Healthcare is rapidly evolving and the best leaders have embraced change and are leading organizations on the forefront of transforming care delivery.
The below leaders are using innovative digital technology, novel care delivery approaches and creative care solutions to shape the future of healthcare.
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. We extend a special thank you to Rhoda Weiss for her contributions to this list. Leaders are presented in alphabetical order.
Contact Anna Falvey at afalvey@beckershealthcare.com with questions or comments.
Gregory Adams. CEO of Kaiser Permanente (Oakland, Calif.). Mr. Adams leads a network of 39 hospitals, 730 medical offices and more than 216,000 employees. His work is focused on growing the organization's membership, improving affordability and expanding healthcare access. He holds leadership positions at several organizations, including being a member of the board of directors for America's Health Insurance Plans.
Nancy Agee, RN. CEO of Carilion Clinic. Ms. Agee is CEO of Carilion Clinic, a nearly $2 billion integrated health system serving more than 1 million people in Virginia and West Virginia. Carilion Clinic features seven hospitals at all scales, operates home health, imaging services, pharmacies and free-standing surgical clinics while employing more than 1,000 physicians. She helped to co-lead the clinic’s reorganization to the fully integrated, physician-led clinic it is today. Ms. Agee also has experience chairing the American Hospital Association and Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association.
Robert Allen. President and CEO at Intermountain Health (Salt Lake City). Mr. Allen has led organizations in urban and rural markets, and at Intermountain he built an operating model to align the health system across seven states. He expanded an existing model to connect teams across the health system and launched an internal campaign to simplify employee work. He is on the boards of Tellica, Caritas and Intermountain Ventures. He is board chair of Castell and Intermountain Medical Holdings NV.
Maria Ansari, MD. CEO and Executive Director for The Permanente Medical Group (Oakland, Calif.). In addition to her role as CEO and executive director for The Permanente Medical Group, Dr. Ansari also serves as president and CEO for the Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group and co-CEO of The Permanente Federation. Under Dr. Ansari's leadership, data, telehealth, AI and machine learning are being harnessed to streamline workflow. These tools can help with charting in the EHR and managing the physicians' in-basket, enabling physicians to spend more face-to-face time with patients and less time on administrative tasks.
Barry Arbuckle, PhD. President and CEO of MemorialCare (Fountain Valley, Calif.). Dr. Arbuckle is the president and CEO of MemorialCare, a Southern California nonprofit healthcare system with more than 200 sites of care. During his tenure, the organization has had exceptional growth and financial performance. Dr. Arbuckle serves on the boards of the AHA National Healthcare Systems Council, the National Health Systems Advisory Council for CVS Health and the National Healthcare Advisory Council for Anthem. In addition, he is chair of the MemorialCare Innovation Fund, a healthcare innovation investment company.
Carl S. Armato. President and CEO of Novant Health. Mr. Armato is the CEO of Novant Health, a $7.5 billion health system with more than 37,000 team members. He has led the system through significant change in the last several years, including a $5.3 billion acquisition of New Hanover Regional Medical Center and a shift to a more supportive corporate culture prioritizing diversity and inclusivity. Under his leadership, Novant has been recognized as one of Forbes' Best Employers for Diversity. In addition to his leadership role at Novant, Mr. Armato is on the board of directors for Vizient, a healthcare performance improvement company, and the American Heart Association's Southeast chapter.
Tim Barry. CEO, Chair and Co-Founder of VillageMD (Chicago). Mr. Barry founded VillageMD in 2013. The company has since grown from a tech company to a leading provider of primary and specialty care. VillageMD opened full-service primary care called Village Medical and then received Walgreens backing to expand the footprint. In 2022, VillageMD acquired Summit Health and CityMD. Under Mr. Barry's leadership, the company has increased access to high-quality care in communities that need it. His leadership and vision has kept value-based healthcare at the forefront of Village's model. Through Village Medical, Village Medical at Home, Summit Health, CityMD and other practices, VillageMD serves millions of patients. Prior to VillageMD, Mr. Barry has held numerous senior executive positions across the healthcare spectrum, all focused on empowering healthcare providers to bring value to the market through accountable care and population management.
Jim Benedict. President of Allegheny Health Network (Pittsburgh). Mr. Benedict is responsible for planning, direction and coordination of the network's day-to-day operations and long-range clinical strategy across AHN's entire Western Pennsylvania service footprint. He previously served as AHN's COO, responsible for strategic and operational management. In his role, Mr. Benedict was one of the chief architects of the network’s successful operational turnaround and its nearly $2 billion capital investment and market expansion strategy. He was also a key leader of the organization’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Over his more than 30 years in healthcare, Mr. Benedict has extensive experience in physician practice management, ambulatory operations and hospital operations, serving in executive leadership roles in the nonprofit, public, academic and international medical settings.
Barclay Berdan. CEO of Texas Health Resources (Arlington). Mr. Berdan is the CEO of Texas Health Resources, which has more than 400 access points, more than 450 primary care providers and 29 hospitals. Under Mr. Berdan's leadership, one of Texas Health Resources' main priorities is to deliver quality care safely and seamlessly. As a result of these clinical care efforts, Texas Health Resources received the American Society of Healthcare Risk Management Patient Safety Award in 2022. Mr. Berdan has been a champion of change, leading the transformation of Texas Health Resources from a system focused on sick care to a health system focused on consumers and community health.
Bo Boulenger. President and CEO of Baptist Health South Florida (Coral Gables). Using more than 38 years of experience in healthcare administration, Mr. Boulenger guides the vision and ongoing evolution of Baptist Health, the largest healthcare system in South Florida. Throughout his tenure, Mr. Boulenger has been instrumental in expanding Baptist Health’s geographic footprint and increasing access to care across South Florida. He oversaw some of the largest expansions on the Baptist Hospital campus and he was part of the affiliation team responsible for the mergers with three hospitals in Palm Beach County and another hospital in the Keys. He has also led the growth and development of the system's cancer, heart and vascular, brain and spine and orthopedic care institutes. Mr. Boulenger served as COO of Baptist Health for six years before being named CEO, and is the immediate past chair of the Florida Hospital Association's board of trustees. Currently, he is a member of the Florida Council of 100 and a founding member of the Miami Partnership, a consortium of leaders working to help Miami achieve its full potential as a world-class city.
Joseph Cacchione, MD. CEO of Jefferson University and Jefferson Health (Philadelphia). Dr. Cacchione joined Jefferson Health in September 2022 and has already made his mark on the health system. He restructured leadership for more efficient operations and is overseeing the acquisition of Allentown, Pa.-based Lehigh Valley Health Network, which will transform Jefferson into one of the largest health systems in the nation. He has also worked to unify operations systemwide. Prior to joining Jefferson, Dr. Cacchione was executive vice president of clinical network services at St. Louis-based Ascension Health, a $28 billion system.
David Callender, MD. President and CEO of Memorial Hermann Health System (Houston). As president and CEO of Memorial Hermann, Dr. Callender has developed and implemented a value-driven framework that addresses health equity and community health, workforce development, strategic partnerships with industry disruptors, and financial stewardship. Under his leadership, the system has launched the Institute for the Advancement of Health Equity, eight employee resource groups, health equity forum events, a community service corps and training for over 1,000 leaders, all supported by robust programmatic initiatives. He has also helped decrease total employee turnover by 40% from 2022 to 2024 by implementing engagement programs like tuition payment support, childcare options and mental health support. Dr. Callender has contributed to the establishment of strategic partnerships, joint ventures and innovation hub pilots as well. In addition, he has overseen the clinical care redesign and structuring for the future initiatives, which have driven significant cost savings over the past six years.
