Archives: Fellows

Associate Chief Medical Officer, Associate Chief Quality Officer
Geisinger Health System

Dr. Alison Brodginski serves as the associate chief medical officer and associate chief quality officer for Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center. She is also the medical director of documentation, coding, and quality improvement for the Geisinger Health System. From 2013 to 2023, Dr. Brodginski served as the northeast director of infectious diseases and continues to practice clinical medicine as an infectious diseases specialist for Geisinger. She completed her internal medicine residency at New York Presbyterian – Weill Cornell and her infectious diseases fellowship at Mount Sinai in New York. Dr. Brodginski also holds an executive MBA with a focus in healthcare management. Her leadership centers on strategic quality improvement, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, advancing innovative approaches to patient care, and promoting a culture of accountability and continuous improvement, all while emphasizing enhanced financial performance.

Medical Director of Value Based Arrangements and
Director of Evidence-Based Medicine Education, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health
CommonSpirit Health

Dr. Kavita Chawla is the medical director of value-based arrangements at Virginia Mason Franciscan Health since 2023 and the director of evidence-based medicine education for her primary care colleagues since 2018. She is passionate about value-based care as the solution to deliver on the quadruple aim in healthcare.

Dr. Chawla has been a dedicated primary-care internist for over a decade, taking care of multiple generations of families and individuals of diverse backgrounds. Her patients fuel her passion and bring fulfillment to her day. Her clinical interests include women’s metabolic and preventative medicine, transgender medicine, and intentional aging. She also enjoys teaching Virginia Mason Franciscan Health internal medicine residents and University of Washington medical students.

She earned dual Doctor of Medicine and Master of Health Administration degrees from The Ohio State University.

Executive Director of Belonging and Equity
John Muir Health

Anh Thang Dao-Shah is the executive director of belonging and equity at John Muir Health where she leads initiatives aimed to reduce disparities in workforce development, employee experience, health outcomes and patient experience throughout the health system. She is a belonging and equity strategist and researcher who has worked in both the public and non-profit sector. Before joining JMH, she was the director of equity and wellness at ZSFG and served as senior equity and policy analyst at the San Francisco Arts Commission where she led the agency’s initiative to pass the first racial equity action plan in the City and County of San Francisco. Anh received a Ph.D. in American Studies and Ethnicity from the University of Southern California and taught women and gender studies, ethnic studies, and Asian American studies.

President, Onvida Health Medical Group
Onvida Health

Dr. Kristina Diaz currently serves as the inaugural president of Onvida Health Medical Group at Onvida Health. Prior to this role, she served as the executive medical director of primary care, chief academic officer, designated institutional official for GME and the program director for the family & community medicine residency at Yuma Regional Medical Center. She has received national recognition for her work as a program director. Dr. Diaz also recently served as president of the Association of Family Medicine residency directors as well as the president of the Arizona Academy of Family Physicians. Dr. Diaz is a graduate of the University of Arizona School of Business and Ross University School of Medicine. She completed her family medicine residency at the University of Kansas Medical Center where she was appointed chief resident. She continues to practice as a family physician.

Chief Healthcare Experience and Population Health Officer
Providence Health Plan

Randi Escobedo is the Chief Healthcare Experience and Population Health Officer with Providence Health Plan. She is responsible for leading several key areas within the health plan including healthcare experience, health equity, CAHPS and HOS, strategic accounts management and risk adjustment.

Prior to joining Providence in 2021, Escobedo served on the United Healthcare Medicare and Retirement West Region team in a variety of roles overseeing strategic initiatives, member experience, quality, and risk adjustment for over two million Medicare Advantage members.

Escobedo has dedicated her career to improving healthcare in both public and private organizations. She began her career in public health where she expanded family planning access for teens, integrated mental and physical health services and resources in the jail setting, and worked with policy makers to implement local and state policies encouraging healthy communities.

She earned her BS in communications and MS in health education from Western Oregon University.

Associate Professor, Chair of Emergency Medicine at Pennsylvania Hospital
University of Pennsylvania Health System

Dr. Jenice Forde is the first African American chair of emergency medicine at Pennsylvania Hospital (PAH), the nation’s first hospital. Since July 2022, Dr. Forde has led the transition of the PAH emergency department into the academic department of emergency medicine during a time of substantial growth with over 50K patient visits a year. In addition to practicing clinically, Dr. Forde advocates for emergency physicians and patients. She is a fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians (FACEP), and in 2021 served as president of the New Jersey ACEP Chapter. Dr. Forde is a national speaker on provider bias and medical racism. Dr. Forde won the ACEP’s 2021-2022 Scientific Assembly Rookie Speaker of the Year award for her talk titled, Dx: Medical Racism, What is the treatment? Most recently, Dr. Forde received the Dr. Wes Curry Award in Executive Leadership during ACEP2024 National Scientific Assembly.

Chief Operating Officer, Office of Johns Hopkins Physicians
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Melissa Feld Helicke is vice president of Johns Hopkins Medicine, vice president and chief operating officer for the Office of Johns Hopkins Physicians and executive director of the Clinical Practice Association.

In these roles, she ensures the success and efficient execution of all operations within the Office of Johns Hopkins Physicians and the Clinical Practice Association, working in tandem with representatives from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the hospitals and the Johns Hopkins Health System on the shared vision of clinical growth and integration.

Previously, Helicke served as chief operating officer for Johns Hopkins Community Physicians, where she was responsible for practice operations across all of the locations and led primary care expansion planning and implementation through practice integrations and new-build growth.

Helicke joined Johns Hopkins Medicine in 1996 as an administrative fellow. She then served as administrator for the Department of Medicine at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and assistant dean for the campus for nearly 15 years.

Helicke earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the Pennsylvania State University and master’s degrees in health administration and business administration from the University of Pittsburgh.

Chief Administrative Officer, Crown Point
UChicago Medicine

Lauren Hull is currently the chief administrative officer at UChicago Medicine Crown Point. She had spent the first seven years of her career at UCM in various leadership roles and left to explore other facets of healthcare in 2014. She was at Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) in Austin, Texas and Richmond, Virginia from 2014-2018 and then moved back to the Midwest as the chief operating officer at Porter Regional Hospital (Northwest Health Porter) from 2018-2021 and then became the vice president of surgical and procedural services at Little Company of Mary Medical Center from 2021-2022 before returning to UChicago Medicine in 2022. Hull has always enjoyed working with staff, leaders and physicians to improve operations and expand services. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Baldwin Wallace University in Berea Ohio and a Master of Health Services Administration from Xavier University in Cincinnati Ohio.

Senior Vice President and Regional President West
Henry Ford Health System

Shanna Johnson is the senior vice president and regional president west for Henry Ford Health System. Prior to her current role, she was the president of Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital. She joined Henry Ford Health in April 2022. She also serves as interim president of Henry Ford Macomb Hospital, since September 2023.

Johnson works in collaboration with the health system and hospital executive leadership teams and oversees the hospital’s strategic planning and operations. Her focus is on creating a high quality, safe environment while emphasizing patient, employee, and physician engagement.

