Dr. Sema Sgaier is the CEO and Co-Founder of Surgo Health, a Public Benefit Corporation using AI to decode the “why” behind health behaviors. Surgo’s platform reveals the hidden drivers of health decisions, powering smarter, more human-centered care. She also serves as Strategic Advisor to the Surgo Foundation.
With over 20 years in healthcare, Dr. Sgaier is a serial entrepreneur. She co-founded and led Surgo Foundation and Surgo Ventures, building analytic tools to address complex health challenges. Previously, she served as Initiative Lead at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where she helped scale global health programs around the world, by integrating data, behavioral insights, and product innovation.
Beyond her executive leadership, Dr. Sgaier has made significant contributions to academia and policy. She has held academic appointments at Harvard University and the University of Washington, authored over 60 publications, and contributed op-eds to The New York Times, The Economist, The Harvard Business Review, and other leading outlets.
Dr. Sgaier earned her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from NYU, an M.A. from Brown, a B.S. from Boğaziçi University, and completed a genomics fellowship at Harvard.
She serves on the Board of Directors of Results for Development and was named a Rising Talent by the Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society.