First Health Advisory Adds Distinguished Board to Pilot Cyber Health Growth

Inaugural members include elite industry advisors Drex DeFord, Mac McMillan, and Google Cloud's M.K. Palmore; the Board will guide First Health's strategic course in securing digital healthcare from the board room to the operating room.

WASHINGTON, DC / January 24, 2024 / First Health Advisory, a leading digital health risk assurance firm, today announced the official launch of its Strategic Advisory Board, comprised of six preeminent industry thought leaders, executives, and advocates. These principals will ensure First Health's vision for securing digital healthcare and protecting patient safety, at scale, is executed with clear objective and purpose.

The six members of the Strategic Advisory Board include Lisa Gallagher; Mac McMillan, Major General Elder Granger, MD (retired), CEO and President of The 5Ps; Drex DeFord, Executive Healthcare Strategist at CrowdStrike; Michael Loria, Managing Director of Height of Land Strategies; and M.K. Palmore, Cybersecurity Director of Google Cloud's Office of the Chief Information Security Officer.

This diverse team of executives each hold decades of healthcare, technology, and cybersecurity experience, bringing a breadth of knowledge and perspectives that will provide tremendous benefit to First Health and the entities the company serves. The board will guide First Health after an accelerated growth trajectory in 2023 that saw restructuring of leadership and aligning of business units with critical service offerings to reflect high demand and digital innovation trends in the healthcare sector.

"The addition of the Strategic Advisory Board will further bolster First Health's positioning as the most experienced security and digital efficiency consultants in healthcare," said Carter Groome, First Health Advisory CEO. "I'm in awe of the individuals that have graciously agreed to affiliate their reputations with First Health's future."

Lisa Gallagher

Renowned independent consultant and former Managing Director in PwC's Cybersecurity, Privacy and Forensics Practice, and Vice President of Technology Solutions and Senior Director of Privacy and Security for HIMSS, Gallagher's previous roles include Co-Chair of HHS ONC's Healthcare IT Standards Committee & Co-Chair of the HITSC Privacy and Security Work Group/Transport and Security Standards WG. ​

Mac McMillan

McMillan's senior executive experience spans over 40 years. He's the retired Co-Founder/CEO of CynergisTek, specializing in consulting and managed privacy, security, and audit services for healthcare. His former roles also include Director of Security for two Defense Agencies (OSIA/DTRA) and the Serving Chair of the HIMSS Privacy & Security Policy Task Force.​

Ret. Major Gen. Elder Granger, MD

An accomplished healthcare industry leader, Granger retired from the US Army in 2009, having served as deputy director and program executive officer of the TRICARE Management Activity, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense. He formerly led the largest US and multi-national battlefield health system, while serving as commander of Task Force 44th Medical Command and command surgeon for Multinational Corps Iraq.

Drex DeFord

As CrowdStrike's Executive Healthcare Strategist, DeFord is a notable senior healthcare executive, business/clinical strategist, start-up CEO and CIO, and cybersecurity and digital health leader. His former roles include CIO at Scripps Health; Seattle Children's; Steward Healthcare; and USAF Health.​

M.K. Palmore

The Director of Google Cloud's Office of the CISO, Palmore's numerous accolades include cybersecurity strategic advisor, USMC veteran, retired FBI, nonprofit leader, and leadership coach. His expertise includes governance, risk advisory, compliance, team building, and National Security.​

​Michael Loria

A distinguished M&A/Corporate and Business Development leader, Loria is the Managing Director of Height of Land Strategies. His career spans more than 30 years in technology companies that include Kodak, Brightcove, and IBM, where he spent 19 years in the software security division with a focus on mergers and acquisitions.

"Not everyone is as well-equipped as a large FinTech company with a huge SOC and hundreds of people doing cyber protection for them," said Michael Loria. "Clients need a trusted advisor, as they continue the innovation journey with the need to handle cyber on top of the everyday tasks. That's why I'm interested in the advisory role at First Health."

First Health's Strategic Advisory Board fulfills its company mission that trust is earned through meaningful interactions and informed guidance, bolstered by the counsel of diverse, experienced industry leaders.

About First Health Advisory

First Health is a digital health risk assurance leader, protecting vital interests and accelerating efficiency from the board room to the operating room. Our multidisciplinary expertise informs architectural design and delivery, enabling digital health innovation while safeguarding your patients, clients, operations, and finances. Our understanding of sector requirements and the healthcare ecosystem make us uniquely qualified as trusted consultants and strategic advisors.

For more information, visit www.firsthealthadvisory.com.

Media Contact:

Jessica Davis
Director of Marketing & Communications
First Health Advisory
jdavis@firsthealthadvisory.com
207-208-6724

Corey Patchkofsky
Aria Marketing for First Health Advisory
cpatchofsky@ariamarketing.com
203.710.2296