180+ chief medical officers to know | 2025

Becker's Healthcare is proud to recognize outstanding hospital and health system chief medical officers.

These physician leaders play a pivotal role in advancing patient safety, maintaining high quality standards, bridging the gap between leadership and medical staff, and managing risk. As key drivers of continuous improvement, their efforts have earned numerous quality and safety accolades for their organizations.

Note: Becker's Healthcare developed this list based on nominations and editorial research. Leaders do not pay and cannot pay for inclusion on this list. This list is not exhaustive, nor is it an endorsement of the leaders or organizations mentioned. Leaders are presented in alphabetical order. 

Contact Anna Falvey at afalvey@beckershealthcare.com with questions or comments.

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Joshua Adler, MD. Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer at UCSF Health (San Francisco). Dr. Adler oversees quality, physician management, safety and coordination of patient care throughout the UCSF Health system. He also manages population health, clinical resource management, regulatory compliance, medical staff affairs, clinical innovation and risk management for the system. In addition to his leadership at UCSF Health, he is the vice dean for clinical affairs at UCSF School of Medicine. Prior to assuming his current roles, he was chief medical officer for UCSF Medical Center and medical director of ambulatory care. 

Machelle Allen, MD. Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of NYC Health + Hospitals (New York City). Dr. Allen became deputy CMO at NYC Health+Hospitals in 2013 before being promoted to system CMO in 2017. She is an obstetrics and gynecology physician by training and served as associate medical director at the health system's Bellevue hospital before becoming a leader at the system level. Dr. Allen has shaped the clinical service line setup, influencing systemwide clinical initiatives like the tele-ICU, point of care imaging, early intensive care unit mobility, AI-powered electroencephalogram interpretations, and teleneurology. She also established the office of clinical operations and a systemwide office of women’s health services.

Andy Anderson, MD. Executive Vice President and Chief Medical and Quality Officer of RWJBarnabas Health (West Orange, N.J.). Dr. Anderson took on his role in 2022. He drives the health system’s clinical mission to advance and elevate care for the communities it serves, and oversees 41,000 employees, including 9,000 physicians who treat a service area of more than five million people. Dr. Anderson has served RWJBarnabas Health since 2018 as CEO of the combined medical group of RWJBarnabas Health and New Brunswick, N.J.-based Rutgers Health, one of the largest provider consortia in the nation.

Douglas Apple, MD. Chief Clinical Officer of Ascension Michigan (Warren). Dr. Apple is accountable for clinical performance across 16 acute care and more than 300 ambulatory care practice sites. He leads population health and value-based programs, along with acute care services, medical staff governance, ambulatory care programs, physician hospital organizations and Ascension Medical Group. Among his notable achievements is the development of Ascension Michigan's operational excellence council.

Dustin Arnold, DO. Chief Medical Officer for UnityPoint Health - St. Luke's Hospital (Cedar Rapids, Iowa). Dr. Arnold has served as chief medical officer for UnityPoint Health - St. Luke's Hospital since 2012. He first joined the hospital in 2006 as medical director for the hospitalist program, then became chief medical information officer in 2011. In his current role, he leads and supports medical staff while overseeing clinical operations to ensure quality of care and patient satisfaction. He also serves as associate medical director of hospital-based providers. In addition, he is president of the Iowa Osteopathic Medical Association and vice chair of the Linn County Board of Health.

Hoda Asmar, MD. Executive Vice President and System Chief Clinical Officer at Providence (Renton, Wash.). Dr. Asmar has 23 years of experience in healthcare leadership in various roles at health systems across the country. She was appointed chief clinical officer at Providence in October 2021. In her role, she guides clinical enterprise, medical affairs, quality, safety, nursing, physician leadership, pharmacy and laboratory services, behavioral health and clinical operations. Prior to her appointment, she served as chief clinical officer for Adventist Health in Roseville, Calif., for three years. 

Hany Atallah, MD. Chief Medical Officer at Jackson Memorial Hospital (Miami). Dr. Atallah oversees the daily operations, all physicians and related tasks at Jackson Memorial. Since joining Jackson he has helped facilitate an almost two day reduction in inpatient length of stay.  He has also been very involved in the development and plan for a new $300M emergency department currently under construction at Jackson Memorial. In addition, he has extensive emergency department operational experience and has been awarded the GAPA Physician of the Year in 2013, the Georgia College of Emergency Physicians Medical Director of the Year in 2014, the Grady Health System Pillar of Excellence Award in 2019 and was a finalist for the prestigious international Franz Edelman Award for Excellence in Operations Research. Dr. Atallah is a member of the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma, the American Association of Physician Leadership, and is a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians.

Heather Babe, MD. Chief Medical Officer for Shenandoah (Iowa) Medical Center. Dr. Babe leads the medical staff for Shenandoah Medical Center as its chief medical officer. As part of the senior leadership team, she also acts as the liaison between medical staff and leadership. She guides the organization's strategic direction and has been a key facilitator in the facility's service line growth, including the addition of obstetrics/gynecology, medical oncology and hematology, radiation oncology, urogynecology, orthopedic surgery, dermatology and non-invasive cardiology. Dr. Babe first joined the medical center in 2008 as a primary care physician, became medical director of the rural health clinic in 2013, and became chief medical officer in 2017. Thanks to her excellent performance, she was named to the board of directors in 2019. 

David Baker, MD. Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Carson Tahoe Health (Carson City, Nev.). Dr. David Baker's 17 years as a cardiologist at Carson Tahoe Health has been marked by his leadership roles, shaping healthcare in the community. As Medical Director of Carson Tahoe Medical Group, he ensured high-quality care and guided the organization's growth. Serving as Chief of Cardiology, he led the department collaboratively, enhancing patient outcomes. Beyond clinical roles, Dr. Baker served as an adjunct professor at the University of Nevada in Reno, shaping future healthcare professionals. In 2023, he assumed the role of chief medical officer, streamlining services and adding 23 providers, showcasing strategic vision. His career embodies a commitment to excellence, patient care, and community engagement, leaving a lasting impact on Carson Tahoe.

David Battinelli, MD. Executive Vice President and Physician-in-Chief of Northwell Health (New Hyde Park, N.Y.). Dr. Battinelli serves as Northwell Health’s physician-in-chief for clinical, research and education matters. He assumed his role in 2021, 14 years after first joining the health system. Before his current role, he acted as Northwell's senior vice president and chief medical officer.

Eric Beshires, MD. COO, Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Medical Affairs at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Centennial (Frisco, Texas). Dr. Beshires is the COO, CMO and vice president of Medical Affairs at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Centennial. Thanks to his multiple roles and responsibilities, he is an integral part of ensuring that the 118-bed hospital runs smoothly. The hospital boasts excellent clinical outcomes in a wide spectrum of services, spanning from orthopedic care to cosmetic and plastic surgery. 

Padmini Bhadriraju, MD. Chief Medical Officer at Harlingen Medical Center (Mission, Texas). Dr. Bhadriraju serves as chief medical officer for Harlingen Medical Center. She is board-certified in internal medicine and is passionate about the provision of top-tier care for those living with chronic diseases. She helps patients, including seniors, live high-quality, optimized lives through a variety of healthcare services. Dr. Padmini previously served as chief medical officer and hospitalist for Knapp Medical Center in Weslaco, Texas. She is also a clinical assistant professor for the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, and the founder physician for Harmony Internal Medicine and Family Practice in Edinburg, Texas.

Kavitha Bhatia, MD. Chief Medical Officer of Strategy at Prime Healthcare (Ontario, Calif.) Dr. Bhatia's leadership and vision have led teams toward transformative change in nearly every area of Prime Healthcare's 44 hospitals across 14 states. During a time when Prime tripled in size, Dr. Bhatia led initiatives and strategic planning in key areas to support the growth of the system. To date, Prime's hospitals have received "100 Top Hospitals" recognition 69 times and more than 200 Healthgrades clinical quality awards. In 2023, she led Prime to receive "A" grades in the Lown Institute Hospitals Index for Social Responsibility, ranking Prime among the top ten health systems in the nation in equity, value, and clinical outcomes. Dr. Bhatia also serves as president and chair of the Prime Healthcare Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to improving healthcare through its hospitals and educational initiatives. She has created unprecedented scale with revenue and assets both exceeding $1.8 billion and the provision of more than $3.4 billion in charity care throughout Prime’s hospitals across the country. 

Sunny Bhatia, MD. President and Chief Medical Officer at Prime Healthcare (Ontario, Calif.). Dr. Bhatia establishes the overall direction and priorities for Prime’s hospitals in enhancing the quality, safety, effectiveness and efficiency of healthcare delivery in Prime's 44 hospitals and more than 300 outpatient locations across 14 states. Dr. Bhatia’s visionary leadership and deep commitment to serving patients and communities has led Prime Healthcare to continually innovate and earn accolades for clinically excellent care. Under his leadership, Prime Healthcare's hospitals have earned unprecedented accolades for quality, health equity, patient safety and performance from nationally recognized healthcare rating agencies. The implementation of value-based initiatives under Dr. Bhatia's direction has had an estimated financial impact of more than $15 million systemwide.

Andrew Bindman, MD. Executive Vice President and CMO at Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals (Oakland, Calif.). Dr. Bindman is responsible for driving superior quality and equitable health outcomes through the integration of quality innovation, care delivery, and research. Prior to joining Kaiser Permanente, he spent over 30 years teaching clinical medicine at the University of California at San Francisco. His research work has culminated in over 180 published articles. He has also held advisory and leadership roles for the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, HHS, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and other agencies.

Patrick Brennan, MD. Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at The University of Pennsylvania Health System (Philadelphia). As chief medical officer of the University of Pennsylvania Health System, Dr. Brennan oversees key areas such as healthcare quality, patient safety, regulatory affairs and medical affairs. He leads initiatives to enhance clinical accountability and patient outcomes across a vast network that includes six hospitals and numerous outpatient facilities, overseeing millions of outpatient, emergency and home health visits. An expert in infectious diseases, Dr. Brennan has chaired the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee, advising top U.S. health officials on disease control. His leadership extends to the Delaware County Health Department, where he serves on the inaugural board of health. Dr. Brennan has a distinguished background in infection control and public health, with previous roles at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, and the Philadelphia VA Medical Center.

Andrew Brotman, MD. Executive Vice President, Vice Dean for Clinical Affairs and Strategy and Chief Clinical Officer at NYU Langone Health (New York City). Dr. Brotman has been at NYU Langone Health since 1999. Before that, he served as senior vice president and COO for physician practice management and network development at CareGroup, now part of Beth Israel Lahey Health in Boston. Dr. Brotman was also the chief of psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. He is on the editorial boards of several journals and has more than 80 publications to his name.

David Brumbaugh, MD. Chief Medical Officer for Children’s Hospital Colorado (Aurora). As chief medical officer for Children’s Hospital Colorado, Dr. Brumbaugh manages medical staff and ensures quality and safety at the system's 17 care sites. Additionally, he practices pediatric gastroenterology at the Children’s Hospital Colorado, bringing unique physician insight to his leadership role. He was instrumental in the rapid development of the hospital's telehealth services, which allowed for quality care in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic and its repercussions. Since then, he has expanded telehealth capabilities to provide care for those in rural areas who would otherwise need to travel hundreds of miles. 

James Butler, MD, PhD. Chief Medical Officer at Oceans Healthcare (Plano, Texas). As chief medical officer, Dr. Butler leads Oceans' medical teams and oversees the daily clinical operations of its 36 hospitals and 24 outpatient programs, advancing the company's mission to deliver much-needed mental health services to underserved communities across the Southeast. Dr. Butler is a practicing psychiatrist and physician leader who brings more than a decade of experience in psychiatry and genetic research to Oceans, ensuring the organization remains at the forefront of the rapidly expanding behavioral health industry. The organization’s relentless commitment to enhancing patient outcomes, combined with Dr. Butler's strategic leadership and healthcare business acumen, has been crucial in improving access to care and connecting more individuals in need with life-altering mental health services. Prior to his current role, he served as regional medical director where he provided oversight for patient care teams and high-quality improvement efforts for the organization's Texas locations.

Benjamin J. Camp, MD. Executive Vice President, Chief Medical Officer and Chief Quality Officer for Tanner Health System (Carrollton, Ga.). Dr. Camp is enterprise CMO and chief quality officer at Tanner Health System, where he is tasked with overseeing medical staff services and credentialing. In addition, he handles case management, clinical documentation, risk management, clinical integration, and data and analytics services. He is also the system's lead physician accountability officer. His work has been key in launching many service lines atypical for rural health systems, including neurosurgery and open-heart surgery. He also played a large role in helping the system's five regional hospitals navigate the Covid-19 pandemic. Before assuming his current role, Dr. Camp was senior vice president of medical affairs. 

Hijinio Carreon, DO. Chief Medical Executive for MercyOne (Des Moines, Iowa). Dr. Carreon was appointed as regional chief medical executive in May 2021. In this role, he oversees acute patient care and medical operations across MercyOne's network, which serve over 3.3 million patient visits annually. His responsibilities include quality and safety, pharmacy, air and ground transport services, and graduate medical education. Chief medical officers report directly to Dr. Carreon as he leads efforts to align clinical operations with the organization's mission and strategic goals. Dr. Carreon first joined MercyOne more than 17 years ago as an emergency medicine physician. Since then, he has taken on roles of increasing responsibility, earning a reputation as a dedicated leader committed to advancing care and improving outcomes within the health system.

Paul Casey, MD. System Chief Medical Officer for Rush University System for Health (Chicago). Dr. Casey is in charge of the design, implementation and oversight of Rush's clinical quality, patient safety and performance improvement initiatives. He is also tasked with overseeing digital transformation efforts, running the enterprise's pharmacy and lab operations, and managing the transfer center and care management teams. He is also a practicing emergency medicine physician and a professor in the department of emergency medicine. He also served for two years as interim president for Rush University Medical Group for two years before the integrated system medical group was launched.

Hans P. Cassagnol, MD. Senior Vice President and Region Chief Medical Officer for Virginia Mason Franciscan Health (Tacoma, Wash.). Dr. Cassagnol, in his role at Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, leads clinical performance and quality assurance across 12 hospitals, ensuring high-quality, cost-effective healthcare delivery. He focuses on improving clinical outcomes, overseeing safety initiatives, physician credentialing and performance evaluation. He also acts as a liaison between physicians, administration and community organizations. Before joining VMFH, he served as chief clinical officer at Catholic Health System in Buffalo, N.Y., where he led significant improvements in patient safety, satisfaction and medical staff restructuring. With over 21 years of clinical service as an OB-GYN and 16 years in executive leadership, Dr. Cassagnol is known for his commitment to innovation, clinician experience and patient care. His achievements at CHS include implementing an EHR system during the Covid-19 pandemic and establishing successful residency programs that boosted recruitment and retention.