Johnson is an experienced executive leader within complex and matrix organizations, including national integrated health systems, community, and large academic organizations. She is a transformational leader who understands engaging others through innovation and collaboration. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Master of Health Services Administration degree from the University of Michigan. She holds numerous certifications and community leadership roles. Notably, she is a fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Chief Strategy Officer, South Region
CommonSpirit Health

Kate Jones is the Chief Strategy Officer, South Region for CommonSpirit Health. Prior to joining CommonSpirit she was the Senior VP and Chief Strategy Officer for Rush University System for Health. Kate joined Rush as the vice president of strategic planning in February 2020 and immediately distinguished herself as a results-oriented leader with expertise in operational efficiencies, financial performance and strategic growth.

Jones has been responsible for consumer, payer and competitor intelligence to support data-driven decision-making. She has partnered with internal and external leaders to identify opportunities to grow the network across all care sites and expand the ambulatory footprint in key geographies.
Jones brings a strong record of success as a leader from her previous roles at Navigant Consulting, University of Chicago Medicine and Barnes- Jewish Hospital in St. Louis.

She earned her master’s in health services administration from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. She has a bachelor’s in business administration from the University of Arkansas.

Chief Wellness Officer
Sutter Health

Jill Kacher Cobb is the chief wellness officer in the office of wellbeing at Sutter. Prior to her current role she was the chief medical executive at Sutter Novato Community Hospital and the wellbeing co-lead for Sutter Health. She is a director for the Sutter Health Bay Board and chair of the Governance and Nominating Committee. After completing residency at the University of California San Francisco, she worked as a private practice anesthesiologist where she served as department chair and chief of staff at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center (Summit campus) in Oakland, California.

System Vice President, Transformation Services & Chief of Staff
City of Hope

Rachel Laurs serves as a system vice president and leads a team that operates as an internal consultancy and center of excellence providing strategic advisory support and program and change leadership to accelerate the success of City of Hope’s transformation journey and strategic initiatives portfolio. Laurs holds a dual role as chief of staff to the EVP chief transformation officer with a specific focus on system organizational design, culture change, and governance effectiveness. Prior to joining City of Hope in 2019, Rachel was a senior manager in Accenture’s strategy practice and previously held human resources and business roles across multiple industries and geographies. She has worked with Fortune 500 companies and high-growth start-ups to transform their organizations and achieve strategy through enabling their operations and people to be more effective, leveraging her expertise in strategy, operating model, organizational effectiveness, large scale change, leadership development and talent strategy.

Chief Quality Officer and Vice President, UCSF Health & Clinical Professor, Anesthesia & Perioperative Care
UCSF 

Amy Lu, MD, MPH, serves as the chief quality officer and vice president, UCSF Health and clinical professor, anesthesia and perioperative care at UCSF Health where she leads initiatives to improve the quality of care in the ambulatory, inpatient and network settings. Her efforts are dedicated to improving value, creating innovative care models, establishing teamwork and improvement programs, and decreasing health disparities. She is a core faculty member for the Institute for Healthcare Improvement CQO program, co-chairs the Vizient Quality Executive Network, and was named as one of Becker’s patient safety experts to know.

Amy graduated from UC Berkeley, attended medical school at UCSF, and obtained an MPH at Harvard School of Public Health. Amy completed a research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health, medicine internship at Beth Israel Deaconess, and residency training at Massachusetts General Hospital in anesthesiology, perioperative and critical care. She has practiced at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Stanford Health Care, and currently practices at UCSF.

Vice President, Strategic Initiatives and Planning, National Capital Region
Johns Hopkins Health System

Anu Mullick serves as the vice president of strategic initiatives and planning for Johns Hopkins Health System in the National Capital Region. She leads strategy development and business planning to drive clinical growth and expansion across inpatient and outpatient platforms. Mullick is also responsible for implementing operational plans for key clinical service lines across the inpatient and ambulatory settings within the National Capital Region.

Vice President of Strategy and Growth, Wisconsin Region
Advocate Health

Montana Passero, MPA, PMP, is a dynamic healthcare leader known for adaptive problem-solving and strategic thinking. With over a decade of experience in strategy and business development, she currently serves as the Vice President of Strategy and Growth, Wisconsin Region for Advocate Health. Prior to joining AH, she was the Executive Director at Yale New Haven Health’s office of strategy management. Ms. Passero was responsible for developing and executing the system strategic growth plan, comprised of geographic and service expansion. Ms. Passero’s ability to navigate complex challenges and deliver innovative solutions resulted in the success of several high-impact projects that she led. Prior to Yale New Haven Health, Ms. Passero spent three years at RWJBarnabas, facilitating the system’s operational excellence program and developing strategic assessments and recommendations for the organization. She earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Public Health and Master of Public Administration (Healthcare) from Rutgers University.

Vice President Finance
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Sherron Rogers enjoys working with large organizations to lead transformational change in a manner that empowers those closest to the work. She serves as the Vice President, Finance at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.  Prior to her current role she was the Chief Financial Officer of Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital.

Prior experience includes system leadership roles and transformational results at Eskenazi Health (2016-2021) and Indiana University Health (2004-2016). Rogers has a passion for improving organizations and communities, and swiftly moving ideas from strategy to action, and pursues this passion at work and throughout the community on various boards.

Chief Operating Officer
CountyCare, Cook County Health

Crissy Turino is the chief operating officer at CountyCare and Cook County Health where she has held progressive leadership roles since 2017 and now leads the plan-wide strategic planning cycle, accreditation, project and program management, member experience, and growth for a Medicaid health plan serving over 417,000 Cook County residents. She has committed her career to strengthening the health system and creating new resources to increase access to quality care. Prior to joining Cook County Health, Turino focused on health equity initiatives and advocacy programs at the Office of Student Health and Wellness at Chicago Public Schools, the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, and Champaign County Health Care Consumers. A graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago, Turino earned a Master of Public Health with a concentration in maternal and child health, and a Master of Business Administration.

Vice President of Perioperative & Procedural Services
University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB)

Christine Wade is the VP of perioperative and procedural services since 2023. Prior to this role, she filled the role as interim chief nurse executive for one year, while managing her role of administrator and associate chief nursing and patient care officer from 2022-23.

From 2019-2023, Wade oversaw all campus operations as ACNO including three different hospital expansions. She has served in multiple roles between 2012-2019 at UTMB including interim vice president, health system operations and leader of the biocontainment unit, a program and unit which she designed and created.

She holds a Doctorate in Nursing from University of Texas at Arlington, and a master’s in nursing from Columbia. She is involved in health care volunteerism. Wade is involved with the American Heart Association serving as chair twice for Heart Ball, was selected as a Houston Woman of Impact in 2024, and has served on several boards.

Chief Medical Executive, Sutter Roseville Medical Center
Sutter Health

Dr. Vanessa Walker is a board certified pulmonary and critical care physician. She received her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine at Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences in 2007. She then completed internal medicine residency at University of Nevada Reno School of Medicine where she stayed an additional year to serve as chief resident. Dr. Walker pursued subspecialty training in pulmonary and critical care medicine at Duke University where she also graduated with a Master of Management in Clinical Informatics from the Fuqua School of Business. She has had many leadership positions within Sutter Health including serving as the medical director of the Valley Area eICU and her current role as chief medical executive of Sutter Roseville Medical Center. She is involved in organized medicine and served as the 2024 president of the board of directors for the Sierra Sacramento Valley Medical Society and is a delegate for the California Medical Association.

