Ramón Tallaj, M.D

Dr. Ramón Tallaj, M.D., is a distinguished physician leader and the Founder and Chairman of SOMOS Community Care, a nonprofit, physician-led network of more than 2,500 providers caring for over 1M+Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries in New York City’s underserved communities. A visionary who delivers complex solutions at scale, he pioneered New York’s pay-for-performance model, establishing SOMOS as the only physician-led organization among the state’s 25 Performing Provider Systems.

Under his leadership, SOMOS has generated more than $336M in annual savings for New York State taxpayers by reducing hospital readmissions by 22% and emergency room visits by 35%. He also chairs Balance Accountable Care Organization (ACO), one of New York’s top-performing ACOs, which achieved a 97% quality score and more than $38M in Medicare savings in 2020.

Building on this foundation, Dr. Tallaj created SOMOS Innovation, the state’s sole Level-3 Value-Based Payment Innovator, and launched New York’s first physician-led Social Care Network, integrating housing, nutrition, and behavioral health into primary care. Today, he oversees 900 medical offices serving more than 30,000 patients daily and has been nationally recognized with the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, USCIS’s Outstanding American by Choice and named one of Modern Healthcare’s Top 20 Innovators.

• 2020–Present — Chairman of the Board, SOMOS Innovation
• 2014–Present — Chairman of the Board, SOMOS Community Care
• 2006 — Co-Chairman, Wheelchair Foundation — Dominican Republic
• 2004 — Alternate Delegate, National Republican Presidential Convention
• 2003–2005 — President, Sociedad Médico-Dental Dominicana
• Date TBD— Vice President, Dominican Medical Society
• Date TBD— U.S. Representative, Sammy Sosa Foundation
• Date TBD — Advisory Board Member, National Republican Congressional Committee, Washington, D.C.
• Date TBD — President, Northern Manhattan Republican Club
• Member, American Medical Association
• Member, Dominican Medical Association
• Member, White House Historical Association

April 2014 – Present
SOMOS Community Care — New York, NY
Founder & Chairman of the Board

• Lead the only provider-led Performing Provider System (PPS) in NYS under Medicaid’s DSRIP program, serving 1M+ Medicaid/Medicare beneficiaries in partnership with state Medicaid and CMS.
• Direct operations of a 2,500+ physician network across 900+ practices serving diverse underserved populations.
• Delivered a 22% reduction in hospital readmissions and 35% decrease in ER visits, yielding $336M+ in annual savings through value-based care aligned with CMS priorities.
• Managed chronic disease care for 223K+ diabetic, 319K+ cardiovascular, and 169K+ asthma patients, achieving a 30% decline in uncontrolled diabetes (HbA1c >9%) and improved HEDIS metrics.
• Integrated behavioral health screenings (PHQ-9, GAD-7) across practices to enhance compliance with CMS behavioral health mandates.
• Established NY’s first physician-led Social Care Network under Medicaid 1115 Waiver, linking housing, nutrition, behavioral health, and social supports into primary care to reduce disparities.
• Serve as Lead Entity for Bronx SCN; developed sustainable financing and HIT models to reinforce community partnerships and reinvest Medicaid savings into equity initiatives.

January 2020 – Present
SOMOS Innovation — New York, NY
Founder & Chairman

• Founded the state’s first provider-led IPA awarded Value-Based Payment Innovator status under Medicaid and CMS frameworks.
• Administer Level 3 full-risk contracts covering clinical and financial risk for 100K+ Medicaid beneficiaries statewide.
• Integrated Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) into risk contracts, promoting equity and streamlining administrative workflows.

January 2012 – Present
Balance ACO — New York, NY
Chairman of the Board

• Provide governance for a top-performing Medicare ACO with a 98% CMS quality score.
• Increased Medicare Shared Savings rate from 7.1% to 18.9%, growing annual savings from $15.4M to $37.8M through innovative care models.

January 2001 – Present
Corinthian Medical IPA — New York, NY
Chairman & President

• Lead 1K+ provider network serving 300K+ predominantly Hispanic patients; pioneered Medicaid value-based care foundational to state reforms.
• Directed payer negotiation and incentive alignment across independent practices.

November 2006 – 2011
St. Luke’s–Roosevelt Hospital — New York, NY
Medical Director, Latin-American Initiative

• Built hospital-community physician integration; expanded ambulatory care access for Latin-American patients.
• Liaison to community IPA physicians; strengthened hospital relationships and cultural competency.

January 1998 – October 2006
St. Clare’s Hospital — New York, NY
Chief of Ambulatory Care

• Directed ambulatory care operations at a community hospital serving diverse, medically underserved populations.

January 1994 – December 1997
St. Clare’s Hospital — New York, NY
Clinical Supervisor, Internal Medicine

• Oversaw internal medicine residents and clinical operations.

January 1991 – December 1993
St. Clare’s Hospital — New York, NY
Clinical Instructor of Internal Medicine

• Provided clinical instruction at a 200-bed community hospital serving medically underserved, diverse urban populations.