Teri Caulin-Glaser, MD. Senior Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer of OhioHealth (Columbus). Dr. Caulin-Glaser is leader of OhioHealth system's strategy for clinical program development and delivery, including the OhioHealth Physician Group, OhioHealth hospitals, ambulatory centers and service lines. In her role, she oversees clinical strategy, growth, capital and facility expansion, program development and transformational care redesign. She brings over 30 years of experience as a healthcare leader, cardiologist, educator and researcher.

Jeremy Cauwels, MD. Chief Physician at Sanford Health (Sioux Falls, S.D.). As chief physician for the nation's largest rural health system, Dr. Cauwels represents physician interests to the executive leadership team and board of trustees. He also chairs the quality cabinet and oversees enterprise aspects of the medical staff. Dr. Cauwels has been a champion of creating a culture of safety through the organization’s SAFE program, which stands for Sanford Accountability for Excellence. The systemwide initiative has empowered clinicians to speak up, raise their concerns and understand the impact of their actions. Under Dr. Cauwels’ leadership, quality and safety scores have significantly improved across the organization. Since launching the SAFE program in 2019, the system has seen a reduction in serious safety events by 46%. Dr. Cauwels is passionate about improving the patient experience and expanding access to high-quality, convenient care for patients in all locations and circumstances, and thus has played an instrumental role in advancing Sanford Health's $350 million virtual care initiative. Dr. Cauwels is regularly invited to contribute his clinical expertise and insights on some of the most pressing issues affecting rural care delivery today.

Joseph Chang, MD. Chief Medical Officer of Parkland Health (Dallas). Dr. Chang oversees the hospital and ambulatory clinical care operations for Parkland Health. He also leads the medical staff office operations and graduate medical education program for the health system. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr. Chang supported Parkland's clinical team and provided community education through several hundred virtual events and presentations. He leads population health teams and earned the 2021 Gage Award for Covid-19 innovations from the National Hospital Association. He is a member of the obstetrics and gynecology faculty at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas as well.

Michael Chang, MD. System Chief Medical Officer and Associate Vice President for Medical Affairs at USA Health (Mobile, Ala.). As system chief medical officer of USA Health, Dr. Chang leads clinical, quality and safety initiatives across the 7,200-employee academic health system. Since his appointment in 2018, Dr. Chang has spearheaded efforts to improve care access, safety and efficiency, notably establishing a surgical quality program modeled after the American College of Surgeons’ best practices. He played a key role in USA Health’s 2023 acquisition of Providence Hospital in Mobile, managing medical staff and ensuring a smooth transition. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr. Chang served as USA Health’s chief adviser and public health spokesperson, providing regular updates and leadership. Under his guidance, USA Health reduced its serious safety event rate by over 70%, earning the HX Achievement Award for Serious Safety Event Rate Reduction.

Tina Cheng, MD. Chief Medical Officer at Cincinnati Children's. Dr. Cheng serves in three critical roles at Cincinnati Children's. She is chief medical officer, where she oversees clinical services across 750 beds, nearly 1.5 million outpatient visits, and 170,000 emergency and urgent care visits each year. She is a B.K. Rachford professor and chair of pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, where she oversees more than 1,000 faculty and medical staff across 38 specialty and research divisions. She is director of Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation, where she oversees nearly 500 research full-time equivalents and over 5,000 research staff. She greatly contributed to Cincinnati Children's clinical outcomes and culture of diversity, equity and inclusion, which in part led to the hospital being named the No. 1 Best Children’s Hospital by U.S. News and World Report in 2023. For 15 years, Dr. Cheng co-led the National Institutes of Health-funded D.C.-Baltimore Research Center on Child Health Disparities, the only center focused on children. An elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, she serves as vice chair of the membership committee for the section on pediatrics and obstetrics and gynecology, and on the forum for children’s wellbeing.

Robert Cherry, MD. Chief Medical and Quality Officer at UCLA Health (Los Angeles). Dr. Cherry is responsible for quality improvement across an academic health system that includes four hospitals and more than 270 outpatient clinics. The comprehensive program utilizes analytics and advanced computational techniques to enhance clinical quality and safety and improve patient experience. In part because of the program, UCLA Health has been a U.S. News & World Report national honor roll hospital during each year of Dr. Cherry’s tenure, starting in 2014, as well as a top academic health system across many of Vizient’s quality and accountability domains for clinical performance. Dr. Cherry also implemented real-time text messaging to outpatients after each clinical encounter. Approximately 250,000 responses are collected annually, providing feedback to guide rapid service-recovery efforts and contributing to enhanced patient experience. He also serves as chief quality officer for the entire University of California Health system, and several of its academic medical centers have been recognized as top performers in clinical quality and safety by Vizient, the Leapfrog Group and others. Dr. Cherry sits on several government and policy-focused boards, including the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission that advises Congress on Medicare payment policy.

Vincent Chiang, MD. Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Boston Children’s Hospital. With over 20 years of experience at Boston Children’s, Dr. Chiang helps lead the hospital and heads inpatient medical governance, including the management of patient flow and capacity across the campus, and provides leadership, management and support for all aspects of physician and clinical practice. He has a keen focus on patient safety and quality, ensuring patients and families receive the highest level of care. In addition to these critical hospital operational functions, he is an active member of the Behavioral Health Leadership Collaborative through Children’s Hospital Association, helping to build awareness, advocacy and action to address the ongoing behavioral health crisis. Prior to his hospital administrative role, he was a physician educator and served as both chief of hospital medicine and director of pediatric education for 20 years. He continues to work clinically as a pediatric hospitalist and pediatric emergency medicine physician and serves as the department of pediatrics vice chair of finance.

Chris Chisholm, MD. Chief Medical Officer for Central Puget Sound at Providence Swedish (Seattle). Dr. Chisholm serves as the chief medical officer for Providence Swedish's Central Puget Sound service area, which comprises four hospitals, more than 1,300 beds, an ambulatory care center and a freestanding emergency department. He leads a team focused on improving clinical quality, patient safety and experience, and hospital operations. Operational enhancements he has implemented have led to significant financial achievements, with the Swedish Transplant program saving $4 million across the past two years and a research program expansion pulling in $21 million in revenue. During his leadership tenure, Providence Swedish has seen an over 5% decrease in length of stay, infection rate decreases, and an improved operating income year over year. Immediately prior to taking on his current role in April 2022, Dr. Chisholm was chief medical officer for Swedish First Hill in Seattle.

Norman C. Christopher, MD. Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Pediatric Emergency Services for CHRISTUS Children’s Hospital (San Antonio, Texas). Dr. Christopher is chief medical officer and vice president of pediatric emergency services for CHRISTUS Children’s. In his role, he provides strategic leadership and direction, sets medical policies and oversees clinical practices. He ensures high-quality care delivery by utilizing talented medical staff, innovative practices and cutting-edge technology. Dr. Christopher is also deeply involved in pediatric research, promoting a culture of innovation within the hospital. His excellence in pediatrics has been recognized throughout the years via awards like the Elizabeth Spencer Ruppert Outstanding Pediatrician of the Year Award in 2017, awarded to him by the Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Dai Chung, MD. President and Chief Medical Executive at Children’s Health and UT Southwestern Joint Pediatric Enterprise (Dallas). Dr. Dai Chung is an academic pediatric surgeon with more than 25 years of clinical and leadership experience. In his role, Dr. Chung is responsible for strengthening clinical operations and bolstering partnerships across the joint pediatric enterprise and throughout the North Texas community. He works with clinical and executive leaders at Children's Health and UT Southwestern Medical Center to develop and execute strategies across all pediatric operations to improve the overall quality, cost and efficiency of care for the growing North Texas pediatric population. Dr. Chung’s extensive leadership and clinical experience propels the system to success, and under his leadership, U.S. News & World Report consistently names Children's Medical Center Dallas as one of the top pediatric hospitals nationally.

Scott Corcoran, MD. Chief Medical Officer for St. Joseph Medical Center (Kansas City, Mo.). Dr. Corcoran brings extensive experience in emergency medicine and leadership to his role as CMO of St. Joseph Medical Center. He is double board-certified in emergency medicine and emergency medical services. In addition to his CMO role, he serves as the hospital's emergency department medical director and stroke medical director. Prior to joining St. Joseph, he held key healthcare leadership roles, including emergency medical services medical director for Lucas (Texas) Fire and Rescue and emergency department medical director in McKinney, Texas. Dr. Corcoran has been pivotal in improving stroke care and emergency department efficiency at St. Joseph. He focuses on fostering a medical culture of communication, compassion and quality, ensuring patients receive top-tier care.

Michael Cuffe, MD. Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer at HCA Healthcare (Nashville, Tenn.). Dr. Cuffe joined HCA Healthcare in 2011 as president and chief executive officer of physician services. After serving in this role for 10 years, he was appointed chief clinical officer in January 2022. He now oversees clinical agendas for the system's 13,000 employed physicians. Before joining HCA, he served as chief medical officer and vice president for ambulatory services at Durham, N.C.-based Duke University Health System. 

Reka Danko, MD. Chief Medical Officer for Saint Mary's Health Network (Reno, Nev.). Dr. Danko is chief medical officer and hospitalist medical director at Saint Mary's Health Network, where she leads with a focus on clinical operations, the improvement of critical hospital performance metrics, and physician and payer relations. Throughout her tenure, she has improved physician relations, reduced length of stay, improved patient care documentation and more. Outside of the hospital, she serves as a senior physician advisor for the United States Acute Care Solutions, a peer reviewer for the Nevada State Medical Board, a clinical professor for the University of Nevada School of Medicine, and a published author with two textbook chapters to her name. 

Ramin Davidoff, MD. Executive Medical Director and Board Chair for the Southern California Permanente Medical Group (Pasadena). Dr. Davidoff is executive medical director and board chair for one of the largest self-governing medical groups in the country, consisting of more than 8,000 physicians who care for more than 4.6 million patients at 221 medical offices and 15 medical centers across Southern California. Dr. Davidoff also serves as chair of the board and CEO of The Southeast Permanente Medical Group in Georgia and as a board member of the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine. He is also chair and CEO of the Hawaii Permanente Medical Group. In addition, he is co-CEO of The Permanente Federation. Under Dr. Davidoff’s leadership, The Permanente Federation has built on and spread understanding in national forums of the organization's team-based approach to alleviate the national physician shortage. Team-based care helps with medication management and leverages technologies that route messages to the right physician, clinician or staff member so every care team member practices at the top of their license. He has also advocated on Capitol Hill for protecting and advancing value-based care.

Octavio Diaz, MD. Chief Medical Officer of Steward Health Care System (Dallas). With his extensive clinical and physician executive background in both academic and nonacademic institutions, Dr. Diaz brings an expanding healthcare management experience to his current role. He is responsible for physician performance, quality outcomes, regulatory oversight, risk management and patient safety at all the system's facilities. He strives to provide direct support to providers as they navigate new technology tools and electronic health records.

Michael DiStefano, MD. Chief Medical Officer for Children’s Hospital Colorado, Southern Region (Colorado Springs). Dr. DiStefano serves as the chief medical officer for Children’s Hospital Colorado's Southern Region, which includes a 115-bed pediatric tertiary hospital, ambulatory specialty clinics and an outpatient behavioral health facility. He handles quality and safety for the region, in addition to medical staff office operations. In the community, he leads the pediatric response to address public health priorities, emergency medical services and law enforcement. His primary accomplishment has been helping to launch the freestanding pediatric hospital, bringing quality care to an underserved area. In just the first year after its launch, the hospital treated over 40,000 patients and performed more than 4,000 surgeries. Since then, the surgical volume has grown 35% in five years.

John Dorsey, MD. Chief Medical Officer, Vice President of Physician Services and Designated Institutional Official at Mercyhealth (Rockford, Ill.). Dr. Dorsey's leadership can be seen throughout Mercyhealth's seven hospitals and 85 primary and specialty care locations. MercyHealth offers more than 125 specialty and subspecialty services. He is also designated institutional official of of Mercyhealth graduate medical education consortium.

Peggy Duggan, MD. Executive Vice President, Chief Physician Executive and Chief Medical Officer of Tampa (Fla.) General Hospital. Dr. Duggan is executive vice president, chief physician executive and chief medical officer for Tampa General Hospital, which comprises 981 beds, six hospitals, over 150 care locations and more than 14,000 team members. In her role, she oversees all functions related to physicians, patient care, quality, safety and patient experience. She is also a practicing physician and senior member of the breast oncology program at the TGH Cancer Institute. Dr. Duggan is responsible for spearheading multiple innovative programs, including the implementation of Schwartz Rounds for improved caregiver-patient relations, the revolutionization of the hospital's sepsis management through an early warning system, and a push for Tampa General to foster safety and consistency by becoming a Collaborative High Reliability Organization. 

Christopher Dussel, MD. Chief Medical Officer of University Hospitals Parma (Ohio) Medical Center. Dr. Dussel is 335-bed University Hospitals Parma Medical Center's chief medical officer, a role that blends clinical expertise with administrative acumen to ensure quality healthcare delivery. As the most senior clinical executive, Dr. Dussel leads all medical staff, enforces adherence to best practice, implements clinical policies, oversees recruitment and retention of medical personnel, monitors quality of care, manages the medical department's budget, helps develop crisis response tactics, assists with strategic planning, and much more. During his tenure, he has been instrumental in recruiting over 50 physicians, improving patient satisfaction scores, reducing infection and mortality rates, and leading efforts to earn Leapfrog patient safety "A" ratings and a 5-star rating from CMS.

Teri Dyess, MD. Chief Medical Officer for at St. Dominic's Hospital (Jackson, Miss.). Dr. Dyess, CMO of St. Dominic Hospital, has over 11 years of experience with the institution, overseeing critical areas like quality, infection control and case management. A fellow of the American College of Physicians, she serves as a physician liaison, supporting initiatives that improve clinical operations and patient care. Dr. Dyess, who was named CMO in November 2023 after previously serving as co-CMO, is credited with expanding the hospital medicine program at St. Dominic from two physicians to 60. Her innovative approaches, such as bedside rounding and the creation of a nocturnist program, have been key to the program’s success. Beyond her administrative duties, Dr. Dyess remains a practicing hospitalist and actively contributes to state-level health initiatives.

