145 physician leaders to know | 2023

Becker's is thrilled to release the 2023 edition of its “Physician leaders to know” list.

The physicians featured on this list are exemplary leaders with deep clinical knowledge and experience. Many of them have assumed executive roles at hospitals, health systems or healthcare companies during their careers, while simultaneously serving as community board members or members of national organizations. As physicians, these individuals also bring clinical expertise to their leadership roles, providing them with a thorough understanding of the inner workings of the healthcare system. 

Note: This list is not an endorsement of included physicians, organizations or associated healthcare providers. Physicians cannot pay for inclusion on this list. Physicians are presented in alphabetical order.

Contact Anna Falvey at afalvey@beckershealthcare.com with questions or comments.

Hospital and Health System Leaders

Andy Anderson, MD. Chief Medical Officer and Chief Quality Officer of RWJBarnabas Health (West Orange, N.J.). Dr. Anderson, chief medical officer and chief quality officer for RWJBarnabas Health, oversees the clinical activities of one of the largest academic health systems in the nation, focusing on transformative healthcare and population health. He has a broad experience in health system leadership and physician practice management, including serving as CEO of the combined Medical Group at RWJBarnabas-Rutgers and CMO at Aurora Health Care. Dr. Anderson has spearheaded initiatives strengthening the system's operations, implementing task force groups and care protocols that improve patient experience and outcomes. His leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic led to significant advancements in telehealth and home health monitoring, enhancing care accessibility and patient engagement.

Imran Andrabi, MD. President and CEO of ThedaCare (Appleton, Wis.). Dr. Andrabi joined ThedaCare in 2017 as president and CEO, leading the largest healthcare provider in Northeast Wisconsin with 6,800 employees, seven hospitals, over 200,000 patients annually and 35 clinics. Previously, he was regional president and CEO of Mercy Health in the Toledo, Ohio, region. Dr. Andrabi has also served as a faculty member at the Medical College of Ohio and Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Lawrence Antonucci, MD. President and CEO of Lee Health (Fort Myers, Fla.). Dr. Antonucci leads Lee Health, a six-hospital system with 1,426 beds and nearly 1,500 physicians on staff. Since he took his position in 2017, quality, safety and patient experience have become the core values of the system, causing it to have multiple years of record financial success. Previously, Dr. Antonucci was an independently practicing OB-GYN before joining Lee Health in 2007 when he was named chief administrative officer for the system's Cape Coral Hospital. He later became COO of hospital services and then COO for the health system.

Alejandro Arroliga, MD. Chief Clinical Innovation Officer of Baylor Scott & White Health (Dallas). Dr. Arroliga is Baylor Scott & White Health's chief clinical innovation leader, working with teams across the system to identify, evaluate and pursue clinical innovations designed to improve patient experiences. He partners with the system’s chief product officer to build new customer solutions. He also oversees Baylor Scott & White's robust research and medical education efforts and serves as dean of Baylor College of Medicine's regional campus in Temple, Texas.

Wasik Ashraf, DO. Chair of Orthopedic Surgery at Montefiore St Luke’s Cornwall (N.Y.) Hospital. Specializing in arthroscopy and sports medicine, Dr. Ashraf focuses on cartilage restoration and joint preservation. His main goal is to enable his patients to return to their most loved activities. He makes a point to listen closely to patients, understand their goals, and offer regenerative and minimally invasive solutions tailored to their needs. He has made significant contributions to the field through publications, including a book chapter on knee injuries, and has also dedicated his time as an emergency medical technician prior to becoming a surgeon. He is a member of the American Orthopaedic Society of Sports Medicine, the American Osteopathic Academy of Orthopaedics, and the Arthroscopy Association of North America.

Charles Barbera, MD. President and CEO of Reading Hospital (West Reading, Pa.). Dr. Barbera has over 25 years of experience in various senior clinical and executive roles within the Tower Health system. As president and CEO of the 714-bed Reading Hospital, he oversees hospital operations, clinical outcomes, employee and physician engagement, and community service. Throughout his tenure with the health system, Dr. Barbera played a pivotal role in developing Reading Hospital's trauma center, community paramedic program, pediatric emergency department, psychiatric emergency department, and telemedicine efforts. In 2019, he received the Berks County Medical Society William J. Alexander Award for Contributions to Medicine and Community Service.

