Seth Serxner

Seth Serxner brings the breadth of his experience in academia, industry and consulting to his role as chief health officer and senior vice president of population health for Optum. His versatile skill set ensures processes and outcomes that improve health for clients in all markets. 

Seth’s deep knowledge of behavior change, population health and measurement allow him to visualize and deliver on program innovation. He has more than 25 years of experience in health and productivity management and has published more than 40 articles and chapters. 

Seth came to Optum from Mercer’s Total Health Management specialty, where he served as partner and senior consultant for nine years. During his tenure there he established himself as a national expert on behavior change, program design and measurement. 

He spent a decade each in academia and private industry before becoming a consultant. He was vice president of research at StayWell, where he established the industry-leading market research program for developing and marketing consumer health materials and programs. He has held academic positions with the University of Hawaii Medical School, the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii and the University of California, Irvine. 

Seth earned a Master of Public Health from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a doctorate from the University of California, Irvine, where his research focused on health promotion and disease prevention in social ecology. 

He is a board member, executive committee member and vice president of the C. Everett Koop Health Project. He is currently the chairman for HERO as well as the lead for the organization’s research strategy. He is a reviewer for peer review journals such as the American Journal of Health Promotion, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and Health Affairs.