Tracy Ekhardt, MD. Chief Medical Officer of UnityPoint Health – Des Moines (West Des Moines, Iowa). Dr. Ekhardt is responsible for the performance and effectiveness of the areas of quality, utilization management, clinical risk management and serves as the institutional official for the Institutional Review Board. Dr. Ekhardt also collaborates with physician executives in similar roles across UnityPoint Health to develop enterprisewide policies and programs dedicated to improving the quality and utilization of medical services and resources. Under Dr. Ekhardt’s leadership, UnityPoint Health – Des Moines added a new emergency medicine residency program, restructured the medical staff to reflect the work done as a combined medical staff responsible for multiple campuses, and facilitated a 30% improvement over benchmark in infection rates. Dr. Ekhardt has been with UnityPoint Health since 2006, serving in roles of progressive responsibility. She started her time with UnityPoint Health as a pediatric critical care attending physician at Blank Children's Hospital in Des Moines.

Julia Faller, DO. Chief Medical Officer at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center (Buffalo, N.Y.). An anesthesiologist and physician leader, Dr. Faller joined Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in 2009. Her incisiveness and creativity help ensure high-quality, effective, patient-centered cancer care across many teams and disciplines. Promoted from chief of perioperative services to CMO in February 2024, she builds on close collaboration and insights from leadership of numerous clinical care committees. She led Roswell Park's medical staff from 2019-22 and was clinical director of the University at Buffalo’s Behling Simulation Center 2013-22. During this time, she was instrumental in Roswell Park’s effective response to Covid-19. Outside of the hospital setting, she has been active for the last four years in the weeklong Empire State Ride cycling event to raise the funds to transform innovative ideas into next-generation cancer cures.

Daniel Feinberg, MD. Chief Medical Officer of Pennsylvania Hospital (Philadelphia). With an innovative and interdisciplinary approach, Dr. Feinberg has served as CMO for Pennsylvania Hospital at Penn Medicine since 2010. He leads clinical informatics, graduate medical education and advanced practice provider programs for the $800 million organization. In his role, he handles quality and process enhancement, patient safety and regulatory compliance. His ultimate goal is to deliver excellent healthcare value to patients spanning the care continuum. 

Stanley Fiel, MD. Chief Medical Officer at Morristown (N.J.) Medical Center. As chief medical officer, Dr. Fiel plays a leading role in the medical program development of all medical subspecialty areas, strategic growth and development of the health system, and the management, cultivation and motivation of staff. Under his leadership, Morristown Medical Center was the only hospital in New Jersey named as one of Healthgrades' 50 Best Hospitals for eight consecutive years and one of Newsweek's World’s Best Hospitals. He also led the hospital to be ranked as the top hospital with more than 350 beds in New Jersey by Castle Connolly and earned an "A" hospital safety grade from Leapfrog fifteen consecutive times. Dr. Fiel is a fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians and the American College of Physicians and is a member of the American Thoracic Society and other professional societies. He also serves as a professor at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.

Neil Fishman, MD. Chief Medical Officer of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia). For over six years, Dr. Fishman has served as CMO for the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He is also board certified in internal medicine and infectious disease. He specializes in healthcare infection control and epidemiology. He is a past chair of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's healthcare infection control practices advisory committee.

Richard Fogel, MD. Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer for Ascension (St. Louis). Dr. Fogel has served as executive vice president and chief clinical officer for Ascension since 2022. He brings a breadth of clinical and operational experience to the role, along with a passion for providing personalized care to all patients. In addition to championing quality and safety improvements and practices, he has overseen the design of flexible physician alignment strategies and service lines, and the development of an Ascension-wide clinical research infrastructure. A practicing staff cardiologist and electrophysiologist, Dr. Fogel has also served as chief clinical officer for Ascension Indiana. He has a long history of leadership in Indiana and has also led numerous Ascension committees, including as chair of the Ascension clinical integration committee.

Keith Foster, MD. Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Medical Affairs at Baptist Bethesda East and West Hospitals (Boynton Beach, Fla.). Dr. Foster oversees medical operations for Baptist Bethesda East and West Hospitals, ensuring high standards of patient care and fostering a collaborative environment for team members. In addition, he is associate dean for academic affairs and clinical affiliate assistant professor at Florida Atlantic University School of Medicine, actively shaping the next generation of medical professionals. Outside of his leadership roles, he is a published researcher with work on monoclonal antibodies for Covid-19 published in The American Journal of Medicine. Prior to joining Baptist Bethesda, Dr. Foster was regional chief medical officer for Broward Health North in Deerfield Beach, Fla.

Harris Frankel, MD. Chief Medical and External Affairs Officer at Nebraska Medicine (Omaha). Dr. Frankel has more than three decades of leadership experience in physician practice, hospital and health system settings. In addition to his roles for Nebraska Medicine, Dr. Frankel is an associate professor in the neurological sciences department for the University of Nebraska Medical Center and maintains an active neurology patient practice. As chief medical officer, Dr. Frankel serves as a resource to both administration and providers, working to ensure the diverse interests of Nebraska Medicine’s more than 1,000-member medical staff are represented in health system initiatives and decisions. He oversees and engages with physician leadership to promote improvement in the physician experience such that Nebraska Medicine’s physician burnout rate is well below the Association of American Medical Colleges rate. He leads development of Nebraska Medicine’s strategic clinical relationships across the state and shares his expertise statewide on matters of health policy and regulation. Through Dr. Frankel’s strong leadership in patient quality and safety, Nebraska Medicine’s primary academic medical center and community hospital affiliate achieved top quartile and top decile performances respectively on the Vizient quality and accountability scorecard.

Ernest Franklin, MD. Senior Vice President and Chief Clinical Operations Officer at Tenet Healthcare (Dallas). Dr. Franklin joined Tenet Healthcare in 2019 after eight years at Baylor Scott & White Health, also based in Dallas. There, he spent time as senior vice president of clinical value and integration. Dr. Franklin also oversaw surgical and ancillary services for Baylor Scott & White Health and previously served as a consultant with McKinsey & Company for six years.

Dean French, MD. Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at ScionHealth (Louisville, Ken.) Dr. French is the first chief medical officer for ScionHealth, which was established in 2021. He leads the system's strategic efforts to be a national leader in quality and patient safety while supporting a nationwide team of approximately 25,000 caregivers and healthcare professionals across 76 long-term acute care specialty hospitals and 18 short-term acute care community hospitals. In 2023, Dr. French oversaw the creation and implementation of ScionHealth’s first national quality program, which established standards and categories of measurement for clinical quality at all 94 hospitals. Dr. French has continued the commitment of ScionHealth certifications from The Joint Commission. Nearly all of ScionHealth’s 60 Kindred Hospitals have at least one Joint Commission certification, most commonly in respiratory failure or sepsis, and many have more than one. In addition to his career as a physician leader, Dr. French served in the U.S. Army Special Forces in both active and reserve duty for nearly nine years.

Joseph M. Galante, MD. Chief Medical Officer of UC Davis Medical Center (Sacramento, Calif.). Dr. Galante leads and directs the professional portion of the 646-bed acute care teaching hospital's clinical delivery system and serves as a liaison between the hospital, school of medicine and the self-governed medical staff. He also is the medical center's senior officer for patient safety and quality. He leads clinical affairs for 10 departments across the medical center, handles funds-flow between the hospital and medical school, and manages quality and operational enhancements. 

Orlando Garcia, DO. Chief Medical Officer at Jackson South Medical Center (Miami). In his role, Dr. Garcia oversees the daily operations of Jackson South Medical Center. Dr. Garcia has multiple publications residing in The Journal of Laryngology and Otology, The Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry, and in Analytical Chemistry. Dr. Garcia has been involved with countless community service projects, striving to better the greater area of Miami-Dade, and to this day participates in Emmaus Medical Missions.

Renee Garrick, MD. Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Westchester Medical Center Health Network (Valhalla, N.Y.). As chief medical officer of WMCHealth, Dr. Garrick is responsible for the oversight of WMCHealth’s medical staff and clinical programs. As a practicing nephrologist and a professor of clinical medicine with more than 35 years of experience, Dr. Garrick supplies an expert perspective that drives WMCHealth's best practices. During Dr. Garrick's tenure, the health system has grown from three hospitals on one campus to a network with services provided at nine hospitals found on seven campuses. Her achievements include pioneering a networkwide credentialing and communication system that connects the medical staffs of all WMCHealth hospitals to improve operational integration and enables physicians on staff at other hospitals to secure associate privileges at the flagship Westchester Medical Center. Dr. Garrick has helped WMCHealth obtain several million dollars in grants to support these critical initiatives.

Surabhi Gaur, MD. Chief Medical Officer of Bon Secours Mercy Health's Greenville (S.C.) Market. From January 2021 on, Dr. Gaur has served as CMO for Bon Secours Mercy Health's Greenville market. Her role entails oversight of acute care operations at Judson, S.C.-based St. Francis Downtown and Greenville, S.C.-based St. Francis Eastside hospitals. Previously, she was CMO for Uniontown (Pa.) Hospital. In addition, she is an emergency medicine physician.

Shai Gavi, DO. Chief Medical Officer at Atlantic Medical Group (Morristown, N.J.). Dr. Gavi is chief medical officer for Atlantic Medical Group, part of a physician enterprise that makes up one of the largest multispecialty practices in New Jersey, with 1,600 clinicians across 455 practice sites. He leads Atlantic Medical Group’s five regional councils for the 30 work groups within the practice, each led by medical directors from the region. Dr. Gavi was previously the system medical director of hospital medicine for Atlantic Health System, the parent organization of Atlantic Medical Group. Under his leadership, the hospitalist program successfully transitioned from five individual programs to an integrated and unified systemwide effort. Under his guidance, Atlantic Medical Group continues to grow, adding 11 new practice sites throughout New Jersey in 2023.

Chris Ghaemmaghami, MD. Executive Vice President, Chief Physician Executive, and Chief Clinical Officer at Jackson Health System (Miami). Dr. Ghaemmaghami, whose medical background is in emergency medicine, works closely with Jackson's hospital-based chief medical officers, and oversees clinical strategic development, research and grants, quality, safety, risk, regulatory affairs, medical staff services, and graduate medical education. He also works with UHealth – University of Miami Health System in continuing to develop streamlined care delivery models across both organizations. He has an extensive history of working compassionately and competently with a diverse patient population, and has a focus on quality, safety and effective communication.

Jonathan Gleason, MD. Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer of Prisma Health (Greenville, S.C.). Dr. Gleason stepped into his role in January 2022. He is responsible for the enterprise leadership of the medical group, clinical quality, patient safety, clinical integration and optimization, and the academic enterprise. Prior to joining Prisma, Dr. Gleason was executive vice president and chief clinical officer, endowed James D. and Mary Jo Danella chief quality officer, and chair of JeffCare Network board at Jefferson Health in Philadelphia.

Sandip Godambe, MD, PhD. Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs at Children’s Hospital of Orange County (Calif.). Dr. Godambe leads activities involving medical staff, quality, patient safety, regulatory affairs, performance excellence, and risk and accreditation for the pediatric healthcare system. Since joining Children's Hospital of Orange County in 2021, he has launched several initiatives to enhance continuous process improvements, integrate services and people enterprisewide, and address physician and staff burnout. As a former senior advisor with the Baldridge Performance Excellence Program and an improvement advisor and fellow with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, he created a formal improvement science curriculum branded “CHOC Way.” Practical training, mentorship and consulting in improvement science is provided to empower physicians and staff to enhance clinical outcomes, patient care access, and the patient and family experience. He is also helping lead CHOC’s efforts to cultivate a happy and empowered workforce utilizing the institute's "joy in work" framework. Dr. Godambe has contributed to the public’s knowledge in emergency medicine, quality and immunology by authoring numerous publications. He is an editor of the 2017 Pediatric Emergency Medicine Question Book and the 2019 5-Minute Fleisher and Ludwig's Pediatric Emergency Medicine Consult.

David Gonzales, MD. Chief Medical Officer of Christus St. Vincent (Sante Fe, N.M.). Since accepting the role of CMO in 2020, Dr. Gonzales has been responsible for quality, safety, and risk, as well as infection control and physician relations, for the Christus St. Vincent Health System. Prior to his appointment, he served on the board of directors there for seven years and was president of the medical staff. Dr. Gonzales' expertise is in inpatient operational processes as they pertain to quality and patient satisfaction. He serves on the governor’s medical advisory team and oversees the delivery of patient care by over 400 medical staff members, serving more than 300,000 people across seven counties in northern New Mexico.

Timothy Groover, MD. Senior Vice President and System Chief Medical Officer at Baptist Health (Jacksonville, Fla.). Dr. Groover oversees the full scope of physician practice across the only nonprofit, locally governed health system in Northeast Florida. In 2014, Dr. Groover became the first African American physician to be elected to the board of directors of Baptist Health, the largest private health system in Jacksonville, Fla. During his 25-year tenure as a physician leader at Baptist Health, he has served in many leadership roles, including chief of staff of Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville, chief of the department of anesthesiology, medical board and executive committee chair.

Jacques L. Guillot, MD. Chief Medical Officer for Lakeview Hospital (Covington, La.). Dr. Guillot is chief medical officer for Lakeview Hospital, part of Tulane Medical Center. He brings 22 years of experience in primary care, hospital medicine and hospital leadership, having first joined Lakeview Circle Primary Care in 2008. Over the course of his career, he has worked with administration to raise employee satisfaction, enhance physician relations and improve the hospital's core measures. 

Kristy Haggett, MD. Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Medical Affairs at SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital–St. Charles and Wentzville (St. Louis). Dr. Haggett oversees medical staff affairs, quality safety and regulatory affairs at SSM Health campuses. She collaborates with medical staff leaders to enhance patient outcomes, reduce readmissions and improve the patient experience. She works closely with the emergency department, hospital medicine and critical care teams to improve care transitions. Dr. Haggett has also played a key role in developing a new care model for behavioral health patients. Her previous roles include chair of the department of pediatrics at SSM Health St. Clare Hospital in Fenton, Mo. and medical director of SSM Health Glennon Care Pediatrics in St. Louis.

Lakshmi Halasyamani, MD. Chief Clinical Officer of Endeavor Health (Evanston, Ill.). Dr. Halasyamani is responsible for developing clinical quality and patient safety strategy for Endeavor Health's nine hospitals and its 300-location multispecialty group practice. She leads the system's health equity strategy, focused on providing consumer-centric care and boosting access to care. When the pandemic began, Dr. Halasyamani spearheaded partnerships with community members, educators and faith leaders to develop interactive programs that combated misinformation and connected people with needed resources.

Mandy Grubb Halford, MD. Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer and Chief Medical Informatics Officer at Covenant Health (Knoxville, Tenn.). Dr. Halford has served as Covenant's inaugural chief medical informatics officer since 2016 and took on the role of chief medical officer in 2023. Dr. Halford is a key leader for the system's 11,000-plus employees, physicians and volunteers and has played a significant role in quality improvement at the health system. In 2023, Covenant had its best year in history for clinical quality measures, including harm event reduction, with a 19% decrease in harm events in the last year. Beginning during her tenure as CMIO and continuing in her CMO role, Dr. Halford has been responsible for many initiatives that have greatly benefitted the health system. She helped lead the implementation of Covenant Health's integrated EHR, including workflow design, staff and physician training, and oversight of system communications as the project progressed. Dr. Halford also was instrumental in launching Covenant Health’s new family medicine residency program in 2023-24.

