The 2017 MedTech Boston 40 Under 40 Healthcare Innovators

“I loved taking care of patients and did not want to be complacent in a system that provided uncoordinated care, invasive and unwanted end-of-life treatments, and didn’t incentivize efficiency or quality,” says Flaster.

To better equip herself to address these problems, Flaster decided to enroll at Harvard Business School, where she developed a passion for thinking about ways to deliver better care for her patients at the systems level. With two of her HBS classmates she co-founded a startup called TrueNorth Healthcare, a cloud-based platform that records digital versions of patients’ advance directives and allows them to securely share these documents with friends, family and providers.

Currently, in addition to her clinical work as a PCP at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, she is jointly employed by Partners Center for Population Health and the healthcare data analytics company Health Catalyst.

“I love the synergy that exists between my clinical and non-clinical work,” explains Flaster of her multiple roles. “When I am in clinic, I am immersed in my patients, their stories, the challenges they face, and how I can make their lives healthier and easier. When I leave clinic, I am inspired by these same patients to deliver population health management programs that work for them and that serve them.”

When she’s not working, Flaster likes to travel with her husband, bake, and spend time outdoors.