Associate Administrator
Mayo Clinic

Jennifer Walter is the Associate Administrator for the equity, inclusion and diversity committee at Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota. She joined Mayo Clinic in 1998 in the department of human resources and held various HR leadership positions. Prior to her current roles, Walter’s was the vice chair of operations for Rochester Primary Care and the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Practice. Previous positions included serving as the vice chair of administration for Mayo Clinic in Southeast Minnesota and Midwest Primary Care. Walter holds a Master of Science in Management from the University of Maryland and is certified as a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

CEO/President
Sisters Together and Reaching, Inc

Randi Woods is a visionary nurse executive dedicated to driving innovation at the intersection of health equity and economic development.

As CEO of Sisters Together and Reaching, Inc. (STAR), Woods leads the organization’s continued growth, including its recent accreditation as a Community Health Worker (CHW) training institute, reimagining the public health workforce and improving community care in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Woods also serves on multiple boards committed to community empowerment, including at Health Care for the Homeless – a federal qualified health center (FQHC) and nonprofit provider of coordinated care, policy advocacy, and affordable housing services in Baltimore, MD.

Previously, as a population health leader in the insurance sector, she oversaw professional development for hundreds of nurses, delivering significant ROI and improved outcomes.

Her unique blend of experiences in nursing, public health, and business transformation has forged impactful national partnerships and large-scale programs that integrate health systems with community-based organizations.

Professor & Chair, Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine
City of Hope, Beckman Research Institute

Nadia Carlesso received her M.D. from the Medical School of Torino, Italy, followed by a fellowship in Hematology/Oncology and a Ph.D. in experimental hematology. Following her postdoctoral training at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), she was assistant professor at MGH/Harvard Stem Cell Institute from 2001-2006. Prior joining City of Hope in 2016, Dr. Carlesso was tenured professor of pediatrics and molecular genetics at the Indiana University School of Medicine, where she led a research program on the biology of normal and malignant hematopoiesis from 2006 to 2016. She is currently professor and chair of the Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine and associate director of Basic Research Gehr Center for Leukemia Research, at the Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope. Her research focuses on normal and malignant hematopoiesis and on using stem cells as tools for new anti-cancer therapies and regenerative approaches in cancer survivors.

Chief Medical Officer, OU Health Physicians – Tulsa
University of Oklahoma, School of Community Medicine

Dr. Audrey Corbett serves as chief medical officer of OU Health Physicians-Tulsa since 2021. Dr. Corbett is associate professor in the Department of Internal Medicine and associate dean of clinical affairs at the University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine, a community based academic program in Tulsa. She is a practicing physician with an interest in patient safety and quality improvement, especially related to education on value-based and patient centered care. Dr. Corbett graduated from the University of Oklahoma with her M.D. and completed her internal medicine residency at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She has a master’s degree in Healthcare Administration from Oklahoma City University.

Associate Chair, Practice, Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
Mayo Clinic

Doctor Caroline Davidge-Pitts is an associate professor of medicine and associate practice chair of the division of endocrinology, diabetes, and nutrition at Mayo Clinic Rochester. She is the medical director of the Transgender and Intersex Specialty Care Clinic and is actively involved in clinical care, research and education. She is on the board of directors for the US Professional Association for Transgender Health and previously co-chaired the Endocrine Society’s Transgender Medicine and Research Special Interest Group. Her interests include medical training in transgender health for trainees and she was a member of the transgender health curriculum taskforce for US endocrinology fellowships. Her research interests center around long-term effects of gender-affirming hormone therapy.

Vice President and Chief of Staff
University of Texas Medical Branch

Stephanie Guzik, MBA, BSN, RN, CHRC serves as The University of Texas Medical Branch’s vice president, patient services and chief of staff for the president. Stephanie leads UTMB’s initiative to implement patient care strategies that align with delivering high-quality, patient-centered care.  She’s a key member of the strategic leadership team and oversees the health system’s patient navigation department.

As the chief of staff for the president, Stephanie plays a pivotal role collaborating with senior leadership to develop and implement organizational strategies and goals. Stephanie facilitates and monitors interdisciplinary initiatives and commitments, provides executive level support to system initiatives, acts as an adviser to ensure goals and objectives are being achieved, and serves as an organizational spokesperson.

Prior to joining UTMB, Stephanie was the university compliance officer and the associate VP for research compliance and conflict of interest for Rush System for Health in Chicago, IL. She also served as the research integrity officer at Rush and was adjunct faculty in its College of Nursing. She was a practicing critical care and interventional cardiology nurse with expertise in sepsis.

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Valparaiso University and a master’s degree in business administration from Purdue University, and a certification in Healthcare Research Compliance from the Health Care Compliance Association. Stephanie is an adjunct faculty in the College of Nursing at UTMB.

VP, Budget and Financial Planning & Analysis
University of Chicago Medical Center

Sara Haggerty is the VP, budget and financial planning & analysis, for UChicago Medicine (UCM). In this role reporting to the CFO, she oversees system-wide financial operations, budget, planning, and reporting analytics. By focusing on talent development and building trusted relationships across the System, Sara has been able to lead her team in adopting a shared services approach to delivering and developing organizational priorities and strategy. During her 16-year tenure at UCM, Sara has worked in several roles including executive director business operations, reporting to the COO to streamline cost variation and refine data analyses as well as serving as the interim CFO at our Community Hospital. Sara also spent time in healthcare finance at Advocate Healthcare in Chicago. Sara earned a Master of Business Administration from DePaul University, and a Bachelor of Science (finance) from Eastern Illinois University.

Chief Forensic Officer
Muscogee Creek Nation

Dr. Crystal Hernandez is a proud Cherokee Citizen and Latina. She is a psychologist by training and has been a mental health administrator since 2007. Most recently, she served the State of Oklahoma as the executive director of the forensic hospital and a civil psychiatric hospital. She is an Independent consultant with various local and national contracts and serves as the chief forensic officer for the Muscogee Creek Nation, building out historical systems of care for citizens. Dr. Hernandez is a Tribal disabilities expert and serves as a program advisory committee member for the State of the States in intellectual and developmental disabilities. She is the creator and host of the Black Feathers podcast – Tribal Disabilities conversations for all rooted in culture, storytelling, and data. She holds independent contracts with several Tribal Nations to provide guidance on system and program development and design.

Chief Executive Officer, Sutter West Bay Medical Group
Sutter Health

Meredith Hileman received a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics from the University of California at Berkeley and a Masters of Business Administration from St. Mary’s College of California. She is also a Sutter Health leadership academy graduate. Meredith started her career at Kaiser Permanente serving in various administrative roles across in Northern California and the corporate offices. She moved to Sutter Health to lead delivery system strategy and physician acquisitions for Sutter Health Bay Area. In 2019, Meredith was named Sutter West Bay Medical Group’s first CEO. Meredith has a proven track record of translating vision and strategy into execution and bringing together teams to deliver results. She is an inspiring leader who has an ability to connect with physicians, patients, employees, and partners. She combines her passion for healthcare, problem solving and servant leadership to make an impact on healthcare delivery.

Associate Vice President, Population Health and Innovation
Duke University Health System

Sara Johnson, MBA, PMP is the associate VP, population health and innovation for Duke Primary Care in Durham, North Carolina. In this role, she directs a range of adult and pediatric population health services, including annual wellness visits, chronic care management, behavioral health services, diabetes education and nutrition counseling, lactation services, and primary care pharmacy services. Under her leadership, Duke Primary Care Population Health launched the pediatric behavioral health program, behavioral health on call service for patients 18 and older, a hospital follow-up clinic, two new patient access clinics, and implemented standardized health related social needs screening across the network. Prior to joining Duke Primary Care in 2020, Sara worked for Duke Gastroenterology leading clinical operations. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her Master of Business Administration from Elon University in Elon, NC.