Stephanie Hall, MD. Chief Medical Officer at Keck Hospital of USC and USC Norris Cancer Hospital (Los Angeles). Dr. Hall works closely with physicians, interprofessional clinical staff and medical center leadership to drive initiatives in support of the organization's strategic priorities. Since Dr. Hall started in her role in 2013, she has overseen effective, innovative safety improvements throughout the hospitals. The hospitals are primarily surgical hospitals providing tertiary care, treating the highest case mix index among academic medical centers. Her leadership has led to achievements including earning Keck Hospital of USC its first-ever overall 5-star CMS quality rating and guiding Norris Cancer Hospital to be named Leapfrog Top Teaching Hospital for three years in a row. Dr. Hall also maintains her associate professorship of clinical emergency medicine in the USC department of emergency medicine. She also serves as associate dean for clinical affairs for the Keck Medical Center.

Kamran Hamid, MD. Chief Medical Officer of Gottlieb Memorial Hospital (Melrose Park, Ill.). Dr. Hamid, CMO at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, leads a team of 700 medical professionals. He also manages an active orthopaedic surgery practice that specializes in trauma and foot and ankle procedures. He has spearheaded a strategic focus on acute care and ambulatory surgery at the hospital, restructuring physician roles and improving staffing to enhance patient admissions during non-peak hours. Under his leadership, the hospital has expanded its emergency and hospitalist services, providing comprehensive care that includes rehabilitation and skilled nursing. The hospital has also pioneered minimally invasive treatments for focal prostate cancer and advanced its robotic surgery capabilities. Dr. Hamid, recognized for his surgical mentorship, received the “Teacher of the Year” award at Chicago-based Rush University Medical Center in 2020.

Robert Hart, MD. Chief Physician Executive at Ochsner Health and President of Ochsner Clinic (New Orleans). Dr. Hart leads the medical staff and builds relationships between Ochsner’s varied stakeholders to promote a cohesive strategy among Ochsner’s group practice, affiliated physicians and advanced practice providers. He is also responsible for integrating and aligning Ochsner’s more than 4,700 employed, affiliated and independent physicians at the organization’s teaching facilities, community hospitals and clinics. In 2017, he helped to launch Ochsner's chief wellness officer role in response to ongoing provider burnout rates. 

J. Edward Hartle, MD. Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Geisinger (Danville, Pa.). Dr. Hartle is at the forefront of rethinking healthcare models and leads Geisinger’s continued development of value-based care that emphasizes health and wellness. He oversaw the inception of Geisinger’s 65 Forward program, which offers the Medicare-age population affordable, high-quality care, along with fitness and socialization. Geisinger’s 11 65 Forward Health Centers have lowered hospitalization rates by 15% and emergency department visit rates by 40% for seniors, and the clinics see exceptional patient experience scores in the 97th percentile. He also led Geisinger’s primary care redesign with clinics staffed by interdisciplinary teams that elevate the level of care patients receive, including longer appointments and intermediate care services like IV infusions and behavioral health services available in the clinic. The redesign is also focused on EHR solutions, enabling physicians to spend more time with patients and less time on administrative tasks that contribute to burnout.

John Heaton, MD. President and Chief Medical Officer of LCMC Health (New Orleans). Dr. Heaton is a passionate advocate for patient safety and quality care delivery systems. In his role as president and CMO of LCMC Health, he manages various clinical and operational areas while providing medical expertise and operational experience to departments of quality, case management and population health. Prior to his current position, he served as senior vice president and CMO for Children's Hospital in New Orleans.

James Helstrom, MD. Chief Medical Officer of Fox Chase Cancer Center (Philadelphia). Dr. Helstrom brings a focus on patient safety and quality outcomes to his role as CMO for Fox Chase Cancer Center. Since taking on the role in 2014, he has provided leadership, direction and planning for all of the hospital's clinical activities. He also actively supervises quality, process and performance improvement programs, as well as the tumor registry and clinical analytics. Following incidents that threaten patient safety, Dr. Helstrom employs a root cause analysis process to address and correct potential sources of risk in the clinic. In addition to his executive role, he is a practicing anesthesiologist. 

Victor Herrera, MD. Senior Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer for AdventHealth’s Central Florida Division (Altamonte Springs). Dr. Herrera oversees clinical operations and quality of care for AdventHealth’s Central Florida Division, which encompasses 17 hospitals and emergency rooms, including AdventHealth Orlando. Dr. Herrera is responsible for achieving top patient safety and quality performance across the network, which is among the largest CMS providers in the U.S. He successfully led multidisciplinary teams on clinical transformation initiatives, and serves as the medical leader of AdventHealth’s Transformational AI advisory board. This accelerator was formed as part of AdventHealth’s breakthrough commitment to AI and machine learning that supports clinical decision-making. His leadership and experience in this arena are not only being used to elevate standards of care today, but also in the future through his mentorship of residents and medical students. He also continues to serve as assistant director of AdventHealth's internal medicine residency program. Under Dr. Herrera’s leadership, AdventHealth Orlando was named the top hospital in Florida by Healthgrades, and U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks the Orlando campus and several of its specialties among the nation’s best.

K. Sarah Hoehn, MD. Chief Medical Officer of La Rabida Children's Hospital (Chicago). In 2022, Dr. Hoehn became CMO for La Rabida Children's Hospital. She is responsible for facilitating the delivery of safe, high-quality, patient-centric care throughout the whole entire care continuum. Before joining the hospital's executive leadership team, she was a member of the medical staff since 2019. She is board-certified in pediatric critical care medicine, pediatrics, pediatric hospice and palliative medicine. 

Gene Hong, MD. Chief Physician Executive of MUSC Health and MUSC Physicians (Charleston, S.C.). Dr. Hong is the highest ranking physician at MUSC Health, a system that has tripled in size over the past four years. He is a co-champion of the system's 18 clinical service lines. The academic physician practice plan, for which Dr. Hong serves as CEO, has seen clinical revenue growth of 38% over the past five years. He is a leading authority on concussions, cardiac issues in athletes, overuse injuries and sports-injury prevention. He previously served at Drexel University in Philadelphia as an endowed chair and professor in the department of family, community and preventive medicine. Dr. Hong also served as chief of the division of primary care sports medicine, chair of the Drexel University physician board, and associate dean for primary care and community health at the university.

Jonathan Huntington, MD, PhD. Chief Medical Officer for Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (Lebanon, N.H.). Dr. Huntington was named CMO for Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in February 2021. He is currently an assistant professor of medicine at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and works clinically as a hospitalist. He is responsible for clinical and physician-related tasks and, in partnership with the CNO and senior vice president for clinical operations, oversees and coordinates cross-disciplinary hospital functions and applies system policies related to physicians. As a co-leader of Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center's Throughput Access for Patients Project, he aims to maximize efficiency and throughput in the medical center to ensure exceptional service for patients.

Syed Hussain, MD. Senior Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer at Trinity Health Of New England (Hartford, Conn.). Dr. Hussain is responsible for the system's clinical service lines, quality and patient safety, risk, care management, medical staff affairs, community health and wellbeing, working to ensure the most vulnerable communities have access to care. He is also the accountable executive for Trinity Health's Epic EHR implementation in the region. Under his leadership, Trinity hospitals in Connecticut and Massachusetts have earned notable Leapfrog grades and CMS star ratings year after year. Dr. Hussain also serves as a representative from the region on clinical excellence councils.

William "Bill" Isenberg, MD, PhD. Vice President and Chief Medical and Quality Officer at Sutter Health (Sacramento, Calif.). Dr. Isenberg's position at Sutter Health entails overseeing the provision of safe, high-quality care for over 3 million patients across 22 acute care hospitals, 33 ambulatory surgery centers and various other facilities. Under his leadership, Sutter launched the high reliability training program Sutter Safe Care and applied safe care prevention tools that help physicians reduce harm to patients. He also guides Sutter’s Institute for Advancing Health Equity, which was launched in 2020 to help eliminate health disparities. He has been a key figure in the creation, implementation and evolution of Sutter's EHR since 2007, and oversees the use of clinical informatics to gather data that enhances patient care and the clinician experience. Dr. Isenberg is also a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist, serves on the board of directors for the Hospital Quality Institute of California, and co-chairs the Healthcare Committee of the Bay Area Council.

Amir K. Jaffer. Regional Chief Medical Officer for SSM Health–St. Louis Region. Dr. Jaffer oversees eight hospitals in the St. Louis region, including St. Louis University Hospital and Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital, where he focuses on improving clinical performance, operational efficiency and physician leadership. His strategic vision for integrating innovative practices has enhanced patient outcomes and staff engagement across SSM Health. A proponent of evidence-based learning, Dr. Jaffer fosters a collaborative environment among physicians and nurses, mentoring future leaders and inspiring excellence in care. Prior to his current role, Dr. Jaffer led transformative efforts at New York-Presbyterian Queens, where his leadership resulted in a significant improvement in quality ratings and a reduction in hospital-acquired conditions.

Zafar Jamkhana, MD. Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Medical Affairs for SSM Health St. Louis University Hospital and St. Mary’s Hospital. As CMO of SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital and St. Mary’s Hospital, Dr. Jamkhana has successfully aligned the two hospitals into a unified academic platform, improving patient care and operational efficiency. He strategically harmonizes service lines between both hospitals, enhancing access and care while advancing clinical services and interdisciplinary collaboration. Under his leadership, Saint Louis University Hospital achieved a significant rise in its Vizient ranking, driven by data-driven quality improvement, patient safety initiatives and evidence-based practices. Dr. Jamkhana’s work in reducing hospital-acquired infections and optimizing post-surgical outcomes has led to notable improvements in safety and care quality. In his dual role as system medical director for critical care, he has implemented the ABCDEF bundle across ICUs, further enhancing critical care outcomes and compliance with safety guidelines.

Gregory Johnson, MD. Chief Medical Officer for UnityPoint Health (West Des Moines, Iowa). As CMO for UnityPoint Health, Dr. Johnson leads initiatives in quality of care, patient experience, safety and service line development across the organization's three-state system. He has played a crucial role in advancing sepsis care, leading a multidisciplinary team that implemented systemwide efficiencies and evidence-based practices, reducing sepsis mortality, disease progression and readmissions. Under his leadership, the organization improved patient outcomes, including a reduction in length of stay. Dr. Johnson is a fellow in several medical societies and serves on the board of Mary’s Place, a homelessness solution in Seattle. He joined UnityPoint Health in July 2024, following his role at Sound Physicians in Tacoma, Wash.

Gurjeet Kalkat, MD. Chief Medical Officer of Emanate Health (Covina, Calif.). As chief medical officer, Dr. Kalkat drives clinical and quality improvement initiatives across Emanate Health, a nonprofit healthcare system comprised of three hospitals, a home care and over 20 ambulatory sites in the San Gabriel Valley. With over 40 years of experience in the medical field, Dr. Kalkat brings a wealth of experience to his role as CMO. He has served the local community for over 30 years as a pulmonary and critical care specialist and held various leadership roles during his career, such as medical director and chief of staff. In his current role, Dr. Kalkat leads the charge in providing integrated, quality and efficient care to the community.

Jill Kalman, MD. Executive Vice President, Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Physician-in-Chief of Northwell Health (New Hyde Park, N.Y.). Dr. Kalman is responsible for overseeing all clinical aspects at Northwell Health, a system that consists of 21 hospitals and 85,000 employees. She took on her role at Northwell in 2021, becoming the first female chief medical officer in the system’s history. One of her focuses is burnout prevention in clinicians and physicians. She also plays an active role in finding solutions to gun violence prevention, immigration, insurance or other policy issues. She and her team are currently researching how to incorporate cloud services and AI into care in order to improve patient outcomes. She hopes to use AI to identify women who are at high risk for maternal complications and to pinpoint comorbidities that may impact patient outcomes. Before taking on her current role, she served as executive director of Lenox Hill Hospital In New York City.

James Keller, MD. Chief Medical Officer of Advocate Lutheran General Hospital (Park Ridge, Ill.). Since January 2020, Dr. Keller has served as CMO of Advocate Lutheran General Hospital. He is an advocate for outstanding patient care and service. He is also a physician specializing in maternal-fetal medicine, blending clinical expertise with administrative excellence. Until March 2023, he was vice president of medical management, maternal fetal medicine for Advocate Children's Hospital, also in Park Ridge. 

Shaun Kemmerly, MD. Chief Medical Officer for Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital (Baton Rouge, La.). Dr. Kemmerly, CMO at Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital, leads quality and safety initiatives for pediatric care. Overseeing 50 pediatric specialists and 60 general pediatricians, she drives the development of clinical programs, from specialist recruitment to healthcare quality improvements. With nearly 16 years at Baton Rouge, La.-based Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System, including 11 as CMO, she played a crucial role in the planning and operations of the hospital, which opened in 2019. Dr. Kemmerly was instrumental during the Covid-19 pandemic, collaborating with the Louisiana Department of Health to advocate for vaccination. In 2023, she received the Louisiana Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics "Master Pediatrician Award" for her contributions to pediatric care.

Ron Keren, MD. Senior Vice President and System Chief Medical Officer at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. Keren provides physician leadership for quality and operational excellence activities across the enterprise. He is the founding leader of the Center for Healthcare Quality and Analytics, home to several teams that support a large portfolio of projects focused on safety, quality improvement, human factors engineering, clinical pathways, antimicrobial stewardship, data and analytics. The Clinical Pathways Program publishes and maintains the largest collection of pediatric care protocols, used by tens of thousands of clinicians around the world. Early in the pandemic, he led an effort to administer Covid-19 vaccines to more than 19,000 Philadelphia school personnel, an accomplishment for which CHOP won first place in the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania’s Covid Response Innovation Awards. Dr. Keren is recipient of Penn Medicine’s Alfred Stengel Health System Champion Award, which recognizes a physician who has made significant contributions toward clinical integration, efficiency and quality of care. Before moving into healthcare administration, he was founding director of the Center for Pediatric Clinical Effectiveness, a CHOP Research Institute center dedicated to advancing clinical research for children. He is also the deputy editor of JAMA Pediatrics. 

