Becker's is delighted to honor 65 incredible health system chief strategy officers in 2023.
Chief strategy officers are a guiding light for their health systems, crafting short- and long-term strategic plans that drive forward momentum. They are tasked with expanding access to care through partnerships and acquisitions, as well as innovative initiatives and technologies. Chief strategy officers ensure that organizations grow in accordance with their vision and mission.
Note: This list is not an endorsement of included leaders, organizations or associated healthcare providers. Organizations cannot pay for inclusion on this list. We extend a special thank you to Rhoda Weiss for her contributions to this list.
We accepted nominations for this list. Contact Anna Falvey at afalvey@beckershealthcare.com with questions or comments.
Feby Abraham, PhD. Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at Memorial Hermann Health System (Houston). Dr. Abraham is responsible for overseeing strategic investments, corporate development, market insights and innovation at Memorial Hermann. Since joining the system in 2020, he has helped the system shift to a value-based care model and played a key role in reducing costs and achieving healthier communities. His approach has led to the development and launch of new products and initiatives aimed at improving accessibility and outcomes. He has also led the system's efforts to expand their footprint, adding alternative sites of care like at-home opportunities, ASCs and urgent care locations. His work focuses on driving physician alignment strategies, leveraging data and analytics to influence value creation. Dr. Abraham has expanded urgent care within the area, helping the system grow from 10 to 24 facilities within a year thanks to direct-to-consumer access platforms. Dr. Abraham also designed, launched and co-leads Memorial Hermann's innovation hub, which has launched 12 innovation pilots and developed 15 new healthcare services and products. He has also implemented technology solutions at Memorial Hermann Health System for improved enterprise data analytics and genomics-based patient care. These implementations have contributed to more data-driven, personalized health care solutions, improving clinical outcomes and patient experiences.
Jean Ahn. Chief Strategy Officer at Nuvance Health (Danbury, Conn.). Ms. Ahn joined Nuvance Health in February 2020 after spending more than seven years at Springfield, Mass.-based Baystate Health, where she was senior vice president and chief strategy officer and was instrumental in developing the system's telehealth foundation. Prior to her time at Baystate Health, she spent more than a decade at Yale New Haven (Conn.) Health, working her way up to becoming a system director of strategic planning and business development. At Nuvance Health, she is responsible for overseeing strategic planning, business development, physician outreach, marketing, internal communications, and community, government and public relations. Since joining the health system, she has been pivotal in advancing digital health initiatives as a key access channel for the system, executing an urgent care strategy, introducing human-centered design thinking and approaches, advocating for AI approaches, and demonstrating the growth that can occur through tight alignment between strategic planning and marketing. Her simulation work on preparing her respective health systems for disruption and new thinking has been of significant benefit and value-add for future strategic planning.
Raymond Anderson, PhD. Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of Trinity Health (Livonia, Mich.). Dr. Anderson was named executive vice president and chief strategy officer of Trinity Health in October 2023. His role entails leading systemwide strategic planning, business development, partnerships, mergers and acquisitions. He joins the system from Austin-based Ascension Texas, where he was a key player in the system's transformation into a multibillion-dollar enterprise via strategic program growth, nextgen technologies, and performance management. He also led the system's first enterprisewide strategy with an aligned collection of markets and its first foray into value-based care. In addition, before Seton Healthcare Family was rebranded under Ascension, he had positioned it as the top regional referral center for high-acuity cases. Dr. Anderson has held roles in multiple healthcare verticals, including as a practitioner and a healthcare consultant.
Joan Bachleitner. Chief Strategy Officer of SSM Health (St. Louis). Ms. Bachleitner leads short- and long-term strategic positioning for SSM Health. Strategic planning, business development, new ventures, affiliations and ongoing transformation all fall under this strategic positioning umbrella. She also guides the system in digital health, as well as data and analytics. She assumed her current role in September 2023 after serving as the system's chief growth officer.
Kavitha Bhatia, MD. Chief Medical Officer of Strategy at Prime Healthcare (Ontario, Calif.). Dr. Bhatia leads the development and implementation of strategic initiatives that advance the long-term success of Prime. She works with corporate leaders to prioritize systemwide value creation and implement strategic initiatives to ensure operational, financial and clinical success. Dr. Bhatia is a physician executive with a value-driven approach and dedication to evidence-based healthcare. During a time when Prime tripled in size, she led planning in key areas to support its growth and recruit new leaders. She has led Prime to expand its network of care through urgent care, rural health and ASCs. She is also president and chair of the Prime Healthcare Foundation, which includes 14 of Prime's nonprofit hospitals.
James Blazar. Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at Hackensack Meridian Health (Edison, N.J.). Mr. Blazar is responsible for developing Hackensack's strategic priorities and regional strategic growth through mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures and creative partnerships with health systems, hospitals, ASCs and physicians. He helped the system to lead communications throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and expanded telehealth and hospital-at-home services as part of the system's focus on social determinants of health and behavioral health. He helped the system to develop the state's first behavioral health urgent care and the expansion of Hackensack's ASC and wellness centers. Throughout his career, Mr. Blazar has developed innovative strategies, data-driven campaigns and breakthrough advertising to launch successful brands. Mr. Blazar also has oversight of Hackensack's patient access center, a cohort of more than 150 team members scheduling patients in hospitals and physician practices. He has also been essential in leading network mergers, acquisitions and affiliations for the system.