Patrick Battey, MD. CEO of Piedmont Atlanta Hospital. Dr. Battey was appointed CEO of Piedmont Atlanta Hospital, a 643-bed hospital with 4,000 healthcare professionals, in 2016. Under his leadership, the hospital focuses on patient experience and care. He continues to practice as a vascular surgeon and is specifically interested in carotid occlusive disease and the repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms.

David Battinelli, MD. Executive Vice President and Physician-in-Chief of Northwell Health (New Hyde Park, N.Y.). Dr. Battinelli serves as Northwell Health's physician-in-chief, where he oversees clinical, research, and education matters. Before assuming the role, he held the position of senior vice president and chief medical officer, managing various aspects of medical and clinical affairs, as well as education and research. Dr. Battinelli is dean and Betsey Whitney Cushing Professor of Medicine at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwelll. As a founding member of the medical school, he is deeply involved in developing the curriculum.

Kavitha Bhatia, MD. President and Chair of Prime Healthcare Foundation and Chief Medical Officer of Strategy at Prime Healthcare (Ontario, Calif.). Dr. Bhatia creates and leads strategic initiatives to improve the long-term success of Prime Healthcare’s 45 hospitals and more than 300 outpatient locations in 14 states. In addition, Dr. Bhatia is vice chair of the board of directors for the California University of Science and Medicine, a medical school founded by Prime Healthcare Foundation in San Bernardino County, California. Dr. Bhatia is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Sunny Bhatia, MD. Corporate Chief Medical Officer and Region I CEO of Prime Healthcare (Ontario, Calif.). Dr. Bhatia is the CEO of Prime Healthcare's 17 acute care community hospitals in Region I and the corporate chief medical officer for Prime Healthcare. Dr. Bhatia is also chief medical officer at Sherman Oaks (Calif.) Hospital and Encino (Calif.) Hospital Medical Center, two of Prime Healthcare's acute care community hospitals that he led to national recognition as top hospitals for clinical quality.

Warren Browner, MD. CEO of Sutter Health's California Pacific Medical Center (San Francisco). As CEO of California Pacific Medical Center, Dr. Browner leads a team of 12,000 doctors who care for a population of roughly 3 million people. Since he assumed his role in 2009, the hospital has worked to improve quality, be more efficient and address ongoing problems in the healthcare industry. Throughout his career, Dr. Browner has researched longevity, frailty and osteoporosis. Additionally, he is a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine.

Thomas Buchholz, MD. Medical Director of Scripps MD Anderson Cancer Center (San Diego). Dr. Buchholz is the medical director of Scripps MD Anderson Cancer Center, a cancer care program that can treat up to 1,200 patients annually. As medical director, he is responsible for leading all clinical activities, programs and research. Outside of his leadership role, he runs a clinical practice of his own. He has made significant contributions to the medical field with his breast cancer research. Before becoming medical director, Dr. Buchholz held many leadership positions at The University of Texas MD Anderson Center. He also served as the co-chair of the Breast Cancer Steering Committee of the National Clinical Trials Network, part of the National Cancer Institute, for six years.

Patrick Cawley, MD. CEO of MUSC Health and Vice President for Health Affairs of the Medical University of South Carolina (Charleston). As CEO of MUSC Health and vice president for health affairs of the Medical University of South Carolina, Dr. Cawley manages all clinical matters at the health system. Under his leadership, MUSC has expanded with a new children's hospital, several ambulatory sites and more clinical affiliates and joint ventures. Additionally, MUSC has been recognized for its safety, effectiveness, efficiency, timeliness, integration of telehealth technologies, and patient-centered care. Previously, Dr. Cawley served as CMO of MUSC Medical Center, where he was responsible for the quality and safety of patient care and oversight of clinical service lines. Dr. Cawley is a past president of the Society of Hospital Medicine.

