78 executives reveal key role shifts

Becker's asked C-suite executives from hospitals and health systems across the U.S. to share their team's evolving roles and skills. 

The 78 executives featured in this article are all speaking at the Becker's Healthcare 15th Annual Meeting on April 28 - May 1, 2025, at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago.

To learn more about this event, click here.

If you would like to join as a speaker or a reviewer, contact Mariah Muhammad at mmuhammad@beckershealthcare.com or agendateam@beckershealthcare.com. 

For more information on sponsorship opportunities or vendor access-only badges, contact Jessica Cole at jcole@beckershealthcare.com.

As part of an ongoing series, Becker's is talking to healthcare leaders who will speak at our conference. The following are answers from our speakers at the event.

Question: How will your leadership team evolve over the next 2 years? What roles or skills will you add and what will become less important?

Peter Banko. President and CEO of Baystate Health (Springfield, Mass.): Our senior team spent the last two months intentionally optimizing our operating model – structure, decision-making, goals, metrics, and talent – to best position Baystate Health over the next two years and beyond.  Our design principles aligned on building a high-performing, consumer obsessed, clinically-driven, and physician-led health system and aligning on caregiver engagement, streamlined decision-making, and cost effectiveness.  To move in that direction, we created a senior dyad partnership between the COO and the chief physician executive to drive discipline and excellence in acute, ambulatory, and academic operations. We systematized and consolidated oversight over all business functions under the new role of CAO. We crafted another new role – chief transformation officer – to drive short-term improvement and sustainably embed change/transition management into the organization. 

Wendy Horton, PharmD. CEO of UVA Health University Medical Center (Charlottesville, Va.): Over the next two years, our UVA Health University Medical Center leadership team will prioritize cultivating talent from within the organization and our community. The UVA Health Leadership Institute will play a crucial role in developing leaders who understand the complexities of healthcare, and also hone skills in interpreting complex healthcare data and AI to make informed decisions that will improve outcomes and drive operational efficiency. 

Empathy and effective communication will remain essential for initiatives that enhance patient engagement and satisfaction, as will coaching, problem-solving, and fostering trust and belonging. These are critical skills both for patient care and for leading teams internally and with our partner organizations.

As an industry, healthcare must transition from hierarchical, top-down leadership to more agile, decentralized models that empower teams and promote innovation at all levels. Excellent communications skills will be vital for navigating these changes, along with a strong emphasis on workforce well-being including strategies to address mental health, retention, and burnout. This evolution will ensure that we are well-prepared for future challenges and positioned to thrive in a dynamic healthcare environment. I'm excited by the thought of working alongside future leaders with these qualities and skills in our quest to be a best place to work and an inspiring place to receive care. 

Roshanak Didehban. Chief Administrative Officer of Mayo Clinic (Phoenix): At Mayo Clinic, we are committed to leading healthcare transformation by cultivating advanced leadership competencies. We seek futuristic leaders who grasp emerging trends and market disruptors, identify unique opportunities, and foster innovation. Our leaders must be curious and willing to work in new ways, ensuring our structure supports creative thinking and embraces the integration of new technologies – such as automation and AI – to improve patient care, unburden our staff and boost operational efficiency. 

Moreover, we seek leaders adept at forging partnerships, essential for finding innovative solutions and incorporating the most advanced cures from across industries. Foundational to our leadership approach is a steadfast commitment to servant leadership and adherence to our primary value: "The Needs of the Patient Come First." This dedication fosters leaders who cultivate others, prioritize team engagement and diversity, and understand that inclusive teams drive innovation, growth, and sustained success.

Peggy Duggan, MD. Executive Vice President, Chief Physician Executive and Chief Medical Officer of Tampa (Fla.) General Hospital and Laura Haubner. Senior Vice President and Chief Quality Officer of Tampa (Fla.) General Hospital: Over the last four years at Tampa General, the CMO division has built a relatively new team of clinical and non-clinical leaders. With that in mind, we are spending time together this fall developing new initiatives that will impact how we approach our work in the coming years. Most paramount is connecting each team member to the Why of our division and embracing the unique and vital contributions we make to our organization and health care. Equally as critical is having them deeply connect to their personal Whys to understand better what brings them to work every day and how we can align our Whys to drive resilience and improvements.  

Additionally, we want to work toward results and improvements. There is much important work to do in our organization, but our work is only mission-critical if we can tie our efforts with results. In a resource-constrained environment like healthcare, we must prioritize activities that improve safety, quality and experience. To do this, our leadership team is focused on connecting with the work of the front-line team and partnering with them to improve patient outcomes and the patient experience. We will leverage skills that utilize essential data, develop key tools and identify critical services to make the front-line work as efficient and reliable as possible. We will also focus on what improves patient care today, de-emphasizing the traditional approach of reactive review of undesirable outcomes for learning. Our ability to accomplish this work will be the marker of our success.

Maxine Carrington. Chief People Officer of Northwell Health (New Hyde Park, N.Y.): Over the next two years, Northwell will deepen our focus on building adaptive leadership skills that  can thrive in an increasingly complex environment. Roles with expertise in data analytics, AI  integration, and patient-centered technology are becoming more prominent, as we continue to  leverage innovation to improve care delivery. At the same time, like many organizations, traditional  hierarchical structures will continue to diminish in importance, replaced by more collaborative,  cross-functional teams that drive practical and equitable solutions for our team members, patients,  and communities. Leadership that fosters cultural competence and inclusion; wellbeing,  psychological safety and trust; digital proficiency; systems-thinking; creativity, strategic thinking, decision-making quality; and relevant innovation will remain key to navigating the rapid changes in healthcare.

Michelle Stansbury. Vice President of Innovation and IT Applications at Houston Methodist: Innovation has proved to be paramount in the healthcare industry. At Houston Methodist, as the needs of our patients, clinicians and workforce have evolved, so have our teams. As a large health care system with eight hospitals and a ninth on the way — our hospital of the future outfitted with the latest in digital healthcare technology — we have recently adapted to grow our leadership team and roles, myself included. We now have our first-ever physician innovator-in-residency, chief digital health officer, chief AI officer and associate chief innovation officer. With the increasing importance of innovation and digital health technology across the healthcare industry, I anticipate these roles and teams will continue to advance in the next few years to address novel patient-centered care opportunities and the resulting skills gap evolution.

Victor Bycroft, MHA, BSN, RN. Chief Nursing Executive of Humboldt (Iowa) County Memorial Hospital: The greatest skills a leader can focus on will be relationship and team building. Employees need to be shown they have a leader that is committed to creating a culture where the employee feels valued. The leader must demonstrate a "staff first" attitude so that the employees can focus on a "patient first" mindset. When we have everyone working together in this manner, patient perception as well as patient care improve.

D. Richelle Heldwein. Chief Risk and Compliance Officer of St Johns Health (Jackson, Wyo.): Not to state the obvious, but healthcare is changing at a rapid pace and our leadership team needs to have the skills to not only keep up with those changes, but pivot quickly. One thing that the pandemic taught us is that healthcare can look drastically different in one day and we need to be ready to meet those challenges. 

I see us as a leadership team needing data more now than ever, and getting good quality data to make decisions will be key to staying relevant in the healthcare space. We will be looking for team members that can pull accurate data, analyze, and act on trends.

We also need leadership that knows how to communicate with and motivate team members from Boomers to Gen Alpha to keep our workforce healthy and engaged.

I also see the recognition that we can be a little top heavy in healthcare and so I anticipate that most organizations will be working to lean out that top layer to focus more resources at the bedside and that means we need leaders that can wear multiple hats and manage a broader scope of services.

It's all very exciting to see the resources we may have with technology and AI to help us achieve all of the above and thrive as leaders in the coming years.

