with friends and colleagues from the Bloomberg School; notably, Paul Whong, senior program manager of the School’s MPH program.
“I wouldn't be where I am today without [your] endless support and intellectual empowerment,” she wrote in an email to Bloomberg School faculty and staffers. “I am humbly aware of this and incredibly grateful. Thanks for always being in my corner and for teaching me so very much.”
Learn More About the MPH/MBA Dual Program.
—Salma Warshanna-Sparklin