Scott D. Boden, MD. Chief Strategy Officer of Emory Healthcare and Woodruff Health Sciences Center (Atlanta). Dr. Boden, who has cultivated a career at Emory Healthcare over the past 31 years, now serves as the system's inaugural chief strategy officer. In his role, he identifies strategic priorities, translates them into a comprehensive strategic plan, and helps execute that plan. He drives organizational change for the system by forging working relationships and synergies both within and outside of the organization. As Dr. Boden is still an active clinician, surgeon and researcher, he possesses a unique insight into the frontlines, which in turn informs his plans. Most recently, Dr. Boden has helped to form long-term strategic partnerships with the majority of Atlanta’s professional sports teams, including the Hawks, Falcons, Braves, Dream and others. He has helped develop strategic partnerships with national healthcare entities including One Medical, CVS Health, Scion Health, and others, and has started the Emory Healthcare Innovation Hub, an ecosystem linking over 10 companies.
Stacey Brandt. Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer at Tampa (Fla.) General Hospital. Ms. Brandt oversees the development and execution of Florida Health Sciences Center’s strategy, market planning and growth, marketing, public relations, physician business development, service lines, healthcare transformation, process engineering, external affairs, and project and program management. The center is composed of several organizations, including Tampa General Hospital. Ms. Brandt serves as a member of the organization's senior management team. Additionally, she is the architect of Tampa General's new strategic plan, leading the planning process as well as overseeing its governance and execution. In her role, she also leads the development and strategic planning for 15 of Tampa General’s institutes and service lines.The five-year strategic plan is focused on six key themes, including clinical and operational excellence, talent management, physician alignment, market growth, care coordination and the research and academic mission. She oversees the continued development of all 15 of Tampa Genera's institutes, with its market share growing from 19% to 24% in five years. She also oversaw Tampa General's restructuring of marketing, communications and physician business development for the health system, managing a $23 million marketing budget.
David Cannady. Chief Strategy Officer for Bon Secours Mercy Health (Cincinnati). Mr. Cannady joined Bon Secours Mercy Health in 2017 after serving as the vice president of the strategic resource group for Nashville, Tenn.-based Hospital Corporation of America. Upon assuming the chief strategy officer position at Bon Secours Mercy Health, he took on responsibility for the innovation and strategic planning teams. He drives the ministry's strategy agenda and leads service line planning. Additional leadership positions include serving on the board of Centrifuse, a company developed to support tech startups and founders.
Claudio Capone. Regional Vice President of Strategic Planning and Business Development at Trinity Health Of New England (Hartford, Conn.). Mr. Capone's primary function as regional vice president of strategic planning and business development is to bolster the development of strategic initiatives, partnerships, and supporting tactics. He guides the creation and deployment of strategic initiatives, including service line planning, physician relations improvement, and business development. Among Mr. Capone's most notable accomplishments are the creation of the system's first strategic plan, the implementation of a service line structure focused on standardization and care coordination, and the development of various joint ventures that expanded nationally across Trinity Health.
Rich Church. Chief Growth and Strategy Officer at Parkview Health (Fort Wayne. Ind.). Mr. Church joined Parkview in 2022, previously spending eight years as the system's outside legal counsel. He leads the system's development strategy with a focus on growth. He leads negotiations with strategic partners, including affiliations and assessing and facilitating expansion into new product lines and markets. He also plays a leading role in Parkview's holding company for business to business investments in healthcare. He is heavily involved in Parkview's future and strategic planning, charting needs and expansion opportunities. Recently, Mr. Church led Parkview's expansion into a multi-state hospital services provider through a partnership with Ohio-based Community Hospitals. He also led the system in its renewed affiliation agreement with Cincinnati Children's. Parkview and Cincinnati Children's have also launched new telehealth clinics to expand access.
Matthew Comerford. Chief Strategy Officer at Yale New Haven (Conn.) Health. Mr. Comerford is a strategist and visionary leader at Yale New Haven Health with over eight years of experience on the team. He specializes in strategy development and articulation, strategic repositioning, strategic cost reduction, developing growth agendas and large-scale transformation. Mr. Comerford also has a background working with payers, medical device companies and provider organizations. He has worked with Yale New Haven Health to integrate St. Raphael Hospital into the system, serving as its interim chief integration officer. He also supported the system's transition of its CFO role and led initiatives to reduce expenses. He installed a talent management system to bring in individuals from other leading institutions.
