Founder, Head of Hōtto

Dr. Yumi has dedicated her career to caring for aging adults, beginning as a caregiver in a community group home for individuals with disabilities and later as a primary care physician in internal medicine. Her first role as a primary care doctor was in her rural hometown, where she spent six years delivering care across the full continuum—hospital, rehab/post-acute care, home visits, nursing homes, free clinics, Medicaid clinics, and her office. This hands-on experience, typical of small-town doctors serving predominantly senior populations, gave her a deep understanding of the challenges faced by aging adults and their families.

Seeking to expand her expertise, Dr. Yumi returned to academics for two years of executive training in healthcare technology management. From there, she successfully led a multidisciplinary team of clinicians, developers, and designers within a large healthcare system, innovation center, and health plan to develop a modern, virtual, team-based primary care product that exceeded quality benchmarks and elevated patient experience. While originally designed for younger, healthier patients, the model unexpectedly became a lifeline for family caregivers of aging loved ones losing independence.

Dr. Yumi and her team leaned into the challenges of identifying dementia, engaging family and caregivers, providing flexible communication, managing medications, taking on the "quarterback" role, and supporting creative problem-solving.

Recognizing the need for a more comprehensive approach, Dr. Yumi founded Hōtto, a wrap-around clinical and social support model for individuals with dementia and their family caregivers. Her mission is to provide compassionate, innovative care that empowers families and improves quality of life for those living with dementia.

Medical Training: UPenn, Stanford

Practice Experience: 19 years

Dementia CME: Harvard, UCLA/Alz Association

For her life outside healthcare, head to tiktok (doxies, teenagers, & onewheeling)

Operations Dyad Lead

Laura is a master of turning big challenges into innovative solutions, especially in the world of healthcare and other highly regulated industries. With a knack for digital transformation and a proven track record in leading clinical trials, building strategic partnerships, and driving product development, Laura knows how to get things done.

As the Chief of Staff at Turtle Health, Laura expertly steered a women’s health startup, extending its operational runway and managing high-profile partnerships with institutions like the Mayo Clinic. Her ability to lead with both strategy and heart is her superpower.

Laura’s passion for dementia care is deeply personal. Growing up, she watched her mother juggle caregiving for her grandmother while raising three children. That experience shaped Laura's empathy, resilience, and drive to make a real difference in the lives of families navigating similar challenges.

When Laura’s not busy transforming industries or creating impactful solutions, you’ll find her connecting with people, sharing stories, and cooking. 

Care Navigator Lead

Allow us to introduce Joanna, the team's healthcare enthusiast! Armed with a recent biology degree, she's been hard at work in the medical field and supporting Hōtto. But wait, there's more to this story. Joanna's superhero alter ego is the dementia care guru, navigating the twists and turns of previously caregiving for her grandmother with grace and empathy.

Joanna's experiences have given her a unique perspective on the challenges faced by caregivers and knows the world could use a simpler way to coordinate resources. When she's not wearing her medical and caregiving hats, she enjoys some downtime. You'll often find her lost in a good book, crafting with knitting needles, or exploring the world one destination at a time. In short, she's the well-rounded gem of our team!

Technical Lead

Meet Stan, a software engineer extraordinaire who thrives both in the digital world and the great outdoors. He kicked off his career at Google, then played a pivotal role at TellApart, which was acquired by Twitter. Stan expanded Symphony Commerce, setting the stage for Deliverr Inc.'s acquisition by Shopify. At Carrot Inc., he spearheaded smoking cessation tech and recruited key team members.

However, don't expect to find many indoor photos of Stan. He's often found living life to the fullest outdoors, whether he's shredding down snow-covered slopes, paddleboarding on serene waters, or exploring the breathtaking Canadian wilderness. Stan's passion for adventure and innovation makes him a true tech maverick, both in and out of the digital realm.