Nkem Chukwumerije, MD. President and Executive Medical Director for The Southeast Permanente Medical Group (Atlanta). Dr. Chukwumerije leads one of Georgia’s largest multispecialty medical groups, with over 800 clinicians caring for more than 315,000 Kaiser Permanente members. Dr. Chukwumerije also serves as national physician lead for equity, including and diversity for The Permanente Medical Groups, and has been honored for championing programs to disrupt bias and address microaggressions.
Kevin Churchwell, MD. President and CEO of Boston Children's Hospital. Dr. Churchwell oversees the strategic vision of Boston Children's Hospital to advance child health with clinical care, research and innovation, medical education and community engagement. He joined the hospital in 2013 as executive vice president of health affairs and COO, and has since earned several promotions. He established three of the 11 offices of health equity and inclusion at hospitals across the U.S. and Canada, including the Boston Children's office, and he is a board member of the Boston Chamber of Commerce.
Seth Ciabotti. CEO at Michigan State University Health Care (East Lansing). As CEO, Mr. Ciabotti has led the expansion of MSU Health Care’s growth in pathology, radiology, primary care, cardiovascular, neurosciences, ambulatory surgery, telehealth, cancer and infusion. He has championed the acquisition and integration of several practices as part of a three-year recruitment plan to procure more than 50 providers during a time of ongoing shortages. Mr. Ciabotti has also helped to lead a cultural shift, moving from a siloed operation model to one that has united the clinical operation of MSU’s three health sciences colleges. He is one of three MSU leaders to negotiate and secure a 30-year agreement with Detroit-based Henry Ford Health System, with plans to build new spaces for research, innovation, philanthropy, and medical and nursing colleges. He also played a pivotal role in establishing strategic collaborations with Henry Ford Health, Lansing, Mich.-based Sparrow Health System and Grand Blanc, Mich.-based McLaren Health Care, leading to the development of comprehensive commercial insurance offerings, along with specialized services in neurosciences, imaging, and cancer treatment. Mr. Ciabotti also spearheaded the implementation of a robust health IT infrastructure for enhanced operational efficiency and improved patient care outcomes.
Heather Cianfrocco. CEO of Optum (Eden Prairie, Minn.). Ms. Cianfrocco became the CEO of Optum in April, responsible for growth of Optum Health, Optum Rx and OptumInsight. She has previous experience as the company's president and held leadership roles as CEO for both Optum Rx and Optum's health services business. Ms. Cianfrocco has also been CEO of UnitedHealthcare Community and State. Prior to joining UnitedHealth Group in 2008, she had a legal practice representing healthcare mergers and acquisitions.
Chris Collins. President and CEO of ECG Management Consultants, a Siemens Healthineers Company. Mr. Collins leads ECG Management Consultants, a national healthcare consulting firm. He has more than 25 years of experience in healthcare services and successfully led ECG's academic healthcare division before stepping into his current role. Mr. Collins is accountable for realizing the firm's mission: to achieve the full potential of its people and clients. During his tenure, Mr. Collins has focused on recruiting and developing talent to lead client partnerships and positively impact communities served. ECG has served more than 3,000 health systems and continues to focus on growth.
Joanne Conroy, MD. CEO and President of Dartmouth Health (Lebanon, N.H.). Dr. Conroy is president and CEO of Dartmouth Health, the only academic health system in New Hampshire and the state's largest private employer. She leads a team of more than 2,000 providers serving the New England area. Since Dr. Conroy became the health system's CEO and president in 2017, she has spurred significant change systemwide, including a dramatic turnaround in financial performance, the addition of Southwestern Vermont Health Care as a Dartmouth Health member and the completion of two major expansion projects. Some of her recent awards include being named a Steven Schroeder Award for Outstanding Healthcare CEO by the LeapFrog Group in 2021, as well as being named the Citizen of the Year by the New Hampshire Union Leader in 2022. Dr. Conroy is the current chair of the American Hospital Association Board of Trustees.
John Couris. President and CEO of Tampa (Fla.) General Hospital. Mr. Couris is responsible for reimagining care coordination, forging strategic partnerships, driving innovation, developing team members, and improving patient care and outcomes at Tampa General. Since joining the organization in 2017, Mr. Couris has overseen the growth of its footprint from 17 facilities to six hospitals and over 150 care locations. Under his leadership, the hospital has launched an AI and predictive analytics care coordination center, established a venture capital fund called TGH Ventures, and seen a consistent year-over-year increase in team member engagement scores. Mr. Couris is now heading Tampa General's largest-ever master facility plan, a $550 million capital commitment to creating the growing Tampa Medical and Research District in the downtown area. This project is attracting renowned clinicians, researchers and experts, ultimately improving access to innovative medical research, education and technology. Once complete, the district, anchored by Tampa General and the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, will support over 57,900 jobs and generate a total economic impact of $8.3 billion each year. The hospital recently announced the new TGH Surgical, Neuroscience and Transplant Pavilion, which will offer 144 beds, 32 operating suites, increased intensive care unit capacity, training and education spaces, and more.
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.
Leslie Davis. President and CEO of UPMC (Pittsburgh). With over 30 years of healthcare experience under her belt, Ms. Davis has honed in on operations and the development of services in her role as president and CEO of UPMC. Prior to her current role, she served as executive vice president of UPMC and president of the health services division. She was also president of UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital for 14 years, and senior vice president and COO of the health services division for seven years. Prior to joining UPMC, Ms. Davis held various leadership roles of progressive responsibility at health systems spanning New York City and Philadelphia.
Eric Dickson, MD. President and CEO of UMass Memorial Health (Worcester, Mass.). Since becoming president and CEOof UMass Memorial over 10 years ago, Dr. Dickson has earned a reputation as a problem solver, change agent, and servant leader for the organization. He inherited the system after it suffered a $55 million operating loss in 2013, but was able to bring it back to financial stability quickly, reporting a $54 million surplus in fiscal year 2014. Since 2013, Dr. Dickson has led the system in implementing over 100,000 ideas from frontline staff. His 30-plus years as a practicing emergency medicine physician have helped him understand patients and caregivers in a unique way, and Dr. Dickson has continued to work emergency department shifts even after becoming CEO, a responsibility he maintained throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2023, he was the inaugural recipient of the Boston Business Journal's Innovators in Healthcare Award for chief executive leadership, and was named on Worcester Business Journal's Power 50 list.
Michael Dowling. President and CEO of Northwell Health (New Hyde Park, N.Y.). As president and CEO of Northwell Health, Mr. Dowling leads a clinical, academic and research enterprise with a workforce of more than 83,000 and annual revenue of $16.5 billion. Northwell is the largest healthcare provider and private employer in New York, caring for more than 2 million people annually through a vast network of more than 890 outpatient facilities, including 220 primary care practices, 52 urgent care centers, home care, rehabilitation and end-of-life programs, and 21 hospitals. He led Northwell’s COVID-19 response where the health system added 2,000 beds in two weeks and has so far treated more than 350,000 COVID-19 patients. Mr. Dowling also leads a national campaign against gun violence, organizing healthcare executives and leaders to support gun violence prevention initiatives and legislation.
