Where Are They Now? Oren Mechanic, M.D., M.P.H.

Oren Mechanic, M.D., M.P.H., has traded in long, cold New England winters for Miami sunshine and a post at a Harvard-affiliated teaching hospital for one at a multidisciplinary medical practice founded by the author of the 2003 bestselling book series, “The South Beach Diet.”

The 37-year-old physician, who is board-certified in obesity and emergency medicine, was director of telehealth and medical director at Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. He left Boston in 2022 to become chief medical officer at Miami-based eMed, a digital platform focused on chronic care and population health management, particularly for obesity and type 2 diabetes. At eMed, he helped lead a virtual test-to-treat platform that was recognized by former President Joe Biden as a key component of the national COVID-19 response.

“We were really passionate about giving solutions like [COVID-19] tests at home, flu tests at home and really pushing the envelope of what we can do with telehealth,” Mechanic says.

After eMed, he transitioned to The Agatston Center for Preventive Medicine in Miami Beach in 2024, an eponymous medical practice founded by cardiologist Arthur Agatston, M.D., author of “The South Beach Diet,” which recommended a low-carbohydrate, high-protein eating plan. Agatston also developed the namesake Agatston score, a numerical representation of the amount and density of coronary artery calcium.

Mechanic says his approach to healthcare was shaped by years of evaluating healthcare innovations during his time in Boston. “I spent so much time in the Beth Israel Deaconess system reviewing brilliant companies with superstar founders and engineers from local universities that developed these healthcare technologies,” he says. “My goal was to increase the chance for startups to successfully integrate into the health system, which means addressing a critical need at the medical center.” He says he is bringing that mindset into individual care at The Agatston Center, integrating artificial intelligence, genetics and advanced diagnostics into personalized clinical workflows.

Mechanic says he also has collaborative research arrangements with other institutions on research. Along with Agatston, he is also working on identifying a new cholesterol lipoprotein and establishing new care
delivery pathways.

The Agatston Center delivers care through a direct care model that focuses on accessibility, prevention and long-term monitoring, Mechanic says. It’s an approach, he says, that allows for more time with patients and greater
continuity of care.

Mechanic says there are notable healthcare delivery differs between Boston and Miami. In Boston, care is more coordinated, the Medicaid program is stronger and the focus is on value-based care. “Boston has a lot of value-based care. Miami has much less. The practice may therefore be a little bit different,” he says. “For example, there are fewer roadblocks to get an MRI done, and imaging centers in Miami welcome patients for such tests.” In Boston, patients typically have a primary care “quarterback” guiding their care, he says, while it’s more common in Miami for patients to go directly to specialists. But both cities, Mechanic says, have plenty of smart, capable physicians working to improve patient outcomes and experience.

Mechanic’s professional move also involved relocating his family. His wife, Olivia Mechanic, M.D., who is a practicing cardiologist, moved with him to Miami, where she is originally from. They live there now with their daughters, Sofia, 5, and Mia, 2.

“People have various goals in life, and my primary one is being there for my family and my two girls,” he says. “I said ‘the apple of my eye’ before [in my emerging leader profile], and it still holds true. Now I have two of them — my wife included, so three.”