Andrew Buffenbarger, EdD. Chief Compliance Officer of Kirby Medical Center (Piatt County, Ill.): Our leadership team will evolve over the next two years because of retirements, and the succession planning process is well underway. The evolution will include successive leaders bringing experience we consider key for growth in the next 10 years, including community health, outpatient surgery, urgent care, and specific specialty services. Project management and recruiting will grow in importance, while other operational skills will become slightly less important.

Ben Goodstein. Vice President and Chief Ambulatory Officer of Dayton (Ohio) Children's Hospital: Over the next two years, the leadership team will continue to evolve by focusing on both strategic growth and operational excellence. We will emphasize adaptability and innovation to respond to the changing healthcare landscape, particularly in the areas of patient access, digital engagement, and population health. Our team will need to become more agile, with leaders who are skilled at navigating complexity while staying mission-focused.

What roles or skills will you add?

1. Data-Driven Decision Makers: We will prioritize adding leaders with strong analytical skills who can interpret data effectively to drive strategy and operations. Data will play a critical role in shaping how we address patient outcomes, financial performance, and operational efficiencies.
2. Digital and Technological Expertise: As healthcare increasingly integrates digital solutions, we'll need leaders who are adept in digital engagement, telehealth, and the use of technology to improve patient experience and care delivery. This expertise will be essential to advancing our organization's digital transformation.
3. Change Management and Innovation: Leadership roles with expertise in change management and fostering innovation will be important. These leaders will help guide the organization through transformational initiatives, ensuring that the team stays aligned and motivated while adopting new processes and technologies.

Andrew Molosky. President and CEO of Chapters Health System (Temple Terrace, Fla.): We are fortunate to have so much experience and expertise on the team and with our rapid growth we have a very talented roster of developing leaders. What we will continue to focus on however are the change agent and cultural leadership elements. With the direction of our business constantly changing, having a leadership core that embraces those traits as fundamental and inspirational and not problematic or challenging will be critical.

Danielle Scheurer, MD, MSCR. Chief Quality Officer of MUSC Health System (Charleston, S.C.): As a chief quality officer, my team will need more skills in data intelligence and AI; more traditional abstracting and auditing roles will become less important, less time intensive, or altogether obsolete.

 Edith Perez. Executive Director of Supply Chain at Nicklaus Children's Health System (Miami): Healthcare has been undergoing rapid change, driven by technological advancements, evolving patient needs, regulatory pressures, and financial challenges.

Over the next two years, there will be a shift in roles gaining prominence especially those with emphasis on technology and digital transformation, value-based care, and interdisciplinary leadership.

As organizations adopt new digital tools, evolve on telemedicine and AI, we'll start seeing the proliferation of roles overseeing digital health strategies, and integration of technologies across the continuum of care. The need for accurate data won't go away! Instead; data governance, analysis and applications of real-time insights to support decision making, will become pinnacle.

Traditional IT roles will become less central, and will force us to focus more towards strategic technology adoption.

Besides AI, which is front and center in every industry, in the next two years, healthcare will be forced to find strategies to offer value-based care in an effort to stay in business. As reimbursement modules continue to shift away from fee-for-service, leadership roles that are overly focused on billing, and revenue cycle management tied to volume rather than value; will diminish.

The next two years will require us to adapt more cross functional leadership, to adjust to a more complex, technology-driven, and patient-centered environment.

Deb Kiser. Heart Service Line Executive Lead and System Vice President of Operations, Cardiovascular Service Line at The Christ Hospital (Cincinnati): The need to have soft skills, such as EI (emotional intelligence), ability to deal with difficult personalities, be humble and know how to work across several generations will be key. Personally, I will continue to work on my ability to be present. As leaders we are constantly being pulled in multiple directions and often do not give our undivided attention to our team-this is an area I want to continue to work on as a leader.

Darian Eletto. Chief Clinical Officer of Bergen New Bridge Medical Center (Paramus, N.J.): Our leadership team will continue to focus on innovation and further our integration of technology to continually enhance patient care.

This ongoing evolution will require contributions from many departments including but not limited to behavioral health, information systems, quality and safety, patient experience, operations, and integration. Similar to our approach to patient care from a holistic viewpoint, our leadership will pivot to a more holistic way of guiding our team members. 

Every person plays a role in helping to ensure our patients' needs are met, making it a collaborative process. Operating in silos is a thing of the past. Embracing the new and the unknown will take our leadership to the next level. 

The leadership team will demonstrate that coming out of your comfort zone allows you to unlock new ways to care for patients. The addition of clinical integration and artificial intelligence will allow us to enter a new, more collaborative era of patient care. It will encourage all employees to be more curious, courageous, and innovative.

Ryan Nicholas, MD. Chief Quality Officer of Mercy Medical Group (Chicago): Mercy Medical Group's value transformation process revealed the need to transition from our traditional operational board of directors to an advisory board model. Through a vote of the shareholders we have shifted the responsibility for operations management to a new structure called the Operations Council. This transition has allowed the Board of Directors to focus on the financial strategy and future planning for the group and moved operations management to the new council structure. This allows department chairs and their dyad operations partners to more directly manage day to day operations with flexibility. This also solves the tendency for innovative solutions to be delayed or deferred by being mired in daily operations issues. 

The Operations Council manages position control and allows departments to empanel temporary task force groups to address and propose solutions to complex challenges. There is bi-directional communication between the Operations Council, the Board of Directors, and the shareholders. 

Part of our value transformation includes increasing demand for accurate and timely access to data. We require specific reports refined into dashboards that allow our department chairs to make informed decisions about staffing and expansion of services. Many projects and performance improvement initiatives require labor-intensive data collection and processing to draw accurate conclusions. Our team will be expanding our data analyst workforce to accommodate these needs. 

Nick Yerkan. Program Director of Canning Thoracic Institute at Northwestern Medicine (Chicago): I hope that our leadership team will evolve over the next couple of years by growing even more adaptive. With how dynamic the healthcare landscape is, not only do we need to think creatively to navigate complex problems, but we also need to demonstrate adaptability when, as we see so often, the problem itself evolves. Consequently, we are intent on finding problem solvers who are strong communicators who can be plugged into several different areas rather than experts or specialists of a particular service line.   

Ebrahim Barkoudah, MD. System Chief and Regional Chief Medical Officer of Baystate Health (Springfield, Mass.): As a Chief Medical Officer looking ahead to the next 2 years, I anticipate several key ways my leadership team will likely evolve:

Roles and skills that will become more important:

1. Data analytics and AI expertise: The healthcare landscape is increasingly data-driven, necessitating team members who can effectively leverage data and AI technologies. These skills will be crucial for enhancing clinical decision support, managing population health, and improving operational efficiency. We'll likely need to either recruit new talent or invest in upskilling our existing staff to meet this growing demand.

2. Digital health and telehealth leaders: The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of virtual care, and this trend is expected to continue. We will need leaders who can develop and implement comprehensive telehealth strategies, ensuring seamless integration with our existing care models and maintaining high-quality patient experiences in virtual settings.

3. Change management specialists: Healthcare is undergoing rapid transformation, driven by technological advancements, regulatory changes, and evolving patient expectations. To navigate this dynamic environment successfully, we will need team members skilled in leading organizational change, managing resistance, and fostering a culture of adaptability and innovation.

4. DEI leaders: Improving health equity and building diverse, inclusive teams will be a key priority for our organization. We'll need leaders who can develop and implement effective DEI strategies, addressing disparities in care delivery and ensuring our workforce reflects the communities we serve.

5. Value-based care experts: As reimbursement models continue to shift away from fee-for-service towards value-based care, we will need leaders who deeply understand these new models and can implement them effectively. This includes expertise in population health management, care coordination, and outcomes-based quality metrics.

6. Wellness and burnout prevention specialists: The well-being of our clinical staff is paramount, especially given the high rates of burnout in healthcare. We'll need specialists who can develop and implement comprehensive wellness programs, addressing the unique stressors faced by healthcare professionals and fostering a supportive work environment.

