In Memory of Paul Mango,
Founding CEO of Longitude Health

 

It is with profound sadness that we announce the recent passing of our friend and the founding CEO of Longitude Health, Paul Mango—an astute leader and healthcare visionary. We, who worked closely with him every day, will miss his wisdom, leadership, wry sense of humor and unique ability to drive progress. Once a new direction was agreed upon in a meeting, even before the meeting had ended, Paul often had already sent out a flurry of emails to set the ball in motion. He was a man of integrity and intelligence. With Paul, there was no pretense—what you saw was always what you got.

“Paul was a masterful problem solver who played a key role in advancing our public health goals,” said Scott Gottlieb, a former Food and Drug Administration commissioner during the Trump administration. “He became the go-to person for our toughest challenges — because we all knew his unique ability to untangle complex issues and find solutions that others couldn’t.”

Leadership, innovation, and collaboration were the hallmarks of Paul’s  life. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point, and an MBA from Harvard Business School, both with honors. Before launching Longitude Health, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and as Chief Principal Deputy Administrator and Chief of Staff at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Prior to that, for 20 years he worked at and led the global healthcare practice at McKinsey & Company.

At a critical time when the nation faced the coronavirus pandemic, Paul served as HHS‘s formal liaison to Operation Warp Speed where he was involved in nearly all strategic, operational, and financial aspects of the program, and facilitated its day-to-day activities among HHS, the Department of Defense, and the White House. He was instrumental in creating and managing the most successful public-private partnership since World War II to produce and distribute COVID-19 vaccinations nationwide. This enabled 1.6 million Americans to be vaccinated every day and saved countless lives. His documentation of those challenging times is captured in his memoir, Warp Speed: Inside the Operation that Beat COVID, the Critics, and the Odds (Republic Book Publishing).

As in Operation Warp Speed, Paul was a catalyst for creativity and innovation in the healthcare industry. He naturally mentored talent and was able to bring together leaders across the healthcare ecosystem to find new ways to improve the system. He would often say, “We don’t want to create the next version of healthcare, but leapfrog and create something totally new, different and revolutionary.”

Former HHS Secretary Alex Azar wrote in remembrance of Paul, “He was quite simply one of the finest human beings I’ve ever known. He was a servant leader in every respect in the finest tradition of the U.S. Army in which he so proudly served, never seeking personal fame or glory but only caring about the team and the result.” 

Paul could have been doing a lot of other things at this point in his life, but he jumped at the chance to transform healthcare for the better—and make the system work better for millions of Americans – by becoming the founding CEO of Longitude Health.

True to form, Paul created something special at Longitude Health. His vision and legacy can be found in every area of the company. He nurtured the best and brightest ideas and recruited talented leaders from multiple disciplines in the industry. His legacy will live on in what he created in Longitude Health.

“Paul was an innovator, dedicated to helping create transformational change in our industry,” said Pete McCanna, Chairman of Longitude Health. “We are deeply saddened by his loss, which is indeed a loss for American healthcare. Because of his instrumental leadership during our founding, Longitude Health’s members and initiatives are positioned for a successful path forward, and we will continue this impactful work that was so important to him.” 

We will always remember Paul and the positive impact he had on our lives and countless others. Our hearts go out to Paul’s family.

May his memory continue to inspire and bless us all.