Anil Keswani, MD. Corporate Vice President and Chief Medical and Operations Officer of Ambulatory Care at Scripps Health (San Diego). Dr. Keswani serves as CMO of ambulatory services at Scripps affiliated medical groups, seven major clinical service lines, post-acute care, population health management, executive health and value-based care, including managed care and ACOs. He works side by side with co-CMO Ghazala Sharieff, MD. During his time in the role, Dr. Keswani has established a population health model of care that is built around improved access to care, a robust patient navigation system, better patient data analytics and a higher level of patient engagement by physicians. He also built out and deployed telehealth services for Scripps. He leads Scripps' custom health plan, which offers patients enhanced electronic scheduling and messaging with medical professions, as well as shorter scheduling wait times.

Jennifer Khelil, DO. Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Virtua Health (Marlton, N.J.). Dr. Khelil focuses on reliability, quality, safety and patient outcomes for Virtua Health. She provides leadership for both physician services and medical affairs. She also helped to lead Virtua's affiliation with Rowan University in 2022. She has helped establish capacity for 70 to 80 undergraduate students to concurrently learn at Virtua’s campuses, representing more than 400 rotations to date. She is dedicated to the holistic needs of her employees, including making a range of resources available to address clinician burnout, work-life balance and evolving care models. Prior to the Rowan affiliation, Dr. Khelil was a guiding force for Virtua in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. She remains an active member of the system's pandemic advisory team, which works on health system planning and response efforts. 

Joe B. Kim, MD. Chief Medical Officer at MemorialCare Long Beach (Calif.) Medical Center. Dr. Kim provides leadership for more than 1,200 affiliated physicians at MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center. He partners with leaders across the organization to ensure the delivery of high-quality and safe clinical care at the hospital and health system. Among many other change management initiatives, he led the improvement of clinical efficiency and throughput over the past year, resulting in a decrease of 0.7 days in average length of stay over a four-month period. Additionally, by formalizing and recruiting a sepsis manager and physician champion, compliance with early recognition and management of sepsis improved 40%. Efforts to include surgical throughout increased compliance with first case on time starts by 25% and decreased same day cancellation rate by 38%. Dr. Kim's leadership on the system's pain best practice team has significantly improved safe and effective opioid use at the system level, earning MemorialCare a spot on the Cal Hospital California Opioid Care Honor Roll for two consecutive years. He previously served as CMO and vice president of medical affairs at Dignity Health California Hospital Medical Center in Los Angeles, helping the team nearly double its improvement in service line quality goals and significantly increasing the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems overall ratings. At Cedars Sinai Health System, also based in Los Angeles, he championed a number of initiatives to improve clinical outcomes and clinical efficiency.

Justin Klamerus, MD. Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer of McLaren Health Care (Grand Blanc, Mich.). Dr. Klamerus serves as chief clinical officer for 13 hospitals systemwide, a role that requires him to lead clinical care with a single standard of quality and care across hospitals. He oversaw the expansion of the network and the opening of the system's first out-of-state location in Ohio. Under his leadership, the system has been recognized for clinical quality and safety, including two CMS 5-star rated hospitals. Dr. Klamerus has been with the system since 2009, when he joined as a practicing oncologist.

Mark Kline, MD. Senior Vice President, Physician-in-Chief and Chief Medical Officer of Children's Hospital New Orleans. Dr. Kline joined Children's Hospital New Orleans as physician-in-chief in July 2021, overseeing the hospital's pediatric academic medical programs and helping to advance the hospital's academic medicine, training and teaching. In October 2021, Dr. Kline took on the additional role of CMO. Dr. Kline's previous specialization in pediatric infectious diseases led to his 2019 nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize for his groundbreaking work in the pediatric HIV/AIDS field. Additionally, Dr. Kline has been the recipient of more than $150 million in research and training grants from the U.S. National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Carolyn Kloek, MD. Chief Medical Officer at OU Health (Oklahoma City). Dr. Kloek is the inaugural CMO for OU Health, Oklahoma's flagship academic health system. Under her leadership, the health system has embarked on a cultural transformation focused on excellence and improved outcomes. She has built a team keenly focused on performance of clinical services in terms of quality, safety, experience and efficiency. Her focus on high reliability and a culture of safety has resulted in newly implemented safety alerts that inform the team of areas of patient safety risk, celebrations of teams providing safe, high-quality care, and opportunities for leadership engagement to improve quality and safety. She also serves as a clinical associate professor of ophthalmology at the Dean McGee Eye Institute.

Gail Knight, MD. Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Rady Children's Hospital San Diego (Calif.). Dr. Knight is responsible for planning, implementing and managing clinical operations for Rady Children's, including oversight of patient care. One of her key roles has been developing and supporting multiple joint ventures and collaborations with other health systems to deliver the best care possible for children and young adults. She also serves on multiple committees for Rady, including its diversity, equity and inclusion council. 

Stephen Knych, MD. Chief Medical Officer for AdventHealth Fish Memorial (Orange City, Fla.). Dr. Knych has served as CMO for AdventHealth Fish Memorial since 2019. A board-certified orthopedic surgeon, he has spent over 40 years as a clinician and healthcare executive, caring for patients across ambulatory clinics and hospitals. Prior to assuming the CMO role, Dr. Kynch was vice president and chief quality and patient safety officer for AdventHealth at the corporate level. 

Helen Koselka, MD. Chief Medical Officer at TriHealth (Cincinnati). Before being named CMO in a unanimous 2021 vote, Dr. Koselka was TriHealth's interim CMO. Previously, she was regional CMO for TriHealth's Good Samaritan Region beginning in 2017. She has been with TriHealth for more than 26 years.

James Francis Kravec, MD. Chief Clinical Officer, Mercy Health–Lorain and Youngstown (Ohio). As chief clinical officer of Mercy Health–Lorain and Youngstown, Dr. Kravec oversees clinical operations across five hospitals and two medical group, managing a medical staff of over 1,500 physicians and serving approximately 4,000 outpatient patients daily. He also directs graduate medical education for Cincinnati-based Bon Secours Mercy Health, overseeing 600 resident and fellowship physicians across 50 residency programs. Additionally, he contributes to physician recruitment efforts, successfully onboarding an average of 100 new physicians annually, and serves as a faculty member at Northeast Ohio Medical University in Rootstown, mentoring medical students. Dr. Kravec is actively involved in community health initiatives, volunteering with local schools and the Diocese of the Catholic Church. He has been a board of health member and medical director of Mahoning County Public Health since 2016.

John Krueger, MD. Chief Medical Officer, Chief Quality Officer and Undersecretary of Medical Staff and Quality at Chickasaw Nation Department of Health (Ada, Okla.). Dr. Krueger is responsible for the clinical quality of care and the clinical oversight for Chickasaw Nation Department of Health’s hospital and outlying medical facilities. Dr. Krueger also oversees the organization’s quality and quality analytics strategy. He has assisted Chickasaw Nation in achieving the Oklahoma Quality Foundation top-level Leadership in Excellence Award in 2021.

Deepa Kumaraiah, MD. Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at NewYork-Presbyterian (New York City). Dr. Kumaraiah joined the hospital in 2012. Prior, she served as the senior vice president of service line integration and chief physician of NewYork-Presbyterian Medical Groups. She has also served as vice president and associate CMO of service lines and clinical strategy. She is an assistant clinical professor of medicine at New York City-based Columbia University Irving Medical Center, where she continues to practice in the cardiac intensive care unit.

Genevieve “Jen” Lankowicz, MD. Chief Medical Officer for Chesapeake Regional Healthcare (North Chesapeake, Va.). Dr. Lankowicz is CMO for Chesapeake Regional Healthcare, acting as primary liaison between the medical staff and administration. She directly oversees all hospital medical directors and leads all quality, patient safety, physician engagement and clinical operations initiatives. She began her career in family medicine and most recently served as regional chief clinical officer for Livonia, Mich.-based Trinity Health. 

Christopher Lehrach, MD. Chief Physician Executive for Nuvance Health (Danbury, Conn.). Dr. Lehrach serves as Nuvance Health's chief physician executive, as well as president of Nuvance Health Medical Practices. In his dual role, he has direct oversight of over 1,200 physicians and clinical staff across 100-plus locations. He collaborates with hospital leadership to advance clinical programs, and has helped grow practices via the recruitment of executives and clinicians across service lines. His focus on leadership culture, workflows and wellness helped increase clinician engagement as well. 

Whitney Limm, MD. Chief Physician Executive and Executive Vice President of Clinical Integration for the Queen's Health Systems (Honolulu). Dr. Limm leads the physician enterprise for Queen's Health Systems, including Queen's University Medical Group, graduate education and the system's clinically integrated physician network. Under his leadership, Queen's formed a collaboration with the Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute for advanced patient safety and quality. When the pandemic began, Dr. Limm developed Covid-19 protocols to preserve resources and stop community spread of the virus.

Wayne Lipson, MD. Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare (Memphis, Tenn.). Dr. Lipson is senior vice president and CMO for Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, an integrated healthcare delivery system with almost 11,500 associates and more than 2,000 providers. He is responsible for the healthcare system’s physician enterprise and integrated operations center. He launches and implements initiatives to enhance clinical excellence in quality, patient and physician experience, and patient safety. He joined MLH from Jeffersontown, Ky.-based Baptist Health. 

Gary Little, MD. Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for the Greater Charlotte (N.C.) Region of Atrium Health. As CMO, Dr. Little leads initiatives in quality, patient safety, physician engagement, clinical operations and system integration for the acute care hospitals in Atrium Health's Greater Charlotte area. This includes its flagship hospital, Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center, and the newest hospital in Charlotte, Atrium Health Union West. He aims to develop and drive health equity initiatives and to eliminate care disparities. Currently, he is utilizing customer feedback to oversee a broad range of customizations to system EHR and revenue cycle software. He also guided the system in its EHR implementation, the launch of the system's Zero Harm – For All initiative, and the reduction of unnecessary emergency room visits and hospital readmissions. His efforts have resulted in a 30% reduction in multi-visit patient visits, a 20% decrease in their length of stay and a 23% reduction in high emergency department utilizers' billed charges.

Andy Masica, MD. Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Texas Health Resources (Arlington, Texas). In this role, Dr. Masica focuses on the deployment of evidence-based practices into daily patient care as a driver of quality, safety and value across the Texas Health care continuum, which comprises 29 hospitals, 400-plus care access points, 6,8000 physicians and almost 29,000 employees. During his five years at Texas Health, Dr. Masica has helped lead a series of organizational accomplishments in the areas under his oversight, such as the deployment and operation of four integrated system-level clinical service lines and the expansion of Texas Health's graduate medical education platform from a single program at one hospital to five programs across five hospitals. The Covid-19 pandemic was a primary focus of Dr. Masica’s early tenure and he served as clinical leader of the organization's response, including the identification and deployment of practice standards, infection control measures, vaccination policies and use of therapeutics.

Suja Mathew, MD. Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer at Atlantic Health System (Morristown, N.J.). Dr. Mathew oversees the quality, research, education and health equity missions of the Atlantic Health organization. She has several years of experience in clinical leadership, and delivers innovative and high-quality care for patients across the state. She is primarily focused on three key areas: optimizing patient access to the full Atlantic Health System network of care, elevating the system’s innovative research and academic programs, and continuing the system’s commitment to the highest quality care. She has helped grow the system's quality and patient safety initiatives and clinical trial enrollment. The Atlantic Center for Research has grown in scope and impact on patient lives, with operational improvements yielding a 30% decrease in turnaround time for clinical trials. Enrollment per trial has increased 25% and there were 170 peer reviewed publications in 2023.

Robert Mayo, MD. Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Rochester (N.Y.) Regional Health. Dr. Mayo oversees all service line executive medical directors, hospital CMOs, medical and dental staff services, health informatics, physician advisory services, graduate medical education, research, and clinical and regulatory compliance teams for Rochester Regional Health’s nine hospitals. He joined the health system in 2002 and became the system's CMO in 2013. Dr. Mayo developed and implemented a robust physician advisor Program to ensure systemwide standardization of utilization management and documentation review. The program resulted in substantial increases in revenue and reduction of claims denials across the enterprise, delivering twice the return on investment in less than six months. Most recently, he led the strategy to transform the medical staff governance and clinical integration model across all health system hospitals and clinical affiliates. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he co-led the regional response effort in partnership with community, county and state leaders. Dr. Mayo has been recognized as a Power 30-List leader by Rochester Business Journal in 2021, 2022 and 2023. He recently received its most prestigious recognition as an ICON Award recipient. He previously served as Rochester Regional’s vice president of patient safety and the medical and dental staff president at Rochester General Hospital.

Oliver Mayorga, MD. Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for Lawrence + Memorial Hospital (New London, Conn.). Dr. Mayorga oversees more than 1,000 providers across Lawrence + Memorial Hospital and Westerly (R.I.) Hospital. This involves the oversight of credentialing, peer review, quality and safety, regulatory and more. He also represents the Yale New Haven (Conn.) Health shared savings programs for local tribes. Dr. Mayorga brings over 15 years of experience to his role. Throughout his tenure, he has been responsible for expanding the pulmonary, intensive care unit, neurology, neurosurgery, primary care, general and surgery programs. 

David McAneny, MD. Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer at Boston Medical Center. Dr. McAneny oversees more than 1,500 physicians and advanced practice providers at the 514-bed academic medical center. In addition to his role as CMO, Dr. McAneny maintains an active surgery practice in the section of surgical oncology, and serves as a professor of surgery and associate dean for clinical affairs at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. Dr. McAneny helped create the “I COUGH” initiative for perioperative pulmonary care, reducing the risk-adjusted likelihood of post-operative pulmonary complications from an odds ratio of over 2.0 to below 1.0. More than 100 medical centers and healthcare systems around the world have adopted this model. He serves as a member of the executive committee of the New England Surgical Society, and previously served as president of the New England Surgical Society Scholars foundation board.

James McCarthy, MD. Executive Vice President and Chief Physician Executive at Memorial Hermann Health System (Houston). Dr. McCarthy serves as the executive vice president and chief physician executive at Memorial Hermann Health System, where he oversees the physician network and hospital-based doctors to ensure high-quality patient care. He leads the clinical care redesign initiative aimed at enhancing care delivery, operational processes and patient outcomes, resulting in significant improvements in efficiency and patient safety across the system. Under his leadership, Memorial Hermann has expanded its primary care network by adding over 100 providers to serve underserved communities and has implemented innovative solutions to address physician staffing challenges. Notably, he has integrated advanced technologies, such as robotic cardiac surgery, and spearheaded the transition to the Epic EHR platform to improve clinical team communication. Dr. McCarthy has also championed mental health support for physicians and has developed programs to reduce health disparities.

