18 women leaders selected for class of 2018

Carol Emmott Fellows are chosen for their potential to make an impact and advance to senior executive roles in health.  

Carol Emmott Fellows are chosen for their potential to advance to senior executive roles and make an impact in health

The Carol Emmott Fellowship selected 18 women from 15 health organizations nationwide for its class of 2018. They will be part of a one-of-a-kind program for accomplished professionals who have demonstrated potential to ascend to senior executive and board-level roles.

The fellowship is tailored to expand the connections and experiences that top leadership candidates require to have the most influence in improving health for all. Fellows are nominated by their sponsoring organization and compete for acceptance into the program with a proposed impact project that transcends their current role to advance an area of health. They continue to work for their organizations during the fellowship, which provides them with more opportunities to build networking relationships with other top leaders as well as exercise high-level skills as they implement their impact projects.

The program fills a crucial unmet need in overcoming gender disparity by accelerating the leadership capacity and impact of women leaders in health. Women are underrepresented in senior executive and board-level positions in health because of systemic barriers that influence decision making.

“We will all benefit when men and women from diverse backgrounds, disciplines, and perspectives lead together,” said Christine Malcolm, executive director of the Carol Emmott Fellowship. “The fellowship’s mission is shared by the men and women who hold executive positions today, see the gaps created by gender disparity, and are committed to serving as our advisors, mentors, and supporters.”

The newly selected class represents an expansion of the program, growing from 15 to 18 fellows and from 12 sponsoring organizations to 15. The class of 2018 also reflects a broader range of disciplines from emergency medicine and surgery to healthcare information technology and finance. Learn more about the fellows by reading their biographies and read more about the fellowship, an independent program based at the Public Health Institute, a California nonprofit, by visiting this page.  

When fellows complete the program, they join the Carol Emmott Fellowship alumnae network. Watch this video to learn more about the class of 2017 and how they are making a difference through their impact projects, which cover areas as broad as the opioid crisis, care disparities, and suicide prevention.

“Healthcare faces daunting challenges and the Carol Emmott Fellowship provides opportunities for these talented leaders to advance medicine and healthcare delivery,” said Mary Pittman, DrPH, Carol Emmott Fellowship Board member and CEO and president of the Public Health Institute. “The vision of the fellowship program is to engage leaders who aspire to lead healthcare in new and more collaborative ways.”

Class of 2018 Fellows

Margaret Damiano, MBA, Associate Dean for Administration and Finance; University of California, San Francisco at Zuckerberg San Francisco General
Sponsor: Blue Shield of California Foundation

Karen T. Harris, RN, MSN, WHNP-BC, Chief Nurse and Operations Executive; Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital
Sponsor: Henry Ford Health System

Philynn Hepschmidt, M.Ed., Associate Executive Director, EHR Transformation; Penn Medicine
Sponsor: University of Pennsylvania Health System

Marissa Kiefer, MHSA, Vice President, Maternity and Newborn Health & Statewide Partnerships; Riley Children’s Health
Sponsor: BDC Advisors on behalf of Riley Children’s Health

Monica Kogan, MD, Attending Physician, Director Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery Division, Residency Director, Assistant Professor; Rush University Medical Center
Sponsor: Rush University Medical Center

Michelle Lopes, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, Senior Vice President Patient Care Services/Chief Nursing Officer; John Muir Health, Walnut Creek Medical Center
Sponsor: John Muir Health

Elizabeth M. Mahler, MD, Vice President, Patient Health Management; Sutter Health
Sponsor: Sutter Health

Jessica Melton, MHA, Vice President, Medical Surgical and Critical Care Services; Duke University Hospital
Sponsor: Duke University Health System

Teresa Mock, MD, MBA, Senior Vice President; Mercy Medical Center North Iowa/Trinity
Sponsor: Trinity Health

Maria Padin, MD, FACOG, Chief Medical Officer; Dartmouth-Hitchcock
Sponsor: Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health System

Shaun Raleigh, MBA, RMA, Executive Director; Affinia Health Network/Mercy Health
Sponsor: Trinity Health

Meredith Sciarrio, MBA, Director, Strategy & Integration, Community Partnerships Division; Providence St. Joseph Health
Sponsor: Providence St. Joseph Health

Melody States, RN, CNOR, CASC,Chief Operating Officer, Sutter Surgery Center Division; Sutter Health
Sponsor: Sutter Health

Julie Stoss, JD,Vice President, Government Relations; Kaiser Permanente
Sponsor: Kaiser Permanente

Lisa Stump, MS, RPh, FASHP, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer; Yale New Haven Health and Yale School of Medicine
Sponsor: Yale New Haven Health System

Andrea Wary, M.Ed., BSN, RN, Associate Vice President, Department of Emergency Medicine, Geisinger Health System
Sponsor: Geisinger Health System

Haimanot (Monnie) Wasse, MD, MPH, Professor of Medicine, Vice Chair of Patient Quality & Safety, Director, Interventional Nephrology; Rush University Medical Center
Sponsor: Rush University Medical Center

Teri Wilczek, MS, CFRE, Chief Philanthropy Officer; Marshfield Clinic Health System Foundation
Sponsor: Marshfield Clinic Health System