Andrei Cernea, MD. Facility Medical Director at TeamHealth Anesthesia and Medical Staff President at Sibley Memorial Hospital (Washington, D.C.). Dr. Cernea is an anesthesiologist with 25 years of experience. He serves as a facility medical director for TeamHealth’s anesthesia services, managing hospital-based and multiple free-standing ASCs. Dr. Cernea also currently serves as medical staff president at Sibley Memorial Hospital. Prior, he served as medical director for Northwest Pain Management Group and was CEO and director of Certified Anesthesia Services, LLC. Dr. Cernea was named TeamHealth’s anesthesia Facility Medical Director of the Year in 2019. He also received the Sibley Memorial Hospital Johns Hopkins William Baumgartner Physician of the Year Award in 2018 and the award for Excellence in Service and Professionalism in 2015.

Albert Chan, MD. Vice President and Chief of Digital Health for Sutter Health (Sacramento, Calif.). Dr. Chan is vice president and chief of digital health at Sutter Health, a system that partners with 12,000 doctors and provides care for more than 3 million people. He manages the translation of the latest telehealth technologies into patient experiences and clinical workflow. He also leads the Sutter Health My Health Online initiative, which he helped launch. Dr. Chan previously conducted research on the effects of point-of-care decision support in hypertension management.

John Chessare, MD. President and CEO of Greater Baltimore Medical Center HealthCare. Under the leadership of Dr. Chessare, Greater Baltimore Medical Center HealthCare has improved health outcomes, boosted patient and staff satisfaction, and reduced wait times and profit maximization. Greater Baltimore Medical Center, the system's 342-bed main hospital, employs around 3,900 team members and reports around 23,000 admissions annually. Dr. Chessare has also been involved in the implementation of the health system's computerized physician order entry. Before joining GBMC, Dr. Chessare served as president of Caritas Christi Health Care System's Caritas Norwood (Mass.) Hospital and as senior vice president for quality and patient safety of the Caritas system. 

Reginald Coopwood, MD. President and CEO of Regional One Health (Memphis, Tenn.). Dr. Coopwood assumed the role as president and CEO of Regional One Health in 2010. He previously served as CEO of the Metropolitan Nashville (Tenn.) Hospital Authority. In the past 13 years, Dr. Coopwood has led Regional One Health through a positive financial resurgence, a system rebranding and a strengthened relationship with its academic partner. Additionally, he serves as a board member of the Tennessee Hospital Association, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee, and the Memphis Medial District Collaborative. He has received numerous awards from the Tennessee Hospital Association, including the CEO Meritorious Service Award, Diversity Champion Award and President’s Award. Dr. Coopwood was also inducted into the Tennessee Health Care Hall of Fame in 2022. 

Norvell V. Coots, MD. President and CEO of Holy Cross Health (Silver Spring, Md.). Dr. Coots is the president and CEO of Holy Cross Health, a nonprofit Catholic health system with 4,100 employees that serve more than 240,000 patients annually. He assumed the role in 2016, after serving in the U.S. Army as the former commanding general and CEO of Regional Health Command Europe. Dr. Coots has more than 20 years of experience in healthcare management and medical administration. In September 2018, he was one of 14 executive leaders to receive the Distinguished Healthcare Leader Award from the National Association of Health Services Executives for his dedication to healthcare in his community.

Ronald Copeland, MD. Senior Vice President and Chief Equity, Inclusion and Diversity Officer at Kaiser Permanente (Oakland, Calif.). Dr. Copeland, senior vice president and chief equity, inclusion and diversity officer at Kaiser Permanente, focuses on fostering a diverse, inclusive and engaged workplace. During his time with the system, he has established an anti-bias training program, a systemic workforce equity review process, a program that targets racial disparities in care access and a toolkit that provides COVID-19 vaccination opportunities for underserved communities. Over a decade ago, Dr. Copeland developed a patient demographic data collection system, which is now used to identify and eliminate health disparities.

Steven Corwin, MD. President and CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian (New York City). Under the leadership of Dr. Corwin, NewYork-Presbyterian has doubled in size and now includes more than 47,000 employees who serve 4 million patients at 200 practices and clinics across the greater New York City area. As president and CEO, Dr. Corwin encourages high-quality, patient-centered care and clinical excellence as well as pioneering research and medical student education. Dr. Corwin led the creation of the NewYork-Presbyterian Regional Network and NewYork-Presbyterian Medical Groups. He launched the NYP OnDemand initiative and the Respect initiative, which focuses on employee teamwork. Before becoming CEO, he served as NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital's executive vice president and COO. Dr. Corwin is the immediate past chairman of the health systems council of the American Hospital Association and is a member of numerous boards.