Sister Judith Ann Duvall. Board Chair at OSF HealthCare (Peoria, Ill.). Sister Duvall has been with The Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis since 1965. She served on the governing board of the congregation from 1994 to 2006. She was then elected major superior and became chair of the OSF Healthcare system board of directors in 2006. She played a key role in enhancing the philanthropic culture at OSF. Under her tenure, OSF expanded from eight hospitals to 16, established an innovation and simulation center and opened the $237 million OSF Health Cancer Institute.
Gianrico Farrugia, MD. President and CEO of Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minn.). Dr. Farrugia has been part of Mayo Clinic for more than 35 years, joining the system's department of gastroenterology and then elevating his administrative positions to become CEO of Mayo Clinic's Florida campus before stepping into the head role systemwide. He co-founded the Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation and led the Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine during his illustrious career. Dr. Farrugia has been instrumental in growing the health system internationally; Mayo now cares for around 1.3 million people per year and has an 80,000 person workforce. The health system also includes Mayo Clinic Platform, which focuses on data partnerships, solutions and digital transformation.
Deborah Feldman. President and CEO of Dayton (Ohio) Children's Hospital. Ms. Feldman first joined Dayton Children's in 2012. She has led a campus-wide revitalization, services expansion, recruitment effort, and the integration of advanced technology, all while elevating patient and family experience to top quartile performance. Guided by its newest strategic roadmap, called Reinventing the Path to Children’s Health, Ms. Feldman is now leading the hospital’s efforts to help every child within reach achieve optimal health through innovations in care, behavioral health services expansion and integration, and initiatives to achieve health equity.
Judy Faulkner. Founder and CEO of Epic Systems. Ms. Faulkner founded Epic in her basement in 1979 and has built the company into a large enterprise dominating the EHR and healthcare data space. More than 305 million patients have EHRs in Epic, which has been named the No. 1 overall software suite in KLAS for 13 years. Epic EHRs are now installed at 39% of hospitals in the U.S., adding 153 hospitals in the last year. Ms. Faulkner has built a significant campus in Verona, Wis., and championed a culture of collaboration. In addition to the EHR, Epic has Cosmos, a data platform including information from 1,412 hospitals and 249 million patients. The company has turned its attention in the last few years to leveraging artificial intelligence in new ways to support clinicians and forged partnerships with several companies, including Microsoft.
Peter S. Fine. CEO of Banner Health (Phoenix). Mr. Fine has been leading Banner Health for more than two decades and has shaped the 30-hospital system into a dynamic leader in care integration, patient-centric technology and patient reform. He is currently guiding a multiyear strategy to sustain long-term clinical excellence and financial health, expanding on the system's existing strengths in insurance and population health. In 2023, Banner saw strong clinical results in safety and reliability, including 34% fewer central line-associated blood stream infections, 146% improvement in inpatient mobility, 15% decrease in indwelling catheter use, and more. Financially, 2023 revenue grew to $14 billion from $12.7 billion the previous year. Mr. Fine is leading growth towards premium-based care, with a goal of achieving 40% of revenue through premiums by 2034. He has also led the system in hiring its first chief DEI officer, keeping nursing turnover below the national average, providing tuition assistance to staff members, adding residency and fellowship spots to its program with the University of Arizona College of Medicine, and much more.
Tina Freese Decker. President and CEO of Corewell Health (Grand Rapids, Mich.). Ms. Decker serves as president and CEO of Corewell Health, a role that entails leading over 65,000 colleagues in the provision of affordable and equitable care. She played a vital role in the 2022 merger of Beaumont Health and Spectrum Health, now joined together under Corewell Health. Her 20-plus years in healthcare prepared her for her current role as leader of the $15 billion, 21-hospital system.
Roxanna Gapstur, PhD, RN. President and CEO of WellSpan Health (York, Pa.). Dr. Gapstur brings 22 years of experience as an oncology nurse to her role as president and CEO of WellSpan Health. She leads over 20,000 team members in efforts to enhance patient experiences, integrate innovative systems, and deliver improved outcomes. Under her leadership, WellSpan provided $344 million in community benefits just last year. She is opening new community access points into WellSpan's continuum of care via innovative partnerships, such as a collaboration with Emerus that will result in three new neighborhood hospitals. In addition, WellSpan's ACO achieved a quality score in the top 15% nationally in performance results for the 2022 Medicare Shared Savings Program. Dr. Gapstur is also supporting strategic investments and technologies to tackle the workforce shortage, resulting in the system's 12% growth over the past three years. Dr. Gapstur currently serves on the board of directors for AllSpire Health Partners, American Hospital Association, The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania, Better York – York County Economic Alliance, Cultural Alliance of York, Downtown Renaissance Fund, and Traditions Bank.
Robert Garrett. CEO at Hackensack (N.J) Meridian Health. Hackensack Meridian Health has been recognized as a leader in quality and the No. 1 adult and children's hospitals in New Jersey under Mr. Garrett's leadership. He is also chair of the World Economic Forum's health and healthcare governor's community where he oversees a committee of CEOs focused on addressing health equity, climate change and advancing healthcare technologies. Mr. Garrett played a key role in creating the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, New Jersey's first private medical school. He was also a featured speaker in POLITICO's national healthcare summits in Washington D.C. to talk about health equity, access to behavioral healthcare and innovative treatment.
Mohan Giridharadas. Founder and CEO of LeanTaaS (Santa Clara, Calif.). Mr. Giridharadas leads LeanTaaS, a healthcare analytics company focused on supporting health systems through digital transformation and providing data for more efficient workflows. LeanTaaS has a 350-plus person workforce that has deployed its flagship iQueue suite of products to more than 800 hospitals and health centers, and 180 top health systems across the U.S. Mr. Giridharadas spent time as senior partner at McKinsey & Co., before founding LeanTaaS in 2010. While at McKinsey, he led lean manufacturing and lean service operations practice in North America and the Asia-Pacific Region.
Marc Gorelick, MD. President and CEO of Children's Minnesota (Minneapolis). Beyond leading Children's Minnesota, Dr. Gorelick puts his influence and expertise to frequent use, speaking boldly on issues and advocating for change that will help kids thrive. He recently wrote a commentary piece for Minnesota's most widely read newspaper, calling out the harm being done to children and families through denying essential care for all children regardless of gender identity and affirming support for transgender and gender-diverse kids. He also testified before state lawmakers in favor of the CROWN Act, to protect people of all ages from discrimination based on hair texture and style. His efforts have led to him being recognized by state leaders as a leading voice for children, asking him to join Minnesota's Equitable Health Care Task Force, which is tackling care inequalities statewide. His recent accolades include being named one of the area's most admired CEOs by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal in 2020.
Brian Gragnolati. President and CEO of Atlantic Health System (Morristown, N.J.). Mr. Gragnolati has been leading Atlantic Health System for eight years, leading a team of 20,000 in providing care for patients across five acute care hospitals, a children's hospital, physician offices, a rehabilitation hospital, urgent care centers, and in patients' homes. Under his leadership, the system was awarded an outstanding Aa3 stable credit rating from Moody's thanks to its fundamental credit strengths and good liquidity position. An outspoken DEI advocate, Mr. Gragnolati has helped establish the system as one of America's Greatest Workplaces for Diversity, according to Newsweek in 2023. He has also headed the system's commitment to social and corporate responsibility and environmental sustainability, launching a "Community of Care" program in 2022 to promote access to healthcare services, wellbeing and security for all patients and caregivers. Helmed by Mr. Gragnolati, the system's Morristown and Overlook Medical Centers have earned recognition from U.S. News & World Report and Healthgrades in 2024. Mr. Gragnolati is also a cybersecurity advisory committee member for the federal government's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and a former chairman of the American Hospital Association board of trustees.