 Roles and skills that may become less important:

1. Traditional hospital administration: As care increasingly shifts to outpatient and virtual settings, some traditional inpatient leadership roles may need to evolve. We will likely see a blending of inpatient and outpatient leadership responsibilities, with a greater focus on coordinating care across the entire continuum.

2. Siloed clinical department heads: The future of healthcare demands more integrated, multidisciplinary approaches to patient care. We will likely move away from strictly siloed clinical departments towards more collaborative leadership structures that facilitate cross-specialty cooperation and holistic patient management.

3. Purely clinical backgrounds: While clinical expertise will always be essential, we will increasingly seek leaders who combine clinical knowledge with business acumen, technological literacy, and strategic thinking. The complexity of modern healthcare requires leaders who can bridge the gap between clinical practice and organizational management.

Overall, our leadership team will need to become more agile, data-driven, and focused on innovation and transformation to navigate the evolving healthcare landscape. We will need to cultivate a diverse set of skills and perspectives, balancing traditional clinical expertise with new competencies in technology, business strategy, and change management.

To achieve this evolution, we'll likely adopt a multi-faceted approach:

1. Targeted recruitment: We'll seek out individuals with the emerging skill sets we need, looking beyond traditional healthcare backgrounds to fields like data science, technology, and organizational psychology.

2. Professional development: We will invest heavily in upskilling our existing team members, providing opportunities for continued education, certifications, and hands-on experience in emerging areas.

3. Collaborative partnerships: We will explore partnerships with technology companies, academic institutions, and other healthcare organizations to access expertise and resources that complement our internal capabilities.

4. Restructuring: We may need to reassess our organizational structure, creating new roles and departments that align with our evolving priorities and breaking down silos that impede collaboration.

5. Cultural transformation: Perhaps most importantly, we'll need to foster a culture of continuous learning, innovation, and adaptability. This will require clear communication of our vision, leading by example, and rewarding behaviors that align with our new direction.

As we navigate this transition, maintaining our commitment to clinical excellence and patient-centered care will be paramount. The goal is not to replace our clinical focus but to enhance it with new capabilities that allow us to deliver better care more efficiently and equitably. 

Chuck Nordyke, RN, MSN. President and CEO of Clarinda Regional Health Center (Iowa): Our leadership team will have a major shift over the next two to three years as a few key members will be retiring. Besides losing key confidants, I feel the biggest loss will be the history these folks know about the organization and our communities. This can not be replaced. As we move forward, we will be looking for more computer savvy folks who are comfortable with the AI world and data analytics. As things move forward, everything is speeding up. Without this new skill set you will not be able to respond quickly and strategy becomes responding rather than leading.

Peter F. Crossno, MD. Medical Director of Pulmonary and Respiratory Care, Canyons Region at Intermountain Health (Salt Lake City): I think leadership teams will become much leaner with fewer levels in reporting structure between leaders and caregivers and those leaders will be established caregivers themselves. Important skills will be creating an environment of effective teaming in the wake of ever-expanding communication technology and geography. Leaders who are able to galvanize relationships and message important initiatives across distances will be valued. We focus on candidates who are able to bring many threads, teams and conversations together, are able to look across the organization and build workgroups, that on the surface may not have commonalities but in reality, share similar structures and visions. Skills in process improvement and healthcare delivery science and leading change in healthcare will be highly valuable. Grant writing/awards, publication history and reputation in traditional medical academics will be less valuable as a measure of good leadership when guiding health systems to successful initiatives. 

Lauralyn Brown, DNP, MSN, BS, RN. Quality Director of Methodist Mansfield (Texas) Medical Center: Healthcare leaders will remain in an evolving healthcare environment. As more hospitals embark on high reliability organization journeys, leaders will be using disruptive change methods to combat the “We've always done it this way” mentality.

Health equity will remain a high priority as hospitals have just begun to scratch the surface of researching equitable healthcare across the full spectrum of care and Telemedicine will continue to be a useful tool for healthcare delivery.

As more healthcare moves toward out-patient settings, continuing on the AI journey will allow healthcare providers to track patient vital signs, identify potential risk issues as well as prompt access to healthcare.

Sriram Vissa, MD. Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Medical Affairs at SSM Health DePaul Hospital (St Louis, Mo.): Over the next two years, our leadership team will play a crucial role in the transformation of healthcare. We plan to build positions specializing in data analytics, population health, patient experience, digital transformation, and behavioral health integration. These changes will enable us to utilize technology better, manage the transition to value-based care, and enhance patient outcomes. This change will improve efficiency, better meet the demands of community health, and strengthen our capacity to deliver coordinated, patient-centered care. We want to build a more inventive and agile leadership structure to prioritize patient experience and quality care while keeping pace with the fast-evolving healthcare industry. 

Alpa Vyas. Senior Vice President and Chief Patient Experience and Operational Performance Officer of Stanford Health Care (Palo Alto, Calif.): Over the next two years, our patient experience team will continue to focus on integrating technology and data-driven insights into our efforts to improve the overall care experience.  This will include increasing knowledge and developing points of view on how technology can enable versus detract from experiences, including the use of AI. Reducing the burden of non-value added tasks and work for our teams will enable us to focus on assisting patients and families navigate their health care journey more effectively.  Additionally, applying the lens of health equity, inclusion and belonging to these insights will ensure that we are approaching efforts in a more personalized way for patients. 

Julie King, MBA, PHR. Area Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer of Illinois Market at Advocate Health (Charlotte, N.C.): In healthcare, two years is the new five years! There is so much that changes from year to year – even month to month or week to week. Our COVID-19 experience demonstrated that a well-planned strategy can almost immediately require enormous shifts when unforeseen developments occur. Given that reality, I believe a successful leadership team will model sound change leadership principles, appreciate and embrace emerging technologies, remain able to adjust on a dime, and intentionally create teams where diverse perspectives and thoughts lead to more innovative outcomes – no matter the challenges faced.

Cindy Bo. Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of Boston Medical Center Health System: Health system imperatives are shifting and, hence, will demand different skill sets of their leadership team members. For example, we will see a greater focus on health equity and community health; an emphasis on preventive care over sick care only; a heightened emphasis on technology and AI; and greater transparency and accountability, fostering trust with communities, particularly those of color. The leadership team at Boston Medical Center Health System is evolving to ensure we are meeting these imperatives. Leaders now need to be diverse and inclusive, technologically savvy, agile and adaptive. Cross-functional collaboration is a MUST to get the work done and to drive the results/ impact we desire. Traditional siloed roles will be obsolete if the leaders in those roles are not evolving with what is needed to perform. It's an opportunity for leaders to re-tool, re-skill and partner with others, driving a true leadership team approach.

Christine Larson, RN, BSN. Vice President of Clinic Operations, North Wisconsin Area at Advocate Aurora Health Care (Downers Grove, Ill., and Milwaukee): My leadership team is comprised of a diverse slate of business leaders, nurses, therapists, and others. Over the next two years, I anticipate needing to evolve to a more "value based care" approach and adding innovation to our current repertoire. We are constantly facing financial headwinds and rapidly evolving technological advances including artificial intelligence. 

Healthcare leaders that can accurately read, evaluate, interpret and act upon rapidly evolving information streams to drive consensus-driven decisions by engaging key stakeholders (physicians, senior leaders, community leaders, etc.) will be critical to the success of any healthcare leadership team.  

Roles/skills to add: 

• Healthcare data analysts/analytics team (population health stats, ambulatory access to care stats, regulatory information, evolving technology analysis, etc.)
• Innovators—folks who can do “more” with less/fewer resources.
• Operations improvement (LEAN/Six-Sigma)  will have a larger role/seat at the leadership table. 
• Expertise in building compliant documentation templates to ensure accurate coding is aligned with clinical documentation and leveraging AI tech solutions to do so. 

Roles/skills that will become less important:

• Manual data pulls/report generators – need to leverage AI and smart tools within the electronic medical record
• Medical coding and documentation resources will change dramatically with the evolving AI tools/technology and focus more on regulatory needs and Clinician/staff education about documentation requirements. 

