Fellows: Class of 2023

Chief Medical Officer, Johns Hopkins Clinical Alliance; Sr. Medical Director, Physician Alignment & Integration; Assistant Professor of Medicine
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Dr. Sarah Johnson Conway is an assistant professor of Medicine and practicing internal medicine physician. She is the Chief Medical Officer of the Johns Hopkins Clinical Alliance, a clinically integrated network driving value-based care and quality efforts.  She is also the Senior Medical Director of Physician Alignment and Integration for the Office of Johns Hopkins Physicians.  In this role, Dr. Conway develops, fosters, and manages the aligned physician relationships and stewards Federally Qualified Health Center relationships with Johns Hopkins Medicine.  Additionally, she serves as the Program Director for the Johns Hopkins Health Systems Management Fellowship.  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.

Executive Director – Ambulatory Operations Community Health and Hospital Division
UChicago Medicine

Poonam Desai is the Executive Director of Ambulatory Operations for the Community Health and Hospital Division of UChicago Medicine. She started this role in 2020 and oversees clinic operations for the UChicago Medicine Medical Group and ambulatory programs for the community based hospital. Prior to joining UChicago Medicine, Desai held progressive leadership roles as Loyola University Health System and Northwestern Medicine. Her experiences at these academic medical centers include running day-to-day operations, leading service line integrations, overseeing patient access and front end revenue cycle initiatives, as well as board governance. 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.

Associate Professor, Division of Thoracic Surgery and Division of Health Equities
City of Hope

Loretta Erhunmwunsee joined City of Hope in 2015 and is an associate professor in both the division of thoracic surgery and the division of health equity. 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.

(Foundation sponsored Fellow)
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-Jackson 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, where she is currently employed, Dr. Hendricks-Jackson spent over a decade at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland and held numerous progressive nursing roles. Dr. Hendricks-Jackson 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 (CCNE). Dr. Hendricks-Jackson 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 – Charleston
MUSC Health

Jessica M. Johnson, MHA joined MUSC in 2022 and is the Chief Operating Officer for the Charleston Division, supporting the operations of University Medical Center, consisting of four hospitals, level 1 adult and pediatric trauma programs, and three EDs. She is a New York native, but a Tar Heel at heart, earning 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.

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.

Vice President, Operations Integration
Sutter Health

Kiren Rizvi Jafry is the VP of Operations Integration at Sutter Health. From 2008-2021, Rizvi Jafry was VP of Operations at Sutter Pacific Medical Foundation in San Francisco and Marin counties. She has also worked in the areas of strategy, business development, M&A, and clinical operations. From 2005-2008 Rizvi Jafry focused on health policy, advocacy, and community organizing at the California state and national levels. She participated in initiatives that expanded health coverage for children, California healthcare reform and increased diversity in the healthcare workforce. Rizvi Jafry holds an undergraduate degree in Public Health from UC Berkeley and a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Southern California. Her interests are in community health partnerships, global health and innovation.

Chief Medical Officer
Duke Regional Hospital

Dr. Adia K. Ross MD, MHA is currently the Chief Medical Officer at 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 has 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 currently oversees several areas at Duke Regional including medical staff services, pharmacy, nutrition services, advanced practice providers, ED providers, patient safety and quality improvement/lean management. She also works clinically and teaches residents, PA students and medical students. 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.

Associate Administrator
Mayo Clinic in Florida

Caroline S. Russell is the Associate Administrator for Surgical Services at Mayo Clinic in Florida, responsible for providing strategic and operational oversight and direction for 14 surgical departments and divisions, including anesthesia and transplant. Russel 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. Prior to Mayo Clinic, Russel 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 on the American College of Healthcare Executives North Florida Chapter Board and is President-Elect for UAB’s School of Health Professions Women in Healthcare Leadership Board.

Chief Medical Officer
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. 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 assistant 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 commissioner for the County of Los Angeles.

Senior Vice President, John Muir Health Foundation Practice Operations
John Muir Health

Maureen Stevenson, MD presently serves as the SVP of John Muir Foundation Practice Operations since 2021.  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.

(Foundation sponsored Fellow)
CEO
CommunityHealth

Steph Willding became the Chief Executive Officer in November 2019 of CommunityHealth, the nation’s largest volunteer-based free health center. Steph is a skilled health care leader, adept at developing and implementing transformative initiatives across organizations. Willding has committed her career to building and leading organizations that invest in communities and empower those communities to break the cycle of broken systems and lead healthy, fulfilling lives. Prior to CommunityHeath, Willding served as Chief Officer of Strategy, Planning and Development at Chicago Family Health Center. She holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a B.A. in International Studies from DePaul University. Outside of her passion for health care access for all, Willding volunteers for animal rescue and youth running organizations, watching Formula 1, cycling or running through her favorite city in the world, Chicago, and caring for her two rescue dogs.

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. 

(Foundation sponsored Fellow)
Vice President & Chief Technology 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 2022 Yang has been 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.