We are passionate about improving healthcare for everyone.
We believe that accessing healthcare should be safe, simple and low cost without compromising quality. Our team is committed to helping people have delightful healthcare experiences.
Net Promoter Score (NPS)
+79
Patient NPS
+88
Client NPS
+96
Broker NPS
Best Workplaces 2022-2023
Fastest Growing Companies 2018-2022
Chicago's Fastest 50 Growing Companies
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2023 Well-Being Trailblazer
ABOUT US
Bringing care that people love® from the team that loves what they do.
Who We Are
Teira Gunlock
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Teira (TEER-UH) joined First Stop Health in 2015 with an aim to make healthcare the way it should be: accessible, affordable and delightful.
As an experienced healthcare professional, she spent her early career in healthcare market research and consulted with leading health systems across the country to help them better use patient and physician experience data to improve care. She is well-versed in the fact that “good” is never good enough and commits herself daily to improving First Stop Health’s service, so the company may, in turn, improve the state of healthcare.
She has worn several hats at First Stop Health and has touched nearly every part of the business first-hand: from product development to client care and sales to physician network management. Now, as Chief Executive Officer, she guides the organization’s efforts on growth and patient impact.
First Stop Health’s values are Caring, Unrelenting, Trusted and Transparent, and Teira takes every opportunity to weave those values into her lead-by-example leadership style. Her colleagues describe her as a learner and a teacher. She dedicates herself to building trust with those inside and outside of the organization, and focuses on coaching individuals and teams to the next level.
Teira grew up on a cattle farm in Southwest Missouri, where her interest in increasing access to care was born. She graduated from the University of Missouri with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and a master's degree in health administration.
In her spare time, Teira practices yoga, makes groan-worthy puns, and loves spending time in nature and with family.
Elizabeth Shannon
Chief Financial Officer
Elizabeth is an executive leader, communicator and motivator. With a strong base in sales and operational finance, she has served as a trusted business partner at companies like Motorola Solutions, Inc., Simeio Solutions, LLC and Threshold Brands, LLC. She has touched many departments throughout her career and has led finance, risk management, HR, legal, capital and corporate governance teams.
Elizabeth believes in open, transparent communication, and has successfully built and developed teams capable of navigating through periods of change and rapid growth. A hands-on and thoughtful leader, she manages teams with encouragement and logic.
Elizabeth began her career with Grant Thornton, LLP after graduating from Kennesaw State University with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. She stays active with her husband and 3 children at their home just north of Atlanta, GA. When she isn’t cheering at her kids’ baseball or soccer games, she enjoys going for a run or taking a barre class.
Eric Harrison
Chief Technology Officer
Eric is a driven, caring and compassionate executive with more than 35 years of experience in technology and management. Over his career, he has been a key player in developing the technology used by 4 of the largest and fastest-growing third party logistics providers in the US. With hands-on development experience, networking and databases on the tech side, and senior management and executive experience on the business side, he brings a broad range of skills and knowledge to First Stop Health.
When not helping logistics companies grow and reach their goals, he worked in third party claims administration software (insurance), developed fleet management software, founded a company that developed file and data management software, and started another company for IT support services and CRM implementations.
Eric leads with a strong “get it done” drive. His colleagues have described him as a delivery-focused, flexible, and uniquely joyful and enthusiastic leader. He is supportive of the work/life balance and depends on his team members’ individual accountabilities, letting them set their own goals and day-to-day schedule. He gives his team all the credit – rarely taking it for himself.
For fun, Eric enjoys playing video games, puttering around with old computers, chilling in the pool, and reading a lot of science fiction. He was once a private pilot and owned an airplane. Living with his wife and dog outside of Tampa, FL, Eric enjoys teasing his friends and co-workers living up north about the weather during winter.
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Elena Gambon
Chief Strategy Officer & Chief Growth Officer
Elena is a market strategy and product growth leader who is passionate about delivering quality, high-engagement and equitable digital health solutions to the market. She is responsible for all new and existing client growth, marketing, and product collaborations at First Stop Health.
Elena has worked in and held leadership positions in employee-focused digital healthcare since 2014, with experience in operations management, product and business development at Compass Professional Health Services (now Alight Solutions) and digital health venture as a former Rock Health Research Fellow and Flare Capital Academic Scholar. Elena has also supported growth, financing strategy, and new market research for several leading digital health entities, investment firms and clinical providers as an independent consultant.
Elena has earned a BS in Spanish, Biology and Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis, an MBA and Business Analytics Certificate from University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business, and an MPH in Health Policy and Management from University of California, Berkeley.
Lauren DeWulf
Chief of Staff
Lauren joined First Stop Health in 2019 as an Account Manager on the Client Care team. During her time here, she has also spearheaded new positions on the Sales and Product teams as Regional Sales Director and Lead Project Manager. In these roles, she collected cross-functional knowledge that served as a launchpad for her growth into the Chief of Staff position.
Lauren’s colleagues describe her as a trusted and unrelenting team player (two of our company’s core values) who is a general encyclopedia of all things FSH. Her passion for people and focus on fostering team-oriented environments are crucial for the day-to-day and overall success of FSH. Lauren’s expertise on putting the whole picture together, strategically communicating across teams, streamlining processes, and connecting the dots helps FSH as a whole work collaboratively toward the common goal of providing care that people love.
Lauren is originally from Lake Bluff, IL and graduated with a BA in Communication from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She began her career doing public relations in the wine industry and is a Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW). Outside of work, you’re most likely to find Lauren lost in a good book, trying a new recipe in the kitchen, or planning her next trip.
Mark L. Friedman, MD FACEP FACP
Co-Founder, Board Director
& Chief Clinical Officer
Mark is a nationally recognized expert in emergency medicine, quality assurance and medical cost containment. He has served as an adviser to medical insurers and government agencies on medical billing, fraud and abuse. He is a member of the Telemedicine Committee of the American College of Emergency Physicians.
Mark co-founded First Stop Health out of a desire to help solve the problems of healthcare. He oversees the doctor network and is responsible for quality assurance, doctor and member education, and clinical content.
Mark has been associate professor of emergency medicine at the Frank Netter School of Medicine, chief of emergency medicine at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital of Boston, assistant professor of medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine, assistant clinical professor of emergency medicine at the University of Illinois and adjunct professor of public health at Benedictine University. He has also served as president of The Brighton Group, a medical billing and consulting company, and as CEO of National Medical Claims Analysts.
Mark is a graduate of the Pritzker School of Medicine of the University of Chicago and the Kron Scholar Program of the University of North Carolina’s Kenan Flagler School of Business. He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and a life fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians.
In his spare time, Mark rows, skis and races sailboats.
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