Chief Medical Officer
Sanford Health Marshfield Clinic

Samantha Klebe, DO, SFHM, is the chief medical officer at Sanford Health Marshfield Clinic, a large, not-for-profit rural healthcare system in Wisconsin. In addition to practicing internal medicine, she also serves as the core line medical director of hospital-based medicine. Before assuming her role as CMO, Dr. Klebe was the VP of medical affairs for the Marshfield Clinic River Region. Dr. Klebe completed her medical degree from the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine-Virginia Campus and her internal medicine residency at Wellspan York Hospital in York, PA, where she also earned a certificate in physician leadership. Dr. Klebe also received a certificate in women’s leadership from the Yale School of Management.

Interim Chief Pharmacy Officer
Yale New Haven Health System

Marjorie Lazarre received her doctoral degree in Pharmacy from Howard University in Washington, DC. She completed a pharmacy practice residency at Yale New Haven Hospital in 2001 and went on to attain her master’s in business administration from the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Dr. Lazarre currently serves as the interim chief pharmacy officer and executive director of pharmaceutical business innovation and is responsible for advancing YNHHS strategic objectives with a focus on all aspects of pharmaceutical procurement, expense, revenue cycle and 340B program. Additionally, she oversees all associated compliance measures for pharmacy business lines. She is active locally and nationally in pharmacy as well as healthcare organizations, including Connecticut Society of Healthcare Pharmacists, 340B Health, Vizient Business Council, BD Advisory Board, Marcrohelix Advisory Board, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and International Finance and Investment Committee.

Director of Enterprise Performance and Strategic Planning
Johns Hopkins Health System

Jessica Liddle, MHA, is the director of enterprise performance and strategic planning. She has been with Johns Hopkins Medicine since 2014 where she currently leads the annual identification of strategically significant system level initiatives. In her role she utilizes an integrated strategic planning process to identify forward looking goals, the strategies necessary to accomplish success, and the internal performance management systems required to guide implementation and evaluate progress. Jessica is an innately curious design thinker that enjoys developing and applying frameworks to work through complex issues, catalyzing teams to establish and realize a vision beyond status quo, and finding synergistic ways to enhance impact.

Vice President Strategic Integration at IU Health Medical Group
Indiana University School of Medicine

Chemen M. Neal, MD, received her undergraduate degree from San Diego State University and medical degree from the University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine. She completed residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Her interests led her to become passionate about the advancement of physicians as leaders. In 2018, she completed training as a certified executive coach through the Coactive Training Institute (CTI) to further her capabilities as an expert in professional growth. She served as assistant dean for student success and advocacy at the IU School of Medicine and, in early 2023, became the inaugural executive associate dean of equity and inclusion. To improve care for vulnerable Hoosier communities, she plans to positively impact the development of the Indiana physician workforce by developing important partnerships with the school’s companion academic health center and aligning institutional efforts in inclusive excellence.

Chief Medical Officer, Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center
Geisinger 

Karlyn B. Paglia, MD, is the CMO at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center. She has also served as director of hospital medicine and chair of the department of medicine. In her role at GWV, Dr. Paglia has focused on patient flow and capacity management. She is also involved with quality and safety initiatives, resource management, resident education, and physician mentoring. Dr. Paglia holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania and a Doctorate of Medicine from Jefferson Medical College. She completed her internal medicine residency at Christiana Care Health Systems. Dr. Paglia served on the Geisinger Health System Foundation board of directors from 2014 to 2017. In 2016, she was awarded Best in Class and Excellence in Leadership recognition for Geisinger Employee / Physician engagement. Dr. Paglia was also recognized by the American College of Physician Hospitalists for Top 10 Hospitalists 2016.

Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Riley Children’s Health
Indiana University Health

Vanessa Roshell-Stacks is the vice president and chief operating officer of Riley Children’s Health, part of Indiana University Health.  Prior to joining IU, she was the vice president of ancillary and support services for UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital.

Vanessa began her healthcare career providing therapy for autistic children. She now has over 25 years of healthcare experience with a strong operational foundation in operational efficiency, care management/population health, patient flow, decision support, and revenue cycle management. Vanessa thrives in utilizing herself as a servant leader with a desire to deliver high quality and cost-effective solutions in a compassionate, collaborative and patient-centric manner. She is Lean Six-Sigma trained and obtained her bachelor’s degree in Experimental Psychology and master’s degree in health administration from the University of South Carolina.

Senior Vice President and Chief Operations Officer
MaineHealth Medical Group, MaineHealth

Monica Russo is the senior vice president and chief operations officer for MaineHealth. During her 20+ year tenure, she has had the privilege of leading teams through transformative initiatives by fostering a culture of inclusivity and innovation. Aligning with the vision of working together so our communities are the healthiest in America, Monica has partnered with leaders and care team members from across the system to enhance access to primary and specialty ambulatory care. Recognized for her dedication to the system’s core values, Monica is the recipient of the distinguished Francine Rideout Service Excellence Award.

Monica earned a master’s degree in healthcare administration from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia and is a fellow with the American College of Medical Practice Executives.

Vice President, Ambulatory Operations and Facilities Planning, Greater Silicon Valley Division
Sutter Health

Teresa Sarlitto is the vice president, ambulatory operations and facilities planning, greater Silicon Valley division at Sutter Health in Northern California. She has worked at Sutter Health since 2003 and oversees operations across 175 ambulatory care centers. At Sutter Health, Teresa has held progressive leadership roles supporting primary care, medical and surgical specialty operations. From 2016-2021, she was VP of operations at Palo Alto Medical Foundation and Sutter East Bay Medical Foundation where she played a key role in the development and operations of new facilities and served as the service line executive for general surgery, radiation oncology, gastroenterology, hematology and oncology ambulatory clinical services. Since 2020, she helped lead the SBMF COVID safety protocols for patients and staff, mass vaccination efforts both at large event centers and local care centers and COVID testing sites.

Associate Chief Legal Officer, Litigation Services
Geisinger

Cindy A. Sheridan is the associate chief legal officer for litigation services at Geisinger. She started in this role in 2019 and is responsible for oversight of all litigation for the Geisinger Health System. Her experience includes managing complex catastrophic malpractice claims and collaborating with interdepartmental clinical and administrative leaders to improve clinical and operational outcomes. Cindy is focused on learning meaningful lessons from malpractice that lead to quality improvements for patients. Prior to her current role, Cindy served as lead trial counsel at Geisinger. She received her Juris Doctor degree from Penn State Law and her bachelor’s degree from The University of Scranton.

Senior Vice President Planning and Performance Optimization
Henry Ford Health System

Julia Swanson is the senior vice president planning and performance optimization at Henry Ford Health. In this role she reports to the chief strategy officer and provides overall senior leadership and direction for transformation initiatives and the development and alignment of strategic and operational plans within the health system resulting in the long-term growth and viability of the organization. She advises on and leads the development of organization wide plans and execution approaches while ensuring efforts are aligned and integrated. Prior to this, Julia held the role of vice president for system clinical operations, in support to the system COO, president healthcare operations and the chief clinical officer. She has organizational responsibility for driving operational plan development; performance goal development, establishing and monitoring initiatives; and leadership systems. She simultaneously leads multiple cross functional complex System wide initiatives. Her team recently led the Integration Management Office for the recent integration of Ascension Health southeast Michigan entities into Henry Ford Health.