Michelle Conger. Chief Strategy Officer at OSF HealthCare (Peoria, Ill.). As Chief Strategy Officer and CEO of OSF OnCall Digital Health, Ms. Conger helps OSF remain at the forefront in leading healthcare transformation from an illness-focus to keeping people healthy. She helped create the innovation agenda, including health technology incubation, usability and simulation and venture capital investment strategies — integrating digital experience solutions with operational workflows and clinical outputs. This helps put OSF — listed among America’s Most Innovative Companies by Fortune — at the forefront of treating patients where they prefer to be treated. In 2022, OSF became the first in Illinois to launch a digital hospital (hospital at home). She led the creation of a clinical workforce available 24/7/365 including OSF OnCall Urgent Care providing in-person and 24/7 virtual care; Clare, a chatbot AI symptom checker; and remote patient monitoring for those with chronic conditions. Under her leadership, OSF Ventures invested in 31 companies and has $250 million in total assets under management, providing patients and providers early access to emerging technologies. Her leadership resulted in digital solutions born in OSF Innovation and operationalized in OSF OnCall that doubled mammogram screenings, identified 286,000 patients with chronic conditions for intervention and enrolled over 100 women in a pregnancy and postpartum program.
Chris Cornue. Chief Strategy Officer of Cone Health (Greensboro, N.C.). Mr. Cornue joined Cone Health in May 2022 as chief strategy officer to oversee the health system's strategy, innovation and growth regionally and in the national marketplace. He aims to position Cone Health for long-term success and strategic collaborations. Mr. Cornue has experience as executive vice president at The Health Management Academy leading the center of innovation.
Jim Cotelingam. Chief Strategy Officer of Cleveland Clinic. Mr. Cotelingam was named chief strategy officer of Cleveland Clinic in 2021 after spending time as senior vice president of strategy at Trinity Health in Livonia, Ill. He is responsible for setting the system's growth plans and focusing on market intelligence and analytics, enterprise strategy development and major strategic initiatives implementation. He also has a hand in strategic transactions including mergers and acquisitions.
Steven Docimo, MD. Executive Vice President, Business Development and Strategy at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. Docimo focuses on the business strategy, development and external affairs for CHOP. He joined the health system in 2017 as the senior vice president of clinical operations for national relationships and worked his way up to become the executive vice president for business development and strategy in December 2021. He has previous experience as the chief medical officer at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.
Rob Edwards. Vice President, Chief Strategy and Growth Officer of University of Kentucky HealthCare (Lexington). Mr. Edwards serves as vice president, chief strategy and growth officer for the University of Kentucky's academic medical center, UK HealthCare. He handles acquisitions, clinical contracting, partnerships, health policy, brand and digital strategy, clinical contracting and other strategic opportunities, both organic and nonorganic. He oversees the development of numerous affiliations and partnerships across the state to expand access to advanced subspecialty care. One of Mr. Edwards' key accomplishments was leading the acquisition of Ashland, Ky.-based King's Daughters, the single largest acquisition for the University of Kentucky.
Caryn Esten. Senior Vice President, Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer at Froedtert Health (Milwaukee). Ms. Esten is responsible for strategic planning, implementation and integration at Froedtert Health. She joined the system in 2005 and has a background in interactive marketing and financial services. Ms. Esten also is the president of the board of directors for First Stage, a children's theater company in Milwaukee.
Gary Everling. Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of Hendricks Regional Health (Danville, Ind.). Mr. Everling is responsible for Hendricks Regional Health's strategic planning, establishing new business relationships, market development and expansion. He also is involved in state and federal legislative initiatives and is working to help the health system become more transparent and accountable for Hendricks' vision and strategy. He spent 15 years at Indianapolis-based Ascension St. Vincent overseeing marketing, business development and strategy before joining Hendricks.
Stephanie Fendrick. Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of Virtua Health (Marlton, N.J.). As the executive vice president and chief strategy officer of Virtua Health, Ms. Fendrick oversees the system's service-line strategy, key partnerships and enterprisewide growth initiatives. Her 20-year career at Virtua has been integral to the growth of the system, which now comprises five hospitals, seven emergency departments, seven urgent care centers, and over 350 other care locations. She was a major player in the development of the new Penn Medicine | Virtua Health Proton Therapy Center, in Virtua's academic affiliation with Rowan University, and in the launch and oversight of the Mobile Health & Cancer Screening Unit. Ms. Fendrick also serves on the Counseling Committee of the Jewish Family and Children’s Services Board of Directors.
Dan Fields. Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Mr. Fields leads Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia's enterprise strategy team as well as several programs focused on innovation and growth. In partnership with the physician-in-chief and chief scientific officer, he has overseen the rapid and successful expansion of CHOP’s Frontier Programs – an accelerator to advance some of CHOP’s unique clinical and research programs – now reaching more than 20,000 patients from nearly every state and more than 40 countries. He also helped establish a collaborative model for expanding on CHOP’s leadership in cell and gene therapy. Through this work, faculty at CHOP have expanded clinical trials for these therapies to nearly five times more patients in the past three years alone. He also co-leads CHOP’s enterprise business development activities, driving a 10x increase in growth in several areas.