Robert Grossman, MD. CEO of NYU Langone Health and Dean of NYU Grossman School of Medicine (New York City). Dr. Grossman oversaw an expansion of NYU Langone's ambulatory care network and has been at the forefront of data initiatives at the health system. Under his leadership, the system, which features six inpatient locations and over 300 ambulatory sites, uses a proprietary dashboard that tracks over 800 metrics. In 2018 he played a key role in creating a new medical school affiliated with NYU Langone Hospital — Long Island that's focused on training primary care physicians. During his tenure, the health system's revenue increased from $2 billion in 2007 to more than $12 billion in 2023. In addition, he led NYU Langone Health to its ranking by by Vizient as No. 1 in the nation for quality and patient safety. He is also a member of the American Society of Neuroradiology and a fellow of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. Dr. Grossman is an emeritus trustee at Tulane University in New Orleans, past chair of the Greater New York Hospital Association and past editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Neuroradiology.
Sister Mary Haddad. President and CEO of Catholic Health Association of the United States (St. Louis). Sister Haddad is the 10th president and CEO of the Catholic Health Association of the United States. She is tasked with the oversight of operations at the association's offices in Washington, DC and St. Louis. She also directs strategic plans and crafts initiatives in support of the association's mission to provide quality, accessible care to individuals of all races, faiths, ages, and ethnicities throughout their lifespan. In addition, she leads initiatives to safeguard life, support community wellbeing, tackle social determinants and disparities, create new health delivery models, protect safety net programs and foster a health system that benefits all.
Richard "Rick" Hall. President and CEO at U.S. Oral Surgery Management (Irving, Texas). Mr. Hall has more than 40 years of knowledge and executive experience in Fortune 500 and private healthcare services companies and a proven track record of building high-performing teams and connecting people together. Under his leadership, USOSM has grown to include approximately 230 surgeon partners across 26 states since its founding in 2017 and maintains a 100% partner practice retention rate. Mr. Hall also served as a Marine for several years and has received many awards for his service. Last year, he was given the Patriot Award from the U.S. Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, which recognizes individual supervisors and employers who are exceptionally supportive of employees who serve in the National Guard or Reserve.
J. William Hankins. CEO of Avala (Covington, La.). Mr. Hankins has more than four decades of experience in the healthcare sector. As the CEO of Avala, Mr. Hankins constantly brings fresh ideas and approaches to the organization. He plays a vital role in managing relationships within the local community, viewing it as a social responsibility to impact society positively. Mr. Hankins values promoting diversity, investing in sustainability, and supporting philanthropic endeavors.
Rodney B. Hanners. CEO of Keck Medicine of USC (Los Angeles). Mr. Hanners is the CEO of Keck Medicine of USC, one of only two university-based medical systems in the Los Angeles area. He oversees four hospitals — Keck Hospital of USC, USC Norris Cancer Hospital, USC Verdugo Hills Hospital and USC Arcadia Hospital — and more than 100 unique clinics. Under his leadership, Keck Medical Center of USC, which includes Keck Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital, is among the top 50 hospitals in the country in 10 specialties, as well as the top three hospitals in metro Los Angeles and top 10 hospitals in California, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2023-24 Best Hospitals rankings. Mr. Hanners is highly regarded for promoting a culture of trust and teamwork, and is deeply committed to ensuring that physicians and staff receive the support they need to care for themselves and provide exceptional patient care.
Lisa Harris, MD. CEO of Eskenazi Health (Indianapolis). Engaged in patient care, research and teaching for nearly 40 years at nationally recognized Eskenazi Health, Dr. Harris has dedicated her career to improving health care for vulnerable and underserved populations. Since 2003, Dr. Harris has served as the health system's CEO, and has overseen major transitions including the transition from Wishard Hospital to the state-of-the-art Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Hospital in 2013, all while seeing patients and teaching at Indiana University School of Medicine, which she still does today. Dr. Harris was designated a Torchbearer for breaking barriers by the Indiana Commission for Women and has been recognized by the Indianapolis Business Journal as one of Indiana's most influential leaders for the last two years. She currently also serves as medical director of the the American Red Cross Indiana Region and on the board of advisors for Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis.
Allen Harrison. President of Medical City Healthcare (Dallas). Mr. Harrison is president of Medical City Healthcare, HCA Healthcare's North Texas Division. As division president, Mr. Harrison has led the system in expanding from 16 hospitals to 21 through strategic acquisitions. Under his leadership, continued expansion of services is planned to care for more patients in more locations.
David Herman, MD. CEO of Essentia Health (Duluth, Minn.). Dr. Herman is the CEO of Essentia Health, which consists of more than 15,000 employees, including more than 2,200 physicians and advanced practitioners. He was trained as an ophthalmologist at Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic and served on the staff there for more than 20 years in clinical and leadership roles. Dr. Herman has a visionary approach to value-based care and is dedicated to improving rural healthcare.
Rod Hochman, MD. President and CEO of Providence (Renton, Wash.). Dr. Hochman is the president and CEO of Providence, a health system with 51 hospitals across Alaska, California, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas and Washington. He works to ensure that access to excellent, empathetic care is obtainable in each of the communities that the system serves. Providence also has a robust virtual care program, a venture capital arm and partnership with Microsoft for digital transformation to become the "hospital of the future." Previously, he led Swedish Health Services, which is within Providence's family of organizations.
Joseph R. Impicciche. CEO of Ascension (St. Louis). Mr. Impicciche serves as CEO for Ascension, leading the Ascension leadership team to advance the health system’s mission of providing compassionate, personalized care to all, especially those most in need. The health system has nearly 140 hospitals. As CEO of Ascension, Mr. Impicciche has been an advocate on numerous issues, including the importance of greater access to care, especially for those who are underserved. These issues include gun violence as a public health issue, health equity, racial justice, reduced drug costs, and the use of technology to spur healthcare innovation. He is a member of the Healthcare Leadership Council and currently serves as vice chairperson/chairperson-elect of the Catholic Health Association of the United States and on the boards of the American Hospital Association, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul National Foundation, and the St. Louis Regional Business Council.
Judson Ivy. Founder, President and CEO of Ensemble Health Partners (Cincinnati). Mr. Ivy created Ensemble Health in 2014 and grew it to 10,000 associates since then. He continues to provide hands-on support to groups of all sizes and meets 100% of year-one client goals. He is co-author of Cataract Surgery for the Revenue Cycle and is a member of Healthcare Financial Management Association and the American College of Healthcare Executives. Mr. Ivy also serves as a venture partner for Caduceus Capital Partners.
Laura Kaiser. President and CEO of SSM Health (St. Louis). Ms. Kaiser, who brings over 30 years of experience in health care, directs SSM Health, a system that includes 23 hospitals, 40,000 team members and over 13,900 providers. In her role, she leads strategy, increases clinical quality and innovation, drives growth, and develops advantageous partnerships. Under her leadership, SSM Health recently incorporated a screening tool for social determinants of health into routine patient care encounters and integrated behavioral health into the primary care model. Prior to her role at SSM Health, she was executive vice president and COO at Intermountain Health in Salt Lake City. A fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, Ms. Kaiser serves on several boards including the American Hospital Association, Catholic Health Association, Greater St. Louis Inc., Merit Medical, Navitus Health Solutions and the Scottsdale Institute.