Kenneth L. Davis, MD. President and CEO of Mount Sinai Health System (New York City). As president and CEO of the eight-hospital Mount Sinai Health System, Dr. Davis has made many improvements in finances and education. He previously served as dean of Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Additionally, Dr. Davis has made lasting contributions to the field with his Alzheimer's disease research, which led to FDA approval of three of the first four drugs approved for Alzheimer's. He has been honored by the American Psychiatric Association, and Yale University presented him with the George H.W. Bush '48 Lifetime of Leadership Award.

Ralph de la Torre, MD. Chairman and CEO of Steward Health Care System (Dallas). Dr. de la Torre is the chairman, founder and CEO of Steward Health Care System, a large private hospital operator with 37 community hospitals. The health system is based on a model that keeps patients healthy and close to home. He previously served as CEO of Caritas Christi Health Care, where he made many large scale transformations. Dr. de la Torre was also the founder and CEO of the Cardiovascular Institute of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and of Cardiovascular Management Associates, one of the first completely integrated systems for treating cardiac patients in the U.S.

James Downing, MD. President and CEO of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (Memphis, Tenn.). Since assuming the role of president and CEO of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, a leading child cancer treatment facility, Dr. Downing has developed a six-year plan that aims to expand the organization's clinical care and research programs. His research studies the genetic basis of cancer to treat sick children. Dr. Downing launched the Pediatric Cancer Genome Project and was a finalist for TIME magazine's list of 100 most influential people in the world. Most recently, he was awarded the 2018 Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering Prize and the 2019 Pediatric Oncology Award and Lecture from the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Susan Ehrlich, MD. CEO of Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center. Dr. Ehrlich is the CEO of Zuckerberg San Francisco General, a 397-bed hospital with a faculty of 5,400 members and a budget of $1.1 billion. She has a strong background in medicine and public health. Previously, Dr. Ehrlich worked at San Mateo (Calif.) Medical Center for 14 years, where she served as CEO, CMO and vice president. She also served as the founding medical director of the Ron Robinson Senior Care Center in San Mateo.

Darryl Elmouchi, MD. COO of Corewell Health (Grand Rapids, Mich.). Dr. Elmouchi is the COO of Corewell Health, a $14 billion integrated health system formed by the merger of Beaumont Health and Spectrum Health in 2022. Corewell Health comprises 22 hospitals, over 10,000 physicians and advanced practice providers, multiple large employed medical groups, over 300 outpatient locations, and Priority Health, a 1.2 million member health plan. In his role, Dr. Elmouchi leads strategy, operations, clinical care delivery, and financial performance for the entire clinical enterprise of Corewell Health and serves as a member of the system leadership team. He has been instrumental in transitioning Corewell Health to value-based care. He is also a clinical professor of medicine at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine.

Brian Erling, MD. President and CEO of Renown Health (Reno, Nev.). Dr. Erling is a seasoned healthcare executive with over twenty years of experience in diverse healthcare settings, including not-for-profit hospitals, integrated health systems, physician practices and healthcare companies. He joined Renown Health in November 2022, following his tenure at Denver-based Centura Health. Dr. Erling is highly regarded as an emergency medicine physician and has been a driving force in quality improvement initiatives. He has been recognized as a Baldrige Executive Fellow through the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Melinda Estes, MD. President and CEO of Saint Luke's Health System (Kansas City, Mo.). As president and CEO of Saint Luke's Health System, Dr. Estes oversees all operations at the 14 hospital campuses with 100 physician practices and clinics. Before joining Saint Luke's, Dr. Estes served as president and CEO of Burlington, Vt.-based Fletcher Allen Health Care — now known as the University of Vermont Medical Center — and CMO and CEO of Cleveland Clinic Florida in Weston. She was also a practicing neurologist and neuropathologist. Dr. Estes serves on the board and executive committee of the American Hospital Association. In 2018, the AHA board of trustees named her chair-elect designate, meaning she assumed the highest elected position the AHA in 2020.

