Elizabeth Coté

About Elizabeth Coté

Elizabeth Cote is a Physician Executive, Health Policy Expert, and Health Justice Leader who has led transformation across fragile states, federal agencies, global NGOs, frontline clinics, and high-growth health tech companies. From post-war Iraq and post-earthquake Haiti to the White House, the insurance marketplace, and multinational organizations, her career reflects a consistent throughline: leading complex organizations through change — always bending the arc toward health care justice.Elizabeth is known for guiding institutions to become more responsive, equitable, and effective. She brings strategic clarity, operational discipline, and frontline credibility to systems ready to evolve.She currently leads Global Programs at Operation Smile, driving an evolution in how safe surgery is delivered and sustained across nearly 40 low- and middle-income countries. Under her leadership, Global Programs sits at the center of the mission — expanding access to high-quality surgical care while strengthening the workforce and systems required to sustain it. Her work advances SDG #3 (Universal Health Coverage) and aligns with the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery’s targets.Elizabeth has helped evolve Operation Smile’s model from episodic service delivery to an integrated approach linking high-volume surgical programs with structured workforce development and health system strengthening. Through initiatives such as Operation 100, she scales surgical volume while embedding competency-based education, mentorship, perioperative safety, quality improvement, and data-driven standards. The result is accelerated national provider capacity and stronger, locally owned surgical ecosystems.Previously, as President of MyHealthMath, Elizabeth led national growth and the company’s first venture-backed expansion, raising three times its goal. She led product design and delivery that saved average consumers $1,300 annually by addressing inequities in legacy health benefit design. As Chief Health Officer at National Institute of Children\'s Health Quality she focused on advancing health equity to improve child wellness.As a Medical Director — including at Catholic Charities and within the National Indian Health Service — she remains grounded in direct patient care, improving outcomes for vulnerable communities and advancing culturally grounded leadership. A 2011–2012 White House Fellow, she worked on Affordable Care Act implementation. Across every setting, Elizabeth builds institutions that deliver more equitable, accountable care — today and for generations to come

Experience

1. Senior Vice President of Global Programs

   Operation Smile

   Feb 2025 — Present · Virginia Beach, VA, US

Education

• Wellesley College

  Bachelor of Arts - BA, Neuroscience

  1995 — 1999

• Harvard Kennedy School

  Master of Public Administration - MPA

  2007 — 2009