Andrea Gibson. Chief Strategy Officer of Cook County Health (Chicago). Ms. Gibson oversees organizational growth, business growth, affiliated strategies and strategic initiatives at Cook County Health. She spent time as the system's interim chief business officer, responsible for the system's finance departments including budgeting, payroll and patient financial services. She has previous experience as the budget director for Cook County and Deputy Budget Director for the City of Chicago.
Laura Guido. Chief Brand Strategy Officer of Adena Health System (Chillicothe, Ohio). Ms. Guido spent 15 years at UPMC in leadership roles including senior director of international marketing, before joining Adena Health System in May 2022. She is a results-driven leader focused on team building and driving change.
Loren Hamel, MD. Chief Strategy Officer of Spectrum Health System and President of Spectrum Health Lakeland (Grand Rapids, Mich.). Dr. Hamel oversees planning and strategic intelligence as well as business development for Spectrum Health. He is also accountable for Spectrum Health Ventures and Innovations, and leads the system's clinically integrated network activity. Dr. Hamel was CEO of Lakeland Health for nine years where he successfully integrated the county's largest multispecialty medical practice into the hospital, and installed systemwide EHR.
Anita Iyenger. Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at Legacy Health (Portland, Ore.). Ms. Iyenger joined Legacy Health in 2013 as a strategic planning and business consultant and worked her way up to become the senior vice president and chief strategy officer in 2020. She oversees strategy for Legacy Health, a $2 billion integrated delivery system with eight hospitals and an 800 provider medical group. She has previous experience as a senior consultant with Nobilis.
Julie Jacono. Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at The MetroHealth System (Cleveland). Ms. Jacono joined MetroHealth as director of development and rose through the ranks to become the senior vice president and chief strategy and innovation officer in 2022. She has experience in identifying opportunities to turn into competitive strategies, system transformation, innovation and more.
Liz Jaekle. Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of The Guthrie Clinic (Sayre, Pa.). Ms. Jaekle, in collaboration with executive leadership, drives assessment, development and execution of business strategies at The Guthrie Clinic to help grow market share and revenue. She oversees new business ventures, partner affiliations, market expansions, physician integration and strategies to address population health management as well as key service lines. Ms. Jaekle joined the organization in 2022 and immediately launched the organization's five-year strategic plan, which laid out a roadmap for transformation. Under her leadership, Guthrie has established cross-functional work groups across service lines, welcomed Twin Tiers Eye Care, and begun the acquisition of Lourdes Hospital in Binghamton, N.Y.
Kristin Jimenez. Chief Strategy Officer at AdventHealth Central Florida Division (Orlando). Ms. Jimenez leads strategy, growth, planning, business development, physician relations and specialty service lines for the flagship division of the nation’s largest nonprofit Protestant health care system, which has 3,234 inpatient beds and 2022 total operating revenue of $6.5 billion. She is also COO of the AdventHealth Institutes, which include programs in cancer; diabetes and endocrinology; and neurology and neurosurgery that are nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report. She is an advocate for physician collaboration and was instrumental in bringing the Rothman Orthopaedic Institute to Florida through a long-term partnership. She has a passion for supporting and mentoring women leaders in healthcare both within AdventhHealth and across the industry.
Brett Justice, Vice President of Strategic Planning, Marketing and Business Development at AnMed (Anderson, S.C.). Mr. Justice leads growth, development, branding and positioning functions for AnMed. He joined the health system in 2021 after spending 14 years at Mount Carmel Health System in Columbus, Ohio, most recently as senior vice president of strategy and system development. Mr. Justice also spent time as director of planning for Shands HealthCare in Gainesville, Fla.
Patrick Kaminski. Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Mr. Kaminski is responsible for strategic planning, business development and enterprise transformation at UT Health San Antonio, the region's only academic medical center. He leads the office of strategic planning, which supports strategic plan execution. Mr. Kaminski promotes institutional planning, consistent academic reporting and data driven improvement. He is also a key strategy leader in advancing numerous systemwide collaborations and strategic initiatives.
Kelly Kavanaugh. Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of Dayton (Ohio) Children's. Ms. Kavanaugh oversees marketing, communications, strategic planning and value improvement for Dayton Children's. She joined the system in 2010 as director of the hospital's communication program and has become instrumental in the system's $162 million campus renewal and branding. She is also working on partnerships, including a joint venture called Ohio Pediatric Care Alliance.
Annette Kenney. Chief Strategy Officer of Endeavor Health (Chicago). Ms. Kenney serves as chief strategy officer for Endeavor Health, which is the combination of NorthShore University HealthSystem, Edward-Elmhurst Health, Swedish Hospital and Northwest Community Healthcare. She oversees efforts for transformational growth and community care. Before assuming this role, she was system executive vice president and chief strategy and marketing officer for Edward-Elmhurst Health. She brings over 25 years of healthcare experience to the role, and has expertise in strategy, ambulatory and physician network and service line development.
