Our Lead(H)er series features impressive women leaders in the tech industry. In this Q&A, we are featuring Carisa Raucci, VP Clinical Operations at NuvoAir.
Where did you grow up and how would you describe yourself as a child?
I split my time between northern Rhode Island and El Paso, TX. We moved a lot as a kid but I was deep into the sports scene, so I always felt like I had instant family wherever I went. I played soccer and basketball which kept me quite busy with travel and competitive leagues. I was always an overachiever and thought doing well in school was my best chance for success later in life.
What did you study in college and what was your first job out of school?
I was a biology and pre-med major in college and minored in kinesiology. I always knew I wanted to work in healthcare so I became an athletic training student in an effort to gain patient care hours but also stay in the sports world that I knew so well. That led me to an amazing internship and my first full time position with the Spurs Sports and Entertainment franchise. I was one of the equipment managers and athletic trainers for their AHL, WNBA, and NBA teams.
Can you share the details on your career path and what were the critical moments that got you to where you are today?
Like many others, I took a very non-traditional path to where I am now. I spent about 15 years in the sports medicine setting doing direct patient care in a variety of places and settings around the world.
I was always very interested in the why and the operations behind healthcare. After completing my PhD in Health Behavior and Health Education, with an emphasis on brain injury management, I was recruited to help start a multidisciplinary concussion center. This was a pivotal moment in my career, because I was tasked with building not only a practice, but a multidisciplinary team, from the ground up. It was in this role that I was pushed outside of my comfort zone and had to become the “jack of all trades”. I had to build community partnerships, oversee a multimillion dollar P&L, recruit world-renowned specialists, and navigate the insurance and compliance landscape. This moment was also pivotal for me as I began my journey down the path of providing telemedicine services for those in rural communities needing urgent access to care. I do credit my graduate work on helping me transition from a direct patient care path to one in operations and leadership.
From that moment, I knew that telemedicine was going to be a vital component of US healthcare. My next position was with Iris Telehealth to really augment my understanding and responsibilities in the virtual care space. I was the 9th hire in that organization, responsible for clinical operations including licensing, credentialing, provider and client relations, compliance, Joint Commission accreditation, and clinical workflows and implementation for a variety of settings. This was another pivotal role in my career because once again I found myself learning as we were building. In a course of three years, we became the largest solely psychiatry telemedicine provider in the US. That level of scale is difficult to describe but also something I would recommend to anyone looking to get a crash course and deep dive into your field of interest.
My next stop on my journey was with an AI company, Diligent Robotics. I knew I wanted more experience in the technology sector and what better way to accomplish that than working with autonomous delivery robots in the hospital setting? This was also an incredible journey for me as I was able to work side by side with some of the best and brighter roboticists in the world. This experience gave me a deep understanding of how product and engineering teams work to enable a level of sophistication and automation that I am passionate about leveraging in healthcare.
This brings me to my most current position at NuvoAir, virtual based cardiopulmonary care. All of my past experiences have led me to truly understand the start-up environment where healthcare and technology merge at the center of the patient experience.
What is your current role and responsibilities?
I am the Vice President of Clinical Operations at NuvoAir in which I oversee the clinical services including member experience and quality of care. I work hand in hand with our product and engineering teams to develop world-class care while leveraging technology and automation.
Looking back, is this where you thought you’d be professionally? Was it always your goal to be in this position?
I did not, for many years I thought I would go on to be a Sports Medicine physician. Throughout my experiences though, I learned that I could make a much bigger impact on patients, especially around high quality and access to care, in operations roles. It has been exciting and rewarding to follow the opportunities and meet amazing people along the way.
For people who are looking to be in a similar position, what advice would you give to others in terms of helping them achieve their career goals?
I have a few thoughts on this:
- Don’t be afraid to jump in and learn as you go. It’s easy to say I’m not trained for that, or that is out of my comfort zone, but the reward for hard work and pushing yourself is so worth it! Be flexible and open to new situations as you never know where it might take you. Also, always be thinking about how your current skills can be translated into the job you want.
- Show up! One of the hardest things I’ve found is to continuously show up day in and day out. When times are tough, when you don’t have all the answers, when the budget isn’t there, don’t let that stop you. One of the best qualities in a leader is to continue to be there for your teams even if you don’t have all the answers.
- Find a mentor. Mentees are 5x more likely to be promoted than those without a mentor. Also, you are never too old or experienced to have a mentor. Find someone who has been in your shoes and will push you when you need it.
What do you find most interesting/rewarding about your work?
Working for NuvoAir is energizing as it allows me to be at the forefront of innovative healthcare solutions. The ability to provide remote and personalized care to patients and leveraging technology to enhance cardiopulmonary services, is not only professionally gratifying but also contributes significantly to improving accessibility and patient outcomes.
What is your proudest professional accomplishment?
Helping scale a self-funded business from the ground up to one of the largest in its industry was my proudest professional accomplishment. We were able to seamlessly provide over 100,000 psychiatry visits annually in a very short ramp up period.
Are you involved with any professional organizations outside of the company? Volunteer work?
I have been a volunteer for Siguiendo los Pasos de Jesus (SPJ) since the late ‘90s. SPJ is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization which assists hardworking families who reside in the colonias of Juarez, Mexico. Each family has at least one working parent and yet still lack basic essentials. SPJ strives to build sustainable communities by supporting families with homes, jobs, education, medical and dental clinics, food, a market, a community center, a church, and a library.
Q&A
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
I have three main hobbies. I enjoy renovating homes and would flip homes in another life if I could! Sweating pipes, laying cable, you name it and I love doing it. I also love college and pro football, baseball, and basketball and talking about it with others. My other hobby is collecting Lego. We have three generations in our family who are all avid collectors and builders.
How do you manage stress?
I love to be outside when I am stressed. A bit of fresh air and sunlight do wonders for me.
How many cups of coffee do you have in a day?
Zero! I’ve been caffeine free for about 8 months now, although I miss it every single day and have slipped occasionally too.
Any book or podcast recommendations?
I have a few professional book favorites:
- Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking - Malcolm Gladwell
- Unreasonable Hospitality - Will Guidara
- Good to Great - Jim Collins
- Zero to One - Peter Thiel
What advice do you have for recent college graduates?
Find a great mentor. Studies show that those with reliable mentors do much better in their careers and are far happier and more confident.
