About Phicil-itate Change
The Mission
Empower purpose-driven individuals and organizations in creating impactful and sustainable solutions by strategically harnessing innovation, fostering equity, and intelligently leveraging technology.
The Vision
In the next three years, we aim to impact a patient in every state through transformative healthcare innovations supported or driven by Phicil-itate Change.
The Methodology
Our methodology focuses on four key pillars:
- Thought Leadership to inspire and guide transformative ideas
- Advisory Services including tailored coaching, consulting, and facilitation for mission-driven leaders
- Community Building to foster collaboration and shared impact among social innovators, and
- Incubating Tech-Enabled Solutions to develop innovative tools that advance equitable and sustainable change
Our Founder
Sheila Phicil, MPH, MS, MP, FACHE is a social change futurist™, health equity expert, and social impact startup founder.
Sheila brings over 15 years of experience in healthcare, driving transformative change in policy, strategy, and operations across institutions like Brigham and Women's Hospital, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, and the Veterans Health Administration. Previously, she served as the Director of Innovation for Boston Medical Center's (BMC) Health Equity Accelerator, where she led initiatives to advance racial health equity, address social determinants of health, and implement AI-driven solutions to enhance healthcare delivery.
As a first-generation Haitian American, Sheila's personal journey deeply influences her work, blending lived experience with professional expertise. She is driven to create human-centered solutions, understanding that every system is perfectly designed to produce the results it gets, and aims to drive sustainable change.
Phicil-itate Change with Vetted Experts
Leveraging a network of experts to provide unparalleled insights, innovative solutions, and collaborative opportunities for transformative impact.
Narine Emdjian
Founder, iFundLab
Narine is a seasoned federal funding expert with a proven track record of securing over $4 million in non-dilutive capital for startups, small businesses, and nonprofits through SBIR and other federal programs. As Director of Grants at Social Enterprise Greenhouse and founder of iFund Lab, she provides strategic, tailored guidance to help organizations navigate funding opportunities and the application process. With a Bachelor's in Political Science and an MBA from Johnson & Wales University, Narine combines deep expertise with a personalized approach, making her a trusted partner for those seeking federal funding. Narine is a seasoned federal funding expert with a proven track record of securing over $4 million in non-dilutive capital for startups, small businesses, and nonprofits through SBIR and other federal programs. As Director of Grants at Social Enterprise Greenhouse and founder of iFund Lab, she provides strategic, tailored guidance to help organizations navigate funding opportunities and the application process. With a Bachelor's in Political Science and an MBA from Johnson & Wales University, Narine combines deep expertise with a personalized approach, making her a trusted partner for those seeking federal funding.
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Craig Carder
Consulting Founder, C3 Medical Device Consulting
Craig Carder brings over 25 years of medical device engineering expertise as the founder and President of C3 Medical Device Consulting. With advanced degrees from Washington University in St. Louis, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and Clarkson University, Craig’s technical foundation spans biomedical and electrical engineering. His experience includes leadership roles at HeartWare (acquired by Medtronic), Haemonetics, and MicroCHIPS, where he specialized in complex implantable devices, connected wearables, and life science capital equipment.
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Lori Lennon
CEO, Thinkubator Media
Lori Lennon is the founder and CEO of Thinkubator Media, an organization dedicated to elevating the profiles of women in STEM by amplifying their voices through education, training, and community. Before launching Thinkubator Media, Lori served as founding communications lead at Northeastern University’s College of Science, where she worked with leading researchers tackling global challenges like climate change and drug discovery. Her background spans strategic communications, digital marketing, and public relations, including an award-winning career in television news at WBZ-TV Boston.
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Helping Us Phicil-itate Change for You
Leveraging the power within our organization to develop innovative solutions for our clients.
Ritwik Giri
Data and AI Development Lead Intern
Ritwik Giri is a data engineering specialist with a master’s in information systems from Northeastern University. Leveraging expertise in ETL tools, cloud platforms, and machine learning, Ritwik has spearheaded projects like fleet optimization and ETL pipeline development, achieving notable efficiency improvements. With professional experience at Accenture, Ritwik excels in deploying scalable data solutions and creating impactful dashboards. His work extends to machine learning applications, including Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), large-scale data annotation and chatbot optimization. Passionate about bridging AI and data engineering, Ritwik is committed to building intelligent, efficient, and impactful data solutions.
Sean (Yusheng) Han
Data and AI Development Intern
Sean is a dynamic software developer with a strong academic foundation in information systems from Northeastern University. Proficient in Python, Java, and frameworks like React and Vue.js, Sean has successfully developed AI-powered systems, including an OPT assistance chatbot and product recommender systems using cutting-edge LLM technologies. His ability to innovate extends to creating predictive sales models and enhancing user engagement through intelligent system design. Sean combines technical acumen with leadership experience, including serving as Vice President of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association.
Jack (Chengjia) Feng
Data and AI Development Intern
Chengjia Feng is a dedicated software engineer pursuing a master's degree at Northeastern University with a focus on software engineering systems. Experienced in backend development and API design, Chengjia has worked on transformative projects like the YuHong retail system, utilizing SpringMVC and Redis to build scalable systems. Passionate about AI technologies, Chengjia has built AI solutions, including an AI system for student legal processes leveraging LLM and RAG. Proficient in Java, Python, and cloud platforms like AWS, Chengjia brings robust technical expertise and a collaborative spirit to every endeavor
Keerthi Nethiguntla
UX/UI Intern
Keerthi is a UX/UI designer and developer with a master’s focus on information systems. Skilled in tools like Figma, Adobe XD, and React, Keerthi combines technical precision with creative flair to deliver seamless user experiences. Her work includes projects enhancing e-commerce usability and designing adoption platforms. With a background in Java development at Tata Consultancy Services, Keerthi applies an agile approach to designing scalable and user-centric solutions.
