Hannover Life Reassurance Company of America has named Elena Strunk as vice-president, medical director, effective immediately. Her remit covers three areas: modernising medical assessment practices, advancing underwriting innovation and digital transformation, and strengthening the company’s medical oversight and governance capabilities.
Strunk brings a background that spans academic medicine and the insurance industry. She spent more than a decade in emergency medicine, treating patients while training residents and medical students.
She completed a fellowship in ultrasound at George Washington University and a residency in emergency medicine at Cook County Health and Hospitals System. She is board certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine.
Before joining Hannover Re US, she held roles at two insurance carriers. At both, she contributed to the development of underwriting guidelines and the training of underwriting and claims staff.
Susan Mayer, vice-president and chief underwriter at Hannover Re US, said the hire positions the firm to make better-informed decisions.
“Dr. Strunk brings a broad base of experience across both clinical practice and the insurance industry, with background supporting individual and group life underwriting and claims management,” Mayer said.
She added that Strunk’s leadership would support a shift toward more data-driven underwriting outcomes.
The medical director position at Hannover Re US has been closely watched since mid-2025.
In July 2025, Nico van Zyl departed Hannover Re after nearly 14 years to join Reinsurance Group of America (RGA). He had served most recently as chief medical director and vice president.
At RGA, he took on the role of SVP and chief medical director for US individual life operations. Van Zyl’s profile spanned clinical medicine, health informatics, and reinsurance leadership.
His exit underscored how much competition there now is for senior medical talent in the life reinsurance sector.
Strunk steps into the role at a moment when the entire industry is recalibrating its approach to underwriting.
Pacific Life’s 2026 Underwriting Outlook Survey found that nearly half of underwriting and insurance executives are already incorporating AI into their operations.
Around 20% said AI is fully integrated into day-to-day workflows. A further 38% reported their organizations are still in the pilot stage.
The gap between early adoption and full integration is one of the defining governance challenges for life reinsurers right now.
Strunk received her Doctor of Medicine from Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish, both from Creighton University.
The appointment follows a period of leadership change at Hannover Re US. Tiffany Norman became president and CEO on January 1, 2026, succeeding Pete Schaefer, who retired after more than two decades leading the company. Strunk’s appointment adds another piece to that rebuilt leadership structure.
