In a healthcare industry often criticized for prioritising profits over people, Dr. Toyin Ajayi is doing something radical: she’s leading a $6 billion company that prioritises people—and it’s working.
As Co-Founder and CEO of Cityblock Health, Dr. Ajayi is leading a fast-growing, value-based healthcare provider designed to serve Medicaid and dually eligible patients in underserved neighborhoods.
Under her leadership, Cityblock is proving that deeply personalized, tech-enabled care that integrates medical, behavioral, and social services isn’t just ethical—it’s effective.
Reimagining Care, One Neighborhood at a Time
Cityblock’s model goes beyond traditional healthcare—it meets patients where they are. That includes sending care teams to homes, providing virtual access to doctors, and addressing social determinants of health such as food insecurity, housing instability, and mental health support.
This hyper-personalized approach is helping to close longstanding gaps in access, equity, and outcomes.
“We are building care systems that are designed around people’s lives,” Dr. Ajayi has said in public forums, describing how Cityblock blends empathy with technology to deliver dignity through care.
What began as a disruptive idea is now a national model. With more than $6 billion in valuation, Cityblock is changing the narrative around who deserves quality healthcare—and who leads the companies that deliver it.
A Proven Leader with Deep Roots in Complex Care
Before launching Cityblock, Dr. Ajayi served as Chief Medical Officer of Commonwealth Care Alliance, where she led innovations in care for individuals eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid.
She oversaw multidisciplinary teams that included not only physicians but also community health workers and social care providers, laying the foundation for the care model she would later scale at Cityblock.
Board-certified in Family Medicine, Dr. Ajayi continues to practice primary care, focusing on patients with chronic, complex, and end-of-life needs—a rarity for a CEO at her level.
Her academic credentials are just as impressive: a Stanford undergraduate, an MPhil from Cambridge, and a medical degree with Distinction from King’s College London School of Medicine.
She completed her residency at Boston Medical Center and brings both compassion and clinical rigor to every initiative she touches.
Recognition, Influence, and Legacy in the Making
In 2023, Dr. Ajayi’s groundbreaking work earned her spots on Modern Healthcare’s Top Women Leaders in Healthcare, STAT’s STATUS List, and as a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Evolent Health and advises the Congressional Budget Office’s Health Panel.
Dr. Ajayi is a sought-after voice in health innovation, having spoken at TEDMED, TechCrunch Disrupt, and the NCQA Health Innovation Summit, and has published in leading medical journals including the New England Journal of Medicine and JAMA.
Through Coalition Partners, a company she co-founded, she also mentors and invests in early-stage entrepreneurs—especially those looking to make healthcare more equitable and inclusive.
Changing Healthcare—And Who Gets to Lead It
As a Black woman CEO in a field dominated by legacy institutions and billion-dollar conglomerates, Dr. Ajayi is not just redefining care. She’s redefining leadership.
She’s showing America—and the healthcare industry—that innovation and equity aren’t opposing forces.
They’re the future. And with Cityblock, she’s building that future, one person, one community, and one bold idea at a time.
To learn more about Cityblock’s transformative model, visit www.cityblock.com.
