Board Member
Chief Clinical Officer, Optum RX/United Health Group
Dr. John Wigneswaran (Dr. Wig) is Chief Clinical Officer for Optum Rx/United Health Group overseeing prescription benefit clinical services for its commercial, health plan, government and union clients, clinical product development, drug trend and specialty medication strategy.
He joined United Health Group in 2024 from Walmart where he served as Chief Medical Officer leading safety, quality, and training, the Walmart Healthcare Research Institute, clinical program development and medical affairs. Prior to that, he held a variety of roles in the pharmaceutical, medical device, Pharmacy Benefit Management (PBM), and healthcare services industries, including Express Scripts/Cigna, DaVita, Fresenius Medical Care; Gambro, Nephroceuticals, and Johnson & Johnson. He has over a decade of clinical experience as a practicing nephrologist and was a renal fellowship preceptor in the Division of Nephrology at Rhode Island Hospital/Brown University.
Dr. Wig completed his undergraduate studies at Cornell University, attended medical school at the Tufts University School of Medicine, and completed his nephrology fellowship at New York-Presbyterian/Weil Cornell Medical Center and internal medicine residency at Rhode Island Hospital/Brown University. He received his MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management. Dr. Wig currently resides in Boston, MA.
Dr. Wig currently serves as Chief Clinical Officer for Optum Rx/United Health Group and has over a decade of clinical experience as a practicing nephrologist. He was drawn to nephrology because of the unique needs of this patient population, many in underserved communities, and the opportunity to make a meaningful impact. These patients, in particular, need an advocate, and he wanted to be that individual in their lives.