Tom Kruse. Chief Strategy Officer of Virginia Mason Franciscan Health (Seattle). Mr. Kruse oversees corporate strategy, strategic planning, communications, government affairs and more for Virginia Mason Franciscan Health's Pacific Northwest Division. He joined the system in 2015 after spending time as executive vice president and chief strategy officer at Hackensack University Health Network in Edison, N.J. In his current role, he has his hand in physician sales, service line strategy and executive strategy across the multi-state region.
Peter Kung. Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of Hospital Sisters Health System (Springfield, Ill.). Mr. Kung guides the strategic direction for the $3 billion health system, overseeing systemwide planning and service line growth as well as identifying and executing strategic partnerships. He is a strong advocate for innovation, always looking for new ways to improve the healthcare system. Mr. Kung's leadership was instrumental in the creation and execution of the system's strategic plan, which has ultimately helped it achieve its operational and strategic goals of improving care quality for its patients. Mr. Kung joined Hospital Sisters Health System after serving as the system vice president and chief innovation officer for SCL Health, which is now Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Health.
Maurice Lagarde. Chief Strategy and Growth Officer at LCMC Health (New Orleans). Mr. Lagarde joined LCMC in 2023 and is responsible for strategic direction and opportunity advancement to continue LCMC's growth. Prior to joining LCMC, he spent 40 years at HCA Healthcare, with 25 years of experience running divisions for the system. He is also a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and serves on the board of directors for the Federation of American Hospitals.
Stephen LeBlanc. Chief Strategy Officer of Dartmouth Health (Lebanon, N.H.). Mr. LeBlanc was appointed as chief strategy officer for Dartmouth Health in 2017, after working within the system since 1987 and serving in various leadership positions across operations, finance and administration. He now handles strategic planning and regional network development, as well as payer relationships and risk contract performance. In addition, he serves as the executive director for the New England Alliance for Health, a shared services organization with 20 member institutions. He also serves on several boards of trustees for Dartmouth Health, as well as a board member of OneCare Vermont and former chair of the New Hampshire Hospital Association Board.
Dan Liljenquist. Chief Strategy Officer of Intermountain Healthcare (Salt Lake City). Mr. Liljenquist is a member of Intermountain's enterprise leadership team responsible for setting and achieving strategic priorities, corporate development and government relations. Mr. Liljenquist was also the architect of Civica Rx and continues to serve as the board chair. He joined the system in 2012 after serving in the Utah State Senate. He also has experience at Bain & Company.
Jason Lineen. Chief Strategy Officer at UVA Health (Charlottesville, Va.). As UVA Health’s inaugural chief strategy officer, Mr. Lineen is a driving force for the system's strategic planning efforts, service line expansion and transformation initiatives. He has built a system strategy office team spanning clinical care, education, research and community, as well as the organization's seven entities. In alignment with the system's 10-year strategic plan, he and his team structure strategic affiliations, mergers, acquisitions and partnerships to advance statewide expansion. Mr. Lineen is the executive sponsor of several strategic initiatives outlined in the plan, including the launch of the new UVA Health Leadership Institute, a new affiliation transaction with Newport News, Va.-based Riverside Health System, a clinical affiliation agreement with Lynchburg, Va.-based Centra Health, and a transaction for UVA Health to become the sole owner of Culpeper, Prince William and Haymarket Medical Centers.
Richard Miller. Executive Vice President and Chief Business Strategy Officer of Northwell Health (New Hyde Park, N.Y.). Mr. Miller is responsible for Northwell's business strategy and organizational decision-making, and is accountable for revenue optimization, commercial investments and aligning organizational and financial strategies. He is also chair of the Northwell Health Plans Holding Company and was previously on congressional panels. He joined Northwell in 2008 as vice president of financial planning after serving as CFO of NYU Hospitals Center for seven years.
Dominic Moffa. Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of Geisinger (Danville, Pa.). Mr. Moffa oversees strategic planning, business development, corporate communications, transactions and government relations as executive vice president and chief strategy officer of Geisinger. He is a member of the AHA Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development, a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, and a past fellow of the Health Care Advisory Board Executive Fellowship Program. Mr. Moffa previously served as executive vice president of AtlantiCare in Atlantic City, N.J.
Santiago Munoz. Chief Strategy Officer of UCLA Health (Los Angeles). Mr. Munoz oversees a long-term growth and market positioning strategy to advance UCLA Health’s priorities such as enhancing access to a comprehensive continuum of care and driving tertiary and quaternary business through selected collaborations and targeted expansions. Among the acquisitions and partnerships that have launched since Mr. Munoz joined UCLA Health in 2013: California Rehabilitation Institute, a 138-bed acute rehabilitation hospital and joint venture now ranked as California’s top rehabilitation hospital; Vivity HMO, a partnership of various health systems and an insurer designed to offer an affordable, high-quality HMO plan in Los Angeles and Orange counties; acquisition of a closed community hospital campus now being converted to a state-of-the-art neuropsychiatric hospital that will expand psychiatric bed capacity by 60%; a strategic alliance with the Southern California Orthopedic Institute to bring care closer to where patients live and work; a joint venture with Children’s Hospital Orange County to enhance access to world-class pediatric congenital cardiac care; more than 100 additional primary and specialty care clinics across Southern California.
