Board of Advisors

Vecna is proud to have the support and counsel of our distinguished Board of Advisors with significant expertise and experience in medicine, healthcare, business, administration and research/academia.

Samuel Brown, MD

Dr. Brown conceived and was co-investigator for the NIH-sponsored research in infection control and surveillance that resulted in the QC PathFinder™ suite of applications and has been committed to the project throughout the transition from research to deployed product. He is a summa cum laude graduate of Harvard College in linguistics, with published work in theoretical syntax. He received his MD from Harvard Medical School with various honors including a National Scholarship, a Massachusetts Medical Society Scholarship, the Rosa Seegal award, and a Soma Weiss lectureship. He completed internal medicine training at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he served for two years as clinical physician and Instructor at Harvard Medical School. He received the first-ever Mentor Award from the Society of Healthcare Epidemiology of America for his work in global health, the epidemiology of nosocomial infections, clinical quality improvement, and antimicrobial resistance. He has published several papers in peer-reviewed journals and presented at several international conferences.

Clayton M. Christensen

Clayton M. Christensen is the Robert and Jane Cizik Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School, with a joint appointment in the Technology & Operations Management and General Management faculty groups. Professor Christensen holds a B.A. with highest honors in economics from Brigham Young University (1975), and an M.Phil. in applied econometrics and the economics of less-developed countries from Oxford University (1977), where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar. He received an MBA with High Distinction from the Harvard Business School in 1979, graduating as a George F. Baker Scholar. In 1982 Professor Christensen was named a White House Fellow, and served as assistant to U.S. Transportation Secretaries Drew Lewis and Elizabeth Dole. He was awarded his D.B.A. from the Harvard Business School in 1992. Professor Christensen became a faculty member at the Harvard Business School in 1992. He is author of three books: The Innovator's Dilemma (1997), which received the Global Business Book Award for the best business book published in 1997; The Innovator's Solution (2003), also a New York Times best seller; and Seeing What's Next (2004). He presently is completing two books that examine the problems of our healthcare and public education systems through the lenses of his theories. Professor Christensen is also extensively involved in other activities in the community and exemplifies Vecna's commitment to making the world a better place. He and his wife, Christine, live in Belmont, MA. They are the parents of five children.

Carl A. Gustafson

Carl A. Gustafson has 40 years experience in human resource management. He retired in 2005 as corporate vice president for human resources at Baptist Health South Florida (BHSF), a not-for-profit, multi-hospital healthcare system and the largest private employer in Miami, Florida. During his 13-year leadership, BHSF was recognized numerous times by Fortune magazine and Working Mother magazine as one of the Top 100 Employers in the United States. The AARP recognized BHSF as one of the best employers in the U.S. for older workers. Workforce Management magazine bestowed its Optimas award for creativity in human relations. In addition to leadership in healthcare, Mr. Gustafson has managed HR functions as a government contractor, and in the aerospace/electronics, broadcasting, and consumer products industries. During his career his roles included chairman of the Bay Area Employers Work and Family Coalition, co-chairman of the Greater Miami Chamber Personnel & Labor Management Committee, and member of a national MetLife Board of Advisors. In the community he has served as a member of a school board and bishop in his church. From 2005-2007, Mr. Gustafson taught international business courses in China at China Foreign Affairs University in Beijing and at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies in Guangzhou. He received his bachelor's degree from Princeton University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. He and his wife Louise presently live in West Chester, Ohio.