Marc-David Munk (born 1973) is an American and Canadian physician, writer and healthcare executive who, according to the Advisory Board, a US healthcare consultancy, has "a reputation as an innovator."[1] Munk is recognized as a thought leader in the area of value-based, consumer-facing healthcare and global health.
Munk began his career as an academic emergency medicine physician at UPMC, eventually becoming an associate professor, executive medical director and State EMS medical director at the University of New Mexico.[2] He became a clinician executive for large risk-bearing physician groups; [3] in 2014 he become VP, then Chief Medical Officer at Iora Health, a Boston-based primary care company that was highlighted by the New York Times and Wall Street Journal for its innovative and effective care model.[4] [5] Iora was later sold, in 2021, for an estimated $2.1B.[6] A year later it was re-sold to Amazon as part of an estimated $3.9B healthcare acquisition. [7]
Business Insider in 2018 noted, "Munk led the health care system's care model and care delivery at practices across seven states. During his tenure, Munk helped restructure Iora Health's model of care, including integrated behavioral health. His work resulted in improved care quality scores across Iora Health's health care system.[8]
Munk subsequently served as the Chief Medical Officer for Clinics and Retail Pharmacy at CVS Health, a large American pharmacy, retailer and healthcare insurer. [9] [10] In 2019 Munk relocated to Dubai, UAE, to work as a senior healthcare executive, board member and advisor.
In 2012, a cover story in Health Leaders Magazine identified Munk as an expert in innovation to support capitated/ value based payment models.[11] The article notes:
"[Innovation] comes at a lower cost for us," Munk says. "And it's something that we would find difficult to bill for in a FFS environment...these kinds of things improve the care that we can deliver to patients... Everybody benefits when we get a little more intelligent about how to spend those dollars."
| Urgent Calls from Distant Places | |
| Books: |
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| Caption: | Urgent Calls from Distant Places: An Emergency Doctor’s Notes about Life and Death on the Frontiers of East Africa cover image |
| Author: | Marc-David Munk |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Genre: | Memoir, Non-fiction, Emergency Medicine, Africa |
| Publisher: | Creemore Press |
| Pub Date: | January, 2024 |
| Media Type: | Print (hardcover and paperback), audiobook, e-book |
Munk is the author of Urgent Calls From Distant Places: an Emergency Doctor's Notes about Life and Death in East Africa. The collection of medical essays is based on Munk's work as an emergency flight surgeon with Amref Health Africa Flying Doctors, in East Africa.[12] [13]
The book has received positive independent reviews: Kirkus Reviews called it "an enthralling portrait of high-wire emergency care performed under the most trying circumstances...the author’s gripping, evocative prose conveys the adrenalized pressure of emergency care... The result is a true-life medical drama that combines tense heroics with mordant reflections."[14] Publisher's Weekly Booklife described the book as having "expert prose that smoothly transports readers into another world...Munk’s ability to draw out the tender moments of his experiences and juxtapose them with the stark reality of his medical work in often-dire circumstances lends this memoir originality and magnetism."[15]
Urgent Calls was the recipient of several book awards and recognitions. It was quarter-finalist for best non-fiction book of 2024 at the 2024 Publisher's Weekly Booklife Awards, earning a score of 9.75/10;[16] a category finalist at the 2024 Eric Hoffer Book Awards,[17] and the winner of best travel book of 2024 at the 2024 Indiereader Discovery Awards.[18]
Munk received his B.A. in liberal arts from Colgate University, a Master of Public Health degree in epidemiology from Boston University, and a MD degree from Philadelphia’s Jefferson Medical College. He completed a residency in emergency medicine and fellowship in global health at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and later earned a Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. In 2012 he earned a Master of Science degree in healthcare management from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.[19]
From 2017- 2020 Munk was an Entrepreneur in Residence at the Harvard Innovation Labs, in Boston.
Munk was among the first doctors to describe Pine Mouth Syndrome, an unusual pine-nut related toxidrome.[20] This work was referenced by NPR among other news sources.[21]
He is a member of the Boards of Amref Health Africa in Canada [22] and the Carlin Foundation. [23]