Kim Keck. President and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (Chicago). Ms. Keck drove alignment across all 33 BCBS companies by founding the Synergie Medication Collective, addressing more than $46 billion in annual BCBS medical benefit drug spend. She also introduced a set of affordability policy solutions with potential to reduce healthcare costs by $767 billion over 10 years. At BCBS, Ms. Keck established programs to support mental healthcare in young people, and the insurer's behavioral health network grew 55% since 2019 under her leadership. She serves on the board of directors for HarmonyCares, Evolent Health, BCS Financial, and she is board chair for the Synergie Medication Collective.
K. Craig Kent, MD. CEO of UVA Health and Executive Vice President of Health Affairs at University of Virginia (Charlottesville, Va.). Dr. Kent is the CEO of UVA Health and executive vice president of health affairs at University of Virginia. Dr. Kent maintains membership in the National Academy of Medicine, has been an NIH-funded researcher for 30 years, has held multiple national leadership roles, and speaks nationally and internationally about the importance of academic medicine to the success of healthcare. He has authored more than 325 articles and 65 book chapters, serving on editorial boards for multiple medical journals.
Alexa Kimball, MD. President and CEO at Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Boston). Dr. Kimball is a practicing clinician, CEO, teacher, mentor and researcher. She is focused on improving healthcare and breaking down barriers for women in the field. She leads the more than 2,000 physicians who are part of Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians, keeping the system's $890 million bottom line healthy. Dr. Kimball also testifies at legislative hearings, advocating for her current and past dermatology patients. She also finds time to be a mentor, enhancing the ability of younger healthcare professionals to achieve their career potential. Dr. Kimball has engineered changes to improve access for those traditionally underrepresented in medicine, including changing how C-suite and other leadership positions are posted, and how candidates are recruited. Dr. Kimball has been particularly forward-thinking in addressing the challenging issue of physician burnout, which the pandemic and ensuing workforce shortages exacerbated. She works with her C-suite, and all of those around her, giving employees confidence and autonomy to bring forward new ideas and innovations, while keeping accountability among workers, providing assistance where it is needed and learning about specific responsibilities in order to provide guidance.
Stephen Klasko, MD. Executive in Residence of General Catalyst (San Francisco). Dr. Klasko is a special advisor to General Catalyst. He has experience as CEO of Jefferson Health in Philadelphia, where he led rapid growth and the reimagining of healthcare and higher education. The health system grew from $1.8 billion to $9 billion under his leadership. He has been recognized as a visionary leader in healthcare across the world, and spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2019. He became a distinguished fellow of the World Economic Forum the next year.
Anne Klibanski, MD. President and CEO of Mass General Brigham (Boston). Dr. Klibanski is the first woman to serve as president and CEO at Mass General Brigham, the largest healthcare system and private employer in the state of Massachusetts. Appointed to her role in 2019, Dr. Klibanski has focused heavily on transformational shifts in how Mass General Brigham operates. These efforts have enabled Mass General Brigham to move from being a corporate holding company model, with individually managed hospitals and healthcare centers, to a truly integrated healthcare system with patients at its center. Dr. Klibanski has established enterprise clinical services to provide seamless integrated care, developed new digital platforms, has overseen increased investment in leading-edge research and leveraged the system’s $2.3 billion in annual research funding to help support the creation of more than 300 companies in various spaces from therapeutics to diagnostics and research.
Leong Koh, MD. President and CEO of Northwest Permanente (Portland, Ore.). As president and CEO of Northwest Permanente, Dr. Koh leads more than 1,700 physicians, clinicians and administrative staff. Dr. Koh has practiced family medicine for more than 25 years and has served in a variety of key operational and strategic leadership roles at regional and national levels. During Dr. Koh’s tenure, Kaiser Permanente of the Northwest has received several prestigious awards and recognition for high-quality, exceptional care.
Todd LaPorte. CEO of HonorHealth (Scottsdale, Ariz.). Mr. LaPorte is the CEO of HonorHealth, which includes 3,700 physicians and 15,000 employees. Under Mr. LaPorte's leadership, a brand-new role was created for the organization: chief well-being officer. Mr. LaPorte has also been instrumental in advocating for a robust diversity, equity and inclusion program, leadership development programs, a wide-ranging compensation program, an employee crisis fund and brand ambassador opportunities.
Wright Lassiter. CEO of CommonSpirit Health (Chicago). As president and CEO of CommonSpirit, Mr. Lassiter is charged with leading 140 hospitals, over 1,500 care sites and 150,000 employees. He currently serves as board chair of the American Hospital Association. He brought a breadth of experience to CommonSpirit when he became president and CEO in 2022. Before joining CommonSpirit, he acted as CEO of Detroit-based Henry Ford Health and prior to that, he was the CEO of Oakland, Calif.-based Alameda Health System.
Rich Liekweg. CEO of BJC Health System (St. Louis). In his role as CEO, Mr. Liekweg oversees the $10 billion, 44,000-employee, 24-hospital BJC Health System. In January 2024, he led the successful integration of BJC HealthCare and Saint Luke’s Health System while renewing the system's commitment to being the Midwest's premier choice for healthcare. He also guided the initiative to offer expanded access to over 3,500 clinical trials and increased opportunities for shared research, innovation and clinical collaboration among physicians and researchers, including with academic partners Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of Missouri-Kansas City. In 2023, Mr. Liekweg directed an innovative partnership with Midwest BankCentre to impact health and well-being disparities in under-resourced communities. In total, BJC provides more than $1 billion in charitable giving to area organizations. Mr. Liekweg's commitment to fostering an inclusive, accepting, service-centered organization has also led to BJC's recognition as a “Business of Pride” by the St. Louis Business Journal.
Kevin Mahoney. CEO of University of Pennsylvania Health System (Philadelphia). Mr. Mahoney serves as CEO for the University of Pennsylvania Health System, helming operations that span six hospitals, 11 multispecialty centers and hundreds of outpatient facilities. He assumed the CEO role in July 2019. Prior, he was executive vice president and chief administrative officer for the system, as well as executive vice dean of the Perelman School of Medicine. As CEO, he has led various innovative initiatives, including the creation of the Pavilion, a hospital featuring 504 private patient rooms, 47 operating rooms, cutting-edge technology and a patient-centered design. He also oversaw a multi-year project to consolidate the health system’s facilities under one EHR platform. Mr. Mahoney was also responsible for fostering a partnership with the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, helping provide investments to early-stage businesses that aim to support the social determinants of health in underserved populations. He has also shared his views on health equity, care access, social justice and other important healthcare topics with The New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of the American Medical Association and The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Mark Manigan. President and CEO for RWJBarnabas Health (West Orange, N.J.). Under Mr. Manigan's leadership, RWJBH saw more than $214 million spent with local and diverse vendors and 3,000 hires from asset limited, income constrained neighborhoods. He also oversaw RWJBH's investments in construction of a public elementary school, a greenhouse that accepts Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payments and a $1 billion partnership with New Brunswick, N.J.-based Rutgers University. He was previously chief strategy and business development officer before he was promoted to CEO in 2023. He was appointed by Gov. Philip Murphy to serve as a board member of Rutgers University in 2022, and he has been on the board of trustees of the Center for Great Expectations since 2006.