Gianrico Farrugia, MD. President and CEO of Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minn.). Dr. Farrugia is the president and CEO of Mayo Clinic, a top-ranked hospital according to U.S. News and World Report and Newsweek. With a workforce of 76,000 people and annual revenues of $15.7 billion, Mayo Clinic provides exceptional care to over 1.3 million individuals annually. Before assuming the role of CEO, Dr. Farrugia served as the CEO of Mayo Clinic in Florida, where he played a pivotal role in establishing the center as a premier medical destination in the region. Additionally, he led the Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine, which integrates genomics into routine clinical care, and co-founded the Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation. Dr. Farrugia is an esteemed member of the Mayo Clinic Board of Governors and holds positions as a professor of medicine and physiology.

Tanira Ferreira, MD. Chief Medical Officer of University of Miami (Fla.) Hospital and Clinics. Dr. Ferreira is a pulmonologist, assistant professor and chief medical officer at the University of Miami Hospital and Clinicals. She leads by example and can often be found rounding in the hospital and connecting with staff members from various disciplines. She is quadruple certified in internal medicine, pulmonary, sleep disorder, and critical care. She has received numerous accolades from University of Miami Health, including the Nurse Advocate Award, Exemplary Colleague Award, Consultant of the Year Award.

Bryce Gartland, MD. Hospital Group President and Co-Chief of Clinical Operations at Emory Healthcare (Atlanta). Dr. Gartland, hospital group president and co-chief of clinical operations at Emory Healthcare, is responsible for overall performance and achievement at all seven of Emory Healthcare's hospitals. He also serves as CEO of Emory University Hospital, Emory University Orthopaedic & Spine Hospital and Emory University Hospital at Wesley Woods. While at Emory, he has been recognized for his work on improving patient care quality and safety and successfully treating four Ebola patients. Before becoming hospital group president, Dr. Gartland was COO and then CEO of Emory University Hospital.

Laurie H. Glimcher, MD. President and CEO of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and CEO of Dana-Farber/Partners Cancer Care (Boston). Dr. Glimcher is the president and CEO of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and CEO of Dana-Farber/ Partners Cancer Center, both distinguished cancer research and treatment centers. She is also the Richard and Susan Smith Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston. Dr. Glimcher previously was the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss dean and professor of medicine of Weill Cornell Medicine and provost for medical affairs of Cornell University. Dr. Glimcher is widely celebrated for her field-changing cancer research of transcriptional regulation, lymphocyte differentiation, immunology and osteobiology. She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Medicine.

Jeffrey Gold, MD. Chancellor of the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Provost and Executive Vice President of the University of Nebraska System (Omaha and Lincoln, Neb.). As the eighth chancellor of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Dr. Gold manages the operations and academic excellence of the institution, including seven colleges, two institutes, a staff and faculty of 6,000, and 4,300 students. Dr. Gold also serves as provost and executive vice president of the University of Nebraska System, which entails oversight of all academic education, research and experiential programs and areas of student support for the University of Nebraska system. The system comprises over 50,000 students, over $500 million in research and an academic budget of over $10 billion. Prior to joining UNMC, Dr. Gold served as chancellor of the University of Toledo’s academic and clinical health sciences in Ohio. 

Robert I. Grossman, MD. CEO of NYU Langone Health and Dean of NYU Grossman School of Medicine (New York City). Dr. Grossman has served as Dean of NYU Grossman School of Medicine and CEO of NYU Langone Health since 2007. He leads 47,000 employees, students, and non-compensated faculty across six inpatient locations and more than 320 sites. Under his leadership, NYU Langone increased its revenue from $2 billion in 2007 to nearly $11 billion in 2022. He also launched a campus expansion that resulted in the addition of more than 13 million square feet of clinical, educational, and research space. Dr. Grossman led the historic initiative of providing tuition-free medical education for all current and future students in the medical degree program at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Under his leadership, the school also introduced a visionary new curriculum where students can earn their MD in three years, rather than the standard four years most other schools require. Dr. Grossman was named among the 2021 "Notable Leaders in Health Care" by Crain’s New York Business and one of the 50 most influential healthcare leaders who changed healthcare in America in 2018 by Time magazine.

