Kat Esser

Kat (Darula) Esser, MID has 25+ years of experience leading the development and execution of social innovation portfolios that drive organizational growth for global public and private sector health systems and organizations. Currently she serves as Global Impact Initiatives Leader for Amazon Web Services (AWS) Social Impact & Responsibility team. In this role, Kat oversees the impact initiatives portfolio that uses cloud technology to address the most pressing global health and education issues. As a key part of this work, Kat oversaw the first of its kind AWS Health Equity X Cloud Technology Landscape Analysis) and the AWS Food Value Chain x Cloud Technology Landscape Analysis that synthesizes current state, gaps and future opportunities at the intersection of Health Equity, Nutrition Security and Cloud Technology. Kat’s work in Human-centered design is marked by innovative, scalable solutions. At Kaiser Permanente, Kat launched the Netherlands’ inaugural Health Innovation School, bridging a human resource gap brought on by industry changes in the health ecosystem. This initiative was in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport and Radboud University’s REshape Center. As Innovation Director at the Center for Care Innovations (CCI), Kat oversaw a $25 million innovation portfolio, re-imagining health delivery for vulnerable patients in over 600 U.S. Federally Qualified Healthcare Centers (FQHCs). She launched St. John’s USVI Building a Destination for All, collaborating with the USVI government, department of travel and Tourism, and 22 local businesses to create an inclusive travel destination for travelers with variation in ability — a model later replicated by seven additional Caribbean islands.