Lisa Rometty is CEO of Zerigo Health, a digital health company transforming care for chronic skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema through connected, at-home phototherapy. With more than 25 years of leadership experience in healthcare technology and services, she brings deep expertise in building innovative, patient-centered care models. Zerigo’s FDA-cleared handheld phototherapy device, paired with a smartphone app and remote clinical support, makes effective treatment accessible in the home.

Previously, Lisa served as President of CVS Kidney Care, where she championed home-first treatment models for kidney disease, and as President of Global Client Solutions at Syneos Health, leading global strategy and partnerships. Throughout her career, she has been recognized for driving growth, expanding access to affordable care, and delivering high-impact health solutions.

In our latest Top of the Ladder feature, we sat down with Lisa to discuss her journey into healthcare innovation, Zerigo’s mission to bring phototherapy into the home, and her perspective on the future of tech-enabled support that puts patients first.

Could you share a little bit about your childhood background?

I grew up in Michigan in a really loving family, and looking back, those early years shaped so much of who I am as a leader today. That’s not to say it was easy — when I was just six years old, my mom passed away. It was incredibly hard, and at that age I didn’t fully understand what was happening. But over time, I’ve realized that experience taught me how to deal with uncertainty, to lean on and work with others, and to push through challenges.

It also made me really close to my dad, who is my hero. He worked on the assembly line at Ford, and no matter how tough the work was, he approached it with pride and determination. He always made me believe there was nothing I couldn’t do if I put in the effort. That mindset—this idea that you can go after anything you’re passionate about and make it happen—is something he instilled in me early on, and it’s stuck with me ever since. I also see him instilling the same mindset within my daughter, Grace, which makes my heart smile!

How did you find yourself in health care?

My career started in financial services at GE Capital, and for a while I was very focused and dedicated to that industry. Around that time, I had just had my first son, Chas. One night, I was at a dinner party, and someone asked me what I did for a living. I told them proudly — and they responded, “Oh, so you put people into debt for a living.”

It really stopped me in my tracks. I have a lot of respect for the financial services industry, but in that moment — as a new mom — I found myself asking: Is this really where I want to spend my time outside of our family, and is this truly where my passion lies? After that, I decided to pivot my career to pursue a mission of making healthcare better so that everyone could have a chance at living healthy, happy lives.

I’ve always loved big challenges and figuring out complex problems, and with the guidance of a mentor, I made the leap into health care. I connected with a team at Baxter and ended up spending ten years there. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

What inspired you to join Zerigo Health?

At Baxter, I was supporting people living with chronic kidney disease, and over time I developed such a deep passion for helping people manage chronic conditions more easily. One thing I’ve learned is that most people with chronic conditions don’t want to be reminded they’re sick — they want to live their lives, not constantly have to go to a physician’s office just to get treatment.

That’s what drew me to Zerigo. It brings together everything I love — it’s focused on chronic care, it’s a home-based platform, and it’s at this exciting point of commercial growth. When I was thinking about my next opportunity, Zerigo checked all those boxes. And on top of that, we have an incredible board and investors who are all aligned with me on the vision. I’m genuinely excited about what we can accomplish together to help people live their best lives.

How is Zerigo’s approach differentiated, and what excites you most about the future of the company?

Access is the biggest challenge in dermatology today—people can wait nine to twelve months for a diagnosis, and most don’t want to spend hours in a doctor’s office. Zerigo Health solves that by bringing phototherapy—a proven treatment that’s been around for decades—into the home. Historically, fewer than 2% of phototherapy prescriptions were written for home use because it required going to a clinic three times a week. As a result, many patients skip it and move straight to expensive drugs that can cost $40,000–$60,000 a year.

With Zerigo, members can start treatment within 48 hours, and they love the convenience—our satisfaction scores are consistently 4.8 to 4.9. Our adherence rates are the best in the industry at 75%, and fewer than 2% of members ever advance to costly biologics. We’re saving our customers real money, consistently delivering more than a 3:1 ROI.

We’re also scaling rapidly with health plans and employers, using AI to personalize care—because a 15-year-old with eczema needs a different experience than a 60-year-old delivery driver. That’s what excites me: we’re not just improving access; we’re transforming how care fits into people’s lives.

You’ve led organizations at the forefront of shifting care into the home — from CVS Kidney Care to now Zerigo Health. What excites you most about the opportunities to expand access through home-based, tech-enabled models, and where do you see the biggest potential for impact in dermatology and beyond?

I’ve been working on home-based care models since the early 2000s, and it’s amazing to see how far the market has come. For years, we were trying to convince people that care could safely happen in the home. Now, we’re at a real turning point—consumer demand for convenience has skyrocketed, and payers are starting to embrace these models because of rising costs and pressure from their members to offer better options.

What excites me most is the chance to make care truly accessible and personalized. When you remove the friction of having to travel to a clinic, you reach people who otherwise might never engage. And when you layer in technology—whether it’s remote monitoring, AI-driven insights, or just simple digital touchpoints—you can create care experiences that adapt to people’s lives rather than the other way around.

What is your superpower?

I’m a very data-driven person, and my superpower is being able to quickly synthesize both quantitative and qualitative data to make decisions. I can look at the numbers and see what needs to be done, but I also pair that with the human side—the qualitative insights, the emotional intelligence, the context that tells you how to do it effectively.

That blend has been central to my work over the past 20 years—whether it’s building new products, creating new markets, or driving change with teams. It’s not just about deciding what’s right, but about shaping solutions people can rally around and execute successfully. For young companies, having leaders who can do that is critical—and it’s something I actively look for in my own management team.

Are there any specific books or podcasts that have had a significant impact on your personal growth or leadership style?

One that’s had a lasting impact on me is becoming a Six Sigma Master Black Belt early in my career. Those principles have really shaped how I think about solving problems—being disciplined about understanding the data, the root cause, and how to build scalable solutions.

I also love Six Thinking Hats by Edward de Bono. It’s the perfect complement to the data-driven mindset of Six Sigma because it pushes you to approach problems from different perspectives. It’s such a simple but powerful way to bring diverse thinking into innovation—how to pull out the best ideas from different people and use that diversity to your advantage. Both have been really foundational in shaping how I lead and how I build teams.

What’s one piece of advice you would offer to other health care startup CEOs navigating today’s challenges?

The biggest piece of advice I’d give is to have the courage to pivot if something isn’t working. I often talk with founders and CEOs who feel like changing directions is a sign of weakness, or that they’re supposed to have all the answers from the start. But as Ginni Rometty would often remind us of when I worked at IBM, “Growth and comfort don’t co-exist.”

Being willing to step out of your comfort zone is mandatory to grow not only yourself, but also your company. That means seeking out information, knowing your own gaps, and surrounding yourself with people who can fill them. Especially in today’s environment—where things like artificial intelligence are evolving so quickly and unpredictably—nobody has all the answers. The best thing we can do is embrace that ambiguity and encourage our teams to do the same.