January 1997 – Present
Academy Medical Care, P.C. — Manhattan, NY
Founder & Medical Director

• Established culturally competent primary care practice serving immigrants and minorities.

February 2007 – Present
A.W. Medical, P.C. — Bronx, NY
Founder & Medical Director

• Founded primary care practice providing accessible care in medically underserved South Bronx.

January 2006 – Present
Hispaniola, LLC — New York, NY
President

• Lead organization expanding Medicare access and culturally tailored care for underserved immigrant communities.

1990’s – Present Medical-Dental Mission — Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Founder & Coordinator

• Led a biannual humanitarian initiative serving underserved communities across the Dominican Republic and Haiti for over 20 years.
• Mobilizes 50–80 medical and dental professionals from New York City for each mission in partnership with Dominican healthcare providers.
• Provides free, high-quality medical and dental services to thousands of patients in remote areas lacking basic health services.

September 2022 Hurricane Fiona Response — Puerto Rico | Dominican Republic
Humanitarian Mission Leader

• Coordinated deployment of SOMOS mobile medical teams with municipal and state health departments.
• Established temporary care sites and multilingual telehealth follow-ups for affected populations.

March 2020 – 2023
SOMOS Community Care — New York, NY
COVID-19 Humanitarian Response Lead

• Provided leadership for 125+ trilingual testing sites, including the first community walk-in testing site, testing over 1.5 million people and distributing more than 2 million meals.
• Directed bilingual COVID-19 screening/testing for 500+ New York Stock Exchange employees, ensuring workforce safety.
• Led multilingual health education, telehealth expansion, and call centers addressing vulnerable populations.
• Supported vaccine allocation to primary care offices, first in New York State to receive direct allocation.
• Deployed SOMOS physicians to Sunbelt states for pandemic outreach and training.

September 2017
Hurricane Maria Response — Puerto Rico
Humanitarian Mission Leader

• Led disaster relief efforts mobilizing physicians and partnering with NYC and NY State agencies.
• Established triage units, temporary clinics, and medicine distribution points.
• Extended relief into eastern Dominican Republic communities impacted by flooding and landslides.

January 12, 2010
Haiti Earthquake Relief — Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Humanitarian Mission Leader

• Directed large-scale telethons and coordinated medical outreach, overseeing 5,000+ surgical procedures including joint replacements and amputations.
• Managed distribution of wheelchairs and essential medications to underserved regions, improving healthcare access and quality of life.

August 2022

 New York State #VaxtoSchool Initiative — Albany, NY
Governor-Appointed Participant (Governor Kathy Hochul)

• Invited by Governor Kathy Hochul to participate in the statewide #VaxtoSchool campaign to boost COVID-19 vaccination rates among school-aged New Yorkers.
• Partnered with state officials to increase vaccine uptake in underserved communities.
• Promoted youth-focused outreach to combat misinformation and strengthen vaccination confidence.

February 2022
New York City COVID-19 Recovery Roundtable & Health Equity Task Force —New York, NY
Mayor-Appointed Co-Chairman (Mayor Eric Adams)

• Co-led New York City’s post-pandemic recovery and health equity strategy.
• Advised the Mayor’s Office on equitable recovery; coordinated cross-agency efforts to expand access, language services, behavioral health, and social care.
• Guided a data-driven, equity-focused recovery approach.
• Advanced health equity for the city’s most vulnerable communities.

March 16, 2021
Vatican Scientific Committee on COVID-19 Vaccine Communication — Rome, Italy
Appointed Member (Google News Initiative Open Fund)

• Selected for Vatican’s scientific committee focused on combating misinformation.
• Produced fact-checked, multilingual vaccine information for Catholic media worldwide.

September 2020
New York State Vaccine Distribution & Implementation Task Force — Albany, NY
Governor-Appointed Member (Governor Andrew M. Cuomo)

• Served on Task Force overseeing COVID-19 vaccine review and rollout.
• Supported clinical and community vaccine strategies enabling SOMOS to deliver vaccines through primary care.

Date N/A
Jewish Community Relations Council of New York — New York, NY
Advocate & Liaison

• Facilitated interfaith and diplomatic engagement between JCRCNY and Dominican Republic representation.
• Strengthened cultural and diplomatic ties between Dominican and Jewish communities.

2006 – 2009
New York City Community Work Task Force — New York, NY
Mayor-Appointed Member (Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg)

• Advised on public health and neighborhood engagement strategies.
• Contributed to development of community-based health initiatives.

June 2003
Sport Corporation of New York City — New York, NY
Mayor-Appointed Member (Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg)

• Promoted public health and wellness through community sports and recreation initiatives.