Stonewall McCuiston, Jr., MD. Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Riverside Healthcare (Kankakee, Ill.). Dr. McCuiston oversees the Riverside Medical Group providers, which includes more than 130 providers across a variety of specialties. Dr. McCuiston was appointed vice president and CMO in 2022. Since then, he has been an integral part of advancing access to outpatient services, while also working to reduce the inpatient length of stay index. Dr. McCuiston was one of the first providers to join Riverside Medical Group and has been a part of the group since 1985. He is also a fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Under his leadership, Riverside was designated as one of Illinois' healthiest employers by Crain's Chicago Business.

Sonia Mehta, MD. CEO of Region II, Corporate Chief Medical Officer and Chief Academic Officer of Prime Healthcare (Ontario, Calif.). Dr. Mehta is a member of the Prime Healthcare executive leadership team, overseeing operations at seven hospitals. Before assuming this position, she spent more than 25 years in other healthcare management roles. Dr. Mehta has served as CEO and CMO of 177-bed Loretto Hospital in Chicago, president and CEO of the Illinois/Wisconsin Medical Group, and executive medical director of immediate care centers, occupational health, wellness programs and chief of ambulatory services at 489-bed Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights, Ill. Furthermore, Dr. Mehta was one of 20 people to serve on the HHS transition team in Illinois. She served on the Illinois State level committee for Medicaid transformation and led the Westside Heroin Task Force in Chicago.

Jennifer Meyer, MD. Chief Medical Officer for East Jefferson General Hospital (Metairie, La.). Dr. Meyer, a board-certified internal medicine physician with more than 14 years of experience in medicine, serves as East Jefferson General Hospital's chief medical officer. She took on the role in January 2022. Previously, she spent five years as medical director of hospital medicine for the hospital. 

John J. Moynihan, MD. President and Chief of Inova Clinical Enterprise and President of Inova Surgical Services (Falls Church, Va.). Dr. Moynihan has been appointed president and chief of Inova clinical enterprise, where he leads all clinical services, research, education and care delivery across the Inova health system. Since taking on the role of acting chief in March 2024, Dr. Moynihan has spearheaded Inova’s clinical transformation, including the development of Inova Care, which provides comprehensive primary care services to underserved and uninsured patients. His leadership has driven significant progress, including breaking ground on two new hospitals, leading the development of Inova Health Center–Oakville in Alexandria, Va., and launching a $500 million fundraising campaign. Under Dr. Moynihan's guidance, Inova has also expanded access to care for uninsured populations, supported regional nonprofits addressing health equity, and strengthened its pediatric and urgent care services.

Christopher Newman, MD. Executive Vice President, COO and Chief Medical Officer at Mary Washington Healthcare (Fredericksburg, Va.). Dr. Newman serves as executive vice president, COO and CMO for Mary Washington Healthcare. He is responsible for the operational oversight of two acute care hospitals, four emergency departments and an employed medical group. He handles performance improvement, quality and patient safety, as well as medical staff affairs. He brings clinical experience in primary care, hospital medicine and post-acute care. 

Tamala Norris-McJunkins, DHA, BSN, RN. Senior Vice President and Enterprise Chief Clinical Officer for Surgery Partners (Brentwood, Tenn.). Dr. Norris-McJunkins has significantly influenced clinical professionals across Surgery Partners within the past year. With a strong emphasis on quality, she has dedicated herself to serving teams at all locations, prioritizing customer feedback to enhance engagement and outcomes. Through her work, she aims to make Surgery Partners an attractive workplace for providers and a preferred choice for patients seeking care. Dr. Norris-McJunkins is attuned to the needs of both facility-level and corporate leaders, consistently striving to communicate a unified vision for the organization. 

Pamela Oliver, MD. Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Novant Health (Winston-Salem, N.C.). Dr. Oliver institutes a dynamic culture of safety, quality and health equity at Novant Health, a health system of 16 hospitals, 800 outpatient sites, 36,000 team members and 1,900 affiliated physicians. A practicing OB-GYN, she has emerged as a national thought leader for Black maternal health. She has led the charge to close equity gaps in care in multiple areas of the organization, including increasing mammography screening for Asian and Hispanic populations by more than 5%. Under her leadership, Novant Health has exceeded safety and quality targets, including those for prevention and screening, cancer prevention and cardiovascular conditions. Dr. Oliver partners with the founder of the Black Maternal Health Caucus in helping to lead the charge in addressing maternal health disparities. Dr. Oliver has briefed U.S. congressional committees on Black maternal mortality and participates on panels with physicians and advocates from around the country. In recognition of her many efforts, Dr. Oliver was appointed as vice chair of the North Carolina State Health Coordinating Council.

Mark Olszyk, MD. Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Medical Affairs for Carroll Hospital (Baltimore). Dr. Olszyk is responsible for overseeing medical staff, ensuring quality patient care delivery, collaborating with other leaders to establish best practices, managing medical resources, optimizing workflows, and liaising between medical staff, hospital administration and the board of directors. He also serves as the vice chair of the Maryland Board of Physicians. In 2023, he assumed the role of editor in chief for the Chief Medical Officer’s Essential Guidebook, which serves as a comprehensive resource for medical professionals. That same year, he delivered a lecture about the evolving role of medical leadership at the American Association of Physician Leaders annual conference.

Joseph Parra, MD. Chief Medical Officer of Medical City Healthcare, North Texas Division of HCA Healthcare (Dallas). Dr. Parra provides senior clinical direction for the Medical City Healthcare network, which includes 21 hospitals and 5,000 active physicians. He collaborates closely with physicians, clinicians, colleagues and hospital executive leadership to ensure the successful implementation of the division's vast and multifaceted patient care initiatives. His focus is to ensure outstanding clinical care through exceptionally effective and compliant quality management programs, including patient and employee safety initiatives.

Paryus Patel, MD. Corporate Chief Medical Officer of Prime Healthcare and Chief Medical Officer for Prime Healthcare's Region III-VI (Ontario, Calif.). Dr. Patel is the CMO of Prime Healthcare's Region III-VI hospitals and corporate CMO for Prime Healthcare. Region III-VI includes Prime Healthcare's 18 acute care community hospitals. Dr. Patel is a triple board-certified physician in the fields of critical care medicine, internal medicine and pulmonology. Dr. Patel's many accomplishments throughout his nearly 30-year career in medicine include implementing new accountable care organization programs, expanding Prime's hospitalist and surgical nursing facility programs, and implementing three disease management programs. Dr. Patel is currently also CMO for Centinela Hospital Medical Center in Inglewood, Calif.

Robert Payton, MD. Vice President and CMO of Edward Hospital (Naperville, Ill.). Dr. Payton is the liaison between the medical staff physicians and administration, and he has direct oversight of all hospital medical directors. Dr. Payton is also responsible for regulatory compliance and physician quality and patient safety. He has spent time as the president of the Edward Hospital medical staff and served on the Plainfield (Ill.) Surgery Center board.

Eric Perez, MD. Chief Medical Officer for Chilton Medical Center (Pompton Plains, N.J.). Dr. Perez serves as CMO for Chilton Medical Center, part of Atlantic Health System. He is responsible for quality, patient safety and palliative care. He joined the organization in 2014 and has since overseen various hospital- and systemwide initiatives in support of physician engagement, integration, alignment and more. He also managed the transition of three service lines to hospital employed groups for expanded patient care. Dr. Perez is also the physician lead for Atlantic Health System’s policy committees and in restructuring the physician peer review process. Under his leadership, the medical center has earned various safety and quality awards from Healthgrades, The Leapfrog Group, and U.S. News & World Report. 

Todd Peters, MD. Vice President, Chief Medical Officer and Chief Medical Information Officer for Sheppard Pratt (Towson, Md.). Dr. Peters serves as vice president, chief medical officer and chief medical information officer at Sheppard Pratt, where he manages physicians and oversees quality care across the organization. He leads efforts to integrate technology that enhances care delivery and streamlines Sheppard Pratt’s systems, including the patient portal and EHR, in alignment with the 21st Century Cures Act. In 2022, Dr. Peters spearheaded the redesign of Sheppard Pratt’s admissions process, improving patient access to care and addressing rising mental health needs. He also oversees the psychiatric residency program with the University of Maryland and plays a key role in infection control efforts. Clinically, he has worked on adolescent inpatient units and as an electroconvulsive therapy provider. Dr. Peters is a distinguished fellow of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and an active voice in national healthcare IT discussions.

Walter Peters, MD. Chief Medical Officer at Baylor Scott & White Health (Dallas). Dr. Peters has primary accountability for clinical excellence, quality initiatives and physician leadership development at Baylor Scott & White Health. In U.S. News & World Report's 2023-24 Best Hospitals list, 26 of the system's hospitals were recognized, including four facilities with a nationally ranked specialty, which is more than any other nonprofit health system in Texas. After joining Baylor Scott & White in 2015, Dr. Peters, an expert in enhanced recovery after surgery, launched a pilot of the multimodal perioperative care pathway. Now fully operationalized across the health system for colorectal, gynecology and urology surgery patients, the pathway has improved patient satisfaction, delivered better outcomes and reduced length of stay by 40%. An ERAS USA Society board member, Dr. Peters and Baylor Scott & White Health are recognized leaders in advancing the approach. Dr. Peters previously served as the system’s chief surgical officer and chief of colorectal surgery, as well as vice chief of the department of surgery at Baylor University Medical Center and surgical services chair for HealthTexas Provider Network.

Randy Pilgrim, MD. Enterprise Chief Medical Officer for SCP Health (Atlanta). As SCP Health's enterprise CMO, Dr. Pilgrim offers oversight and direction for the system's clinical operations and quality performance, spanning all service lines. In this role, he develops and uplifts clinical excellence, empowering clinicians to deliver key results for patient outcomes. Dr. Pilgrim has held the enterprise CMO position since 2002 and has made a positive impact across the industry with his dedication to the evolution and sustainability of the health care system.

Gratia Pitcher, MD. Chief Medical Officer for Essentia Health (Duluth, Minn.). Dr. Pitcher serves as the CMO for Essentia Health, where she leads efforts to enhance quality, patient experience and clinician well-being through a holistic approach. With 15 years of experience in primary care for adults, Dr. Pitcher remains dedicated to serving patients as a practicing hospitalist. Previously, she held the role of chief quality and safety officer. Since becoming CMO, Dr. Pitcher has streamlined the medical staff executive committees across Essentia’s 14 hospitals, ensuring consistency in bylaws and regulations crucial for guiding processes such as credentialing and privileging. Her leadership has led to significant improvements in quality measures, including achieving top performance in hypertension control and breast cancer screening. Under her guidance, several Essentia hospitals have earned 5-star ratings from the CMS.

Raylene Platel, MD. Regional Chief Medical Officer for Prime Healthcare (Ontario, Calif.). Dr. Platel currently serves as the regional CMO, overseeing eight hospitals in Texas, Alabama and Georgia, leveraging 16 years of experience in hospital leadership across various health systems. In this role, she leads clinical operations and quality initiatives, focusing on enhancing patient care through innovation and collaboration with clinicians. Her expertise in payer relations, credentialing and governance positively impacts performance metrics within the organization. A board-certified internist, Dr. Platel utilizes her epidemiology training to improve infection control and reduce overall infection rates, while also promoting value-based care. She has initiated significant changes, such as transitioning a hospitalist group to employed providers and establishing graduate medical education programs. 

Bill Plauth, MD. Chief Medical Officer at Renown Health (Reno, Nev.). With his extensive background as a clinician and executive, Dr. Plauth engages with clinical teams to adopt innovative approaches that promote ease of practice. Dr. Plauth provides expertise, coordination and leadership in support of elected medical staff leaders, and recently combined the strengths of two hospital medical staffs into one. He also serves as associate dean for clinical affairs at the University of Nevada Reno School of Medicine, where he promotes professionalism in medical education and clinical research while advancing the academic and research integration of Nevada’s first fully-integrated health system. Board-certified in both internal medicine and hospice and palliative care, Dr. Plauth is a leader in quality improvement, patient safety and clinical informatics. He has oversight for the Healthy Nevada Project, the country’s largest community-based population health study, which combines genetic, clinical, environmental and social data and informs 55,000 research study Nevada participants on their risks for tier 1 genetic conditions.

Daniel del Portal, MD. Chief Clinical Officer and Senior Vice President of Medical Operations at Temple University Health System (Philadelphia). Dr. del Portal is chief clinical officer and senior vice president of medical operations for Temple University Health System. He is past president of the Temple University Hospital medical staff. His clinical interests include emergency medicine, cardiac arrest, trauma, sepsis and healthcare quality improvement. He conducts research on the topics of hospital efficiency and capacity management, emergency department operations and leadership development in health care. He is the recipient of Temple University's Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award and the Excellence in Emergency Medicine Award from the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

Kevin Post, DO. Chief Medical Officer at Avera Health (Sioux Falls, S.D.). Dr. Post spent 14 years in rural primary care and emergency medicine before being named CMO in 2019 for Avera Medical Group, Avera’s group of 1,200 employed physicians and advanced practice providers. In 2023, his position was broadened as CMO for the entire health system, giving him the additional oversight of system quality and informatics. Dr. Post has been a champion for physicians through both innovations and challenges. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he encouraged physician leadership and problem solving. He has built upon Avera’s innovative service line model, which strives for standardized evidence-based practices, physician collegiality and care continuity across 14 service lines. Through his involvement in Avera’s physician and dyad academies, he lives out his passion for developing others. He has been a proponent for improvements to LIGHT, Avera’s wellbeing program for providers, which has helped physicians practice more efficiently, limit after-hours work and create capacity. He has also been a physician advocate and trainer for EHR conversions and upgrades. 

O'Neal Pyke, MD. Chief Medical Officer at Jackson North Medical Center (Miami). As an experienced physician with an over 20-year history of working compassionately and strategically in diverse patient environments, Dr. Pyke enhances the clinical team at Jackson North Medical Center. In his role, he oversees the daily operations of the medical center. Dr. Pyke is board certified in internal medicine and is a diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine. 

Andrew Racine, MD, PhD. System Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Montefiore Health System (New York City). As system senior vice president and CMO, Dr. Racine has a broad range of responsibilities for the health system, including medical affairs, quality and safety, patient experience, graduate medical education, bioethics, the primary care ambulatory network, and continuing medical education initiatives. Additionally, as the executive director of the Montefiore Medical Group, Dr. Racine oversees Montefiore's 21-site primary and specialty care network, as well as the largest comprehensive school health program in the U.S. Since joining Montefiore in 1998, Dr. Racine has been an active member of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Additionally, he was appointed to the board of directors of the National Bureau of Economic Research, the nation’s premier institution for academic economic research. One of the most notable accomplishments under Dr. Racine's leadership has been the implementation of social determinants of health into screenings systemwide. 