System Vice President of Community Health Partnerships & Policy Affairs
Dartmouth Health

Courtney has worked to improve access to necessary healthcare and supportive services for various populations. She joined Dartmouth Health’s Office of Government Relations in 2018 and advocates for Dartmouth Health’s providers, patients, and communities in state and federal legislative and executive arenas. Courtney is an active member in her community and serves as the founding chair, working with a diverse and skilled board, to establish a residential treatment to pregnant and parenting women seeking recovery from substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health challenges with their children in NH – Families Flourish Northeast.

Chief Operating Officer
Johns Hopkins Health System

Danielle Wharton, MHSA, NHA, is the chief operating officer at the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center (JHBMC), the second largest academic affiliate of the Johns Hopkins Health System. Prior to her current role, she was the VP of clinical and support services. She joined JHBMC in 2002 as an administrative resident. In her current role she oversees Johns Hopkins Bayview’s administrative operations, clinical and ancillary services, support services and facilities, and will work closely with physican and adminstrative leaders to drive operational excellence at the Medical Center.  She has a proven record of instilling continuous performance improvement and staff engagement strategies to advance the organization. Danielle’s greatest passion is mentoring future health care leaders, while also creating pipelines for the next wave of administrators. She is an active volunteer serving as a member at large for the National Association of Health Care Executives locally and on the Board of the Baltimore School of the Arts.

Vice President, Health System Corporate Finance
Johns Hopkins Health System

Katina Williams is the vice president, health system corporate finance for Johns Hopkins Health System. Katina joined Hopkins in 2021 and oversees a gross revenue budget of more than $3 billion annually. As a member of the hospital’s executive team, she drives financial performance by promoting fiscal accountability, evaluating strategic investments, and leading efficiency and improvement efforts. Prior to her role at Hopkins, Katina served as assistant VP and divisional CFO at Duke University Health System, overseeing network expansion and ambulatory growth. She earned an M.B.A. from North Carolina State University and a B.S. in accounting from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, the country’s largest historically black college and university. She is an active board member of local non-profit organizations and was recognized by the Baltimore community as a 2023 recipient of the Baltimore Business Journal’s “Best in Finance CFO Award.”

Vice President for System Capacity Management and Patient Flow
University of Pennsylvania Health System

Robin Wood PhD, RN, CEN, NEA-BC, is the vice president for system capacity management and patient flow for University of Pennsylvania Health System. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Boston College in 2002. She began her nursing career as staff nurse in the Burn Intensive Care Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital. In 2006, she relocated to Philadelphia and accepted a role as a staff nurse in the emergency department (ED) at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP). She has held numerous staff and leadership positions within HUP ED nursing until 2022, when she transitioned out of her role of clinical director of emergency and observation nursing to a newly formed position; senior clinical director of HUP capacity management and The Penn Medicine Transfer Center. Robin earned her Master of Science in Nursing in Healthcare Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania in 2009. In 2017, she completed her PhD in Nursing from Villanova University. Her dissertation was entitled, “Workplace Bullying Between Registered Nurses: Prevalence and Perceived Effects on Work Productivity.”

Senior Vice President, Office of Johns Hopkins Physicians and Physician Group Practice
Johns Hopkins Medicine and Johns Hopkins Health System

Dr. Sarah Johnson Conway is the Senior Vice President of the Office of Johns Hopkins Physicians and Physician Group Practice for Johns Hopkins Medicine and Johns Hopkins Health System. Prior to her current role she was the interim senior VP for Johns Hopkins Medicine, Office of Johns Hopkins Physicians and the CMO for Johns Hopkins Clinical Alliance, a clinically integrated network driving value-based care and quality efforts. She is also an assistant professor of Medicine and practicing internal medicine physician.  Dr. Conway graduated from Harvard University and worked as an investment banking analyst at Goldman Sachs before transitioning to medicine. She earned her M.D. from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. She completed her Internal Medicine residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital and subsequently completed a Health Systems Management Fellowship.

Vice President Regional Ambulatory Operations and Clinic Integration
UChicago Medicine

Poonam Desai is the vice president regional ambulatory operations and clinic integration at UChicago Medicine. Prior to her VP role, she was the executive director of ambulatory operations for the community health and hospital division where she oversaw clinic operations. Prior to joining UChicago Medicine, Desai held progressive leadership roles at Loyola University Health System and Northwestern Medicine. Desai holds both a Master of Health Services Administration degree and Bachelor of Arts degree in Organizational Studies from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor.

Vice President and Chief Health Access and Community Enrichment Officer
City of Hope

Loretta Erhunmwunsee joined City of Hope in 2015 and is the vice president and chief health access and community enrichment officer at City of Hope. Prior to her current role, she served as the associate professor in the thoracic surgery and the health equity divisions. Dr. Erhunmwunsee graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Emory University in Atlanta, GA and received her MD from Harvard Medical School, graduating magna cum laude.  She continued her post-graduate training at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC, completing a general and cardiothoracic surgery residency. Board-certified in both general and thoracic surgery, she became a fellow of the American College of Surgeons in 2018. Dr. Erhunmwunsee is also a funded health disparities researcher who focuses on the impact of social determinants and structural inequities on lung cancer risk, biology and screening. She is the recipient of the 2021 Lung Cancer Research Foundation William C. Rippe Award for Distinguished Research in Lung Cancer. She was also awarded the City of Hope Songs of Hope Beverly and Ben Horowitz Legacy Award in 2021. In 2022, she was invited to join the National Lung Cancer Roundtable. She has written numerous publications and given several local and national presentations that bring awareness to the impact of structural inequities on disparate health outcomes.

Chief Nursing Executive
Marshfield Clinic Health System

Jacquelyn Frombach DNP, RN, is the Chief Nursing Executive for the Marshfield Clinic Health System. Since joining the Health System in 2019, Dr. Frombach played a key role in the development and operations of new facilities, system wide strategies, COVID-19 response practices and addressing workforce challenges. Jacquelyn received her bachelor’s in nursing from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, before going on to achieve her master’s in nursing from Western Governors University in Salt Lake City, Utah. She also attained her doctorate of nursing practice, through Capella University in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Chief Strategy Officer
Cook County Health

Andrea Gibson is currently serving as Chief Strategy Officer at Cook County Health, where she has been in several roles since 2015.  She has been responsible for developing and implementing the past 3 strategic plans, managing the proposals and implementation of over $160 million in American Rescue Plan Act funded projects, and development of new service line proposals.  Prior to that she was the budget director for Cook County Government and 1st Deputy Budget Director for the City of Chicago.  She has a master’s degree in Public Policy from the Harris School of Public Policy at University of Chicago.

