John Shufeldt brings over 35 years of experience in leading high-performing teams, pioneering health care innovations and shaping future leaders.
In 1993, he founded NextCare Inc., growing it from a single clinic to a network of 60 facilities across six states. He later co-founded Empower Emergency Physicians and continues to practice emergency medicine at St. Joseph’s Hospital and other locations. After stepping down as CEO of NextCare in 2010, he launched MeMD, LLC, a telehealth platform connecting more than 500 medical and mental health professionals with patients nationwide. Walmart acquired MeMD in 2021 as part of its Omni Channel Healthcare Initiative.
Shufeldt’s entrepreneurial drive led to the creation of Tribal Health in 2015, addressing critical health care disparities in Indigenous communities. In 2021, he founded Xcellerant Ventures, a venture capital firm supporting emerging health-tech startups, successfully closing its first fund with $25 million in capital. Xcellerant has since launched two additional funds focused on early-stage and growth-stage companies. In 2025, he co-founded VivaMed BioPharma, a multinational drug development company managing over 150 molecules.
Shufeldt’s academic contributions include adjunct professor at Arizona State University’s W. P. Carey School of Business, where he taught health law and ethics, and he currently serves as a Distinguished Professor of Practice in the John Shufeldt School of Medicine and Medical Engineering. He also lectures at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law.
He earned his BA from Drake University in 1982 and his MD from the University of Health Sciences/The Chicago Medical School in 1986. Following his emergency medicine residency at Christ Hospital and Medical Center, he expanded his expertise by obtaining an MBA in 1995 and a Juris Doctorate in 2005, both from Arizona State University. He is a member of the Arizona State Bar, the Federal District Court and the U.S. Supreme Court, alongside affiliations with the American Board of Emergency Medicine, College of Legal Medicine and the American College of Emergency Physicians. His commitment to continuous learning led him to earn a Six Sigma Black Belt from the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at ASU in 2015, a certificate in artificial intelligence from MIT’s Sloan School of Management in 2019 and a certificate in entrepreneurship and innovation from Harvard in 2022.
Beyond his contributions to health care and law, Shufeldt is an accomplished aviator, author and speaker.