Michael A. Mayo, DHA. President and CEO of Baptist Health (Jacksonville, Fla.). Dr. Mayo brings over three decades of experience as a healthcare executive to his role as president and CEO of Baptist Health. He is the seventh person to lead Baptist Health in its nearly 70-year history, overseeing five adult hospitals, Wolfson Children’s Hospital, four satellite emergency centers, more than 60 primary care offices, over 14,000 team members and 2,000-plus physicians. Dr. Mayo has set new goals in DEI in both hiring practices and team member engagement, including a commitment to increasing supplier diversity in its operations and in strategic sourcing efforts. He is also key leadership stakeholder in the launch of the Blue Zones Project in Jacksonville, a multi-year collaborative wellness effort. Under his leadership, Baptist Health has been recognized by Computerworld as a Best Employer in Information Technology and by Forbes as one of America’s top employers for diversity. Dr. Mayo also serves as CEO of Coastal Community Health, a state delegate of Regional Policy Board 4 with the American Hospital Association, and a member of the board of trustees for AHA and Florida Hospital Association.
Shawn McCoy. CEO of Deaconess Health System (Evansville, Ind.). Mr. McCoy has been with Deaconess for nearly 35 years, becoming CEO in 2017. Under his stewardship, Deaconess Health System has experienced unprecedented growth, expanding its services and affiliations with new hospitals and regional partners. From a single hospital to 19, with 14 of those additions under his leadership, his vision and strategic direction have been instrumental in shaping Deaconess into the region’s leading healthcare provider. He leads with collaboration and personal influence, focuses on Deaconess' commitment to quality, safety, and sustainability and prioritizes connecting with community members.
Cliff Megerian, MD. CEO and Jane and Henry Meyer CEO Distinguished Chair at University Hospitals (Cleveland). Dr. Megerian leads University Hospitals, which has annual revenues of approximately $6.0 billion, over 32,000 employees, 21 hospitals including 5 joint ventures, more than 50 health centers and outpatient facilities, and over 200 physician offices. In 2023, under Dr. Megerian's leadership, UH successfully launched its new Epic EHR, completed a $236 million campus expansion, received $230 million in community support, expanded affiliations, completed new joint ventures and more. Under Dr. Megerian’s leadership, UH has also promoted a culture of innovation that is driven by an entrepreneurial spirit and supported by a robust commitment to research. In 2023, UH expanded its agreement with the University of Oxford to launch the Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre Therapeutics Accelerator, a first-in-kind, transatlantic initiative to identify, fund and advance innovative treatments for people with rare diseases.
Tomislav Mihaljevic, MD. President and CEO of Cleveland Clinic. Since 2018, Dr. Mihaljevic has directed the $12.4 billion Cleveland Clinic, which consists of a main campus, 22 hospitals and 226 outpatient centers. He guides the system’s 72,500 caregivers in the delivery of superior care. Before becoming CEO and president, Dr. Mihaljevic served as CEO of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi from 2015 to 2017, during which time he supported the facility's opening. Over the length of his career, he has performed nearly 3,000 operations, served on editorial review boards for medical journals, authored and co-authored articles and textbook chapters, patented a novel system for minimally invasive cardiac surgery, and more. He is also the first ever holder of the Morton L. Mandel CEO Chair, an endowment supporting leadership and innovation.
Redonda Miller, MD. President of The Johns Hopkins Hospital (Baltimore). As president of The Johns Hopkins Hospital, a 1,162-bed academic medical center with over 11,000 employees, Dr. Miller is responsible for guiding the hospital in providing the best possible clinical care, improving quality, safety and the patient journey, and enhancing health equity and outcomes. Under her leadership, the hospital has been recognized a number of times, including the U.S. News & World Report. Dr. Miller has been with the hospital since her days as a medical student in 1988, and has served in numerous administrative and leadership roles since.
Pete November. CEO of Ochsner Health (New Orleans). Under the leadership of Mr. November, Ochsner has remained steadfast in its commitment to providing top-quality care, now catering to over 1.5 million patients annually. Throughout his tenure as CEO, he has worked to redefine care delivery systemwide, prioritizing technology utilization to enhance both patient and clinician experiences, and collaborating with forward-thinking partners to spearhead the future of healthcare. Mr. November also serves on the board of trustees for the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, and is a member of the New Orleans Business Council and of the AHA Large System Committee. In 2023, he was selected to serve on the Committee of 100 for Economic Development, which works to promote public policy to help the state of Louisiana retain existing business and industry and attract more businesses to the area.
Patrick O'Shaughnessy, DO. President and CEO at Catholic Health (Rockville Centre, N.Y.). Dr. O'Shaughnessy began his career as an emergency department physician and has more than 20 years of strategy, innovation and operations experience. He was chosen as president and CEO in 2021 and previously served as Catholic Health's executive vice president, chief medical officer and chief clinical officer. He oversaw an expansion plan for the health system and expanded its patient reach through telehealth technologies. The health system also created programs to improve health and decrease the risk of chronic disease for low-income patients under Dr. O'Shaughnessy's leadership. He was also appointed to the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council and serves on the board of New York Institute of Technology.
Stephen Parodi, MD. Executive Vice President of External Affairs, Communications and Brand at The Permanente Federation (Oakland, Calif.). Dr. Parodi is executive vice president of external affairs, communications and brand at The Permanente Federation, the national leadership and consulting organization for the eight Permanente Medical Groups across the country. Dr. Parodi spearheaded development of Kaiser Permanente's Advanced Care at Home program, which now operates in Northern California, Oregon, southwest Washington state and Georgia. He also led The Permanente Federation's response to the Covid-19 pandemic, including communications and collaboration with other health systems and government officials at the local, state and federal levels in their efforts to educate the public and reduce spread of the disease, as well as to increase vaccination confidence and uptake.
Peter Pisters, MD. President of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston). As president of MD Anderson Cancer Center, Dr. Pisters leverages his two decades of experience as a surgeon and executive to craft and execute the center's multi-year strategic plan. Under his guidance, the 25,000-person workforce unites under the common goal of ending cancer. He is overseeing the creation of new research institutes, a comprehensive patient access and navigation program, and a national network of high-quality cancer care. Under his leadership, the center's research enterprise has reached more than $1.2 billion in investments and nearly $7 billion in annual institutional revenue over the last five years. Further results of Dr. Pisters' vision include the upcoming build of a new Austin campus, the 2023 FDA approval of 25 new cancer drugs the center helped develop, and the center's expansion throughout Houston, with nearly 1,000 new patients each week. Dr. Pisters is a board member and leader for the Greater Houston Partnership, the CEO Roundtable on Cancer and the Alliance of Dedicated Cancer Centers.
Richard Pollack. President & CEO of American Hospital Association (Chicago). Mr. Pollack, president and CEO of the American Hospital Association, has led the organization's efforts to address significant workforce challenges. He is driving initiatives to enhance patient safety, reduce care disparities and boost diversity in healthcare. He is passionate about mitigating the threats cyber crimes pose to patients and healthcare systems, which led him to launch a partnership with the FBI and other government agencies to provide cybersecurity support and resources to healthcare organizations.