Pooja Vyas, DO. Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Christian Hospital Northeast & Northwest Healthcare (St. Louis, Mo.): My leadership team will continue to navigate the shift from operating as a local hospital to being part of a large healthcare system. One of the larger challenges of this is having system led priorities and accountabilities. However, system resources allow us to deliver cutting edge healthcare to the local community.

I don't think we can ignore the role AI will play in healthcare. The changes are here, and we must educate ourselves to ensure, as healthcare providers, that AI is used ethically and responsibly.

Aaron Hajart. COO of Community Medical Center (Toms River, N.J.) an RWJBarnabas Health facility: The next generation of leaders are entering the field with stronger skills and expectations around the frequency and depth of what is communicated to their teams. The ideal addition to our leadership team will also have a clearer understanding of how to fully leverage technology as they have never lived in a world without a personal computer or laptop. I have seen our emerging leaders with a much greater degree of technology dexterity and these skills are critical in advancing our care in tandem with our technology platforms that we have invested so heavily in. 

Ryan Younger. Vice President of Marketing at Virtua Health (Marlton, N.J.): As marketing expands its role in the industry and the organization, our leadership team will need to continue to grow. We are storytellers, technologists, analysts, communicators, brand advocates, experience stewards, strategists and change agents. Of course, we will stay on the leading-edge of these skills to learn and develop our teams. The opportunity will be to ensure our soft skills also reach new levels of proficiency. Our leaders must be problem-solvers, innovators and creative thinkers. To navigate the dynamic changes ahead, it will become even more important to lead with emotional intelligence and collaboration. Over the next two years, we anticipate more rapid change with technology and AI, but I think the human element of understanding and responding with empathy will propel the successful teams forward.

George Cybulski, MD. Clinical Leader in Artificial Intelligence and Neurosurgeon of Humboldt Park Health (Chicago): The context for all of healthcare delivery is "Can we manage to save healthcare?" and leadership's critical response to post-Pandemic challenges.

Accordingly, leadership of healthcare delivery must escape from the conventionality of the present groupthink and be open to alternatives to the inequality of access, safety, quality, and escalating cost of health care.  

Anyone in a leadership position in healthcare delivery must acquire knowledge in the application of augmented intelligence to operations management. This is the critical skill that will assist in the flow of delivery. Leadership's additional role will be as a model for and coach to follow staff members of the individual enterprise.

Mark D. Townsend, MD. Chief Clinical Innovation Officer of Bon Secours Mercy Health (Cincinnati): Versatility empowered by digital innovation will define the evolution of healthcare leadership teams over the next two years. As generative AI becomes a common denominator, it is clearly blurring the differentiation of traditional roles on our teams. We used to talk about ‘staying in your lane'… the democratization of expertise through gen-AI allows one to say: "I am a fish, and swim-lanes don't exist in this ocean; when a fish hits a wall, it says 'dam' and then it swims in a different direction." Roles that rely on narrowly-defined specialization will arguably become less important; generalization empowered by openly shared expertise will increasingly become the norm.

Bill Pack. CFO of Conway (Ark.) Regional Health System: My leadership team will likely evolve to adapt to the fast-changing healthcare environment over the next two years. This evolution will focus on key areas such as data-driven decision-making, technology integration, value-based care, and workforce efficiency.

Roles and Skills to Add

1. Chief Data/Analytics Officer or Financial Data Analyst:
   • Key Skills: Predictive analytics, financial modeling, data governance, and decision support systems.
2. Revenue Cycle Optimization Specialist:
   • Key Skills: Revenue cycle management, payer contract negotiation, patient financial services.
3. Chief Digital Transformation Officer (CDTO):
   • Key Skills: IT strategy, digital healthcare technologies, process automation.

Roles or Skills That May Become Less Important

1. Traditional Cost-Cutting Experts:
   • Cost containment will always be important, but an exclusive focus on cutting expenses may give way to more strategic investments in technology, staff, and partnerships that improve efficiency and drive revenue.
2. Manual Process Managers:
   • As automation becomes more prominent in healthcare finance operations, roles that involve managing manual or paper-based processes will diminish in importance, making room for those skilled in automation and digital workflows.
3. Pure Compliance Focus:
   • Compliance is critical, but many aspects of regulatory compliance are becoming automated or incorporated into broader finance roles. Specialized roles may shrink as technology manages reporting, leaving more focus on strategy.

Leadership Approach

1. Collaborative and Cross-Disciplinary Teams:
   • Finance Team will likely need to work more closely with clinical, IT, and operational leaders as financial decisions become intertwined with patient outcomes and digital innovations.
     
     
2. Agile Leadership:
   • Flexibility in leadership and decision-making will be paramount. Leaders who can adapt quickly to changes in reimbursement, regulatory requirements, and market pressures will be crucial to the organization's success.

Heather Isola, MPAS, PA-C. Vice President of Physician Assistant Services at Mount Sinai Health System (New York City): The Center for Advanced Practice Providers goal and mission is to be a center for excellence for APPs (PAs, NPs, CRNAs and Midwives) in the Mount Sinai Health System. We have over 1,750 members and are growing. The goals of our leadership team are to be a resource for APP professionals and a guiding path for stewardship in finances and revenue potential, recruitment and engagement, patient experience, quality and safety, and more.  

At this time, we have established leadership at each of our health system sites, and now we are cultivating our emerging talent. APPs have a unique place in healthcare, and can see above, below and to the sides of our care continuum with an affinity for team-based care. The goal is to utilize this unique viewpoint and carry the APPS into non-traditional leadership roles that translate their skillset to a new area of healthcare management. 

Traditional roles have been that of chief PAs, program managers, but we are now developing program directors overseeing OR operations, clinical directors monitoring inpatient and outpatient operations and clinical care for departments, managers creating programs for continuous care for fracture prevention and cancer survivorship, risk managers overseeing events and outcomes, and so much more. These roles all have a high return on investment, not just for our health system economics, but for improved patient care journeys with collaborative team models centered on excellence.

Omar Hasan, MD. Chief Quality Officer of MaineHealth (Portland): I expect our leadership team to add expertise and skills that can help navigate market disruptions caused by payviders and other entrants. Leaders with a deep understanding of insurance markets and benefit design as well as entrepreneurs capable of launching new care models in a competitive landscape will add value to the C-suite. 

Stephen Hoang, MD. Medication Safety Officer and Pediatric Anesthesiologist of Children's Health System of Texas (Dallas): As the medication safety officer for our large pediatric system, I work with a team with subject matter expertise in all aspects of the medication-use process (physicians, pharmacists, and nurses). With a multidisciplinary approach to addressing this important and common type of hospital-acquired condition, we are already seeing significant improvements in adverse drug events and patient safety. 

Over the next two years, we plan to utilize and transition to more proactive (Safety-II) concepts. One of the key learning principles here is to learn not only from mistakes but to learn more from successes. What are the things that must go right to achieve medication (and patient) safety? What have we learned from reported good catches? This knowledge will allow us to create a medication-use system using natural process and constraint process designs that make it hard to do the wrong thing and make it easier to do the right thing. Every step should be designed through the lens of quality care and patient safety. Thus, this approach will allow our pediatric system to optimize the quality and experience of care for every child and family we serve.

Thomas Maddox, MD. Vice President of Digital Products and Innovation at BJC HealthCare (St. Louis)/Washington University School of Medicine: We will be adding more clinicians to our innovation and transformation teams. Front-line clinicians – doctors, nurses, etc. – have some of the best perspectives on what works in healthcare and how it needs to be designed. In addition, they are some of the best champions for change. Teams lacking clinicians often struggle in designing effective care transformations and getting them deployed.

Angela Orth. Internal Consultant of Cone Health (Greensboro, N.C.): It is critically important for future leaders to lead across complex, multifaceted systems and to foster creative and innovative thinking and execution. Leaders of the future must be able to quickly adapt to rapidly changing conditions and respond to the fast-paced, constantly evolving healthcare industry.

