HBA Member Spotlight: Holly Uber, Innovation Catalyst

From digital health to venture investing and advising founders, Holly Uber shares how cross-disciplinary experience can create unexpected value in healthcare.

What inspired you to join HBA, and how has your experience evolved?

I transitioned from education technology into digital health, and at that point I was looking to connect with people in healthcare and learn more about the industry. I had heard about HBA in a few different ways—through a leadership program and also through my work at Genentech—and it consistently came up as a place to build meaningful connections and stay close to important conversations in healthcare. I joined right as in-person events were starting up again, which made it easy to engage. My role shifted quickly from attending events to helping design and run them.

You’ve had a diverse career path—from teaching to product strategy, digital health, and now investing in health and other ventures. What advice would you offer someone navigating nonlinear or cross-disciplinary careers?

Healthcare may be one industry, but it’s incredibly diverse, from payers to pharma to founders to investors, and that diversity creates opportunity for people with cross-disciplinary experience. One thing I always emphasize is: know that your experience is valuable, but also learn how to communicate that value in the language of the new domain. Often, the challenge isn’t the transition itself. It’s helping others understand how your background applies. When you can translate your experience clearly, it becomes much easier to make that shift.

My experience also shapes how I engage with HBA. A lot of what I focus on is creating environments where people with different experiences can engage meaningfully, whether that’s through topic selection, format, or how conversations are structured.

What has been the most valuable aspect of your HBA experience?

The connections and the continued learning! One of the things HBA does well is bringing together people at very different stages of their careers, from those just entering healthcare to very senior leaders, and creating space for real conversation across those levels. It’s not just exposure, it’s opportunity for real interaction.

What led you to take on a more active role, including joining the board?

It started with a specific opportunity. I ended up organizing an event at Genentech focused on digital health founders. We had five founders speaking, and it stood out for the range of perspectives present: people with scientific backgrounds, patients who had built solutions based on their own experiences, and more traditional startup founders. They were very candid, talking about challenges like fundraising and their different paths into the space. The response to the event was strong and people didn’t want to leave. That experience made it clear how powerful these conversations can be, and it made me want to stay involved at a deeper level.

From your perspective, where is HBA creating the most value today? What would success for HBA look like over the next few years?

The biggest value is in the events, both in-person and virtual, and bringing people together with strong speakers and meaningful content. What sets the HBA apart is the range of members, from early-career professionals to senior leaders, creating both depth and breadth in the network. There’s also opportunity to continue expanding formats beyond traditional panels and to expand into new topic areas that reflect the breadth of the industry.

Looking ahead, success would include continued growth in membership and strong connection between members, both new and existing. Partnerships will also be increasingly important, such as working with other organizations to expand reach and create more opportunities for learning, similar to our recent event with the Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society. Sustainability is also key. Since the work is volunteer-driven, finding ways to collaborate and share resources will help ensure the organization can continue to grow.

Any tips for making the most of HBA membership?

A couple of simple ones:

• Share the events you attend with a few people in your network. It’s an easy way to stay connected and add value to them as well.
• After an event, share what you learned in a post. It helps you reinforce the insights and it’s a powerful way to contribute to your network and highlight the speakers.
• When you connect with someone on LinkedIn, write a note where you met. That small step makes it much easier to build and maintain your network over time.