New leaders join UCare’s Senior Management

Julia P. Joseph-DiCaprio, M.D., M.P.H., named Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer; Daniel Santos, Esq., appointed Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – October 9, 2018 – UCare has hired two exceptional leaders to enrich its senior leadership and advance its strategic initiatives. Following a national search for each position, UCare welcomed these leaders to its executive team on October 1. Dr. Julia Joseph-DiCaprio and Daniel (Dan) Santos champion UCare’s mission and bring extensive community involvement to their roles

Dr. Joseph-DiCaprio leads the Medical Director team, as well as the Clinical Services, Pharmacy and Quality Management departments.

Prior to joining UCare, Dr. Joseph-DiCaprio pursued an extensive professional career in the Twin Cities community, including 22 years at Hennepin County Medical Center (now Hennepin HealthCare) where she began as a Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine Specialist and advanced to several medical director roles, including Chief of Pediatrics. She also has been a Medical Director for Medica, Senior Medical Director of Care Management for HealthEast, and most recently Fairview Health Services Medical Leader, Connected Care.

Dr. Joseph-DiCaprio serves on the Board of Directors for Planned Parenthood, and the Loppet Foundation, and has served on the Boards of the MN Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Bridge for Youth and the Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation. She has been a Diversity Climate Expert Panelist for the University of MN Medical School, and is a member of the Health Equity Advisory Council for MN Community Measurement. Dr. Josepth-DiCaprio is a long-time Assistant Professor for the University of Minnesota Department of Pediatrics. She earned her M.D. from the University of Illinois and Masters in Public Health from the University of Minnesota.
As the leader of UCare’s Legal department, Mr. Santos serves as UCare’s chief attorney and Secretary to the Board of Directors, in addition to leading the Compliance and Internal Audit departments.

Mr. Santos spent the last six years with Sentara Healthcare, a non-profit, integrated health system headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, serving as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Sentara’s multi-state health plan division, Optima Health, where he supported the health plan’s lines of business including Medicaid, Medicare Advantage and Individual and Family Plans. At Sentara, Mr. Santos also served in leadership roles system-wide as an Associate General Counsel, providing counsel to its provider operating companies including its 12 hospitals and 4 medical groups (1,000+ providers). Previously, he practiced health law for law firms in Virginia and Pennsylvania, and served as a Special Operations Officer (Diving & Salvage) in the U.S. Navy where he earned the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal among other honors.

Mr. Santos has received numerous distinctions for his leadership and contributions to the business community, including multiple selections by Super Lawyers magazine as a “Rising Star” lawyer, multiple selections by Virginia Business magazine as one of Virginia’s Legal Elite, recognition by the Hispanic National Bar Association as a “Top Lawyer Under 40,” and selection by the Central Penn Business Journal to receive its Forty Under 40 award. Mr.
Central Pennsylvania; Chair of the Board of Governors of the Virginia State Bar Health Law Section; and a former member of the Board of Directors of Chesapeake Care, an organization that provides medical and dental services to low-income and underserved individuals in the local community. He earned his J.D. from the Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law, and his B.A. from the University of Virginia.

“Julia and Dan bring proven success and valuable experience to their roles at UCare,” said Mark Traynor, President and CEO of UCare. “They are bright additions to our people powered management team as together we forge exciting new directions in providing members a path to the best health of their lives.”

About UCare
UCare is an independent, nonprofit health plan providing health care and administrative services to more than 400,000 members throughout Minnesota. UCare partners with health care providers, counties, and community organizations to create and deliver:
 5-Star Individual and Family Plans and partnership with Fairview available on MNsure
 Medicare plans with an “Excellent” NCQA rating, and partnerships with Fairview and North Memorial Health in the metro and with Essentia Health in northern Minnesota and western Wisconsin.
 Coverage for adults with disabilities, MinnesotaCare and Prepaid Medical Assistance programs
 Programs for older Minnesotans with Medical Assistance, or with both Medical Assistance and Medicare.
UCare addresses health care disparities and care access issues through its UCare Foundation grants and a broad array of community initiatives. UCare has received Top Workplaces honors from the Star Tribune for nine consecutive years since the rankings began in 2010.

New Leaders Join Ucare's Senior Management