Michael Wiggins, DrBA. Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics of Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin: I believe the lines between care settings will continue to blur over the next few years. Healthcare service providers will need to become more adept at facilitating patient transitions between care settings - primary care, specialty services, inpatient care, post-acute, etc. Executive teams will need to refocus and potentially realign around systems of care rather than care settings. This will also require greater executive focus on how patients interact with their care providers across multiple channels - in person, virtual, chats, messaging, medical record access, etc. A new executive role for patient engagement may emerge that focuses on more than simply patient satisfaction and patient acquisition. This new role will work to advance initiatives that create seamless interactions between patients and care providers at every stage of the wellness journey. 

Jenny Collopy. Vice President and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer of The Christ Hospital Health Network (Cincinnati): I think the two biggest changes for how I lead and what my team focuses on are: Prioritizing high-impact initiatives with flexibility and delegate autonomy.

Given I have a lean team of 12 people, it's essential for me to prioritize initiatives that deliver the highest value for the community's health and that deliver on our mission and strategic plan. Providing clear guidance on the high-impact areas while remaining flexible enough to let the team experiment with emerging technologies or new media channels that align with our overall goals. And to handle the demands of marketing for 1,200 providers, 100 locations, and 7,000 team members, in one of the most competitive markets in the country, I also need to empower my team to make decisions in their areas of expertise. By giving them the autonomy to test new approaches — I need to allow them to innovate while keeping pace with evolving trends. This flexibility will enable my team to pivot quickly, keeping our system competitive without losing sight of the broader strategic vision

Megan Gillespie, DNP, MBA, RN. CEO and President of Sutter Santa Rosa (Calif.) Hospital: We have focused on building a cohesive leadership team that is committed to executing on variables within our control, while remaining future focused. In healthcare, strong leadership skills are vital, the stakes are high, and decisions made can affect entire populations.

The skill and dedication to mentor others, while committing to continuous learning themselves will continue to be a priority. Leaders who are willing to challenge the status quo, create sustainable and inclusive growth, and inspire others to act will remain essential. Leaders that are skilled in getting the right leaders in the right roles, will be vital; much like a skilled coach of a winning team.

Leading by example with integrity, embracing humility and prioritizing clarity in communication will become increasingly important as the pace of technology and A.I. accelerates. Although change happens continuously, effectively leading through change and cultivating a healthy work environment will be (and is) essential.

Mayank Shah, MD. Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Advocate Condell Medical Center (Libertyville, Ill.), Advocate Health: Healthcare is very dynamic when it comes to change. Similarly, leadership in healthcare also needs to be agile and adaptable to change. Our leadership teams have already been going through some changes and evolving since the pandemic. However, I think the next two years are going to bring significant technology and model of care revolution to healthcare. As a result, I think our teams will need to keep an open mind around opportunities. Thinking outside of the box, looking for examples outside of healthcare for innovation, and continuous focus on culture will be key to success in the next couple of years.  

Strengths in understanding short-term and long-term impacts of technology adoption, consumerism, and alternative modes of care will be critically important. Strategic thinking when it comes to care models and cost management will drive outcomes in value-based care. Finally, I think a deeper understanding of payers and regulatory landscape will be critical in lending a resounding voice in healthcare. We continue to develop our teams on these skill sets with internal and external partnerships. Project management experiences will become less important in my mind with AI tools and technology accessibility, but people management and matrix management will be important in influencing healthcare.

Darryl Elmouchi, MD. COO of Corewell Health (Grand Rapids and Southfield, Mich.): The pace of change will continue to dramatically increase over the coming years. Our leadership teams must work together to become nimbler and more adaptable. This will require leaders who are adept at Agile methodology, which is centered on collaboration and continuous improvement. I am also excited to see a focus on more human-centered design to drive internal and external processes. These concepts, while common in other industries, are new enough to healthcare to require significant additional training. Further, I envision traditionally siloed roles becoming less common over time. Leadership roles within healthcare are often tied to physical boundaries (i.e., individual hospitals, clinics, etc.). There are so many benefits to creating roles with more overlap that allow health systems to efficiently and effectively share best practices. When we have cohesive teams spanning across multiple sites of care, it's a better experience for our teams and our patients.

Alon Weizer, MD. Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President of Mount Sinai Medical Center (New York City): Healthcare continues to grow in complexity with health systems needing to continually address opportunities to meet the goals of safe, timely, efficient, effective, equitable, and patient-centered care for our communities. As chief medical officer at Mount Sinai Medical Center with over 13 sites across Miami-Dade and Monroe counties including two freestanding emergency departments, a major focus is developing our physician leaders with the tools and skills to more effectively partner with operational and graduate medical education leadership to advance our organizational mission of high quality care. This shift requires us to focus both formal and informal physician leaders on not only what is important to them or their individual division/department but to consider how they can balance the needs of their groups with the broader strategic goals of the organization. We believe this alignment will allow us to continue to improve our quality of care and outcomes to meet the needs of our patients.  

Miguel Vigo. Chief Revenue Cycle Officer of UC San Diego Health: The UCSD revenue cycle leadership team has been fantastic at pivoting and adjusting given the pace of healthcare and the world in general, however, we need to continue to stay close to our data, our core metrics, and most importantly, our staff and their insights. It is more critical than ever to remember the mission and the reason for decisions we make. I see the UCSD revenue cycle leadership team evolving further by instituting a more formal leadership infrastructure to help us in the ways we communicate to ensure the messaging, no matter the situation, is consistent, that team members at all levels have a platform and a say in the challenges we face, and by empowering all team leads to make decisions via a decentralized command model as long as those decisions are made through data, evidence, and with the right balance of input from those closest to the problems we look to fix on a daily basis.

Cassandra Dike, DNP, RN. Executive Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer of Children's Health (Dallas): Over the next two years I hope to see my nursing leadership team achieve a higher level of skill and understanding in artificial intelligence and capabilities available to offset workforce gaps while maintaining safety and high-quality care. In the future, I expect to see fewer leaders focused on designing things like workforce plans and staffing models as they shift to apply tools built in logic to inform decisions, predict areas of risk (from staffing to the clinical), design real time improvements, and be present as we address the needs of the different generations and expectations of our presence in the nursing units and care environments.

Alexa B. Kimball, MD. President and CEO of Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Boston): Flexibility is no longer a perk; it's a core strategy for attracting and retaining physicians. It's really dynamic out there — so looking ahead, the evolution of our leadership team will focus heavily on enhancing our ability to adapt to meet the changing demands of the workforce. We're prioritizing the development of managers who are creative problem solvers with strong communication skills that foster trust and ensure employees not only feel heard, but valued. The ability to create personalized approaches to meet the varied needs of individuals will be critical. 

Andreia de Lima, MD. Chief Medical Officer of Cayuga Health System (Ithaca, N.Y.): Over the next two years, our leadership team will continue to evolve with a sharp focus on health equity as a strategic priority. We recognize the need for equitable access to care for all populations, particularly underserved communities, and this will drive much of our decision-making. To reflect the diversity of our patient population, we plan to foster a leadership team that not only has clinical expertise but also brings cultural competency and an understanding of social determinants of health to the forefront. We will leverage technology and data analytics to identify disparities in care and outcomes, using tools like AI to proactively address these gaps. In addition, we will build stronger partnerships with community organizations to ensure that we are meeting the needs of those most affected by inequities.

While cost management and clinical skills remain important, our focus will continue towards aligning financial strategies with broader health equity goals, as well as emphasizing soft skills like emotional intelligence and community engagement. Instead of reactive approaches to health challenges, our team will develop proactive strategies that anticipate and address the root causes of health disparities. In doing so, we will create a leadership structure that is agile, forward-thinking, and deeply committed to achieving health equity.