Jamal Hakim, MD. Chief Physician Officer of Orlando (Fla.) Health. Dr. Hakim oversees daily operations at all eight of the Orlando Health hospitals. His specific responsibilities include patient care, clinical quality, corporate nursing, medical staff services and human resources. He has been a part of Orlando Health since 1991, where he has served as chief of staff, chief of quality and clinical transformation and interim CEO. Dr. Hakim continues to practice as an anesthesiologist at Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies.

Lisa E. Harris, MD. Medical Director and CEO of Eskenazi Health (Indianapolis). Dr. Harris is the medical director and CEO of Eskenazi Health, a health system that includes a 315-bed hospital and workforce of 4,470 individuals. As a leader, she emphasizes patient-centered care that encourages interaction and participation. Before taking this role in 2004, Dr. Harris was chief of medicine of Eskenazi Health and CMO of the primary care division of Indiana University Medical Group. Throughout her 30-plus year career in healthcare, Dr. Harris spent time as medical director and board president of the American Red Cross of Indiana, where she continues to serve on the board.

Richard Hart, MD, DrPH. President and CEO of Loma Linda (Calif.) University Health. Dr. Hart serves as president and CEO of Loma Linda University Health, a medical system with six hospitals and more than 16,000 employees. Dr. Hart has a passion for improving health standards and overall health in developing countries. Previously, he served in Tanzania for four years where he developed the department of community health in Moshi. He serves as president of Adventist Health International.

Rod Hochman, MD. President and CEO of Providence (Renton, Wash.). As president and CEO of Providence, a health system with 51 hospitals, 829 clinics and 25,000 physicians, Dr. Hochman focuses on the future of medicine through digital innovation, genomics and scientific wellness, population health and outreach to the poor. Additionally, he is a member of the American Hospital Association and is actively involved in many other boards. Dr. Hochman was awarded the Vision and Excellence in Health Care Leadership Award by the Partners in Care Foundation in 2017.

Crista Johnson-Agbakwu, MD. Executive Director of Collaborative in Health Equity at UMass Chan Medical School (Worcester, Mass.). Dr. Johnson-Agbakwu was appointed as the very first executive director of the UMass Chan Medical School Collaborative in Health Equity. She is also a professor of obstetrics and gynecology as well as population and quantitative health sciences. A physician with a passion for reducing health disparities, Dr. Johnson-Agbakwu has focused her research on the service of underserved and marginalized populations. In launching the Collaborative in Health Equity, she is growing numerous initiatives to improve health equity in clinical care, research, education and community engagement. She is also helping to recruit and retain underrepresented minorities among students, faculty, staff and leadership. 

Alan S. Kaplan, MD. CEO of UW Health (Madison, Wis.). Dr. Kaplan assumed the role of CEO of UW Health, a system with 1,500 physicians that serves more than 600,000 patients annually at six hospitals, in 2016. As a leader, he specifically emphasizes care coordination. Dr. Kaplan previously served as executive vice president and chief clinical transformation officer for West Des Moines, Iowa-based UnityPoint Health. He was also the founder, president and CEO of UnityPoint Clinic and president and CEO of UnityPoint at Home.

Bryan Kelly, MD. President and CEO of Hospital for Special Surgery (New York City). Dr. Kelly, an acclaimed surgeon and educator with deep expertise in sports medicine and hip preservation, began his journey at Hospital for Special Surgery in 1996. During his tenure at HSS, he has helped shape the field of hip preservation, including the creation of the Hip Preservation Service. He has held several positions at the hospital, including chief of the HSS Sports Medicine Institute, surgeon-in-chief, medical director, and now president and CEO. Dr. Kelly has nearly 200 scientific publications, chapters, review articles and books to his name. He is also a professor of orthopedic surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. Since 2015, he has acted as head team doctor and medical director for the New York Rangers.

K. Craig Kent, MD. CEO of UVA Health and Executive Vice President of Health Affairs at University of Virginia (Charlottesville, Va.). Dr. Kent serves as the CEO of UVA Health and the executive vice president of health affairs at the University of Virginia. A noteworthy physician, researcher, leader and educator, Dr. Kent is responsible for handling all UVA Health operations. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and has written over 325 articles and 65 book chapters. Before coming to UVA Health, Dr. Kent was dean of The Ohio State University College of Medicine in Columbus, vice president for health sciences and Leslie H. and Abigail S. Wexner Dean’s chair in medicine.

