While few individuals have the ability to bridge the gap between law, healthcare, and innovation as effectively as Steven I. Okoye does, Okoye serves as the Deputy General Counsel for EHE Health in New York City and has been practicing law for over 7 years (as both a lawyer specializing in corporate law, as well as a lawyer specializing in healthcare law). Okoye has developed a reputation for transforming complex legal structures into practical approaches that enable organizations to operate responsibly and successfully.
As a result, Okoye’s insight into the themes of leadership, integrity, and adaptability will provide a road map for Success Blueprints‘ audience to navigate the complexities of modern professional life, where compliance is no longer simply a legal obligation but a fundamental component of trust and long-term success.
How did you become involved in this area of practice?
“I started out in science, not law,” Okoye begins with a laugh. “My first job was as a biotechnologist at Merck & Co. in Pennsylvania. While I was surrounded by research and process-driven work, I was interested in more than just the science. I was intrigued by the systems that governed the scientific processes and maintained compliance and ethics within them. This is where my interest in regulatory matters originated.”
Following his transition to law, Okoye pursued his interest in advocacy and leadership while attending Rutgers Law School. “During law school, I was the Managing Technology Editor of the Journal of Law & Public Policy, and served as the Vice President of the Black Law Students Association. Through my experiences as an advocate and leader in law school, I developed skills to evaluate issues in a critical manner; however, I also learned how to apply theoretical concepts to practical systems to produce results.”
Okoye also identifies a defining personal moment. “My daughter, Maria, was born during my first semester in law school. As a result of becoming a father, I had to be extremely focused and organized so that I could meet my obligations as a student. My experiences as a father influenced the way I approach my work today. I am now a disciplined individual who is organized, intentional, and grounded.”
After completing law school, Okoye served as a judicial clerk for Judge Thomas W. Sumners, Jr. in the Appellate Division of New Jersey. In addition to developing an appreciation for the way in which decisions made in court can have a significant impact on the direction of an industry, Okoye gained valuable knowledge regarding the importance of creating processes and procedures that can facilitate consistent decision-making in the face of rapidly changing circumstances.
Okoye then joined Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer, P.A. as a member of the firm’s Life Sciences Group. During this time, Okoye advised numerous hospitals and life sciences companies with regard to a variety of matters, including mergers and acquisitions, and compliance related to government regulations. The COVID-19 pandemic presented a unique opportunity for Okoye to demonstrate his abilities as a lawyer, particularly in providing real-time counsel to clients on regulatory compliance and other matters.
“That was a testing time,” Okoye states. “We drafted emergency telehealth policies and emergency cross state licensure policies in real time. It demonstrated the capacity for law to evolve quickly in response to emerging crises when the lives of others depend on the timeliness of action.”
What advice would you give to someone who is relatively new to their profession and wishes to achieve a similar position of prominence sooner than many others do?
“Slow down to speed up,” Okoye advises. “Too often, there is a rush towards titles or recognition. However, the most effective foundation that you can develop is understanding how systems work. When you understand the ‘why’ behind a regulatory provision or contractual clause, you can innovate responsibly.”
Okoye emphasizes the importance of having mentors and being humble. “Seek out people who will challenge you, not merely praise you. Early in my career, mentors assisted me in recognizing the distinction between knowing the law and utilizing the law in a manner that utilizes foresight and empathy.”
Additionally, Okoye recommends that young professionals remain curious and seek to learn about subjects that may fall outside of their specific job duties. “The most skilled lawyers, executives, and entrepreneurs that I know are those who continually pursue additional education and training, particularly in areas that relate to their respective fields of expertise. For example, studying data privacy and digital health provided me with a competitive advantage when telemedicine became increasingly prevalent.”
What is the one major lesson or shift in your thinking that dramatically changed the way you approached your work and/or lead your team?
Okoye responds with no hesitation. “Simplification. Compliance and legal work can become mired in complexity if allowed to do so. I learned early on that my job is to make the rules accessible, not to impress others with my knowledge.
Okoye currently creates internal systems that transform regulations into checklists, dashboards and quantifiable metrics. “If a company cannot visualize compliance, it will struggle to maintain it,” Okoye emphasizes. “It is my duty to create systems that enable integrity to be easily followed.”
This same mindset informs Okoye’s leadership style. “I do not subscribe to micromanaging. I subscribe to clarity. If you provide your team with clear priorities and transparent rationales, they will act quicker and more intelligently than if you provide them with lists of rules.”
What is the biggest challenge or change you anticipate occurring in your industry over the next ten years, and how are you preparing for it?
“The biggest challenge in the healthcare industry is going to be adapting to digital-first care models, telehealth, AI diagnostic capabilities, and remote monitoring technologies,” Okoye states. “However, the law is lagging behind these developments.”
Okoye believes that the biggest challenge facing healthcare is developing legal frameworks that protect patient confidentiality while also supporting innovation. “With telemedicine, patients are not just granting consent for their medical information to be shared, they are entrusting that information to companies. Companies must honor that trust at every stage of the design process.”
Okoye advocates for what he refers to as “proactive privacy design.” Rather than relying on regulatory bodies to create stricter privacy and data protection guidelines, Okoye believes companies should embed privacy-friendly design into their products from the outset. “If companies treat privacy as an afterthought, you will be too late.”
Okoye is committed to incorporating compliance into the product development process at EHE Health, rather than treating it as a separate evaluation process. “That is the future – law and innovation operating side-by-side, not against each other.”
Looking forward to the next five to ten years, what do you wish to focus on or accomplish, personally and professionally?
“I wish to continue building systems that make organizations more safe and humane,” Okoye states thoughtfully. “Whether that is through improved governance models, better privacy tools, or mentoring young professionals who enter compliance roles.”
Okoye also wishes to continue closing the gap between business and ethics. “The most successful companies in the next ten years will be those that build trust with consumers, rather than merely producing products. If we can show that conducting ourselves in a responsible manner will contribute to our financial success, that will be a legacy worth leaving.”
Finally, Okoye mentions achieving a greater sense of balance in his life. “My family keeps me grounded. I hope that my daughter will see that leaders are responsible and caring individuals, not simply controlling figures.”
Conclusion
Steven I. Okoye’s journey from biotechnician to deputy general counsel exemplifies that success is not based solely on earning a title, but rather on the degree to which one transforms. Okoye provides Success Blueprints’ readers with a very straightforward, yet profoundly meaningful message: that true leadership combines a person’s technical acumen with a person’s empathetic and proactive nature, and that compliance is not merely a matter of adhering to the letter of the law, but rather a key component of establishing and maintaining a culture of trust, innovation and integrity.
As we look to the future and consider the rapid pace of technological advancements and disruptions, Okoye reminds us that the future will belong to those who lead with purpose and principle.
Do you want to see more of Steven? Follow him on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and visit his website!