Frances Kelly, PhD, MSN. Assistant Chief Nursing Officer of USA Health Children's and Women's Hospital (Mobile, Ala.): The upheaval and disruption that has become commonplace in healthcare over the past several years has resulted in challenges for many leaders. For tenured leaders, they may find that the old 'fixes' don't seem to work so well anymore. For less tenured leaders, considering new or novel ideas to address the challenges they face may be hampered by a lack of experience or perhaps not having a mentor upon whom they may call for help or guidance. Regardless of the length or level of leadership experience, development of some key leadership behaviors will be necessary to build, foster, motivate, and maintain high-functioning teams, including ensuring a healthy work environment, developing relationships with team members, and empowering them to grow, learn, and develop according to their professional goals.

A healthy, safe workplace is mission critical to the well-being of every healthcare team member. Leaders will need to be able to identify and manage incivility, bullying, and violence of any kind. Failing to do so poses risks to patients and often results in preventable, expensive turnover among staff. Leaders will need to transition from manager or director to coach, creating opportunities to intentionally and actively listen to what their team members have to say. Leaders can engage with team members, asking them about their personal and professional goals, and partner with them to develop a plan to achieve those goals. Leveraging the opportunities to share in decision making and support team members as they learn new skills will strengthen relationships and commitment to the team and to the mission and vision of the organization. 

And while we must ensure patient care needs are met within an established financial framework, creativity and innovation doesn't have to suffer. Allowing more flexibility in scheduling promotes staff autonomy and can improve team member satisfaction. Leaders who spend less time in the office at a computer or in a meeting and more intentional time with their teams where the work is being done will help to foster a greater sense of teamwork and support among members of the team. I've recently been told by a leader that it is very time consuming rounding on team members and it interferes with their work getting done. I explained to this leader that rounding on and spending time with their team members is the work. The most important work of all.  

T.Y. Alvin Liu, MD. Endowed Professor and Inaugural Director of James P. Gills Jr. MD and Heather Gills Artificial Intelligence Innovation Center at Johns Hopkins Medicine (Baltimore): I serve as the inaugural Director of the first endowed artificial intelligence (AI) center at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. While researchers and clinician scientists have been and will remain a critical part of my center's leadership team, I think it is essential to attract talent from outside of traditional academia to realize my center's chief mission: to maximize the positive, real-world impact of AI in healthcare. I foresee adding talent, who have extensive experience in big tech, startups or venture capital and the ability to forge strategic alliances with these important stakeholders in the healthcare AI ecosystem.

Mark Chang, MD. Senior Vice President of CV Strategy and Transformation at Ballad Health CVA Heart Institute (Bristol, Tenn.): Expectations of our leaders have undoubtedly evolved and become more complex as we navigate healthcare's dizzying transformation. For example, clinical or technical knowledge may now be insufficient, albeit still crucially important, qualities of our most important candidate leaders. Leaders today must also actively listen to, empathize with and treat team members and all stakeholders, especially patients and their families, with the respect and dignity they themselves expect to receive from others. Those who consistently model such skills, with a passion and focus on building truly connected teams, will help us most in addressing current extraordinary challenges. Importantly, individuals who inherently possess such qualities are rare. Therefore, our priority now is to identify true and willing learners, no matter their level of success in their fields to date, and substantively invest in their development and continuous improvement of such critical skills.

Paul Coyne, DNP. Senior Vice President and Chief Nurse Executive of HSS | Hospital for Special Surgery (New York City): Leadership of front-line clinical teams must become more human centric and less administrative. People who seek a career in healthcare are not looking for their management to facilitate their projects or enter their timecards. They are looking to be cared about, to be mentored, and to be given an environment in which they can truly flourish, not only as professionals, but as human beings. Artificial intelligence and other technology will soon handle everything that isn't human, making the skill of handling that which is, even more crucial in leadership. Leadership teams must evolve beyond the traditional hierarchy of the past, to remove the barriers which have prevented true connection and transparency, while preserving order, to lead to even greater results.

Suhail Nath. Director of Finance at UofL Health - University Hospital (Louisville, Ky.): Providers are operating on wafer-thin margins stemming from rising costs and lower reimbursements. Thus, the operational efficiencies gained by adopting and embedding technology, coupled with the rapid pace at which technology is evolving, would embellish the need for having a chief technology officer in the leadership team over the next few years. Being comfortable and adaptable to change, given how fast the healthcare space evolves with legislation, policy, and technology, would be an essential skill. I believe that traditional roles would give way to more team-based structures, especially with the holistic care of patients taking center stage in the next few years.

Michael Prokopis. Vice President of Supply Chain at MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston): Within MD Anderson Supply Chain Services team, we continue to focus on building resiliency and sustainability to support the institution in providing high-quality cancer care. Part of this strategy is the buildout of a 260,000 square foot multi-use distribution center that supports the acquisition and management of key supplies that directly can impact the efficacy of care. This effort requires evolved leadership skills in warehouse management to ensure operational efficiency and alignment with those we support. Inventory planning also will become a critical role as we work to develop deeper, longer-term forecasts to better coordinate expected consumption with supply needs. Tying all this together is the deployment of machine learning and artificial intelligence tools to recognize deeper patterns to manage inventory stocking and consumption.

Eric D. Katz, MD. Physician Executive of Medical Specialties and Graduate Medical Education at Banner Medical Group; Professor of Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine at the University of Arizona (Phoenix) College of Medicine: Leadership training traditionally occurs after a physician becomes a titled leader. At Banner, we prefer to reverse that through a 4-level leadership development pathway. Advanced Leadership Program is our flagship leadership program designed to cultivate agile physicians and APP leaders with strong decision-making skills. These providers are best able to navigate the challenges in healthcare, manage multi-disciplinary teams and lead and influence others to deliver our organizational strategy.

Developing leadership as a skill is a lifelong process. Great leaders continually challenge themselves to evolve and provide opportunities to help physicians obtain that growth will be an item that separates out the great systems from the good systems. We expect to see fewer promotions based on clinical skills, and more based on leadership skills.

Matt Enright. Director of Data Analytics at Delaware (Dover) Health Information Network: My leadership team continues to explore ways to help staff feel valued and become more efficient, without experiencing burnout. One of the key leadership philosophies I have shared with my direct reports is to set realistic targets, or "under promise and over deliver." My team also knows that they can reach out to me at any time to discuss unexpected barriers to any project they are working on. I prefer an open and honest discussion with my team about the barriers to projects, so I can help remove or reduce the impact of those barriers. The skills that will become more important include project scoping, more accurate project estimating, change management, and transparent communication. The speed of change in healthcare continues to accelerate; it is my responsibility to adapt my leadership approach to accommodate the speed of change and set my team up for success.    

Mehdi Shishehbor, DO, PhD. President of University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute (Cleveland): We will continue the ongoing and crucial work of actively diversifying our leadership. Emphasizing the key University Hospitals value of "belonging," we're working within a framework of diversity, equity and inclusion to welcome individuals from various backgrounds and experiences. Additionally, we will redouble efforts in our various service lines to more directly engage nursing leadership.

New and fresh insights from a more diverse group of individuals in leadership roles will help us tackle some of our most formidable challenges, one of the most serious being staff and physician burnout. Understanding this threat is paramount in running any service line or healthcare facility, and we need creative thinking and thinkers who promote engagement and help boost retention. AI shows promise as a tool to reduce administrative burden on clinicians, so engaging those with the knowledge and experience to leverage it and other alternatives is essential. When we can more fully address our challenges, we can devote more attention to why we are here in the first place: to take care of our communities and patients. 

Stephanie Everett. Administrator and CEO of Mountrail County Medical Center (Stanley, Md.): With the landscape of the medical field changing from fee for service to value-based care, leadership will be focused on quality measures like we have never done before. Gone will be the days of seeing five aliments in one visit. Razor focused care on specific measures will be needed. This will start with the chief of staff down to the receptionist making the appointment. 