Vice President of Patient Care Services/Chief Nursing Officer
Sibley Memorial Hospital/Johns Hopkins Health System

Dr. Laura Hendricks has over twenty years of health care knowledge and experience in an array of areas to include the acute care setting, academic setting and the community/public health setting. Before joining Sibley Memorial Hospital/Johns Hopkins Health System, Dr. Hendricks spent over a decade at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland and held numerous progressive nursing roles. Dr. Hendricks has a joint appointment at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing and is a Nurse Residency Program on site evaluator for the Commission on Collegiate Nursing. Dr. Hendricks received her doctorate degree (Doctor of the Nursing Practice) with a concentration in executive leadership from Drexel University and she holds a master’s degree in nursing education. She is an inductee of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society for Nursing and is a graduate of the Baldrige Executive Fellowship Program.

Chief Operating Officer, Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center
Advocate Health Care

Jessica M. Johnson, MHA, is the chief operating officer for Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center, Advocate Health Care. Prior to joining Advocate, she was the COO for the Charleston Division of The Medical University of South Carolina, supporting the operations of the University Medical Center, consisting of four hospitals, level 1 adult and pediatric trauma programs, and three EDs. She earned both her BA and Master of Healthcare Administration from The University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill.  She began her career in healthcare consulting before transitioning into AMC revenue cycle operations at NYU Langone Medical Center in 2014. She later joined Duke Health in 2016 as an operational leader where she supported the finance, quality, and performance improvement efforts. She continued this work with Denver Health in 2021, supporting the operations and strategy for clinical services lines and the faculty group. In addition to operations, professional interests include health equity and addressing barriers to health and wellness for all. In 2024, she was named to the third national cohort of ELEVATE, a leadership development initiative for Black healthcare executives at NAHSE.

Chief Operating Officer, Penn Medicine at Home
Penn Medicine

Sarah Johnson is the Chief Operating Officer of Penn Medicine at Home (PMAH), an entity of Penn Medicine which is comprised of home infusion, home health, hospice, palliative care, and community health workers with a combined census over 7,000 patients. Johnson has spent most of her career in health care working first in operations in the Mental Health field in Minnesota. Johnson moved to Penn Medicine where she was the CHRO for Penn Homecare and Hospice Services and subsequently Pennsylvania Hospital before returning to PMAH as their COO. Her responsibilities include strategy, business development, and program integration as well as oversight of Home Infusion. Currently, she is developing programs to expand and diversify the services provided by PMAH. Johnson received her BA from Kenyon College and MBA from The Wharton School. She is an active volunteer serving as the Chair of the Board for VisionLink Philadelphia.

Senior Vice President Spend Management Delivery
Vizient, Inc.

Fran Maddox is responsible for the national Spend Management Delivery Team which ensures alignment and optimization of Vizient Spend Management Services with member needs, strategic goals and priorities. She leads the team to purposefully advance collaboration and consistency in spend management delivery, enabling Vizient’s differentiation through boldly reinforcing Vizient’s core tenets and category approach to spend management. Maddox has worked in the health care group purchasing and performance improvement industry with the Vizient family of companies since 2003. Prior to her role as Senior Vice President, Spend Management Delivery, she was a Vice President in the central part of the country with responsibility for the member value and performance team supporting Vizient members in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri. She led the team in partnering with members in their performance improvement journey in cost, quality and market performance. Maddox holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Southern Methodist University.

Chief of Staff of the SVP & CHRO
Duke University Health System

Katie McKittrick has served as Chief of Staff for Duke University Health System’s Senior Vice President and CHRO since 2016, delivering on the strategic human capital priorities that drive the mission of the clinical enterprise. Her passion is creating and sustaining inclusive work cultures where everyone feels seen, heard and valued, and is empowered to give their very best. Prior to her time in the human capital practice, McKittrick directed the communications and outreach strategy for Duke Health’s Office of Government Relations. She spent the early years of her career in Washington, DC as a lobbyist focused on trade policy both at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and IDFA. She holds an M.A. in International Economics from American University and a B.A. in International Relations from Lynchburg College. 

Regional Director of Operations
Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Sutter Health

Robin Menefee has worked for Sutter Health since 2012.  She started at Mills Peninsula Hospital as the Director of Surgery and transferred to PAMF Fremont in December of 2014.  In 2019 she was promoted to her current position as Area Director of Operations for PAMF ASCs.  She currently oversees the operations of 6 (soon to be 7) ASCs in the Bay Area. Since starting in her current role several of her centers have won awards such as center for excellence at CASA and Best in America by Newsweek.

Vice President, Ambulatory Pharmacy Services
Tufts Medicine

Melissa Ortega, PharmD, MS, FASHP, serves as Vice-President of Ambulatory Pharmacy Services at Tufts Medicine. She has focused her career on championing pharmacy practice advancement across the care continuum at Tufts Medicine since 2012. As Vice President, she leads Tufts Medicine community/retail pharmacies, specialty pharmacy services, in-clinic pharmacist services, medication access services, transitions of care, population health initiatives, home infusion, and payer contracting. Recently, she spearheaded efforts to open the system specialty and home infusion pharmacy programs. She has also contributed to several key initiatives within acute care operations, including implementing new technology throughout various phases of the medication use process. External to Tufts Medicine, Ortega served as President of the Massachusetts Society of Health-System Pharmacists in 2018 and Legislative Committee Chair in 2020. Nationally, Ortega received the honor of participating in the Racial Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Taskforce, and most recently served as the inaugural Executive Committee Chair of the ASHP Section of Community Pharmacy Practitioners 2021-2023.

Former Vice President, Operations Integration
Sutter Health

Kiren Rizvi Jafry was VP of Operations Integration at Sutter Health. Kiren has held numerous leadership roles at the large Northern California integrated health system since 2008. Some key roles included: service line executive for surgical specialties, neuromuscular specialties, cardiovascular services and the transplant division, area operations executive for San Francisco and Marin counties, as well as roles in business development, mergers & acquisitions, project management and clinical operations. From 2005-2008 Kiren focused on health policy, advocacy, and community organizing at the California state and national levels. She participated in initiatives expanding health coverage for children, California health care reform and increasing diversity in the healthcare workforce. Kiren holds an undergraduate degree in Public Health from UC Berkeley and a master’s in public administration from the University of Southern California. Her professional interests include community health partnerships, global health and innovation.

President of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist High Point Medical Center
Advocate Health

Dr. Adia K. Ross MD, MHA is the President of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist High Point Medical Center at Advocate Health. Prior to joining Advocate Health, she was the CMO for Duke Regional Hospital, a 388-bed acute care hospital in Durham, NC. She began her medical career as a hospitalist in 2013 at Duke University Hospital. She had several leadership positions within Duke Health including serving as a medical director of hospital medicine at Duke Raleigh Hospital and as a medical director of the Duke Health Transfer Center. She was recognized by the Raleigh, NC business community for her contributions and was named as one of the Triangle Business Journal’s 2019 “40 Under 40” winners.

Chair, Business Development
Mayo Clinic, Florida

Caroline S. Russell is the chair for business development at Mayo Clinic in Florida, responsible for developing and evaluating new business opportunities for the campus. Russell joined Mayo Clinic in 2016 and served as the operations administrator for several specialties including hematology and oncology, radiation oncology, gastroenterology and hepatology, internal medicine, executive health, concierge medicine, and ophthalmology. She was promoted in 2021 to serve as the associate administrator overseeing surgery, surgical services and transplant, while also serving as the administrative lead for the clinical practice committee. Prior to joining Mayo Clinic, Russell was the administrative director for the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center and the thoracic oncology program at Duke University Medical Center. Russell earned her B.S. from The University of Alabama and her MSHA from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She completed an administrative fellowship at Duke University Hospital in 2013. Russell serves as immediate past president for UAB’s School of Health Professions Women in Healthcare Leadership Executive Board. She is board certified as a fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives. In 2024, she was selected as a 2024 Jacksonville Business Journal 40 Under 40 awardee.

