Former Chief Physician Executive
Alameda Health System

Chitra Akileswaran, MD, MBA, was the chief physician executive of Alameda Health System, an 800-bed level 1 trauma center in Oakland, California. A board-certified obstetrician gynecologist, she previously served as president of Alameda Health Medical Group, a 330-physician multispecialty practice. There, she led a major turnaround—reducing physician turnover from 10% to 4% while recruiting over 100 physicians and 15 specialty leaders. She implemented sustainable recruitment, compensation, and engagement systems that closed service gaps and strengthened workforce performance.

Dr. Akileswaran is also the co-founder of Cleo, a venture-backed digital health platform supporting working caregivers and families, with employer partners including Salesforce and PepsiCo. Since its founding in 2016, Cleo has raised more than $80M from leading investors.

She previously worked at McKinsey & Company. She earned her undergraduate degree from Brown University, her MD from Harvard Medical School, and her MBA from Harvard Business School.