About Umbra
Our
Story
Here at Umbra Health Advocacy, we’ve seen the healthcare system from all sides, as patients, family caregivers, health educators, healthcare journalists, healthcare leaders and health insurance executives. Most importantly, we are patient advocates.
We connected over our shared passion about how unfair it is that who you are and who you know often determines the kind of care and support you get. We want to make sure everyone who needs help (which we think is almost everyone) gets support to navigate the healthcare system. We believe you shouldn’t have to be insiders like us to get the healthcare you deserve.
We’ve taken everything we’ve seen and learned from marketing health insurance to covering healthcare innovators, conducting consumer research, and working one-on-one with patients and families who need help navigating healthcare, costs, and coverage.
We’ve poured all that experience and expertise into building Umbra Health Advocacy to level the playing field for healthcare consumers and help more people access the help they need.
Our Mission
Leveling the playing field for healthcare consumers
No one should have to navigate the healthcare system alone. We’re on a mission to connect anyone who needs help (which is virtually everyone!) to the experts and resources who can help people get the healthcare they need.
Our
Founder
Deb Gordon, MBA, BCPA
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Deb Gordon is a seasoned healthcare executive dedicated to helping consumers make sense of the healthcare system. Deb is the Co-Director of the Alliance of Professional Health Advocates (APHA). She previously served as the CEO of a technology firm serving community-based healthcare providers and as chief marketing officer for a top-ranked Massachusetts health plan. She is the author of The Health Care Consumer’s Manifesto: How to Get the Most for Your Money (Praeger 2020) and a contributor at Forbes.com. Her work has also appeared in the Harvard Business Review blog, USA Today, JAMA Network Open, and the Journal of Participatory Medicine, among others. Deb has been recognized as an Aspen Institute Health Innovators Fellow, an Eisenhower Fellow, and a Boston Business Journal 40-under-40 honoree. Deb earned a BA in bioethics from Brown University and an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School. She is also a Board-Certified Patient Advocate (BCPA).