Chief Medical Officer; Chief Deputy Executive Director
Covered California

S. Monica Soni, MD works at the nexus of population health, social justice, and health system affordability. She is the chief medical officer of Covered California and chief deputy executive director over the health equity and quality transformation division. Prior, she was the associate chief medical officer at New Century Health. She has also served as director of specialty care for the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, the second largest municipal health system in the nation, and director of continuity care for Martin Luther King, Jr. Outpatient Center. She is an associate clinical professor within the UCLA and Charles R. Drew University Departments of Medicine. Soni graduated cum laude from Harvard College, attended Harvard Medical School, and completed her internal medicine residency at UCSF. She is currently a board member for Mercy Housing California as well as a prior commissioner for the County of Los Angeles Hospital and Health Care Delivery Commission.

Chief Accounting Officer, John Muir Health Ambulatory Services and Population Health
John Muir Health

Maureen Stevenson, MD presently serves as the chief accounting officer, John Muir Health Ambulatory Services and Population Health. Prior to her current role, she was the SVP of John Muir Foundation Practice Operations.  From 2013 to 2021 she was the SVP and chair of Ambulatory Services and Population Health for John Muir Medical Group, an organization with 300 plus providers. Before coming to John Muir in 2006, Dr. Stevenson practiced internal medicine at Virginia Mason and served as section head of one of Virginia Mason’s satellite adult medicine practices from 2002-2005. Dr. Stevenson has an extensive executive level background and has chaired and sat on various committees for John Muir Medical Group, John Muir Physicians Network, and board of directors for John Muir Medical Group. More recently, Dr. Stevenson is serving on the John Muir Health Value-Based Care Council. Dr. Stevenson received her medical degree from SUNY, Health Science Center at Brooklyn, New York and her bachelor’s in biology from St. John’s University, Queens, New York. She is an alumnus of the California Healthcare Foundation’s Leadership Fellowship 2010-2012.

Chair, Surgery Institute and Department of General Surgery
Geisinger

Dr. Denise Torres became Chair of the Surgery Institute and the Department of Surgery for Geisinger in 2022.  Previously she had served as the Trauma Medical Director for Geisinger Medical Center.  She is the current Chair of the Pennsylvania Committee on Trauma and has been the Co-Director of the Pennsylvania TQIP Collaborative.  Dr. Torres obtained her Doctor of Medicine from Drexel University School of Medicine.  She completed her General Surgery residency at Temple University Hospital and her fellowship in Surgical Critical Care from University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center.  She is an associate professor of Surgery for the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine.  Her clinical interests include all aspects of acute care surgery.

CEO
CommunityHealth

Steph Willding is the chief executive officer of CommunityHealth, the nation’s largest volunteer-based, free health center that provides critical health care access to uninsured patients. Steph has committed her career to rebuilding health care systems to increase access to care, deepen service availability, and improve health outcomes. Steph is currently the chair of the board of directors for the Illinois Association of Free and Charitable Clinics. She is also proud to serve as a board member for Planned Parenthood of Illinois Action and as an executive advisory board member for the UIC School of Public Health. She holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Illinois at Chicago. In 2022, Steph was named Crain’s Business Chicago Top 40 Under 40.

Senior Vice President, Payer Strategy and Innovation
Yale New Haven Health

Deremius Y. Williams is a member of the senior leadership team of Yale New Haven Health System in CT, serving as Senior Vice President of Payer Strategy and Innovation. In this capacity she is responsible for leading the development, communication and realization of system-wide strategies for contracting strategy, payer relations, employer engagement, account management and product development for both fee for service and value based care models, including opportunity development and market expansion. She works closely with colleagues to develop and implement payer contracting and service strategies that ensure competitiveness and improved access, and enhances collaboration across the system through high value consulting.  Williams is motivated to develop and execute on strategies that position the health system positively with its constituents through partnerships and mechanisms that enhance value with respect to access, quality and the total cost of care experience for employers and consumers. 

Chief Information Officer
Alameda Health System

Christine Yang is a business-minded Healthcare IT executive who specializes in strategy, people development, governance, process and operations. Since March 2024 Yang has been the chief information officers. Prior to her current role, she was the VP & CTO for Alameda Health System. In addition to the technology areas, she is also responsible for Cybersecurity, Clinical Technology and Biomedical Engineering for Alameda Health System. Christine partners with the C-Suite to establish governance and processes to ensure integrated oversight and support to operations from technologies perspective. Prior to Alameda Health System, Yang had a 24-year tenure at Stanford Children’s Health and Stanford Health Care where she had various IT leadership roles. Yang was a leading contributor in keeping Stanford Children’s Health on the leading edge of Healthcare IT industry. 

Vice President, Operations
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Jennifer Blaha has been a part of the Cedars-Sinai team for over 14 years. In her current role as Vice President of Operations, she works in close partnership with the Chairpersons and Institute Leaders overseeing the clinical and academic missions of the Departments of Surgery, Orthopedics, Neurosurgery, Neurology, Psychiatry, OBGYN, Pediatrics, Comprehensive Transplant, Pain, and our Respiratory and Pulmonary Services. Her responsibilities encompass directing and supporting the quality, financial, performance improvement and service activities in all areas of these departments as well as across the Medical Center. During her tenure at Cedars-Sinai, Jennifer has served in positions in Surgery, Orthopedics, Performance Improvement, Research and Interventional Services. She has developed and maintained an impressive track record for improving clinical quality, patient satisfaction and operational efficiency throughout the hospital. Prior to joining Cedars-Sinai, Jennifer was a Senior Consultant and Six Sigma Master Black Belt for General Electric and consulted in hospitals across the country.

Director, Office of Managed Care
San Francisco Department of Public Health

Stella Cao is a healthcare administrator with over 20 years of experience in serving the underserved including Medicaid, uninsured, and other vulnerable populations. Her expertise focuses on payor negotiation and contracting, program management and leading teams to improve the patient experience, and operations and financial sustainability of public programs. Her passion to serve the underserved was rooted in her upbringing and experience as an immigrant.

Vice President Patient Care Services and Chief Nurse Executive
University of Chicago Medicine

Alesia Coe has over thirty-three years of professional nursing experience. She is the vice president for patient care services and chief nursing officer at The University of Chicago Medical Center in Illinois and serves as an adjunct nursing professor at Saint Xavier University. Alesia received her bachelor’s and master’s of science in nursing from Saint Xavier University and her Doctorate of Nursing Practice from The University of Alabama. She is a board certified nurse executive through the American Nurses Credentialing Center. She is also board certified in healthcare management as an American College of Healthcare Executive Fellow. Alesia is a member of the following professional organizations: American College of Healthcare Executives, Chicago Health Executive Forum, Chi Eta Phi Sorority, Incorporated: Alpha Eta Chapter, Sigma Theta Tau International: Alpha Lambda Chapter, Illinois Organization of Nurse Leaders and American Organization of Nurse Leaders.

