Pravin Venketsamy, MHA, volunteers on the Member & Volunteer Growth committee. He is a VP of Operations at One Medical, a healthcare subsidiary of Amazon.
Please tell us a bit about what you’ve been doing as a volunteer, and why you chose to take that particular role.
I co-led networking events on the Member & Volunteer Growth committee, and I recently facilitated presentation prep and provided onsite support for the annual awards dinner.
I enjoy connecting with emerging leaders and professionals who are passionate about improving healthcare. Volunteering at CAHL offers an opportunity to connect and network with innovators and trailblazers.
Could you share a “CAHL Moment” with us? We’d love to hear a story of a meaningful relationship you’ve developed and why it matters to you and those you serve, or an anecdote about how volunteering with CAHL has impacted your role or your personal life.
A pivotal moment in my career was in 2008 when Delvecchio Finley introduced me to CAHL and invited me to join the Regents Advisory Committee. Working on local programming and events helped me gain insights and experience in collaboration and influence.
Could you fill in this blank? “I’m open to being a resource to CAHL members if they need ________.”
I am open to being a resource to CAHL members in multiple ways:
- Healthcare operations expert. Over 16 years in operations roles at One Medical, Kaiser Permanente and UCSF with a focus on LEAN performance improvement and innovation.
- Experience guiding nonprofit organizations on financial stewardship, community engagement, and strategic planning.
You can reach me on LinkedIn or in the CAHL directory.
What motto or quote resonates with you as a leader?
My childhood memories take me back to the streets of Johannesburg, South Africa, where, under the oppression of apartheid, I found escape in playing soccer. In a land where every young boy’s dream was to become a soccer star, mine was to come to America. I would gaze at pictures of New York City and San Francisco on my bedroom wall and, at that age, was unaware of the power of a vision wall.
Through perseverance and luck, my parents and I made it to America in 1990, and a few years later, South Africa held its first democratic elections. It was an honor and a privilege to cast an absentee vote for Nelson Mandela at Oakland City Hall in 1994. The quote below resonates with me as I continue on my path of growing and developing the next generation of leaders and supporting our community.
“What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others.” Nelson Mandela
What didn’t I ask that you’d like to share?
In the aftermath of the COVID pandemic, I truly believe we are better together. Simon Sinek is one of my favorite authors and summed it up as follows, “The ability of a group of people to do remarkable things hinges on how well those people can pull together as a team.”