Stacy Reynolds. Chief Pediatric Emergency Medicine of Atrium Health (Charlotte, N.C.): Advocate Health is now the third largest nonprofit healthcare system in the country. As is true in many ways across healthcare, finding talent and levering technology is key so we can address pediatric capacity needs. Our leadership team is evolving to support an ecosystem model of pediatric emergency care leveraging existing capacity and building capabilities across the system. Ensuring equitable access to high-quality pediatric emergency care poses new challenges in patient care alignment, data architecture, continuous quality improvement, and team building. The model requires partnership between emergency medicine and pediatric subspecialty partners to create consistency between tertiary care children's hospitals and community-based sites of care. 

Sharda Udassi, MD. Associate Chief Quality Officer of WVU Health System (Morgantown, W.Va.): Over the next two years, our leadership team will evolve by incorporating a stronger focus on data-driven decision-making, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, and enhancing skills in healthcare technology and innovation. Roles that emphasize adaptability, strategic foresight, and patient-centered care will become more essential, while those solely focused on traditional hierarchical structures may become less relevant in fostering a more agile and inclusive culture.

Erik J. Blutinger, MD. Medical Director of Community Paramedicine at Mount Sinai Health Partners; Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Mount Sinai Health System (New York City): It's hard to predict where healthcare will be in two years' time. My goal is to help build better patient workflows and to work with other disciplines for incorporating more technological innovation into clinical care. As the U.S. population continuously ages, an important goal will be to lower costs while improving quality when caring for vulnerable, high-risk patient populations. Value-based care seems ready to accelerate over the coming years - a trend that will demand even more innovation despite projected labor shortages and unpredictable changes to payer mixes. With fee-for-service programming becoming less popular, it will be important to bring different stakeholders "to the table" for pooling resources and demonstrating true "value" in the healthcare marketplace.

Dawn Rock-Tremble. Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer of Encompass Health (Birmingham, Ala.): As artificial intelligence-driven technology becomes more routine and embedded in healthcare, having staff who understands the technology – with all its capabilities and limitations – will become increasingly more valuable. Therefore, expect to see a demand for leaders with very specialized technological skills – think AI design and development, data analytics, and the like.

Rina Bansal, MD, MBA. President of Inova Alexandria Hospital; Senior Vice President of Inova (Falls Church, Va.): Similar to many healthcare organizations, after the COVID pandemic, my leadership team underwent intentional and positive turnover. As we have come together as a team over the last two years, we have been focused on driving operational excellence and efficiency to provide high reliability, high value care in a challenging and dynamic healthcare environment. To that end, we are focused on developing strong leadership skills that promote a workplace environment that is emotionally, physically and psychologically safe. A place where our team members have a strong sense of purpose, feel included, are empowered to speak up and have growth opportunities. In addition, we are focused on creating leaders who are agile, collaborative, and innovative. Leaders of the future will need to unlearn the drive for individual achievement and focus on leading complex and diverse teams successfully.

Nikki Romence. Chief People Officer of Chapters Health System (Temple Terrace, Fla.): Over the next two years, I anticipate our leadership team will place greater emphasis on data-driven decision-making, enhancing the employee experience, and managing a hybrid workforce. We'll likely see the introduction of roles centered around analytics, well-being, and flexible work strategies, with a focus on leveraging HR technology and optimizing the employee journey. Traditional, manual, and rigid HR approaches are losing relevance as technology advances, employee expectations evolve, and modern workplaces demand more flexible, data-driven, and personalized practices.  Leadership development, succession planning, and agility will become vital as organizations look for leaders who can thrive in evolving environments. Ultimately, the priority will shift toward fostering innovation, adaptability, and cultivating an atmosphere that supports employee growth and overall well-being.

David Verinder. President and CEO of Sarasota (Fla.) Memorial Health Care System: At Sarasota Memorial Health Care System, we are confident in our leaders' ability to drive strategic initiatives that meet the needs of the growing region and different communities we serve. As we continue to expand our multi-hospital system and robust ambulatory network, we purposefully seek out forward-thinking leaders who are adaptable and innovative in their approach, champion bold, new ideas, and continually assess rapid changes transforming the healthcare landscape. Global research and technological advances greatly influence our strategic direction, but it is equally critical for leaders to understand that healthcare is local, and that the patient is always at the center of every decision we make.

Jen Moore. Vice President of Payor Relations and Payment Innovation at MaineHealth (Portland): I believe that the very skills that were required to navigate the pandemic and the rapid changes that are now unfolding in healthcare, are the same skill sets that will be needed in the next two years. Leaders with the "right stuff" to take their teams to the next level will be agile, effective change management champions, and open to new approaches. Leaders wed to more hierarchical structures, traditional tactics and settings of care and fee for service methods will need to evolve to continue to be effective in the new landscape.

Patricia McClure-Chessier. Chief of Operations, Patient Safety and Strategy at Streamwood (Ill.) Behavioral Healthcare Hospital: These are the ways in which the leadership team will evolve over the next two years. Leaders will utilize alternative modes of communication and meeting platforms to streamline communication. This evolution in leadership will consist of being less dependent on in-person staff meetings; while implementing more flexible options for communication. Also, considering today's diverse workforce, the leadership team will be tasked to implement a greater sensitivity and awareness, as it pertains to the patient's that we serve. This may require a deeper assessment of culture, heritage, life-style, language and social-economic determinants, to improve the patient care experience.

Andy Anderson, MD. Chief Medical Officer and Chief Quality Officer of RWJBarnabas Health (West Orange, N.J.): Our leadership team is heavily focused on improving the experience and outcomes of care for our patients and communities, and for our nurses, physicians and all of our healthcare professionals who work in our health care environments. We are creating a culture focused on well-being that promotes all aspects of health including physical and mental health. Skills such as demonstrating empathy, effectively communicating, and keeping kindness and compassion at the heart of our health care delivery will be critical. We also will be relentless in our efforts to provide exceptional service and outcomes to our patients and communities, including focus on making access to services easier and paying greater attention to the social determinants of health.

Nicholas Nussbaum, MD. Director of Medical Affairs and Community Services, Adams Medical Group at Adams Health Network (Decatur, Ind.): Regardless of roles, titles, etc., the most important skill over the next couple of years is going to be the ability to THINK, and along with that, UNDERSTAND. There is an epidemic of confusion in healthcare, where familiarity, knowledge, and understanding are constantly being conflated — sometimes unintentionally by the naïve, and occasionally intentionally by the cunning. This creates issues with how jobs are filled, expectations are created, etc., and ultimately destroys any hope of efficiency.

This is also why so much of the buzz around AI is quite likely misplaced. Current AI products are relatively good at knowing things. However, they have effectively zero understanding, and as a result, oftentimes fall into nonsense and gibberish when asked to solve problems, apply logic or reason, or heaven forbid, provide an explanation of how the product arrived at the answer it did.

AI, at this point, is therefore really not intelligent at all. For that, we are going to have to continue to lean on our more traditional sources of intelligence for the foreseeable future — and given the even theoretical difficulty of the created product ever surpassing the capability of the creator(s), that may never entirely change.​

Edward S. Kim, MD. Vice Physician-in-Chief of City of Hope (Duarte, Calif.); Physician-in-Chief of City of Hope Orange County: In cancer care, leadership must evolve to prioritize collaboration, innovation, and inclusion. While the silos of the past are beginning to break down, this process will accelerate, enabling faster delivery of treatments and cures for patients.

Leaders will need to focus on fostering a culture that embraces new technologies like AI and personalized medicine, ensuring that information is shared swiftly across teams to explore every possibility for benefiting patients and families. A renewed emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion will also be vital to ensure all segments of the population benefit from this work, not just a select few. At the same time, leadership within rigid, compartmentalized structures will become less important. Moving forward, the focus will shift away from hierarchies and toward collaborative, cross-functional team dynamics, creating a more integrated and effective approach to care and innovation. 

