Koda’s Origins

Our company began after analyzing the impact of COVID-19 on Texas Medical Center.

Koda Health spun out of the the Texas Medical Center Biodesign Fellowship, where our company’s three co-founders explored and identified problems ailing the healthcare system. This exploration coincided with the onset of  COVID-19 pandemic, where they saw firsthand that impact of most seniors being unable to define care that mattered to them prior to serious illness. The gaps in this process called Advance Care Planning (ACP), caused frustrations to patients and their families, providers and their care teams, and insurers who were paying for care no one desired. Transforming ACP and allowing for mass accessibility to this service became the core mission of Koda Health.

Every single day doctors see the results of fruitless end-of-life discussions.

But we also see that detailed, clinically supported conversations about EOL medical issues create high quality instructions. Without this guidance, loved ones are burdened by intimidating medical decisions, families fight and break down over treatment directions, and months are spent in court. Health care providers will be required to deliver aggressive medical intervention despite poor outcomes while health care systems sag under the overuse of resources.

The advance care discussion doesn’t have to be difficult, delayed, or disconnected.

What used to be the sole domain of pricey lawyers and the inconvenient notary process can now be simply and easily done through Koda: online and at home and with your physician’s input, if desired. No more awkward talks and unrealistic concepts of “the end”.

We created Koda to be a better guide from the beginning.

Meet Our Leadership

Tatiana Fofanova, PhD

Chief Executive Officer + Co-Founder

Desh Mohan, MD

Chief Medical Officer + Co-Founder

Katelin Cherry, MBE

Chief Technology Officer + Co-Founder

Taylor Huffman, MHA

Chief Operating Officer

Jenifer Tagliaferro, MBA

Vice President of Sales

Anthony Comito

Vice President of Engineering

Our mission & passion is reflected in our name and logo.

Koda

Koda is a Native American word meaning friend.

Our Logo

The end-of-life discussion is the “elephant in the room”—the awkward conversation that really really needs to be had. Elephants are wise and family-oriented…they take care of each other. There are two generations represented to symbolize care, responsibility and respect.