Rinki Varindani Desai Email & Phone Number

United States

Jackson, Us

Providing strategic consulting and clinical insights to digital health and healthtech companies as an advisor and fractional executive, specializing in product management and business development across the healthcare ecosystem. Successfully collaborated with early stage startups, large hospital systems, and healthcare nonprofits, driving measurable improvements in business growth, clinician workflows, and patient outcomes. Dedicated to designing and delivering impactful, scalable, patient-centered solutions and advancing healthcare innovation.

Co-founder and COO of STEP, a leading online education platform for healthcare professionals managing swallowing disorders (dysphagia). Key responsibilities include leading product development, business operations, platform design, and customer experience, ensuring seamless functionality and high learner engagement. Responsible for spearheading partnerships with major healthcare organizations, academic institutions, and industry stakeholders, expanding STEP's global presence and impact. Committed to making dysphagia education affordable and accessible to clinicians around the world, while fostering a professional community dedicated to advancing patient care.

London, Gb

Co-Lead of the BiteLabs Healthtech & Innovation Fellowship (USA). With over 1,500 fellows trained, over 150 advisors, and a growing community of over 20,000, Bitelabs is dedicated to educating and empowering clinicians to become digital health innovators and healthtech leaders. Join us for healthtech knowledge, skill-building, community, and mentorship. Let's reshape the future of healthcare, together! www.bitelabs.io/healthtech/usa-healthtech-fellowship

Charlestown, Ma, Us

Clinical research consultant in the Swallowing & Communication Collaborative Lab at Massachusetts General Hospital, dedicated to improving the management of swallowing and communication impairments in adults with neurodegenerative diseases. Currently supporting an NIH K23 grant to develop a digital health decision-making tool for individuals with ALS, designed to empower patients and caregivers by providing personalized, evidence-based resources that enhance shared decision-making and improve quality of life.

Collaborating with a global team to support product and business development initiatives in the North American market, with the mission of empowering clinicians and elevating patient care through the use of digital therapy solutions for individuals with speech, language, and cognitive impairments across the lifespan.

Rockville, Md, Us

Member of the Scientific and Professional Education Board (SPEB) at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), working with a team of trusted national experts, providing guidance in the development and delivery of ASHA's professional development and online education offerings for speech-language pathologists across the care continuum.

Board Member of Burgundy and White, a non-profit educational platform for the head and neck cancer community, aiming to create a space in which the community can share, learn together, and positively impact cancer survivorship.

Singapore, Sg

Advisor with VentureBlick, providing clinical expertise and expert mentorship to startups in HealthTech and Digital Health, ensuring their innovations deliver real value in healthcare. VentureBlick is a catalyst for global healthcare innovation, connecting innovators, investors, advisors, and ecosystem partners worldwide to revolutionize healthcare for all.

London, United Kingdom, Gb

As a Healthcare Consultant at AlphaSights, my role involves leveraging expertise from the healthcare domain to support investors, business leaders, and Fortune 500 companies in making informed decisions. Drawing from my clinical background in Speech-Language Pathology, and extensive leadership and entrepreneurial experience, I offer valuable insight on patient pain points, care needs, industry challenges, and innovative clinical solutions to improve patient outcomes.

Founding member of Togather, a collective care platform that blends the wellness of healthcare workers with the tenets of health equity and justice. Togather’s community shares a collective vision of a healthcare system based on anti-racism, liberation, and intersectionality (ALI™). Also served as fractional Head of Product Strategy from May - October 2024.

Jackson, Ms, Us

Served as the adult outpatient lead and a clinical instructor at Mississippi state's only academic medical center, in the Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery. Provided medical speech-language pathology services to adults with swallowing, communication, and cognitive deficits in a multidisciplinary outpatient hospital setting, with a focus on dysphagia management. Led care for individuals with ALS in a multidisciplinary neuromuscular disease clinic, advocating for communication and accessibility technologies. Additionally, led clinical program development, quality improvement projects, and spearheaded the integration of digital health solutions, including the launch of a telehealth program to expand access to services and enhance patient care.

Hunt Valley, Md, Us

Provided therapy services to older adults with diverse speech, language, voice, cognitive, and swallowing impairments in a sub-acute rehabilitation setting. Collaborated closely with interdisciplinary teams to coordinate care, provided patient education, contributed to clinical program development for individuals with dementia, and provided mentorship to students, ensuring adherence to best practices and ethical standards in clinical care.

Hunt Valley, Md, Us

Provided skilled therapy services to adults with diverse speech, language, cognitive, and swallowing impairments in a subacute rehabilitation and long-term care facility. Assisted with clinical program development related to dysphagia and dementia, contributing insights and recommendations to optimize patient care and outcomes. Additionally, served as the regional SLP team leader and dysphagia specialist for the upstate New York region, coordinating and overseeing the efforts of a multidisciplinary team to ensure high-quality care delivery and adherence to best practices.

Mechanicsburg, Pa, Us

As a Clinical Fellow and speech-language pathologist, provided expert diagnostic and therapeutic services to adults with diverse critical illnesses, neurological impairments, and pulmonary conditions in a long-term acute care hospital setting. Carried out comprehensive assessment and treatment of communication and swallowing disorders, specializing in working with the trach/vent dependent population. Leveraged interdisciplinary collaboration skills to optimize patient care and outcomes, while also contributing to data analysis for evidence-based practice initiatives. Actively participated in quality improvement initiatives, offering insights and recommendations for enhancing clinical processes and patient experiences.

Nashville, Tn, Us

Evaluated and treated a diverse range of swallowing, cognitive, speech, and language disorders in adults within the inpatient rehabilitation and acute care settings. Additionally, assisted with projects related to clinical quality improvement for patients with communication and swallowing impairments. Employed evidence-based practices to assess patient needs, formulate treatment plans, and implement therapeutic interventions tailored to individualized goals and functional outcomes.

Richardson, Texas, Us

Collaborated with globally renowned neurolinguist Dr. Hanna Ulatowska within the Aging, Aphasia, and Neurolinguistics Lab at the UT-Dallas Callier Center for Communication Disorders in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences. Contributed to various research projects focusing on the analysis of illness narratives in stroke patients, code-switching behaviors in multilingual populations, and the development of a discourse battery for healthy elderly individuals and those with brain injuries. Engaged in diverse tasks encompassing data collection, analysis, literature review, and project coordination in the lab.

Dallas, Texas, Us

Graduate internship placement in a hospital setting with inpatient rehabilitation and outpatient group therapy. Delivered individualized and group therapy sessions aimed at improving language and cognitive skills in patients post-stroke and traumatic brain injuries with speech, language, and executive function impairments. Additional specialty training completed in the use of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices in adults with speech impairments.

Doctorate, Speech-Language Pathology

Master Of Science, Communication Sciences And Disorders

Bachelor Of Science - Bs, Audiology And Speech-Language Pathology