Mark A. Keroack, MD. President and CEO of Baystate Health (Springfield, Mass.). Under the leadership of Dr. Keroack, Baystate Health has expanded to include two new community hospitals and more outpatient practices. His strategic knowledge of finances and operations has transformed Baystate into a national leader. Prior to holding this position, he served as Baystate Health's system COO and as its chief physician executive, as well as president of Baystate Medical Practices. He has authored over 50 publications and trained in internal medicine and infectious diseases.

Edward S. Kim, MD. Physician-in-Chief and Senior Vice President of City of Hope Orange County and Vice Physician-in-Chief at City of Hope National Medical Center (Duarte, Calif.). Dr. Kim is physician-in-chief and senior vice president of City of Hope Orange County, as well as vice physician-in-chief at City of Hope National Medical Center. Driven by his commitment to excellence in academic medicine, he works to transform cancer care and provide patients with equitable access to lifesaving clinical trials, advanced surgical oncology, medical oncology, hematology and other services. In 2022, he was instrumental in the formation of the best-in-practice ambulatory City of Hope Orange County Lennar Foundation Cancer Center. Dr. Kim combines his executive leadership with his experience in pioneering personalized treatments for lung, neck, and head cancers. 

Thomas Kloos, MD. Vice President of Atlantic Health System and President of Atlantic Accountable Care Organization (Morristown, N.J.). Dr. Kloos is the vice president of Atlantic Health System, a nonprofit healthcare system that includes six hospitals with more than 600 providers. As president of Atlantic ACO, he leads all management services of the New Jersey-based health system. Additionally, Dr. Kloos is a board-certified internal medicine practitioner and a board member of the National Association of Accountable Care Organizations.

Omar Lateef, DO. President and CEO of Rush University System for Health and Rush University Medical Center (Chicago). Dr. Lateef, president and CEO of Rush University System and Rush University Medical Center, is working to propel the system and medical center towards unparalleled health equity. Since assuming the role of president and CEO of the medical center in 2019, he has spearheaded Rush's ascent to becoming a national model for healthcare excellence and safety. Dr. Lateef's relentless pursuit of patient safety, quality metrics, innovation, education, and health equity has garnered accolades for the system, including high marks from CMS. Under his leadership, the medical center was featured on U.S. News & World Report's "Best Hospitals Honor Roll" three times. 

Joon Sup Lee, MD. CEO of Emory Healthcare (Atlanta). Dr. Lee became CEO of Emory Healthcare in July 2023. He is the leader of Georgia's most comprehensive academic health system, which includes 11 hospitals, 250 provider sites and over 24,000 team members.  A trained interventional cardiologist, Dr. Lee's research and clinical interests focus on the role of stem cells in cardiac treatment. His deep experience as both an executive and a physician lends him a unique, in-depth perspective in regards to the patient journey. He joined Emory Healthcare from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, where he served as executive vice president and president of UPMC physician services.

James Leonard, MD. President and CEO of Carle Foundation Hospital (Urbana, Ill.). Dr. Leonard is the president and CEO of 433-bed Carle Foundation Hospital. Since 2000, he has been responsible for making decisions on patient care and practice environment. Under Dr. Leonard’s leadership, Carle is ranked in 2019 as one of America’s Top 50 Best Hospitals™ by HealthGrades, has achieved Magnet® designation, the nation’s highest honor for nursing care and was chosen as a Great Place to Work® in healthcare. In 2019, Health Alliance was awarded by J.D. Power for highest member satisfaction among commercial health plans in the Illinois and Indiana RegionSM. Dr. Leonard joined the Carle family in 1984 as a primary care physician and then served as associate medical director at Carle Clinic, the medical director of the employee assistance and sports medicine program and served as vice president of medical affairs before becoming CEO following a nationwide search.

