Visana Health was founded by Joe Connolly, who watched his mother suffer from unbearable menstrual pain caused by endometriosis for 25 years. Joe quit his job as a medical device engineer to ensure other women won’t have to suffer like his mother.
We’ve assembled an elite team of women's health experts and are on a mission to fix the broken system that is failing women across the globe.
Woman have been suffering in silence for too long.
Every woman deserves access to best-practice care.
You deserve to know the truth.
You should control your care.
We’ll never sell your data.
Dr. Barbara Levy
M.D, FACOG, FACS
Chief Medical Officer
Barbara Levy, M.D., FACOG, FACS, is a lifelong advocate for advancing the quality of women’s health. Dr. Levy was in private practice and served as a Medical Director for Women’s and Children’s Services for the Franciscan Health System. She was elected as the first female president of AAGL in 1994-1995.
In 2012 Dr. Levy joined the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) as the first full-time woman physician leader. She built a quality, safety and informatics team dedicated to supporting improvement in health care for women.
Her research interests span from outcomes research in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery to optimizing care for women with chronic pelvic pain. Her clinical work focused on evidence-based, equitable, comprehensive care for women throughout their life course.
Dr. Levy graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University. She obtained her medical degree from the University of California, San Diego, followed by an internship and residency at the Oregon Health Sciences University. She currently holds clinical professorships in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences and UCSD Health.
Dr. Chardonnay Vance
M.D.
Family & Women's Health Physician
Dr. Chardonnay Vance is a board-certified Family Medicine Physician. She started her career working as a lay midwife, then worked as a research scientist, and now a Primary Care Physician. She began her medical practice in a small town and shifted into telemedicine over the last few years.
When the opportunity to be a part of designing and building the next generation of primary care on a national scale through telehealth presented itself, she was excited to play a role in it. Her mission is to always put the patient first and foremost in every encounter and honor the sacred doctor-patient relationship.
In her time away from caring for patients and building better medical tools, she enjoys spending time with her family and neighbors, exploring the outdoors, and breeding a flock of chickens that is laying a rainbow of different-colored and delicious eggs.
Katrina Rollins
ARNP, CNM, MPH
Nurse Practicioner
Katrina is a Certified Nurse Midwife and Nurse Practitioner dedicated to decreasing disparities in Women's Health. She received a Master of Science in Nursing with a specialty in Midwifery/Women's Health from Emory University. Additionally, she studied public health to better understand the causes, as well as solutions for the frightening inequalities present in health care. Katrina is an advocate for providing education and respect to women so that they feel empowered to take charge of their health and make informed decisions.
As a Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) warrior herself, she has a special interest in helping other women manage their symptoms with a holistic approach that creates true, sustainable results. She understands the value of cultural practices when making health decisions and has worked with women all over the world, including South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, India, and Haiti.
Obum Calais
Nurse Practitioner
Obum is a Nurse practitioner who champions women’s wellness and social determinants of health. She received her Master’s degree with a specialty in Family Medicine from Angelo State University.
She enjoys using motivational interviewing to promote healthy habits and help facilitate the provider patient relationship. She ascribes to the treatment of the whole patient and evidence-based women’s health care.
With patient centered care, she is able to individualize a plan of care and adapt to social influences that impact health and care access.
Alex Maxson
AAMA
Patient Care Coordinator
Alex has over a decade of experience as a medical assistant and infusion specialist focusing on patient care. Previously, she has worked at Northwest Urology, Northwest Rheumatology and Ahead.
Alex holds an AAMA from Concorde Career College and a BA from Linfield University.
Andrea Sleeth
Nurse Practitioner
Andrea is a Women's Health NP with over a decade of experience in women’s health. Her experience ranges from in office OB/GYN, bedside labor and delivery, teaching perinatal classes, with the last two years spent in telemedicine.
Andrea obtained her graduate degree from Frontier Nursing University in Hyden, KY where midwifery was first established in the US. She is currently licensed in 26 states and loves the opportunity of improving access to care through telemedicine. Her mission is to empower and educate women and people in marginalized populations to improve outcomes and access to care.