Dennis Pullin. President and CEO of Virtua Health (Marlton, N.J.). Mr. Pullin has achieved several major accomplishments for Virtua recently, including launching the area's first proton therapy center, partnering with an affordable-housing developer, securing a grant to expand Virtua's organ transplant center, launching a mobile screening program, improving company culture, deepening university partnerships, expanding robotic surgery and more. Mr. Pullin is also the driver behind a five-year partnership between Virtua and Medtronic Inc. begun in 2021. The collaboration aims to improve care delivery and health equity and will shape Medtronic’s national strategies. He is also the chair for several national boards.
Jaewon Ryu, MD. CEO of Risant Health (Washington, D.C.). Dr. Ryu recently transitioned to the role of CEO for Risant Health, a nonprofit organization created by
Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente to support the adoption of value-based care in the health system environment. Prior, he served as president and CEO of Danville, Pa.-based Geisinger, Risant Health's inaugural member organization. He first joined Geisinger from Humana in October 2016, serving as its executive vice president and chief medical officer. He brings prior career experience at Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente, Rockville, Md.-based Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group and Chicago-based University of Illinois Hospital and Health Science System. Outside of the hospital setting, Dr. Ryu has worked in government at CMS and as a White House fellow at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Dr. Ryu recently completed a full, two-term stint on the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. Currently, he serves on the boards of various organizations, including the National Committee for Quality Assurance and the Commonwealth Fund.
Candice Saunders. President and CEO of Wellstar Health (Marietta, Ga.). Ms. Saunders is responsible for the strategic vision and direction of all aspects of Wellstar Health System's delivery of care, operations, financial performance and community outreach. Her leadership extends to over 30,000 team members across 11 hospitals, more than 325 medical offices, 91 rehabilitation centers, 35 imaging centers, 18 urgent care locations, 11 cancer centers, five health parks, three inpatient hospice facilities and one retirement village. Under her leadership, the nonprofit community healthcare system has been nationally recognized for its personal, high-quality care, inclusive culture, and exceptional doctors and team members. Wellstar invests 100% of every dollar it makes into initiatives that create healthier communities.
Terry Shaw. President and CEO of AdventHealth (Altamonte Springs, Fla.). Mr. Shaw leads AdventHealth, one of the nation's largest faith-based healthcare systems with 52 hospitals, 93,000 team members and 8 million patients seen each year. He has championed a recruitment, retention and engagement strategy that prioritizes team member benefits, the twice-annual team member survey, and strategic partnerships with schools, universities and overseas organizations. His leadership and effective resource stewardship has positioned the $18 billion system as an AA bond-rated organization. During his tenure at AdventHealth, he has implemented a training program called The Whole Care Experience to consolidate over 30 disparate brands into a singular, aligned brand with an organization-wide cultural framework. He regularly shares his leadership expertise via national conferences, roundtable discussions, media outlets and his top voice-designated LinkedIn. Among various other leadership positions, Mr. Shaw chairs AdventHealth's diversity council, co-chairs The Conference Board’s committee for economic development healthcare committee, and is a member of the committee for economic development fiscal health committee.
Kathleen Silard, RN. President and CEO of Stamford (Conn.) Health. Under Ms. Silard's leadership, Stamford Health has experienced meaningful growth, becoming a certified Great Place to Work and advancing both quality and clinical programs, achieving recognition from major organizations. She also led to the on-time and under-budget development of the new Stamford Hospital on the Bennett Medical Center campus in 2016, a $450 million facility that was the first LEED-Certified hospital in Connecticut. Stamford Health has also established collaborative relationships with the New York City-based Hospital for Special Surgery and the Boston-based Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center, as well as an expanded relationship with Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City, in order to bring the community the nation's best clinical care. Ms. Silard shepherded Stamford Health through the Covid-19 pandemic, collaborating with community partners to serve at-risk groups, and even forging a unique partnership with the military to set up an alternative care site that was a regional resource during the 2020 spring surge. In recent years, she has overseen the complete renovation and reimagining of Stamford Health’s Whittingham Pavilion, where services for women and children are centralized, as well as the creation of new behavioral health services in the community.
Michael Slubowski. President and CEO of Trinity Health (Livonia, Mich.). As president and CEO of one of the largest not-for-profit health systems in the country, Mr. Slubowski drives Trinity Health’s mission-critical strategic and operational advancements and has put the system at the forefront of addressing major public health challenges, such as the healthcare access crisis, the critical nursing shortage, health inequity, racism and the financial challenges faced by not-for-profit health systems. Under his leadership, Trinity Health implemented trailblazing initiatives, including negotiating with insurance companies to ensure fair reimbursements and leading a multi-year implementation of the largest single instance of Epic in the world, which unified Trinity Health’s 100-plus hospitals under one EHR system that not only enhances patient care and streamlines operations, but also integrates social and clinical care. In 2023, to address the nursing shortage, Trinity Health unveiled TogetherTeam Virtual Connected Care, a hybrid, team-based care delivery model that has seen increased patient and colleague engagement and satisfaction. Mr. Slubowski has advanced DEI, health equity and anti-racism at Trinity Health, propelling internal and external initiatives to create inclusive work and care environments. He has also been highly engaged in advocating at the federal level for critical issues that impact healthcare, such as expanded access to behavioral health services and community-based violence prevention initiatives, calling for action to address community violence.
Shane Strum. President and CEO of Broward Health (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.). Mr. Strum is the president and CEO of Broward Health, which has five hospitals and more than 50 ambulatory centers. Since joining the health system in 2021, Broward Health has experienced significant growth and cost savings fueled by Mr. Strum's operational insight and strategic vision. Mr. Strum has also led initiatives that have lowered costs of prescription drugs, expanded telehealth services, improved transparency and quality in healthcare, and increased awareness of mental health and substance abuse issues throughout the state.
Johnese Spisso. President and Associate Vice Chancellor of UCLA Health, CEO at UCLA Hospital System (Los Angeles). Ms. Spisso is the first woman to lead the UCLA Hospital System, UCLA Health’s clinical enterprise and academic health system. Under her leadership, UCLA Health's hospitals consistently appear on the U.S. News & World Report honor roll of the nation’s best hospitals. She oversees all operations and regional outreach for four hospitals, a faculty practice group and over 270 primary and specialty care clinics. Since she assumed the role in 2016, UCLA Health has added over 100 clinics and taken multiple key steps to enhance patient access. She led collaborations with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health to expand Medi-Cal coverage for hospitalized psychiatric patients to all ages. In 2021, UCLA Health acquired a closed hospital and is converting it into a state-of-the art neuropsychiatric hospital to expand psychiatric bed capacity by 60%. UCLA Health Homeless Healthcare Collaborative, which she helped launch in 2022, recorded 6,000 encounters its first year and received a $25.3 million state grant to expand coordination with other organizations. Ms. Spisso's numerous accolades include Los Angeles Business Journal CEO of the Year and Partners in Care Foundation Award for Vision & Excellence in Healthcare Leadership for 2023.
Saum Sutaria, MD. Chair and CEO of Tenet Healthcare (Dallas, Texas). Dr. Sutaria became CEO of Tenet Healthcare in September 2021, responsible for one of the largest health systems in the nation. He joined Tenet in 2019 after almost 20 years at McKinsey & Co., where he led the healthcare and private equity practices. Since joining Tenet, Dr. Sutaria has furthered the health system's transformation to focus on outpatient surgery centers in addition to sustaining hospital operations. The health system now has around 535 ASCs under the United Surgical Partners International brand, as well as 52 acute care hospitals. Conifer, a revenue cycle management and value-based care solutions company under Tenet, manages $25 billion in revenue annually. In 2023, Tenet grew net income to $1.3 billion and revenue increased 7.2% to $20.5 billion.