Scott Nordlund. Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy and Growth Officer at Banner Health (Phoenix). Mr. Nordlund sets the strategic direction for the $13 billion Banner Health system. His oversight spans all strategic planning, growth activities, mergers, acquisitions, partnership developments, innovation, digital business strategy, joint venture development, marketing, external communications and consumer engagement. He helms key service line growth and oversees the system's inaugural membership-based care service, Banner Beyond, and its insurance division. Mr. Nordlund has set the foundation for Banner's digital front door and is in pursuit of a seamless, customer-centric digital experience. Initiatives addressing this include an emergency department discharge bot, smart waitlists, an AI-based symptom checker and more. Prior to joining Banner Health, Mr. Nordlund was executive vice president of partnership, growth and innovation at Mechanicsburg, Pa.-based Select Medical.
Michael Paul. Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare (Memphis, Tenn.). Mr. Paul oversees strategic planning initiatives that meet growth and operational objectives. He also identifies and develops new business opportunities and innovative approaches to the health system's mission and vision, overseeing marketing, communications, web strategy, innovation and more. He has previous experience as COO and chief of staff for the South and Midwest division of WellCare Health Plans.
Nicole Paulk. Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at Indiana University Health (Indianapolis). Ms. Paulk was appointed as the chief strategy officer for Indiana University Health in 2021. She guides strategy for the academic health system, working to improve clinical programs, research and education. She also handles business development and oversees payer and population health plans. Prior to joining IU Health, she served as senior vice president of strategy and innovation for Downers Grove, Ill.-based Advocate Aurora Health. She has also served as vice president of strategic planning and service line growth for Falls Church, Va.-based Inova Health System.
Megan Perry. Senior Corporate Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of Sentara (Norfolk, Va.). Ms. Perry is accountable for mergers, affiliations, partnerships and new market growth. She has experience as senior vice president for business development for the health system, where she worked on physician collaborations and led several hospital affiliations. Ms. Perry was corporate vice president for mergers and affiliations and oversaw Sentara's commercial real estate and construction before becoming chief strategy officer.
Nathan Peterson. Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy and Development Officer for Sanford Health (Sioux Falls, S.D.). Mr. Peterson is the executive vice president and chief strategy and development officer for Sanford Health. He handles the system's enterprise data and analytics, digital strategy, marketing, corporate communications, strategic planning, enterprise project management and governance. In addition, he oversees Sanford Health Plan and the Sanford Health Foundation. He joined Sanford Health in 2010 and has since held multiple positions across the system, ranging from director of legislative affairs to chief of staff to the CEO.
Sue Pietrafeso. Chief Strategy Officer, California Region at CommonSpirit Health (Chicago). Ms. Pietrafeso has 25 years of experience in executive healthcare leadership. She is responsible for enhancing growth and access to care at CommonSpirit, overseeing strategic planning for 31 hospital sites and 150 ambulatory care sites across the state. She currently leads business development, marketing, communications and sales teams in key initiatives, including service line growth, post-pandemic volume recovery and expansion of integrated delivery networks. She collaborates with the hospitals' executive leadership team to guide business objectives for service line growth and strategic direction. She also implements strategies to expand services to diverse communities of care. She has been vital in the development of CommonSpirit's risk mitigation strategies. Ms. Pietrafeso is also heavily involved in CommonSpirit's contracted physician groups and management service organizations to implement value-based care strategies.
Tatyana Popkova. Chief Strategy Officer of UCI Health (Irvine, Calif.). Ms. Popkova was senior vice president and chief strategy officer at Rush University Health System in Chicago for two years before joining UCI Health as chief strategy officer in late 2021. She has experience with organizational growth, scaling business models, innovative platform design and digital health. She is passionate about transformation, innovation, team building and achieving measurable results. She has previous experience as system executive director for Phoenix-based Banner Health.
Bob Quarfoot. Vice President of Business Development at Dignity Health-California Hospital Medical Center (Los Angeles). Mr. Quarfoot plans and develops service line and physician alignment strategies for the 318-bed hospital with an annual net revenue exceeding $500 million. He has over a decade of experience in service line development and has cultivated relationships with six IPA networks. He also launched a care coordination program to address chronic health conditions and the unhoused, resulting in 20% savings of total hospital cost of care. He has also implemented physician recruitment strategies to attract 45 new independent providers.
Kelly Rabalais. Vice President of Communications and Strategy at St. Tammany Health System (Covington, La.). Ms. Rabalais leads strategy and communications for St. Tammany Health System, heading a staff of six colleagues across strategy, marketing, advertising, business development, communications, public relations, governmental relations and community relations. She has lent her vision and level-headed professionalism to the organization's community-based mission since assuming the role of assistant vice president of strategic planning and implementation in 2020. She has since taken on positions of increasing responsibility. Among other leadership positions, Ms. Rabalais is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and a board member of the St. Tammany Chamber.
