San Francisco-based behavioral health startup Ginger (formerly Ginger.io) has made two noteworthy additions to its advisory board: former U.S. Representative for Massachusetts Joe Kennedy III and Myrna Soto, the chief strategy and trust officer for cybersecurity company Forcepoint.

"With a surge of people seeking care, and a growing shortage of those who provide it, our nation’s badly broken mental healthcare system is spiraling into further crisis," Kennedy said in a statement. "Building a better, fairer system requires dramatic policy reforms, substantial public investment, as well as thoughtful partnership with private sector leaders seeking to help break down barriers to care. That’s why I am excited to join Ginger’s Advisory Board and support their efforts toward equitable mental healthcare access for all.”

Soto, meanwhile, will be lending her expertise to Ginger's privacy and cybersecurity practices.

“As an IT leader, I've seen technology transform nearly every industry imaginable. In the midst of our nation's growing mental health crisis, it's critical that we double down on the most promising innovations in this space," Soto said in a statement. "Ginger has led the way in re-architecting how mental healthcare is delivered from the ground up, and I'm proud to be a part of its mission and future growth."

Digital musculoskeletal care company Hinge Health recently updated its C-suite with a new president, chief operations officer and chief financial officer.

The first role is claimed by Jim Pursley, an advisor for the MSK company who previously held the chief commercial officer role at Livongo Health. His resume also includes leadership positions at Intel-GE Care Innovations and GE Healthcare.

Lex Annison, meanwhile, is stepping into the chief operating officer role. He was previously global director of strategy and operations at Google, and held other senior roles at Facebook and Wish.

Third is Ron Will as chief financial officer. His long career includes financial, commercial and operations executive titles at a range of companies, including Ripple, TubeMogul, Mainsail Partners and BrightRoll.

“This is an exciting time to be a Hinge Health customer. We just closed a $300 [million] investment round, giving us 10x more capital than any other digital MSK solution. We’re going to seize this unique opportunity to continue defining the category we created via heavy investments into R&D, data science, and clinical rigor,” Daniel Perez, cofounder and CEO of Hinge Health, said in a statement. “Adding Jim, Lex and Ron – along with our investments into innovation – all underlines our customer commitment to build a company that will last.” 

U.K.-based Babylon Health made three new additions of its own to its leadership in late February, all hailing from the U.S.

First on the list is Paul-Henri Ferrand as chief business officer, a role that will give him the reins of Babylon's business development, sales, marketing and customer success. He is the former president of Google Cloud, and also served as VP of the tech giant's U.S. sales and operations.

Next is new Chief Operating Officer Stacy Saal, who comes by way of Amazon. There, she heralded a handful of the company's larger programs such as Prime Now and Amazon Fresh, Babylon said in the announcement.

Finally, Steve Davis has stepped onboard as Babylon's chief technology officer. He held the role of SVP of AI and data during his prior time at Expedia Group, and will similarly be leading the AI work of Babylon's data scientists and engineers.

All three of the new hires will play a role in Babylon's global efforts, but will play a particularly important role in the company's U.S. growth going forward, the company said.

“We are thrilled to welcome three new powerhouses to the Babylon leadership team, each bringing their own unique background and wide range of expertise to the table," Dr. Ali Parsa, CEO and founder of Babylon, said in a statement. "In the midst of an ongoing global pandemic, there has never been a greater need to democratize healthcare and strategically appoint the right leaders to drive the charge."

College telemental health provider Mantra Health has appointed Dr. Nora Feldpausch as medical director.

An advisor for the startup since 2019, she spent more than 12 years in the world of campus psychiatric services at Colorado State University and Michigan State University, the latter of which she helped establish a student telepsychiatry clinic. In her new role, Feldpausch will be watching over provider recruitment, ensure the quality of Mantra's clinical offerings and build new treatment approaches.

“After a career embedded in university mental health centers I was skeptical that a private, digitally-focused company could match the quality of in-person appointments that students deserve,” Feldpausch said in a statement. “I quickly realized Mantra Health is taking a truly unique approach with their platform. They are committed to putting student outcomes first and building a solution with a deep understanding of the real needs of college students, clinicians and counseling centers.”

Clinical trial recruitment startup Deep 6 AI has tapped Jason Attanucci for its newly created VP of life sciences role.

Attanucci's nearly two decades of experience most recently led him to BioFortis, where he served as global head of customer solutions and senior director of sales and partnerships. In his new role, Attanucci will introduce the company's platform to the broader biopharma, contract research organizations and other life sciences companies.

"Deep 6 AI is primed for rapid growth in the life sciences eClinical market - and the entire clinical trial ecosystem at large,” he said in a statement. “Deep 6’s ability to precision-match patients to clinical trials, using AI and natural language processing, is unparalleled in the industry. I’m thrilled to offer this unique data-driven solution that connects all clinical trial stakeholders, in support of our mission to help bring new treatments to patients, faster.”