Brian Radbill, MD. Chief Medical Officer at Overlook Medical Center (Summit, N.J.). In his role, Dr. Radbill provides strategic leadership and expertise in support of clinical activities and clinical quality at Overlook. He also serves as a liaison and advocates for the creation of long-term collaborations and relationships with Overlook's 1,728 physicians physicians and other team members, Atlantic Health leadership and the board of directors. Prior to coming to Overlook in January 2024, during his tenure at Mount Sinai Health System in New York CIty, he developed practical tools to improve processes, including a quality training program for leaders. As a board-certified nephrologist, his work has been featured in numerous publications and media. He also created and co-produced a documentary developed to educate patients and trainees about the realities of chronic hemodialysis. Dr. Radbill is also part of Overlook Medical Center’s medical executive committee.

George Ralls, MD. Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Orlando (Fla.) Health. Dr. Ralls oversees clinical quality, graduate medical education, medical staff services, corporate safety, infection prevention, regulatory and occupational health for the more than 3,400 bed health system. As the primary executive leader over medical staff services, he supports more than 4,750 physicians in over 100 subspecialties that have privileges at Orlando Health. Under his leadership, Orlando Health hospitals were recognized by U.S. News & World Report in their 2023-24 Best Hospitals rankings. As of last January, Orlando Health had 25 active Beacon Awards for Excellence in bedside care, more than any other healthcare system in Florida.

Margaret Reidy, MD. Chief Medical Officer at UCHealth (Aurora, Colo.). Dr. Reidy is CMO for UCHealth, a nonprofit health system that includes 33,000 employees, 14 acute care hospitals and hundreds of physicians across Colorado, southern Wyoming and western Nebraska. University of Colorado Hospital is the academic anchor and the only adult academic medical center in the Rocky Mountain region. Dr. Reidy serves as the liaison between providers and system administration to ensure that the highest standards of quality clinical care and service for patients are maintained. She also leads efforts to develop innovative, high-quality and cost-effective treatments across the system.

Richard Riggs, MD. Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer of Cedars-Sinai (Los Angeles). During his 25-year career, Dr. Riggs has spearheaded initiatives that have significantly improved patient care. In his role as CMO, he oversees the clinical quality, medical standards, efficiency and effective use of clinical resources at the system, which serves 1 million people a year. 

Joseph Roberts, MD. Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at UNC Health Southeastern (Lumberton, N.C.). Since 2020, Dr. Roberts has served as a vice president and chief medical officer for UNC Health Southeastern. He oversees the health system's medical staff, its medical education program, and its infection control and quality departments. Prior to UNC Health Southeastern beginning its residency program, he was a preceptor for hundreds of students studying to be doctors, physician assistants or pharmacists. In 2022, he was appointed to the Lumbee Tribe Board of Health. He has served as a panel physician for UNC Health Southeastern Wound Care and as medical director for numerous healthcare entities including Glen Flora Nursing Home, WoodHaven Nursing Center, and Wesley Pines Retirement Community. He currently serves as medical director for Community Hospice.

Candace Stevens Robinson, MD. Chief Medical Officer of Touro. Dr. Robinson was appointed CMO of Touro in July 2024. In her new position, she leads the strategic and clinical direction of inpatient and outpatient services. She also takes responsibility for physician performance, engagement and recruitment. She brings almost a decade of healthcare leadership background to her role. Previously, she served as CMO for New Orleans East Hospital, also part of LCMC Health. She has previously served as a clinical and adjunct professor of practice, staff physician, assistant medical director of the emergency department, and medical director of the emergency department at New Orleans East Hospital.

Bryon Schaeffer, MD. Chief Medical Officer for Clarinda (Iowa) Regional Health Center. Dr. Schaeffer oversees clinical operations at Clarinda Regional Health Center, ensuring high-quality patient care and prioritizing safety in every visit and care plan. Since becoming CMO in 2018, he has implemented medical policies aimed at maintaining consistent care and compliance with accreditation standards. In addition to his leadership role, Dr. Schaeffer continues to see patients and perform cardiac stress testing. He is dedicated to advancing care processes and regularly attends conferences to keep the hospital aligned with the latest trends and technologies in healthcare. Dr. Schaeffer first joined Clarinda Medical Associates in 2014.

Jeffrey Schuster, MD. Chief Medical Officer at El Paso (Texas) Children’s Hospital. Dr. Schuster, a physician with expertise in pediatric clinical operations, serves as CMO for El Paso Children's Hospital. He improves quality of care while providing guidance to the hospital's executive team regarding physician, program development and service line needs. He is a liaison between the hospital administration and medical staff, as well as the go-between for the hospital and academic medical centers. Dr. Schuster brings over 20 years of experience in pediatrics to his role. 

Niraj Sehgal, MD. Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Stanford (Calif.) Health Care. As well as serving as CMO for Stanford Health Care, Dr. Sehgal is a professor of medicine and senior associate dean for clinical affairs at Stanford University School of Medicine. In his role, Dr. Sehgal emphasizes interprofessional teamwork, building multidisciplinary partnerships and advocating for health equity. Before rejoining Stanford in 2020, Dr. Sehgal spent 16 years at University of California San Francisco, where he held several leadership roles, including inaugural chief quality officer. 

Rawle "Tony" Seupaul, MD. Executive Vice President and Chief Physician Executive at Carilion Clinic (Roanoke, Va.). Dr. Seupaul is an expert in evidence-based medicine education and the application of science to healthcare. In his role, he oversees Carilion's more than 800 physicians and 300 nurse practitioners and physician assistants across 70 medical specialties. He is focused on advancing research and education while expanding access to care for patients. He is an elected member of the board of directors of the Association of Academic Chairs for Emergency Medicine and is a fellow of the American Board of Emergency Medicine. He previously served as executive associate dean for clinical affairs for the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Health in Little Rock. Prior, he held various clinical and academic leadership posts at UAMS, including chief clinical officer for UAMS Health, director of the emergency medicine service line, chief of staff, and chair of the hospital medical board.

Tom Sequist, MD. Chief Medical Officer at Mass General Brigham (Somerville, Mass.). In February 2022, Dr. Sequist became the first CMO of Mass General Brigham, where he previously served as chief patient experience and equity officer. Dr. Sequist is also a practicing general internist at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Additionally, he is a professor of medicine and healthcare policy at Harvard Medical School.

Ghanshyam Shah, MD. Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital (Barrington, Ill.). An experienced physician leader, Dr. Shah has a storied history in healthcare safety, quality, efficiency, IT and value-based care. He assumed the role of Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital's CMO in September 2021. In his role, he aims to aid the delivery of improved individual care, enhanced population health, and reduced costs. 

Mayank K. Shah, MD. Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Advocate Condell Medical Center (Libertyville, Ill.). Dr. Shah aids Advocate Condell Medical Center's team members in providing patients with outstanding outcomes and superior safety. To do this, he works closely with clinical and operational leaders. He leads physician behavior change initiatives and brings experience in ambulatory, inpatient, academic and community settings. 

K. Samer Shamieh, MD. Chief Medical Director of AVALA (Covington, La.). Dr. Shamieh is the chief medical director, majority physician owner, and practicing lead spine surgeon at AVALA. As CMO, he aids in the guided support of the general hospital and its operations to provide safe, effective healthcare services to the community. His ultimate goal is to enhance the patient care experience. He has received over 20 awards for AVALA since its creation in 2017.

Ghazala Sharieff, MD. Corporate Senior Vice President and Chief Medical and Operations Officer of Acute Care at Scripps Health (San Diego). Dr. Sharieff works alongside Dr. Keswani as co-CMO at Scripps Health. She has leadership over acute care operations, Scripps pharmacy, supply chain, inpatient imaging, engineering, environmental services, food and nutrition, security and disaster/emergency management. She launched a campaign for the system that challenges individual staff members and employees to consider altering their normal practices in ways that improve the experience of patients. The campaign encourages staff to stay focused on efforts that improve clinical care and enhance operating margins. She also created a "Scripps Listens" program, which has increased feedback from patients. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she started a regular meeting of health system CMOs in San Diego County, which has continued to meet regularly to address other regional issues. 

Gulshan Sharma, MD. Senior Vice President, Chief Medical and Clinical Innovation Officer at the University of Texas Medical Branch (Galveston). Dr. Sharma has worked for UTMB Health for 11 years. The health system went from earning 3-star to 5-star rankings on Vizient's quality and accountability study under Dr. Sharma's leadership. Prior to his current roles, Dr. Sharma served as director, division of pulmonary and critical care and sleep medicine for UTMB. 

Lynn T. Simon, MD. Chief Medical Officer and President of Healthcare Innovation at Community Health Systems (Franklin, Tenn.). Dr. Simon has introduced patient-centric and innovative technologies to Community Health Systems' 71 acute care hospitals and 1,000-plus other sites of care, adding value, enhancing quality and improving efficiencies for clinical teams. Examples include remote patient monitoring for approximately 10,000 active patients with chronic conditions, AI-enabled maternal-fetal monitoring to improve safety in childbirth at all 50 CHS hospitals with OB services, and a virtual sitting program in 29 hospitals that has reduced hospitalized patient falls. As CMO, she created one of the nation’s first Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality federally-listed patient safety organizations, which facilitates the system's goal of zero events of preventable harm and has resulted in an 89% reduction in the serious safety event rate over the past decade. Dr. Simon oversaw the implementation of a nursing care team model that supports registered nurses in the system's hospitals. She is former chair of the Federation of American Hospital’s Quality Committee. She also works collaboratively with healthcare start-ups and their venture capital sponsors in projects to advance patient care. 

Reetu Singh, MD. Senior Vice President and System Chief Medical Officer at ​​Saint Francis Health System (Tulsa, Okla.). As CMO of Saint Francis Health System, Dr. Singh manages more than 1,100 staff physicians across the health system's five acute care hospitals and its affiliated physician group. Dr. Singh's unique background in informatics, clinical medicine, documentation and medical staff leadership sets her apart as a data-driven leader. Her expertise in these areas allows her to drive quality of care initiatives across the continuum of care. Under her leadership, Saint Francis Health System has set ambitious goals to achieve 4-5 star ratings from CMS. During her tenure, the health system has seen two of its facilities achieve 4-star ratings, and US News & World Report named Saint Francis Hospital the No. 1 hospital in Oklahoma for the seventh consecutive year.

Carl Sirio, MD. Chief Medical Officer for Temple University Health System (Philadelphia). Dr. Sirio oversees and manages quality and safety programs, risk management and graduate education in his role as chief medical officer for Temple Health. His priority is improving performance excellence systemwide through the enhancement of both clinical and educational quality. In pursuit of this goal, he has helped standardize treatment and assessments of quality and safety. He is a co-founder of the Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative, a nationally-recognized collaborative that standardized care and advocated for zero harm. He is also a founder of the Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement. Dr. Sirio is a board-certified internist and critical care physician.

Latha Sivaprasad, MD. Regional Chief Medical Officer for VA New England Health Care System (Bedford, Mass.). As the regional CMO for VA New England Health Care System since 2021, Dr. Sivaprasad is responsible for planning, implementing, evaluating and improving medical, administrative and ancillary clinical operations. Since taking on the position, she has helped redesign the system's pay-for-performance program, secured resources to optimize medical therapy for veterans in primary care clinics, heightened focus on several service lines that greatly impact the veteran population, and much more. She brings more than 15 years of clinical and executive leadership experience to her current role, including her most recent role as senior vice president of medical affairs and CMO for Rhode Island Hospital and Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence, R.I. 

Hsieng Su, MD. Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Executive for Allina Health (Minneapolis). Dr. Su is senior vice president and chief medical executive for Allina Health, where he has executive oversight of clinical performance, safety, quality and population health. In her role, she helps redesign the care delivery model across inpatient, outpatient and post-acute care. She was responsible for establishing the system's clinical program council, in which top clinical leaders throughout the system collaborate to bring value to patients. She also hosted the system's inaugural provider leadership retreat in 2024. 

Andrew Thomas, MD. Chief Clinical Officer and Senior Associate Vice President of Health Sciences at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (Columbus). Dr. Thomas oversees the medical administration team of physician leaders throughout Ohio State, including over 160 individuals with medical director roles at the hospital, unit or clinical program level. Beginning in 2016, he co-chaired the committee that programmed and designed the system's new $2 billon inpatient hospital tower, opening in early 2026, and has continued to work closely with the construction. He oversees the medical staff office, which includes the traditional functions of credentialing, privileging, peer review, professionalism, provider health and maintenance of the medical staff bylaws. He also works closely with the Ohio State Health Network affiliate hospitals and with other referring hospitals across the state of Ohio. He collaborates closely with the system's CEO on development, fundraising and government relations priorities. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, he took on a role with the Ohio Department of Health and the governor's office to routinely brief the Ohio House and Senate. He also oversaw Covid operations for Ohio State, including a systemwide vaccination effort.

Hannah Thompson, MD. Chief Medical Officer at Jackson West Medical Center (Miami). Dr. Thompson has been a clinical anesthesiologist for over 15 years, and in 2021 she was dual appointed as CMO and division chief of anesthesiology. In these roles, she furthers her passion and dedication to process improvement, operational efficiency, and delivery of quality care. Dr. Thompson’s efforts have pushed Jackson West to become one of the top 5% of Florida hospitals. Prior to taking on her current roles, she spent nearly six years at Hollywood, Fla.-bsed Memorial Healthcare System.

James Tita, DO. Chief Clinical Officer of Mercy Health–Toledo (Ohio). As chief clinical officer for Mercy Health–Toledo, Dr. Tita oversees clinical operations across seven hospitals, outpatient facilities and emergency departments within one of the largest markets in the Bon Secours Mercy Health ministry. His leadership spans a diverse range of healthcare settings, including a level 1 trauma center, rural hospitals, and specialized services like behavioral health and labor and delivery. A longtime member of the Toledo medical community, Dr. Tita has played a key role in advancing patient safety and service excellence, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic, when he helped establish the region's first extracorporeal membrane oxygenation program to treat severe respiratory cases. With over 40 years of experience, board certifications in multiple specialties, and a background in pulmonary and critical care, Dr. Tita is also a noted educator and researcher, contributing to numerous medical publications and protocols while serving as a clinical professor at the University of Toledo and Ohio University. 

Seth Toomay, MD. Associate Vice President and System Chief Medical Officer at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (Dallas). Dr. Toomay took over as UT Southwestern's CMO in 2019 and ensures that the system maintains high-quality, consistent and uniform care. He specializes in vascular and interventional radiology. He provides clinical vascular and interventional radiology services at Parkland Memorial Hospital, Clements University Hospital and Zale Lipshy University Hospital. He has also played a significant role in the success of the overall UT Health Enterprise data/analytics/AI program and serves as a key leader of the systemwide AI collaborative.