Dr. Jennifer Joslyn
DPT
Physical Therapist
Jenn is a pelvic floor physical therapist trained at Herman & Wallace and specializes in helping patients with pelvic floor dysfunction.
Jenn earned her doctorate (DPT) at New York Medical College.
Dr. Thomas Farrington
PsyD
Clinical Psychologist
Tom is a clinical psychologist who specializes in cognitive behavioural therapy for chronic pain, and was selected as a national trainer for the protocol.
Tom earned his doctorate (PsyD) from University of Denver.
Dr. Maggie Henjum
DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT
Physical Therapist
Maggie is the owner of Motion Minnesota, a patient-focused physical therapy clinic, and is an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota.
She's published several peer-reviewed articles and received her DPT from University of Colorado-Denver.
Jessica Peterson
Senior Health Coach
Jess is a certified health and wellness coach specializing in women's health, stress management and holistic nutrition. She has extensive experience in health and wellness coaching through digital platforms, one-on-one coaching and program development.
Jess earned a Master's degree in Health Science and Health Promotion from Minnesota State University, Mankato. She is certified through AFPA (American Fitness Professional and Associates)
Dr. Mathew Palmer
DO
Gynecologist
Dr. Palmer is a gynecologist and, having completed a fellowship in minimally invasive gynecology and robotic surgery at Henry Ford Health System, is an expert surgeon.
He treats almost exclusively menstrual pain patients.
Kim Plessel
MS, RDN, LD
Registered Dietitian
Kim is a registered dietitian specializing in endometriosis & menstrual pain patients. She has extensive experience helping patients make dietary changes to reduce pain.
Kim has a Master's degree in Nutrition from the University of Minnesota.
Amy Brandli
Head of Operations
Amy has over two decades of diverse experience at healthcare and digital health startups, including RedBrick Health (now Virgin Pulse) and DarioHealth.
Amy holds a BBA in Finance, Accounting and Spanish from the University of Minnesota Duluth.
Chelsea Leupold
MA, NBC-HW
Senior Health Coach
Chelsea is a board-certified health coach through NBC-HW. She previously worked at Noom as a health coach and health coach manager. Prior to that, she worked as a nurse and has always been passionate about wellness and lifestyle medicine.
Chelsea earned her Master’s degree in Health and Wellness Coaching from Maryland University of Integrative Medicine. She is also a certified yoga instructor.
Tom Morley
B.S.
Head of Product
Tom previously led customer discovery and medical device product development processes at Medtronic.
Tom holds a BS in Biomedical Engineering from Yale.
Jessica Grayson
MPH
Head of Virtual Care
Brianna Low
Marketing and Operations Manager
Brianna is the Marketing and Operations Manager. She comes to Visana with a background in literary arts and non-profit management, having worked at Indiana University, the Loft Literary Center, and the MN State Arts Board.
She's a professional writer with an MFA from Indiana University.
Sean Moore
Head of Engineering
Sean has over a decade of experience building healthcare systems for clinicians and patients.
He has a bionengineering degree from the University of Pittsburgh.
Matt Hodes
Vice President of Employer Sales
Matt has over 14 years experience in digital health and healthcare technology working with employers, consultants, and health systems to improve outcomes and access to care.
He has a degree from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. Go Hoosiers!
Leah Meyer
Operations Associate
Leah has a diverse background in traditional and classical music, arts administration, team management, and customer service.
She holds a BA in Music with an emphasis on ethnomusicology from Grinnell College.
Shelly Lanning
President
Shelly has over 20 years of healthcare operating and venture capital experience where she focused on digital health, medical devices and healthcare services.
Shelly holds a MBA from the Wharton School and a BA from the University of Minnesota. She is a Kauffman Fellow, Class VI.
Joe Connolly
MEng
Founder & CEO
Joe's mom suffered for decades from endometriosis. Previously, he worked at Boston Scientific, creating new medical devices & digital apps.
Joe holds a Masters in Biomedical Engineering from Duke.