Q&A

Empowered Women Leaders at Vituity

Cat Sartin, MBA, one of Vituity’s emerging leaders, shares more about her passion for healthcare, her desire to give back, and how she stays hopeful in a challenging healthcare landscape.

Published March 29, 2023

In conversation with

Cat Sartin, MBA

Vice President, Outpatient Services

Q: Can you describe your role at Vituity? What are you excited about right now?

Cat Sartin: Thank you! I’m vice president of outpatient medicine, which is a very exciting place to be. As care delivery and reimbursement models shift, the outpatient side has become fertile ground for growth and innovation.

For example, I’m currently working to develop a new product called MOOV, which will be Vituity’s entry into lifestyle and performance medicine. Our first MOOV clinic offering physician-backed health coaching, classes, and integrated care services will open soon.

We’ve worked closely with Inflect Health, Vituity’s innovation hub, throughout this process. We’ve also drawn on the expertise of many of our clinicians, who have prior experience in areas like sports medicine, healthy aging, and post-partum health. So, it feels like an incredible collaborative effort coming together.

Q: Tell us a little bit about your background. What led you to healthcare?

Cat Sartin: Healthcare has always been a passion of mine, and it’s where I’ve spent most of my career. Yes, this is a challenging field. But when I look at it, I see so many interesting problems to solve, so many places to make an impact.

My background is unique for a healthcare VP. I’ve got a lot of experience on the more technical side, including commercial operations, business strategy, and product development.

Tapping into different areas of my past lends me a fresh perspective and sometimes helps bring a different lens to the conversation.

Q: We understand you’re very active in supporting up-and-coming women leaders. How are you offering that all-important hand up to others?

Cat Sartin: One of my favorite things I’m part of is an initiative called 100 Women at my alma mater, the University of North Carolina. The business school started this group a couple of years ago with the goal of enrolling more women. At the time, women represented less than 40% of business students — and that number hadn’t budged in 20 years.

When they started recruiting for this, it was right up my alley. I got a lot out of business school personally and wanted to extend that benefit to others. Our group provides education in the form of panels and speaking engagements. We also mentor prospective students and offer funding and scholarships.

In our first two years, we boosted women’s enrollment from 38% to 43%, which is hugely rewarding to see.

Q: That’s amazing. What would you say to other women considering this type of advocacy?

Cat Sartin: Know that you will get much more than you give. I'm endlessly inspired by the students and mentees I connect with.

Also, volunteering has expanded my network of like-minded women leaders. No matter what’s happening in my personal or professional life, I can always turn to someone who has lived it, experienced it, and has advice for it. That kind of community is powerful.

Q: What would you tell your younger self?

Cat Sartin: I would tell myself to be brave. Because once you’ve experienced failure a number of times, it becomes much less scary.

During my 20s and 30s, I was more anxious about doing things right, which slowed my growth. Over the last 10 years, I’ve really embraced failure as the fastest way forward. Today, I’m keen to put myself out there more and master as many skills as possible. And I often wish I’d taken that leap earlier.

Q: What would you do with the rest of your life if you could retire tomorrow as a multimillionaire?

Cat Sartin: If there were no limits? I’d live by the water and read and write books. That would be the good life.

Q: What gives you hope in these challenging times for healthcare and humanity?

Cat Sartin: I pull hope from looking in the rearview mirror and reflecting on the progress made over the last few years.

We’re moving from a facility-centric, fee-for-service world to a more patient-centered future. Vituity’s Health In Place concept is a great example. It’s all about improving the quality of life for patients, which is fundamentally what we all want. So the road may be rough and rocky, but I believe we’re headed in the right direction.

Yes, there's still a lot of work to do. But one thing I love about my role is seeing how much opportunity there is to innovate and improve. I think about MOOV, which will fill a huge need for patients who know there's more to health than the absence of disease. That's a big motivator for me because it means our work is that much more significant.

Q: Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?

Cat Sartin: I call myself a healthcare lifer. I love this industry, and I'm going to stay forever. I'm motivated to leave behind a better world for the next generation, and healthcare is a great place to fulfill that mission.

Read more about Vituity’s outpatient medicine solutions.

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