Sam Bajaj

Sam Bajaj serves as Chief Operating Officer at Optum California since July 2021, also holding the role of SVP Operations & New Market Growth. Prior experience includes significant leadership positions at Kaiser Permanente from June 2012 to July 2021, including Chief Operating Officer for Hospital and Health Plan Operations and Assistant Medical Group Administrator. Sam has also held consultant roles in hospital operations at Rush University Medical Center and Northwestern Medicine, and worked in corporate development and strategy at Eaton Corporation, as well as healthcare M&A and antitrust at the Federal Trade Commission. Educational credentials include Executive Education from Harvard Business School, a Doctor of Law (JD) in Business Law from DePaul University, a Master of Science in Health Systems Management/Healthcare Administration from Rush University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science & International Studies from the University of Illinois Chicago.