Warner Thomas. President and CEO of Sutter Health (Sacramento, Calif.). As president and CEO of Sutter Health, Mr. Thomas leads more than 12,000 physicians and 2,000 advanced practice clinicians who care for more than 3.4 million patients. Since joining Sutter Health in November 2022, Mr. Thomas has put the health system on track to enhance the outstanding care it provides, serve more patients across its footprint and expand the number and type of care centers it offers. In his first full year as CEO, Mr. Thomas developed a new long-term strategy, restructured operations to better integrate functional teams and care, recruited more than 700 clinicians to the health system, and simultaneously expanded graduate medical education programs and DEI initiatives. He additionally serves as a member of the board of the Bay Area Council and serves on its Executive Committee. He is also a fellow at the American College of Healthcare Executives and recently finished his tenure as a member of the American Hospital Association's Board of Trustees.
Imamu Tomlinson, MD. CEO of Vituity and President of Vituity Cares Foundation (Emeryville, Calif.). Dr. Tomlinson became CEO of Vituity in 2017. Under his leadership, Vituity has grown into a leading physician-owned and led partnership that provides integrated acute care services nationwide, with more than 5,000 clinicians serving more than 9 million patients annually. Dr. Tomlinson is passionate about transforming healthcare delivery to improve patient outcomes and access to care, combining his clinical expertise with a strategic approach to healthcare management, fostering innovation and collaboration within the organization. His dedication to healthcare excellence drives Vituity's mission to deliver high-quality, patient-centered care that improves lives.
Harsh Trivedi, MD. President and CEO of Sheppard Pratt (Baltimore). As president and CEO of Sheppard Pratt, the nation's largest private, nonprofit provider of mental health, substance use, special education, developmental disability and social services, Dr. Trivedi's mission is to expand access to a wide range of mental health services for all. In spring 2023, Dr. Trivedi oversaw the redesign of the health system's admissions and psychiatric urgent care, leading to Sheppard completing more than 10,000 evaluations across its two psychiatric urgent care locations, over 4,000 more than the year prior. He also developed a strategic plan that began with the opening of a new comprehensive behavioral health hospital in 2021 and the integration of Sheppard Pratt therapists and counselors in more than 230 area schools. He was recently recognized by Baltimore Business Journal as a Leader in Healthcare in 2022 and on Maryland Daily Record's Power Healthcare list in 2023.
Chris Van Gorder. President and CEO of Scripps Health (San Diego). As president and CEO of Scripps Health since 2000, Mr. Van Gorder oversees a network of five hospital campuses, dozens of outpatient centers, nearly 17,000 employees and 3,000 affiliated physicians. Mr. Van Gorder has been a leader locally, regionally and nationally throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, having organized regular meetings of health system CEOs and chief medical officers throughout the region to advise local government and public health officials. He also prioritized diversity, as evidenced by the fact that women account for 75% of Scripps' workforce and 70% of its leadership, while people of color make up 59% of the workforce (a 43% increase since 2015) and 39% of leadership. Some of his recent achievements include retiring in 2023 as reserve assistant sheriff for San Diego County after 20 years of service, earning a American College of Healthcare Executives Gold Medal award and Press Ganey's National Innovator award.
Seema Verma. Executive Vice President and General Manager of Oracle Health and Oracle Life Sciences (Austin, Texas). Ms. Verma brings expertise in health policy, cultivated over decades working across the healthcare system, to her current role as executive vice president and general manager of Oracle Health and Oracle Life Sciences. Most recently, she spent four years as chief administrator of CMS, where she helped advance value-based care, innovation, interoperability and price transparency, all while reducing drug prices and regulations through her historic Patients over Paperwork Initiative. She is now leading Oracle’s plan to create a new health management information system in the cloud by harnessing the full breadth of its technology. This plan includes combining the data-driven research and insights from Oracle Life Sciences and Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications Suite and acquiring the EHR provider Cerner.
Selwyn M. Vickers, MD. President and CEO of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (New York City). Over the past two years, Dr. Vickers has served as president and CEO of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, leading its 20,000 employee base through monumental changes in pursuit of the organization's mission of ending cancer for life. He has centered health equity as a priority, expanding care via efforts like the recent collaboration with MediSys Jamaica (N.Y.) Hospital Medical Center and the finalization of Medicaid health insurance contracts. In addition, Dr. Vicker's leadership led to the November 2023 venture with ConcertAI, a company providing AI software-as-a-service technology to assist in building, testing and deploying new models for tumor detection, segmentation, classification and cancer treatment response. In addition to his executive role, Dr. Vickers is a pancreatic cancer surgeon, a pancreatic cancer researcher, a patent holder, and a key contributor to the development of the injectable cancer drug Minnelide. He is one of 30 international scientific leaders elected to the Fellows of the American Association for Cancer Research for 2024.
Paul S. Viviano. President and CEO of Children's Hospital Los Angeles. Mr. Viviano, a staunch advocate for children's healthcare, has held leadership positions at academic healthcare systems, nonprofit community healthcare organizations and for-profit healthcare providers over the span of 40-plus years. He joined Children's Hospital Los Angeles as president and CEO in 2015. The hospital has experienced 50% growth in market share since then, becoming the leading pediatrics facility in Los Angeles County. Under his leadership, the hospital is currently ranked No. 1 in the state and Pacific Region and No. 7 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report as part of its Best Children’s Hospital survey. Forbes also ranked CHLA a best employer in the state of California for 2022-23. Mr. Viviano is also a board member and member of the executive committee of the Hospital Association of Southern California, as well as a member and previous board chair of the California Children’s Hospital Association. He also chairs the public policy committee of the national Children’s Hospital Association, is a board member of Solutions for Patient Safety, is chair of the board of trustees for Loyola Marymount University, and is past president of the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health Alumni Association.
John Warner, MD. CEO at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and Executive Vice President at Ohio State (Columbus). Under Dr. Warner's leadership, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center launched initiatives to expand healthcare access for underserved populations and rural communities in Ohio. He leads a team of more than 24,000 employees at Wexner Medical Center and oversees research efforts across the hospital and Ohio State College of Medicine. He is also overseeing the development of a $1.9 billion impatient hospital tower. Before joining Ohio State in 2023, he spent more than 20 years as a cardiologist at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. He is also on the board of directors for the American Heart Association.
Shannon White. COO of Ensemble Health Partners (Hackett, Ark.). Ms. White is a senior revenue cycle operations and business development leader and has more than 25 years of experience in the industry. She engages with all 10,000 associates at Ensemble and hosts a monthly video series called Hustle + Grow, which is about career inspiration and success. Ms. White previously worked as vice president of the Shared Services Center for Fort Smith (Ark.) where she managed its growth from one office to more than 50 facilities across nine states.
Eugene Woods. CEO of Advocate Health (Charlotte, N.C.). Mr. Woods brings 30 years of healthcare leadership experience to his role as CEO of Advocate Health. Prior, he was president and CEO of Atrium Health, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit academic health systems. There, he was responsible for over 70,000 teammates across 40 hospitals and over 1,400 care locations. He is currently a member of the Health, Strategy and Innovation Committee, the Healthcare Institute, the Becker’s Healthcare’s Advisory Board, the board of Best Buy, the board of Johnson C. Smith University and the Executive Committee of the Healthcare Leadership Council.