Executive Leadership
We are a next-generation nonprofit pioneering breakthrough solutions that amplify community potential.
From leveraging data-driven insights to deploying tech-forward programs, we disrupt the status quo of charitable work. Our agile teams collaborate with local leaders to evolve social initiatives, ensuring every project scales efficiently and transparently for maximum impact.
Anna Sizova
Founder and Chair
Dr. Anna Sizova is a physician-executive, clinical research leader, entrepreneur, and Global HealthTech ecosystem builder. She has more than 20 years of experience across clinical medicine, global clinical trial operations, regulatory strategy, and healthcare innovation. She specializes in bringing medical innovation from concept to patients by aligning clinical science, regulatory pathways, operational execution, and capital strategy across international markets.
As Founder and Chair of the Ginkgo Health Fund Board of Directors, Dr. Sizova leads the organization's governance, strategic direction, program development, and institutional partnerships. She guides the mission to advance Healthcare, Lifesciences, Biotech innovation through education, research collaboration, startup development, mentorship, and inclusive access to resources and funding networks. Under her leadership, Ginkgo Health Fund develops pitch competitions, educational programming, and community initiatives that connect founders, researchers, and investors building the future of medicine.
Dr. Sizova is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of IMPACT-HEALTHTECH, a fractional leadership platform and global HealthTech community. It connects founders, investors, clinicians, pharmaceutical and CRO leaders, and operators across countries. Through IMPACT-HEALTHTECH, she advises emerging companies on clinical development, regulatory strategy, and go-to-market planning, and convenes the Austin innovation community through programming at Capital Factory and STATION Austin.
Dr. Sizova began her career as a physician specializing in pediatrics and endocrinology. She holds an MD, a doctorate in endocrinology, and CCRA certification. She entered clinical research as a sub-investigator on Bristol Myers Squibb metabolic clinical trials at ClinStar Europe, LLC. This clinical foundation, combined with deep expertise in FDA, EMA, and EU MDR regulatory navigation, enables her to bridge clinical, scientific, operational, and executive priorities.
Dr. Sizova held senior leadership roles in global clinical operations at leading contract research organizations, including PPD/Thermo Fisher Scientific and ICON, and top 20 pharmaceutical companies on the sponsor side at BMS, ROCHE, Vertex, CODA, Alnylam, Gilead and etc. In these roles, she directed multi-region clinical trial programs across Europe, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America, including complex study delivery and other emerging research markets.
Dr. Sizova has been the Co-Founder of AI Surgeon start-up, an artificial intelligence company advancing surgical care. She is also the building HERA (Health Equity Resilience Authority), an invitation-only global leadership community for women in health and wellness.
Her professional and community leadership includes service as a Mentor and Ambassador for Startup World Cup and as a mentor with Nucleate. She has judged pitch competitions at BioFest, CHIC at UT Austin, and the UT Austin Undergraduate Research Forum, and she has contributed more than 600 hours of community service.
Medicine taught her empathy. Clinical research taught her scale. Austin taught her that her purpose is bigger than her profession. Today, Dr. Sizova is an entrepreneur and public speaker on AI in healthcare. Her mission is to accelerate responsible innovation and build the global networks that bring life-changing therapies and technologies to patients faster.
Osvaldo "Ozzie" Cortes is an investor, entrepreneur, and executive leader with extensive experience in organizational growth, operational transformation, and people-centered leadership across startups, private equity, human resources, and emerging technology.
An active angel investor, Ozzie focuses on life sciences, artificial intelligence, and innovative technologies that improve health outcomes and accelerate commercialization. He is passionate about connecting founders, investors, researchers, and community organizations to strengthen the life sciences ecosystem.
Through his work with businesses and nonprofit organizations, Ozzie advocates for collaboration, innovation, and expanding opportunities that create meaningful and lasting impact.
Osvaldo "Ozzie" Cortes
Board Director
Cynthia is an accomplished business and operations executive with extensive experience helping organizations turn vision into action. As Chief Operating Officer of Productside, she brings expertise in strategic planning, financial stewardship, organizational development, operational efficiency, and building strong, accountable teams.
Throughout her career, Cynthia has been drawn to organizations and initiatives where thoughtful leadership can create meaningful and lasting impact. She brings a practical, big-picture perspective to the boardroom, with a particular strength in identifying opportunities, navigating change, solving complex challenges, and ensuring resources are aligned with an organization’s mission and priorities.
Cynthia believes strong organizations are built through collaboration, transparency, responsible stewardship, and a willingness to evolve. She values bringing together people with different experiences and perspectives to make thoughtful decisions and create sustainable results.
As a board member, Cynthia brings both an executive and community-minded perspective, with a commitment to supporting the organization’s leadership, strengthening its long-term sustainability, and advancing its mission in the communities it serves.
Cynthia Petti
Board Director
Nicholas Diaz-Appolonia
Vice Chair, Board of Directors | Strategy, Programs and Health Innovation
Nicholas “Nick”; Diaz-Appolonia is a healthcare technology executive, clinical informaticist, entrepreneur, and service-disabled U.S. Army veteran with more than 20 years of experience spanning healthcare delivery, government health information technology, health policy, and advanced systems architecture. He specializes in developing secure, interoperable, mission-critical solutions that improve clinical readiness, operational efficiency, care delivery, and population health outcomes.
As Vice Chair of the Ginkgo Health Fund Board of Directors, Nick provides strategic leadership in health innovation, program development, clinical informatics, institutional partnerships, community engagement, and emerging technology. He supports the organization’s mission to advance healthcare and life sciences innovation through education, research collaboration, startup development, mentorship, and inclusive access to resources and funding networks.
Nick is the Founder and Chief Technology Officer of HIT GROUP, where he serves as a senior healthcare architect, executive advisor, and cross-functional clinical informatics and IMIT subject matter expert. His work has supported major initiatives across the Military Health System, Veterans Health administration, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and state and commercial healthcare organizations. His experience includes some of the nation’s most complex electronic health record, systems integration, interoperability, cybersecurity, and healthcare modernization programs.
Nick began his career as a clinician in the U.S. Army, serving as an Operating Room Nursing Specialist and later as an Official Command Trainer supporting combat medic and convoy medical operations. This clinical foundation, combined with expertise in technology architecture, secure data integration, emergency management, and operational planning, enables him to bridge clinical, technical, business, and executive priorities.
Previously, Nick served as Chief Medical Information Officer and Principal of Healthcare Informatics at SAIC Health Solutions. In that capacity, he advised senior leaders within the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs on enterprise health IT strategy, interagency interoperability, clinical transformation, and modernization of mission-critical healthcare systems.
Nick is also the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Apolon Investment& Development Group, an emerging development and investment organization focused on commercial and government infrastructure initiatives. Through this work, he brings strategic, operational, and risk-aware leadership to projects that address long-term community, institutional, and mission-driven needs.
His professional and community leadership includes service on the HIMSS Central Texas Advisory Board and as an SXSW Ambassador. His mission is to advance responsible innovation and develop integrated solutions that strengthen healthcare delivery, security, decision-making, and sustainable community impact.
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