Theodore "Ted" Tsangaris, MD. System Chief Medical Officer and Program Director for the Cancer Center for CalvertHealth (Prince Frederick, Md.). Dr. Tsangaris joined CalvertHealth as its CMO and program director for the cancer center in 2019. As CMO, he oversees the medical staff, offers clinical guidance and ensures compliance. Dr. Tsangaris brings over 30 years of clinical experience in oncology and is one of the region's top breast cancer surgeons. In addition to his leadership roles, he is the co-author of over 50 peer-reviewed research articles, as well as a speaker, lecturer and consultant on breast cancer. 

Graham C. Tse, MD. Chief Medical Officer at MemorialCare Miller Children's & Women's Hospital Long Beach (Calif.). Dr. Tse, a pediatric critical care specialist and a Los Angeles Business Journal top doctor, leads nearly 900 pediatric physicians in over 30 specialties in best practices for care, professionalism and high reliability. He championed successful efforts to unify the pediatric hospitalist program under a single clinical group, and was key to developing, implementing and maintaining the medical staff professionalism program. Accolades the hospital earned during his tenure include the Human Experience Pinnacle of Excellence Award, a ranking of high performance in maternity care for three consecutive years by U.S. News & World Report and a national ranking for its pediatric pulmonary program. He led efforts to make Miller Children’s a Vaccine for Children’s hospital to facilitate securing nirsevimab, which is an RSV monoclonal antibody. He helped create a one-stop specialty care facility, Cherese Mari Laulhere Children’s Village, the only facility of its kind in Los Angeles and Orange counties. During the pandemic, Dr. Tse was the Hospital Incident Command Center physician in charge for both Miller Children’s & Women’s and MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center. He advocates for children’s and women’s health locally and statewide. 

Meera Udayakumar, MD. Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Medical Affairs for UNC Health Rex (Raleigh) and UNC Health Rex Holly Springs Hospital. Dr. Udayakumar oversees medical staff affairs, quality programs, performance improvement and infection prevention at two UNC Health hospitals. Since joining UNC Health Rex in 2008, she has held several leadership roles, including chair of medicine and medical director of quality and innovation for Triangle East Chamber of Commerce. Known for her expertise in patient safety and integrated care, Dr. Udayakumar has led initiatives that contributed to high national and regional rankings for UNC Health Rex in Raleigh and Holly Springs. In 2024, the hospitals received top 5-star CMS rating. In July 2024, UNC Health Rex in Raleigh was ranked No. 4 in North Carolina by U.S. News & World Report. In March, it placed second on Newsweek's "World's Best Hospitals" list for the state.

James "JP" Valin, MD. Chief Clinical Officer at Intermountain Health (Salt Lake City). Dr. Valin became chief clinical officer of Intermountain Health in April 2022 after the organization united with SCL Health. In his role, he is focused on driving healthcare transformation to maximize affordability, equity, access and value. He was responsible for integrating clinical functions across the system after the merger, including quality, safety, patient experience, nursing, medical groups and clinical service lines. He also launched a revamp of the physician journey, defining and standardizing recruitment, contracting, onboarding, credentialing, professional development and off-boarding. Prior to his current role, he served as the executive vice president and chief clinical officer for SCL Health since 2018. 

Gian Varbaro, MD. Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Ambulatory Services at Bergen New Bridge Medical Center (Paramus, N.J.). Dr. Varbaro brings 20 years of healthcare experience to his role of CMO and vice president of ambulatory services at Bergen New Bridge Medical Center. In his current position, he supports the hospital's core service lines of acute care, behavioral health, long-term care and outpatient services. He also oversees operations of all ambulatory medical services. He is an expert in creating clinical operations, systems, and business models that will enhance quality. 

Daniel Varga, MD. Chief Physician Executive and President of the Physician Services Division at Hackensack Meridian Health (Edison, N.J.). Dr. Varga is in charge of Hackensack Meridian Health's physician enterprise, care transformation services and medical management. He has held this role since February 2020. Prior to his current role, Dr. Varga served as senior executive vice president and chief clinical officer of Arlington-based Texas Health Resources, a nonprofit health system. 

Amit Vashist, MD. Senior Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer of Ballad Health (Johnson City, Tenn.). Dr. Vashist oversees clinical quality, safety and value-based care initiatives at Ballad Health. He is responsible for enterprisewide care delivery, medical staff affairs and the health system's physician partnerships. Throughout his career, Dr. Vashist has worked to improve outcomes, reduce mortality in sepsis patients and promote a zero-harm culture to reduce hospital-acquired infections.

David Vega, MD. Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for WellSpan Health (York, Pa.). Dr. Vega oversees clinical operations across WellSpan Health in his role as senior vice president and CMO. He has led various community accessibility initiatives aimed at expanding access, increasing patient satisfaction and improving overall wellbeing. Systemwide, he directs health equity and quality initiatives that help improve blood pressure control, breast cancer screening and colorectal cancer screenings. He also oversees the system's new virtual approach to inpatient medical and surgical care. In addition, he was the physician lead for the $50 million emergency department renovation project at WellSpan York Hospital. Dr. Vega is a well published academic scholar and has served on the board of directors for the American Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Emergency Medicine, and Preferred Health Care. Currently, he serves on the Garden Spot Communities board of directors.

Ralph Velazquez, MD. Chief Medical Officer at OSF HealthCare (Peoria, Ill.). Dr. Velazquez was CMO of OSF Health Plans for 13 years before transitioning to senior vice president of care management at OSF HealthCare in 2009. In 2017, he was appointed to his current role, where he leads the development of the system’s clinical strategy, goals and programs. He aims to improve quality, safety and clinical performance and practice standards to achieve a CMS 5-star quality rating in ambulatory, home care and for every hospital by 2027. Dr. Velazquez manages nine clinical service lines, accountable care, care management services, and quality, safety and risk across the system's 16 acute care facilities and two nursing colleges. His leadership with accountable care at OSF resulted in ACO savings in 2022 that exceeded the CMS Quality benchmark by $35 million. He is championing a revamp of the CMO position’s direct leadership and accountability for each hospital’s medical staff throughout OSF. 

Pooja Vyas, DO. Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for Christian Hospital (St. Louis, Mo.). Dr. Vyas is responsible for overseeing daily medical and surgical operations at Christian Hospital, focusing on patient safety, quality of care, risk management and physician relations. She manages several departments, including quality, risk, patient safety, regulatory compliance, pharmacy and community health, ensuring smooth workflows and addressing patient grievances. After spending two years at Missouri Baptist Medical Center in St. Louis, she was promoted to medical director at Christian Hospital. She quickly advanced to vice president and CMO, becoming the youngest South Asian female CMO at age 33. Her leadership continues to drive improvements in patient experience and healthcare delivery at the hospital.

Michael Weiner, DO. Chief Medical Officer for Michigan State University Health Care (East Lansing). Dr. Weiner was named MSU Health Care's CMO in February 2023. Since then, he has contributed greatly to the system's success by creating a cohesive team, notably improving care quality with evidence-based practices and patient-centered care, spearheading the system's primary care task force, standardizing care metrics and patient panels, pioneering an opioid-free initiative, implementing dyad leadership models, driving EHR optimization and much more. Immediately prior to joining MSU Health Care, Dr. Weiner served as CMO for Maximus, a government services company aiming for more accessible and affordable care.  

Suzanne Wenderoth, MD. Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Tower Health and Chief Medical Officer of Reading Hospital (West Reading, Pa.). Dr. Wenderoth leads quality and safety initiatives for Tower Health and Reading Hospital. She also oversees care management, population health, utilization review and physician advisor programs. A compassionate and reliable leader, Dr. Wenderoth serves as a mentor to younger physicians. Her expertise and perspective in quality of care delivery, both in the inpatient and ambulatory environments, are critical to the health system. Under her leadership, the health system and its hospitals have received accolades including being named to Healthgrades' America's 50 Best Hospitals list for three consecutive years.

David Wessel, MD. Executive Vice President, Chief Medical Officer and Physician-in-Chief of Children's National Hospital (Washington, D.C.). Dr. Wessel has administrative responsibility for 900 employed physicians and accountability for another 2,000 hospital employees. He also oversees six clinical centers of excellence, five institutes, a clinically integrated network and other partnerships within the system. Over the past few years, Dr. Wessel co-chaired the hospital's Covid-19 response and was instrumental in organizing international webinars on Covid-19 in children. Under his leadership, U.S. News & World Report ranked the hospital No. 5 in the nation for pediatric care for 2023-24.

Pam Wetzel, MD. Chief Medical Officer at UnityPoint Health - Meriter (Madison, Wisc.). Dr. Wetzel is responsible for the oversight of clinical quality, patient satisfaction and safety strategies, and medical staff relations. She serves as a key aide in the developments in care delivery and outcomes across UnityPoint's locations in Wisconsin, Iowa and western Illinois. She also oversees provider credentialing and acts as the primary liaison between 1,300 Meriter medical staff members and administration, as well as the larger provider community in South-Central Wisconsin. Dr. Wetzel has a significant hand in the joint operating agreement with Madison, Wis.-based UW Health, working with cross-functional teams to increase access and improve local community health. Under her leadership, the health system earned a CMS 5-star quality rating  and was listed on Newsweek's Excellence 1000 Index for 2024.

Andrew J. White, MD. Chief Medical Officer for SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital (St. Louis). Dr. White serves as the CMO and pediatrician-in-chief at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital, where he oversees patient care, education, research and community engagement. His leadership has significantly improved the hospital’s U.S. News & World Report rankings, making it the highest-ranked Catholic children's hospital in the nation. An international expert in pediatric hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia, Dr. White provides specialized care to children nationwide. He has trained nearly 1,000 pediatricians and subspecialists during his 20 years as a residency director and authored several medical books. 

Michael White, MD. Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer for Valleywise Health (Phoenix). At Valleywise Health, Dr. White is responsible for the strategic leadership of almost 425 physicians and advanced practitioners, a full-service safety net hospital, a burn center, a level I trauma center, three behavioral health hospitals and 11 federally-qualified health centers. Since taking on the CMO role in 2019, he has guided the system through the Covid-19 pandemic, facilitated telemedicine implementation, and become a national voice during an unprecedented heatwave in the summer of 2023. He and his colleagues are also helping to revamp systems of care, positively influencing the facility design during the health system's nearly $1 billion expansion and renovation project. He is also a leader in physician training through the Creighton University Arizona Health Education Alliance, a partnership that includes Creighton's School of Medicine, Valleywise Health, and Dignity/St. Joseph's Hospital. Dr. White is board-certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular diseases, and interventional cardiology. 

Donald Whiting, MD. Chief Medical Officer at Allegheny Health Network and President of Allegheny Clinic (Pittsburgh). Dr. Whiting has served in various leadership positions with Allegheny Health Network for two decades, where he now oversees clinical operations as CMO. His current role makes him the system's most senior clinical executive and the leader of all medical staff. He is also president of the system's physician organization, the Allegheny Clinic, which employs more than 1,400 physicians. He continues to serve as chair of the AHN Neuroscience Institute as well. Under Dr. Whiting's leadership, the system announced in 2023 the construction of a new Neuroscience Institute facility, which will integrate diagnostic, medical, surgery and ancillary support services on the Allegheny General Hospital campus. 

Herman Williams, MD. Interim Chief Medical Officer of Nashville (Tenn.) General Hospital. Dr. Williams serves as CMO for Nashville General Hospital. He has more than 10 years of healthcare consulting, as well as 18 years of hospital operations experience as a physician executive with both for profit and nonprofit healthcare organizations. Dr. Herman focuses on efficiency and meeting compliance and regulatory standards. He is also an accomplished author and serves on the American Heart Association board. 

Geralda Xavier, MD. Chief Medical Officer for Hackettstown (N.J.) Medical Center and Newton (N.J.) Medical Center. Dr. Xavier oversees the medical staff for Hackettstown and Newton Medical Centers, both part of Morristown, N.J.-based Atlantic Health System. She is responsible for clinical operations, including care coordination, patient safety initiatives and quality initiatives. She has more than 15 years of experience leading medical staff. Dr. Xavier is an accomplished author and presenter, with past publications in collaboration with the Department of Infection Prevention and Pharmacy at Kings County appearing in Surgical infections and Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology. She demonstrates her passion for gender equality as the chair of the Women's Leadership Business Resource Group at Atlantic Health System. 

Ralph Yates, DO. System Chief Medical Officer of Salem (Ore.) Health Hospitals and Clinics. Dr. Yates is a physician executive specializing in family medicine and sports medicine. He serves as CMO of Salem Health Hospitals and Clinics. He brings over 40 years of experience in medicine. 

Donald Yealy, MD. Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President of Health Services for UPMC (Pittsburgh). Dr. Yealy is CMO for UPMC, a healthcare provider with more than 95,000 employees, 40 hospitals and 800 clinical offices and outpatient sites. He frequently collaborates with local, state and federal officials to raise awareness of topics and address issues impacting healthcare and medical policy in the communities UPMC serves. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, he served as a primary expert media spokesperson for UPMC by consistently addressing the institution’s preparedness and response to the public health crisis, leading press conferences and participating in countless media interviews.

George Yoo, MD. Chief Medical Officer at Karmanos Cancer Hospital (Detroit). Dr. Yoo has served as CMO at Karmanos Cancer Hospital since 2008. He manages the group's annual budget, oversees Karmanos' comprehensive medical operations and spearheads strategic initiatives. As CMO, Dr. Yoo is a pivotal senior executive team member, managing medical directors, multidisciplinary teams of specialists and the entire medical staff. He is also active in numerous Karmanos Cancer Hospital and Wayne State University committees, many of which he holds board positions. Dr. Yoo contributes to academia at the WSU School of Medicine, as well as clinical research. He also helps with securing investigational funds for cancer care development. He joined the faculty at WSU in 1996. He has significantly contributed to the WSU department of oncology through his teaching and mentoring. As a clinical scientist, Dr. Yoo managed a National Institute of Health-funded laboratory, securing $2 million in grant support, which resulted in the publication of over 70 peer-reviewed articles.

Michael Yurkanin, MD. Chief Medical Officer for Parkview Health Hospitals (Fort Wayne, Ind.). Dr. Yurkanin, chief medical officer for Parkview Health Hospitals, oversees clinical care across 14 hospitals. He leads key initiatives in quality and safety, particularly focusing on Parkview’s two largest hospitals in Fort Wayne. He collaborates with patient advocacy teams to ensure high-quality care and coordinates clinical strategies with financial and HR teams to guide decision-making across the system. Recently, he has provided critical leadership on several major projects, including the $45 million renovation of Parkview Behavioral Health, the development of the Parkview Southwest Outpatient Center, and the integration of newly affiliated hospitals in Ohio into the Parkview system. His efforts are helping to expand the network’s regional care coordination.