From Adversity to Innovation: Robin McIntosh '03 Honored for Transformative Impact in Health Tech

Robin McIntosh ’03, recipient of the 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award, returned to Benjamin Hall on April 2 to share a message that resonated deeply with students, faculty, and friends: success doesn’t always follow a straight line — but it can still reshape an entire industry.

McIntosh is the co-founder of Workit Health, the nation’s leading virtual addiction treatment platform. What began as a bold idea to bring evidence-based care online has grown into a business that has raised over $200 million in venture funding, earned national recognition, and has helped over 40,000 Americans access life-saving treatment. Under her leadership, Workit Health became one of the first companies to use telehealth to deliver medication-assisted treatment for substance use — a major contributor to the nation’s decline in overdose deaths.

Focused on human-centered design and business strategy, McIntosh has founded four companies spanning health, tech, and care delivery. She has spoken before Congress, contributed to the crafting of anti-addiction legislation, and remains a sought-after voice on the future of digital health. Her work sits at the intersection of innovation and impact — reshaping how care is accessed, delivered, and measured.

The daughter of two entrepreneurs, McIntosh credits her upbringing and education with instilling the values that have guided her career: intellectual rigor, tenacity, and an unrelenting curiosity. She recalled that Benjamin “gave me space to find my way,” equipping her with “curiosity, intensity, grit, and a love for learning.”

That foundation would prove vital as she entered the world of startups, where fewer than 2% of venture capital dollars go to women, and 95% of startups fail. Despite the odds, McIntosh assembled a team of women founders and launched Workit Health in 2015 — pioneering a new model of care long before “telehealth” became a household term.

Today, McIntosh is applying her entrepreneurial fire to another broken system — this time, for neurodivergent children and their families. Her newest company, Avela Health, was born from both personal insight and systemic frustration.

“If the world doesn’t work for you, you don’t have to accept it — you can change it,” McIntosh told the audience. Inspired by her experience as a parent navigating the fragmented world of autism care, Avela was created to offer personalized, tech-enabled care that meets families where they are. Its mission is clear: bring expert, compassionate support to neurodivergent kids faster, with less friction, and more humanity.

Just as she did with addiction treatment, McIntosh is once again pushing boundaries, reimagining what modern care can look like — and who it can reach.

Beyond her business ventures, McIntosh’s story is a testament to leadership rooted in lived experience, discipline, and an unwavering drive to build what doesn’t yet exist. Whether she's mentoring founders, shaping policy, or designing solutions for underserved families, she leads with the conviction that challenge is not an obstacle — it's an invitation to innovate.

As she accepted the Distinguished Alumni Award, McIntosh left the audience with a charge: “Your story isn’t written. It’s yours to shape. Follow your fire.”

At every turn, she’s done exactly that.