• Led NYS (DSRIP )and (VBP) Innovator initiatives, governing quality, cost, and access metrics for Medicaid populations.
• Spearheaded NY Medicaid Waiver Social Care Network (SCN) implementation including closed-loop SDOH infrastructure integration.
• Ensured program integrity and compliance with HIPAA/OCR, FWA prevention/detection; successfully passed audits and closed CAPs.
• Familiar with CMS quality frameworks including MSSP, APM, MA Stars, and oriented to HEDIS and CAHPS metrics.
• Directed adoption of standards-based electronic patient records/referral workflows across 2,500+ SOMOS independent practices improving Medicaid care management.
• Established secure, interoperable data exchange with regional Health Information Exchanges (HIE) supporting real-time lab, imaging, discharge, and ADT alerts for coordinated care.
• Integrated social care data combining claims, clinical, and SCN referral data using ICD-10 Z-codes to advance population health goals and value-based reporting.

• American Board Of Internal Medicine
• New York State Medical License
• New Jersey State Medical License
• Dominican Republic Medical License
• ECFMG Certification
• Flex-ID 560125027

June 1996 –July 1999 | St. Luke’s–Roosevelt Hospital Center -Columbia University | New York, NY
Residency, Internal Medicine

June 1993 –July 1994 | St. Luke’s–Roosevelt Hospital Center -Columbia University | New York, NY
Internship, Internal Medicine

June 1991 – December 1991 | St. Clare’s Family Health Center -New York, NY Internship, Internal Medicine

• July 1976 June 1981| Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña (UNPHU), Escuela de Medicina - Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
  Doctor of Medicine, Magna Cum Laude (4.0 GPA)

• August 1973 – June 1976
  Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña (UNPHU) — Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
  Bachelors of Science, B.S.S.

• English
• Spanish

• 2025 — Leadership Award, Aesclepius Medical Society
• 2025 — Innovator Business Leader, NY Women’s Chamber of Commerce
• 2025 — Bronx Power 100, City & State
• 2025 — 50 Over 50 Alumni, City & State
• 2025—Power Players in Health Care, PoliticsNY
• 2023 — Hispanic Health Leadership Award, National Hispanic Health Foundation
• 2023 — Notable Leaders in Health Care, Crain’s New York Business
• 2023 — Healthcare Impact Award, Hostos Community College
• 2023 — Healthcare Hero Award, Schneps Media / One Brooklyn Health & Bethpage FCU
• 2023 — City & State Healthcare Power 100
• 2023 — Leadership & Excellence Award, SOMOS Community Care
• 2022 — Notable Hispanic Leader, Crain’s New York Business
• 2021 — Modern Healthcare Innovator, Modern Healthcare
• 2016 — Physician Entrepreneur of the Year, Association of Hispanic Healthcare Executives
• 2015 — Leadership Award, American College of Physicians
• Year TBD — Innovation Award, Evolent Health

• 2024 — Outstanding American by Choice, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services
• 2024 — Public Health & Community Service “Human Kind” Award, United Nations General Assembly
• 2023 — Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice, Vatican (Pope Francis)
• 2022 — Magno Award, Joseph A. Unanue Latino Institute, Seton Hall University
• 2020 — Great Immigrants Award, Carnegie Corporation of New York
• 2006 — Ellis Island Medal of Honor, Ellis Island Honors Society
• 2004 — Olympic Torchbearer, Athens Olympic Games Torch Relay, New York City
• Year TBD — Most Outstanding Dominican in the U.S., Committee of Dominicans Abroad & Office of Hispanic Affairs, Catholic Church in New York
• Year TBD — Who’s Who: Most Influential, Marquis
• Year TBD — Honoree, “Great Immigrants, Great Americans”
• Year TBD — Member, White House Historical Association

• Hispanic Heritage Month Award — NYC Law Department (2022)
• Responsible 100 Award — City & State New York (2021)
• Trailblazer Award — City & State New York (2021)
• Citations of Merit — Bronx Borough President (multiple, 2021)
• Proclamation — New York City Council (2021)
• Lifetime Achievement & Leadership Award — New York State Senate (2019)
• Proclamation — New York State Senate (2008)

• Emmy Award (Religion) — Benedict XVI: In Honor of the Truth, NATAS NY Chapter (2024)
• Emmy Award (Documentary) — Doctor Tallaj: The Hispanic Who Faced COVID-19, NATAS (2022)
• Emmy Award (Societal Concerns) — NATAS (2021)
• Emmy Award (Human Interest) — NATAS (2020)
• Emmy Award (Children’s Content) — NATAS (2019)
• Empire Whole Health Hero — Empire BlueCross BlueShield (Crain’s New York Business, 2021)
• Ángel del 41 Award — Univision (2021)
• Héroes de Impacto — Primer Impacto (2021)
• Healthcare Hero — ABC News (2020)
• Latin Impact Award — Latin Media Group [Year TBD]
• Orgullo Latino Award — Dominican Development Center [Year TBD]

• 2022 — Tribute to Excellence, United Hospital Fund
• Year TBD — Honoree, United Hospital Fund
• Year TBD — Best Doctor of the Year, Continuum Hospital
• 2010–2013 — Physician Practice Connections Recognition Program, National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)
• 2010–2013 — Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Recognition Program, National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)
• 2010–2013 — Diabetes Care Recognition, Health Care Incentives Improvement Institute