Hartford Business Journal

40 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | October 10, 2022 He also led an expansion of outpatient services with the nonprofit's new tele- health services. And he's making a big bet on downtown Hartford. Last year The Village purchased a downtown Hartford office building and announced plans to relocate some of its mental health programs there. Rodriguez was formerly a physician in Colombia, where he delivered more than 200 babies over a decade spent in family medicine. He earned a master's degree in public health from UConn in addition to his med- ical training at the University of Cartage- na in Colombia. He formerly was chief operating officer at Catholic Charities for the Archdiocese of Hartford. TIFFANY DONELSON The Connecticut Health Foundation is an influential philanthropic organization that has helped focus policy and actions by philanthropists, government and advocacy groups on the fact that individ- uals from disad- vantaged racial and ethnic groups in our state are less healthy. And in 2020 the foundation tapped a woman with significant private-sector experience to replace founding CEO Patricia Baker. Tiffany Donelson is a former deputy chief of staff for national businesses at Hart- ford health insurer Aetna. She was also previously a consultant for accounting and consulting giant PwC in Chicago. She joined the foundation in 2014 and previously served as its vice president of programs. In her CEO role, Donelson has brought together health systems, community health centers, physician practices, behavioral health providers, and others to use self-reported patient data to identify and address disparities in care and outcomes. She also oversaw the launch of a new grant initiative focused on grassroots advocacy organizations working toward racial equity and justice, and has worked to elevate the voices of people most affected by health equity issues. Donelson is also on various state and nonprofit boards, including co-chair of the public health subcommittee of the Commission on Racial Equity in Public Health; member of the Healthcare Bench- mark Initiative Steering Committee; board chair of the Connecticut Council for Philanthropy; and board member of the United Way of Connecticut. ASHLEY K ALINAUSK AS Entrepreneur Ashley Kalinauskas loves pets and co-founded Farmington-based Torigen Pharma- ceuticals in 2013 with the mission of developing a cancer vaccine for animals. The 32-year-old Kalinauskas, the company's CEO, has a staff that is comprised of cancer researchers, vet- erinarians, and veterinary professionals focused on providing the most advanced cancer care services for a wide variety of companion animals. The company — which is currently devel- oping an animal cancer vaccine called VetiVax — has inked several key part- nerships this year, including with Vidium Animal Health to offer veterinarians cancer diagnosis and treatment services for dogs, cats and horses. In June, Torigen announced a distribu- tion agreement with MWI Animal Health, a national distributor of animal health products and services. Torigen produces an experimental au- tologous cancer immunotherapy, a type of individualized treatment that uses an animal's own tumor cells to create an anti-tumor immune response. As of early this year, Kalinauskas' startup had raised nearly $8 million and signed a new 9,090-square-foot lease at 6 Execu- tive Drive in Farmington. In a January 2022 interview with the Hartford Business Journal, Kalinauskas said that five years from now "I believe that we will be able to transform transla- tional therapies and provide more dogs and cats access to advanced cancer therapeutics. Our goal is to continue growing our pipeline and making a difference." The company's vaccine represents a sig- nificant commercial opportunity as there are about 4 million to 6 million dogs and 6 million cats diagnosed with cancer each year. Studies show that more than half of all dogs over 10 die from cancer. Kalinauskas graduated from UConn in 2012 with an undergraduate degree in pathobiology, and went on to com- plete her master's at the University of Notre Dame. K AREN LYNCH & K YLE ARMBRESTER In one of the largest U.S. healthcare deals of 2022, CVS Health Corp. in Sep- tember announced plans to buy home healthcare services company Signify Health for $8 billion. "ResoluteFIT believes in strong, supportive relationships. And so does our bank." – Rob Olson, Founder and CEO of ResoluteFIT, Granby ResoluteFIT's Rob Olson: "I found the right match with our business mission and Northwest Community Bank. Dan has been a responsive ally in our success – listening, understanding and assisting us with our move to Granby in 2021. "For our ongoing operating needs, I know I can count on Andy and the bank's team in Simsbury and Granby. And I actually enjoy visiting the branch! "In short, my bank gets it. We have an easy working relationship and share core values about people and being a real community." Member FDIC NMLS ID: 510148 L to r, Northwest Community Bank Commercial Lender, SVP Dan Sullivan; ResoluteFIT CEO Rob Olson; Northwest Community Bank Simsbury & Granby Branch Manager, AVP Andrew St. Onge. About ResoluteFIT: Based on Rob Olson's training as a Navy SEAL and now with over 9 years of CrossFit Coaching experience, ResoluteFIT offers Coach-led, small-size fitness classes and personal training. Coaching and Education are extremely important, along with healthy eating and lifestyle. His goal is to empower members to live their best lives from being happy and healthy. Learn more at weareresolutefit.com Andrew St. Onge, Simsbury | 860-394-2310 Dan Sullivan, Avon | 860-677-2809 nwcommunitybank.com Avon | Granby | Simsbury | New Hartford | Winsted Northwestern Regional High School Academic Branch, Winsted Collinsville Bank – A Division of Northwest Community Bank collinsvillebank.com Collinsville | Canton | Farmington Litchfield Bancorp – A Division of Northwest Community Bank litchfieldbancorp.com Litchfield | Torrington | Lakeville | Watertown | Washington Depot Tiffany Donelson Ashley Kalinauskas POWER 25 IN HEALTHCARE

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