Vice President System Strategy and Clinical and Scientific Strategy Director
City of Hope

Stacy W. Gray, M.D., is the vice president system strategy and clinical and scientific strategy director at City of Hope. Prior to her current role she was an associate clinical professor with a primary appointment in the Division of Clinical Cancer Genomics within the Department of Population Sciences and a secondary appointment in the Department of Medical Oncology & Therapeutics Research. She completed her internal medicine residency and hematology/oncology fellowship at University of Chicago Hospitals. During her clinical training, she was awarded an Irving B. Harris Fellowship. Subsequently, she completed a research fellowship at the National Cancer Institute-funded Center of Excellence in Cancer Communication Research at University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication. She continued her research training through a second postdoctoral fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital, simultaneously joining Dana-Farber as a medical oncologist and cancer outcomes researcher in the Division of Population Sciences and the Lowe Center for Thoracic Oncology. Through her research, Dr. Gray is working to understand the factors that drive the use of novel and established cancer genomic tests and therapies, identify gaps in lung cancer prevention, research and care, and design interventions to improve the delivery of precision cancer medicine. Dr. Gray serves on the ASCO Cancer Research Committee, holds multiple leadership roles in an National Institutes of Health research consortium, and has presented her research both nationally and internationally.

Assistant Professor
University of Oklahoma

Dr. Juell Homco is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medical Informatics at the University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine (OUSCM). Dr.Homco leads the OUSCM’s community analytics efforts. This team is responsible for providing advanced data analytics, performance dashboards, and quality improvement support to the OU Physicians-Tulsa clinics, the Oklahoma Primary Healthcare Improvement Cooperative (OPHIC), the Sooner Health Access Network, and numerous multidisciplinary researchers across Oklahoma. As Associate Director of OPHIC, she helps lead a consortium of researchers and practitioners transforming health care delivery through statewide dissemination and implementation projects. Her research interests involve using epidemiologic and applied informatics methods to understand the impact of advanced health information technology on healthcare utilization, clinician behavior, and population health. Dr. Homco completed her PhD in Epidemiology at the University of Oklahoma and received her MPH from Saint Louis University with a concentration in epidemiology and biostatistics.

Vice Chair, Clinical Operations and Quality, Department of Medicine
Tufts Medical Center

Dr. Sucharita Kher is the vice-chair for clinical operations and quality in the department of medicine and a pulmonologist and critical care physician at Tufts Medical Center. She is a highly regarded clinician in the intensive care unit and the ambulatory practice, with clinical interests in asthma, COPD, and tobacco dependence. Before embarking on the vice-chair role in April 2021, as the director of inpatient services, Dr. Kher led several initiatives to improve inpatient clinical operations, including expanding physician coverage for the COVID surge and enhancing patient and physician satisfaction and length of stay. As the medical director for the pulmonary clinic, she developed the first Asian lung clinic providing culturally sensitive, efficient and accessible care for language minorities. She is an avid advocate for lung health. Dr. Kher earned her medical degree at University of Mumbai (India), residency at Cook County Hospital (internal medicine), and fellowship at Tufts Medical Center (pulmonary and critical care). She is an associate professor of medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine.

Acting Director
Center for Medicaid and CHIP Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Caprice Knapp is the Medicaid counselor to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Prior to her current role, she was a principal at Health Management Associates. From 2019 to 2022, she was the North Dakota Medicaid Director. She has more than 20 years’ experience working on Medicaid and CHIP in the private sector, state and federal policymaking, and academics. In the private sector she was the federal policy director for Molina Healthcare, Inc. In academics, she was an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Outcomes and Policy at the University of Florida (UF) conducting external quality review activities for Texas and Florida Medicaid and CHIP programs and maternal and child health research. In the policymaking arena, she worked in the Governor’s Office of State Planning and Budgeting in Colorado as well as the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee as a Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellow. Knapp’s career has been focused on vulnerable populations, delivery system reform, and global health. At the University of Florida, Knapp earned a PhD in economics and completed postdoctoral training in health services research. She has authored more than 80 peer-reviewed publications, 60 government reports, and two books.

Vice President, Strategy & Market Advancement
Geisinger

Rachel Manotti, MHA is Vice President, Strategy & Market Advancement at Geisinger Health System where she leads strategic planning, strategic insights, and business development. Manotti joined Geisinger in 2007 as an Administrative Fellow in hospital operations. Since that time, she has worked in public relations and marketing, and progressive roles within strategy, planning and business development. She was appointed to her current role in 2020. Her professional interests center around strategic problem solving, complex planning activities and the application of data and analytics to drive meaningful insights and decision making in an integrated healthcare delivery and financing environment. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree at Ithaca College in Ithaca, NY, and her Master of Healthcare Administration degree from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY.

Chief Operating Officer Ambulatory Services
Duke University Health System

Heather Marstiller is the Chief Operating Officer Ambulatory Services at Duke University Health System. She is responsible for leading the development and implementation of a lean management and improvement system within Duke Hospital and across the Duke Health enterprise. Prior to starting her role at DUH in 2019, she served the Duke Primary and Urgent Care network for 14 years fulfilling various roles including operational and improvement leadership positions. While with Duke Primary Care she led the development of the continuous improvement system which facilitated team engagement in achieving improvements in quality, safety and experience outcomes for the organization. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master of Business in Operational Excellence from the Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University.

Former Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to the Interim Dean of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine / CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Marissa McKeever, Esq. was the Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to the Interim Dean of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine / CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine. Previously she was the Director of Government and Community Affairs for Sibley Memorial Hospital, Johns Hopkins Medicine. She joined the organization in May 2015 and was responsible for representing local legislative and regulatory interests and driving community health improvement priorities for Johns Hopkins Medicine in DC, with a particular focus on underserved neighborhoods. She is passionate about advancing health equity and creating strategic partnerships that address the social determinants of health, build community capacity, and utilize place-based solutions. McKeever previously served as a senior legislative assistant for the Council of the District of Columbia, engaging in policy and legislative research and analysis. She also practiced health law, advising on federal and state statutory and regulatory matters. She earned her JD from Harvard Law School and bachelor’s degree in Communication from Messiah College. She is a member of the bar in Maryland and DC.

Chief Human Resources Officer
Sanford Health Marshfield Clinic

Terri Newmier is the Chief Human Resources Officer for Sanford Health Marshfield Clinic Health System. She leads the health system’s human resources team responsible for talent acquisition, benefits, and compensation. Her work critically supports the Sanford Health’s mission and values by driving strategic initiatives that position the organization as a top employer in the state. She joined Sanford Health Marshfield Clinic in 2001 and served in roles of progressive responsibility since. She holds certifications through the Society for Human Resource Management and HR Certification Institute and received her Bachelor of Business Administration in Human Resources from University of Wisconsin-Madison.

VP Patient Services and Chief Nursing Officer, West Region
Henry Ford Health System

Stefanie Roberts Newman is the vice president of patient services and chief nursing officer for Henry Ford Health System, West Region. Prior, she held a similar role for Henry Ford at West Bloomfield Hospital. She previously served as VP and CNO at Bethesda North Hospital from 2010 until 2019. She successfully led Bethesda North’s Magnet designation and redesignation efforts, which have only been achieved by 8 percent of hospitals in the nation. From 2007 to 2010, Roberts Newman was the assistant VP for patient care services at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, where she led the critical care civision through a successful Magnet designation.