Sonia M. Millsom began her career in health care far away from the Ocean State. About 3,480 miles away, actually.
After graduating from Boston College with a B.A. in political science, she enlisted in the Peace Corps and was stationed for more than two years in Morocco, in North Africa. Alone in a tiny village 30 miles away from colleagues, she learned Berber, the local Arabic dialect, as she worked as a maternal and child health volunteer.
When she came back to the United States, she enrolled as a graduate student at Columbia University, earning an MPH in Health Policy and Management. Now, instead of looking after a small town’s population, the 36-year-old is responsible for the largest public sector clients of UnitedHealthcare of New England. Handling state, municipal and union accounts, Millsom manages more than $300 million in medical spending and has helped develop statewide wellness programs, including Healthy Weight in 2008 and Get Fit R.I.
At UnitedHealthcare she’s been awarded internally for successfully extending the State of Rhode Island contract through June 2010 and this year was given the 2008 UnitedHealthcare Change Agent Award for Living the Mission.
A board member of the ALS Association of Rhode Island, Millsom is “working to ensure that patients with ALS and their families receive the necessary support services.”
Along with traveling and studying languages – among them Arabic, French and Tamazight – Millsom is a long-distance runner. She has run the New York City Marathon, the Oshkosh Half Marathon and the Philadelphia Half Marathon. •