David Randall. Chief Strategy Officer of UAB Health System (Birmingham). Mr. Randall oversees strategic initiatives at UAB Health System. He is helming the system's efforts to build a new $55 million to $65 million facility for Cooper Green Mercy Health Services to open by 2025 with additional services. The facility will focus on quality patient care and adopt new technologies for better results and patient experience.
Raphe Schwartz. Chief Strategy Officer and Senior Vice President of Children’s Hospital Colorado (Aurora). As chief strategy officer, Mr. Schwartz oversees strategy, business development, partnerships, physician relations, the clinically integrated network and 10 nationally leading service lines for Children’s Colorado’s. He is the architect for the hospital's five-year strategic plan, dubbed Destination 2025, which has positioned the hospital as the leading pediatric hospital in the west, as well as a national leader in research, innovation and groundbreaking treatments. Since Mr. Schwartz assumed his role five years ago, the hospital's local and national partnerships have doubled, and a close partnership with the Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation has resulted in donations increasing from $50 million to $90 million per year. One of Mr. Schwartz's most notable contributions has been leading the precision medicine strategy, advancing services to bring genomics, rapid diagnoses and personalized treatments to the hospital, including the Next Generation Sequencing platform.
Sheri Shapiro. Chief Strategy Officer of CommonSpirit Health (Chicago). Ms. Shapiro became CommonSpirit Health's chief strategy officer in June 2023. She brings over two decades of leadership experience to her role. As chief strategy officer, Ms. Shapiro leads market strategy, growth and partnerships, transformation efforts, innovation, marketing and communications, brand management, sales and payer strategy, and more. Most recently, she served as Livonia, Mich.-based Trinity Health's executive vice president and chief strategy officer.
Shawn Sheffield. Chief Strategy Officer of Keck Medicine of USC (Los Angeles). In her chief strategy officer role, Ms. Sheffield handles Keck Medicine of USC's clinical strategies and expansion efforts. She guides external clinical growth, strategic and service line planning, health system marketing and communications, business development, and healthcare mergers and acquisitions. During her tenure at Keck Medicine, she has helped expand it through affiliations, partnerships and acquisitions, resulting in a system of four hospitals and a faculty practice plan with over 1,800 physicians. She also currently serves as the executive sponsor for the system's women employee resource group. Prior to joining USC in 2012, she was chief strategy and business officer and assistant vice-chancellor of resource, strategy and planning for UC San Diego Health Sciences.
Laurie Sicaeros. Chief Strategy Officer and Leadership Academy Dean at MemorialCare (Fountain Valley, Calif.). In leading MemorialCare’s growth strategies Ms. Sicaeros achieved exceptional success with a 'can-do' style and leadership in pivotal initiatives that transformed MemorialCare from a hospital system to an integrated health network with more than 230 hospitals and ambulatory centers in Southern California. With 25 years in leadership, she previously served as COO for MemorialCare Medical Foundation and its 2,000 affiliated physicians and outpatient facilities. She was also MemorialCare senior vice president for physician integration. Her accomplishments include helping lead business development, mergers and acquisitions and physician practice alignment. Her work in clinical informatics and EHR integration link physicians and outpatient centers to MemorialCare hospitals — providing seamless continuity of care for millions of patients served by nearly 3,000 affiliated physicians. She helped expand MemorialCare’s footprint into an ambulatory network of primary and specialty care medical groups and outpatient center partnerships. She played a major role expanding MemorialCare Physician Society, dedicated to clinical and customer service best practices that drive superior clinical outcomes and performance that often rank above national and regional benchmarks.
Amber Sims. Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at Ascension (St. Louis). Ms. Sims leads the creation of a single national strategic plan for the organization and an actionable roadmap at Ascension. She works in partnership with the Ascension leadership team to position the organization to thrive, incorporating Ascension’s point of view across all markets and developing the roadmap for future state through plans to enhance the physical footprint and service portfolio. Ms. Sims is focused on strategic direction, sustainable growth and portfolio design. She leads a cross-enterprise team that optimizes investments in people, technology, programs and facilities to foster a value-based care model. She is also responsible for creating clear measures of success that promote growth from a strategic, financial, operational and clinical perspective.
Priya Singh. Chief Strategy Officer and Senior Associate Dean of Stanford (Calif.) Medicine. Ms. Singh oversees the enterprise strategy for Stanford Health Care, Stanford Children's Health and the School of Medicine. She is responsible for strategic planning, global strategy, public relations and communications of the $8 billion academic health center. Ms. Singh focuses on bringing together research, education and clinical care. She has previous experience as a marketing leader for Oracle.
Shoeb Sitafalwalla, MD. Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of Advocate Health (Charlotte, N.C.). Dr. Sitafalwalla brings 15 years of experience in clinical medicine, operations, population health, and health equity to his current role as executive vice president and chief strategy officer of Advocate Health. He served Advocate Aurora Health since 2013 and most recently held the chief strategy officer position for the system. He has also been medical director of the South Asian Cardiovascular Center, CMO of Good Shepherd Hospital, and clinical lead for mHealth. Dr. Sitafalwalla is a practicing cardiologist and an engineer.
