About Us—Office of Population Health
About Us—Office of Population Health
Our Philosophy
We believe health systems will be held accountable for improved outcomes.
While our health systems are complicated, they work for many patients. For some, however, it can be difficult. With current financial models largely prioritizing volume, systems aren't always incentivized to be accountable for improved health. The Office of Population Health builds financially sustainable models that align incentives to value, oriented around the quadruple aim: better outcomes, better patient experience, better provider experience, and lower cost.
To redesign incentives, we must also redesign structures. The Office of Population Health leverages internal partnerships to reimagine care delivery in order to improve health outcomes and reduce the cost of care. This prepares the University of Utah for market shifts toward value-based care.
Meet Our Leaders
Peter Weir | Chief Population Health Officer
Peter Weir, MD, MPH, received his medical degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin in 2000, followed by subsequent training and residency at the U of U School of Medicine in Family Medicine. Since then, he has served as a clinician and educator in the Departments of Pediatrics, Family & Preventive Medicine, and Population Health Sciences. As a leader, he has served as medical director of the ARUP Family Health Clinic, medical director of the University of Utah Physician Assistant program, and most recently as the executive medical director of the Population Health Program.
“I look forward to promoting, building, and supporting population health programs for the entire health system and community in this leadership position,” Weir says. “My goal is to help move our health system toward creating compassionate and financially sustainable delivery models that address unmet needs and improve the health of our patients.”
Heather Sateia | Associate Chief Population Health Officer
Heather Sateia, MD, received her medical degree from Dartmouth Medical School in 2008 and completed internal medicine residency and chief residency at Washington University/Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis.
She then joined the faculty at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. At Hopkins, she held numerous clinical and educational leadership roles, including Senior Associate Program Director for the Osler Internal Medicine Residency and Medical Director of a multi-specialty faculty practice during a successful transition to a CPC+ value-based care program.
She joined the University of Utah in 2024 and serves as the Associate Chief of Population Health and Medical Director for Patient Safety. Her area of expertise is ambulatory quality and clinical operations with a focus on value-based care.
Zac Watne | Director of Population Health & Value-Based Care
Zac Watne is a healthcare strategy leader with more than 15 years of experience advancing value‑based care, population health operations, and data‑driven decision‑making. He leads enterprise efforts at University of Utah Health to design and execute value‑based care models that improve outcomes and support long‑term system transformation.
Before his current role, Zac spent a decade guiding payment strategy and innovation at University of Utah Health and previously worked across Intermountain Health and SelectHealth in population health operations and alternative payment model development.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in Sociology from the University of Utah and dual master’s degrees in Sociology from the University of Georgia and Colorado State University.