Annie Thomas-Landrum, MSN, RN. Executive Board Member of Sunshine Community Health Center (Talkeetna, Alaska): My focus for our team is empowerment. The amazing thing about Health Center Boards in rural areas is that it brings stakeholders to the table as leaders who often don't get such hands-on leadership opportunities within healthcare. Having been a nurse for 20 years, I have started to recognize how deeply in the weeds my perspective can get. Being a part of a group of leaders who are so deeply, purely and truly in touch with our community because they ARE our community has been an incredible honor. So my desire for our leadership team is to see us go all the way back to the basics with our board members who don't have a lot of healthcare and governance experience, and walk through the learning process with them, allowing myself to be curious and teachable right alongside them. With this, the reliance on deeply technical communication shortcuts needs to become less important, and I need to re-access the ability to explain and explore things simply.

The healthcare world we are living in right now, much like and deeply related to our political environment, is highly divided and deeply fragmented. For those we serve to develop trust within our healthcare systems once again, we as healthcare leaders must come out of our professional silos, look for places to bring community stakeholders to the table as fellow leaders, and begin to together rediscover the wonder and beauty of serving our communities health and wellness as a team. In this kind of connected community I believe we will find the courage to once again write transformative healthcare stories that matter.

Jay S. Grider, DO, PhD. Chief Physician Executive of University of Kentucky (Lexington): We will be adding expertise on quality improvement and service line expansion as we bring on other health systems and practices. The need to create 'systemness' from standard of care appropriate to the setting without cost escalation is key for the next two to three years. The focus on RVU productivity will continue to transition (not necessarily less important but rather shifting) as productivity will become one component and value-based care and quality becoming increasingly a measure of performance in our value-based setting

Vernicka Sales. Chief of Population Health and Performance Services at Legacy Community Health (Houston): Over the next two years, my clinical leadership team will undergo significant evolution to align with the dynamic healthcare landscape and the ongoing shift towards value-based care. Our focus will be on building a more adaptive, data-driven, and collaborative team that can lead in delivering high-quality, cost-effective patient care.

First, we will enhance decision-making capabilities by investing in leadership development and data literacy training. This will empower our leaders to make more informed, evidence-based decisions and improve patient outcomes. The team will increasingly rely on real-time data and predictive analytics to identify care gaps, manage population health, and adjust clinical strategies proactively.

Second, we will foster a culture of collaboration and continuous learning. This will involve promoting interdisciplinary teamwork, where clinical leaders work closely with administrative, operational, and IT teams to streamline processes, reduce inefficiencies, and innovate care delivery. We'll also implement mentorship and peer-learning programs to nurture the next generation of clinical leaders, ensuring they are equipped with the skills needed to thrive in complex, fast-evolving environments.

Third, our team will embrace digital transformation by adopting more sophisticated healthcare technologies, such as advanced electronic health records and telehealth solutions. This will improve the ability to coordinate care across multiple sites and enhance patient engagement. Clinical leaders will lead the charge in integrating these tools into everyday practice, ensuring seamless adoption across teams.

Finally, our leadership will prioritize diversity and inclusivity by ensuring that our team reflects the communities we serve. We will focus on building a leadership structure that leverages diverse perspectives to address health disparities and improve equitable care delivery.

Through these initiatives, my clinical leadership team will be more agile, patient-centered, and equipped to meet the challenges of an evolving healthcare system.

In the coming years, my leadership team will need to strengthen skills in data analytics, digital health leadership, change management, and collaboration to stay ahead of industry demands. Meanwhile, roles that operate in silos or focus on transactional processes will gradually fade in relevance as value-based, integrated care becomes the standard. This strategic evolution will ensure my team remains adaptable, patient-focused, and effective in the future healthcare environment.

Debra Fields. Executive Vice President and Chief Transformation Officer of City of Hope (Duarte, Calif.): Change and transformation are now constant in healthcare, and leadership must stay ahead of these shifts that are driven by policy, technology, and exciting advances in science and clinical care. At City of Hope, my team includes leaders from legal, marketing, communications, human resources and diversity, equity and inclusion, program management and change enablement. Over the next two years, we will continue to transform how we work, collaborating more closely and continuing to integrate core capabilities so that we will position our national cancer organization to deliver on its vision: expanding access and accelerating impactful innovation.

We'll also focus on improving efficiency and building strong partnerships with our operational leaders to advance strategic priorities. Most importantly, we'll continue to strengthen a culture grounded in compassion, inclusion, integrity and trailblazing. By fostering an environment that brings out the best in the exceptional people working to conquer cancer, we will most effectively serve our patients and families, especially in a world that is changing so rapidly.

Seanna-Kaye Denham-Wilks, PhD. Chief Experience Officer of NYC Health + Hospitals Kings County (Brooklyn): Over the next two years, my leadership team will evolve to increase the visibility of patients as partners in formal strategic decision-making. We can no longer view platforms such as community needs health assessments as sufficient to keep pace with the changing needs of patients and their loved ones. My leadership team will seek active and sustained patient participation beyond the clinical encounter and beyond the walls of the hospital. Additionally, my leadership team will include the staff that we are currently mentoring, who have entered healthcare with fresh perspectives and have been resourced to flex their management acumen, knowledge of data analytics and the appropriate utility of AI, and ability to communicate compassionately to a variety of stakeholders.

Matthew Ducsik, MPH. Associate Vice President of Providence Clinical Institutes at Providence (Renton, Wash.): Building an ecosystem that stretches far beyond the hospital or clinic and includes housing, access to virtual care, nutrition, community partnerships, and all other factors related to health equity and removing barriers to care, is going to be challenging, but is essential to the evolution of healthcare in our country. In the future, successful leaders will need to recognize the complexities of the individual and the environment in which they live. Siloed or condition-specific approaches must be replaced by multidisciplinary strategies that cross the continuum and involve the community. Leaders will need to collaborate like never before, and with partners that they may not have considered in the past.

Judy Ducsik, MBA. Executive Director of Providence Central Division Heart Institute (Renton, Wash.): Over the next two years, our healthcare leadership teams will continue to focus on embracing technology and innovation, enhancing workforce management, fostering collaboration and communication, prioritizing patient-centered care, and adapting to changing demographics. Achieving meaningful success won’t happen overnight, therefore, patience, precision, and agility will be key skills for our leaders to embrace. This includes integrating advanced technologies like AI and telemedicine, addressing workforce burnout, encouraging interdisciplinary teamwork, and implementing consumer-focused initiatives. Our teams will need extraordinary change management support and inspiration to lead operational transformation, physician leaders will play a critical role in this endeavor. Additionally, leaders must plan for the needs of an aging population and ensure equitable care for diverse patient groups. By addressing these areas, healthcare leaders can navigate the evolving landscape and drive positive change in their organizations and aim for business equilibrium. Lastly, we must be just as diligent if not more focused on prevention and wellness. For too long, we have invested in the reactive needs of our communities when it comes to healthcare services. We categorically need to provide the best care for our patients when they need it, but we must also equally invest in keeping our communities healthy. Healthcare costs continue to rise beyond sustainability, we must lean into prevention and wellness, more comprehensive care through medical management, and enabling our patients to succeed in their health journey.

Sowmya Viswanathan. Chief Physician Executive of BayCare Health System (Clearwater, Fla.): The relentless pursuit of clinical excellence will continue to be our true north as we evolve, extend, and expand services at all care delivery points at BayCare Health System, one of the nation’s best performing health care systems. As the Chief Physician Executive of BayCare Health System, there are many disruptors that could put health systems at risk including cyber security attacks or physician shortages nationwide. As artificial intelligence (AI) and technology continue to evolve, the safety of our patients and families remains our top priority. We are expanding constantly to better serve our communities. We continue to explore innovative physician alignment strategies today…to ensure we are prepared to handle any shortages in the future. BayCare is renowned for delivering the highest clinical excellence with extraordinary, compassionate care.