Tom Stoessel. Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Transformation Officer of Penn State Health (Hershey, Pa.). Mr. Stoessel oversees health system growth and is focused on developing and executing Penn State Health's strategic plan. He drives clinical program expansion and partnerships with regional community systems, physician practices, payers and industry partners. Mr. Stoessel has more than 25 years of executive experience in healthcare and was previously the senior vice president of strategic planning and business development at PinnacleHealth, where he developed the high-level strategic direction of the organization.
Alex Sydnor. Chief Strategy Officer of MaineGeneral Health (Augusta). Mr. Sydnor joined MaineGeneral Health in January 2020 as chief strategy officer, after spending more than eight years at Beebe Healthcare in Lewes, Del., where he served as vice president of external affairs and chief strategy officer. He has a passion for innovation, leading transformational change and driving results.
David Sylvan. Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer of University Hospitals (Cleveland). Mr. Sylvan drives innovation at University Hospitals by overseeing core operations, industry partnerships, technology transfer, commercialization and investments, business development and strategic initiatives. Having served as the president of UH Ventures since 2020, he leverages his team's design and process expertise alongside the strategy and planning platform to help streamline clinical operations. In 2021, Mr. Sylvan collaborated with other UH teams and supporters to launch a key program, the Feuer Accelerator, which spurs ideation and design-thinking. He also leads the Cleveland Innovation District's research and product innovation initiatives for UH, which aims to generate an estimated $3 billion in economic impact while bringing more than 20,000 new jobs to Ohio over the next 10 years.
Lindsey Tyra. Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at Children's Health (Dallas). Ms. Tyra is a key architect for the overall growth of Children's Health. She oversees all capital projects for the system, including future growth, developing and growing the system’s comprehensive network of specialty, urgent, primary and virtual care options and programs to promote and improve those services. She leads more than 330 team members and is responsible for a $3 billion portfolio including planning, design and construction projects; marketing and communications; physician outreach; reputation management; strategic planning for the maternal child program;and business insights. She also serves as co-chair of the Joint Pediatric Enterprise management board between Children's and UT Southwestern Medical Center. In the role, leadership is central to the two organizations’ plans for working together now and in the future, including the joint investment and development of a new facility. Ms. Tyra's recent accomplishments include developing the first joint pediatric enterprise strategic plan, continuing expansion efforts for increased access to care closer to home, enhancing the patient-family experience, expanding access to pediatric behavioral health services and building an inpatient unit for children and adolescents at the state psychiatric hospital.
Sunita Vadakath, MD. Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at MyMichigan Health (Midland). Dr. Vadakath became senior vice president and chief strategy officer at MyMichigan Health in January 2022. She oversees the health system's service lines, business development, strategy and marketing. Dr. Vadakath joined MyMichigan in 2014 as cardiovascular service line director and established systemwide clinical practices and coverage. She became vice president of service lines in 2019 and has experience establishing the system's structural heart program, hybrid OR and heart and vascular center.
Sara Vaezy. Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy and Digital Officer of Providence (Renton, Wash.). Ms. Vaezy is responsible for system strategy and digital innovation for Providence's 52 hospitals and 900-plus clinics, which serve five million unique patients across seven states. She brings deep experience in both digital and enterprise strategy development. In her role, she leads system strategy as well as the ongoing evolution of Providence's integrated strategic and financial plan. Through her leadership, Providence is investing in digital transformation to fundamentally reshape the healthcare business model, drive customer acquisition and retention, and aid financial recovery.
Chris Watts. Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for BJC HealthCare (St. Louis). Mr. Watts was named vice president and chief strategy officer in 2020. His position entails daily responsibility for strategy, growth, development, investing, business planning and the BJC Collaborative. Mr. Watts first joined BJC HealthCare in 2005 and has served as BJC vice president of capital and program planning.
Kyle Weber. Chief Strategy Officer at Elevance Health (Indianapolis). Mr. Weber joined Elevance in 2021, responsible for developing enterprise strategy and growth plans, as well as expanding the focus on delivering innovative solutions to all stakeholders. He is spearheading a new strategy for the trajectory of the organization, evolving from a traditional health insurance company to a diversified healthcare services organization. He collaborates with senior leaders across the enterprise to build and scale capabilities that transform healthcare. He is focused on improving four core areas for the company; whole health, exceptional experiences, care provider enablement and digital solutions. Since Elevance's rebranding, Mr. Weber has collaboratively helped to build corporate strategy to ensure the organization continues to optimize its mature businesses for sustainable growth and margins; leverage the investments it's making in high-growth opportunities;and accelerate the growth of the organization. Mr. Weber has also been instrumental in working towards Elevance's acquisition of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana. He has also reinforced Elevance's plan to grow in pharmacy, accelerated its enterprise strategy, optimized health benefits and accelerated company-wide growth.