Steven K. Libutti, MD. Senior Vice President of Oncology Services at RWJBarnabas Health (West Orange, N.J.) and Director of Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey (New Brunswick, N.J.). Dr. Libutti, a distinguished leader in oncology, currently serves as senior vice president of oncology services for RWJBarnabas Health, director of the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, and vice chancellor for cancer programs at Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences. With a background as a surgical oncologist, his expertise lies in endocrine surgery, neuroendocrine tumor management, and gastrointestinal malignancies, particularly liver and pancreatic cancers. He is a past president of the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons and has secured funding from the National Cancer Institute for two decades for his cancer research. Dr. Libutti has published over 280 peer reviewed journal articles and holds seven U.S. patents. 

Dennis Lund, MD. CMO of Stanford Children's Health and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital (Palo Alto, Calif.). Dr. Lund joined Stanford Children's Health, a health care system with more than 60 locations, including Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford at its core, as CMO in 2015. He is a pediatric surgeon and serves as associate dean of the faculty for pediatrics and obstetrics at the Stanford University School of Medicine. From 2018 to 2019, he served as interim president and CEO. Dr. Lund has held other leadership positions at Madison-based University of Wisconsin Children's Hospital and at Phoenix Children's Hospital.

John Mazziotta, MD, PhD. Vice Chancellor of UCLA Health Sciences and CEO of UCLA Health (Los Angeles). Dr. Mazziotta has served as vice chancellor of UCLA Health Sciences and CEO of UCLA Health, which has 2,700 clinical faculty and served 600,000 patients annually, since 2015. He has been a faculty member of the David Geffen School of Medicine since 1983 and has since been dean, associate vice chancellor and executive vice dean. In addition, Dr. Mazziotta has published eight texts and 260 research papers. He has won several awards, such as the Oldendorf Award from the American Society of Neuroimaging and the S. Weir Mitchell Award from the International Society of Nuclear Medicine. He was trained in neurology and nuclear medicine.

Michael McDermott, MD, MBA. President and CEO of Mary Washington Healthcare (Fredericksburg, Va.). As president and CEO of Mary Washington Healthcare, which includes two hospitals and over 60 healthcare facilities, Dr. McDermott focuses on improving the health system for his staff and patients. Before becoming CEO, he practiced medicine as a diagnostic and interventional radiologist with Radiologic Associates of Fredericksburg and held many administrative positions with Mary Washington Healthcare.

Sonia Mehta, MD. Region II CEO, Corporate Chief Medical Officer and Chief Academic Officer of Prime Healthcare (Ontario, Calif.). Dr. Mehta is a member of the Prime Healthcare executive leadership team, and she oversees operations at seven hospitals. Before assuming this position, she spent more than 20 years in other healthcare management roles. Dr. Mehta served as CEO and chief medical officer of 177-bed Loretto Hospital in Chicago; president and CEO of the Illinois/Wisconsin Medical Group and executive medical director of immediate care centers, occupational health, wellness programs and chief of ambulatory services at 489-bed Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights, Ill. Furthermore, Dr. Mehta was one of 20 people to serve on the HHS transition team in Illinois. She served on the Illinois State level committee for Medicaid transformation and led the Westside Heroin Task Force in Chicago.

Tomislav Mihaljevic, MD. President and CEO of Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Mihaljevic is the president and CEO of Cleveland Clinic, an international medical center with 1,400 beds and 57,000 workers. He oversees operation of the system, which delivers care to nearly 7 million patients each year. As CEO, he led an initiative to increase the health system's minimum wage to $15. Dr. Mihaljevic joined the Cleveland Clinic team in 2004. He served as a cardiothoracic surgeon and then as the CEO of Cleveland Clinic in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates for seven years.

Redonda Miller, MD. President of Johns Hopkins Hospital (Baltimore). As president of The John Hopkins Hospital, Dr. Miller is responsible for managing a 1,100-bed academic medical center with 10,000-plus employees. Since her appointment in 2016, she has worked to strengthen the hospital's focus on high value care and improve safety, patient experience and population health. Since joining The Johns Hopkins family in 1997, Dr. Miller has held other administrative roles: vice chair of clinical operations for the department of medicine and senior vice president of medical affairs for the Johns Hopkins Health system. Dr. Miller is the chair of the 2019 Greater Maryland Heart Walk and a member of the Maryland Hospital Association executive committee.

Brian Moore, MD. Medical Director of the Ochsner Cancer Institute (New Orleans). Dr. Moore has been the director of the Ochsner Cancer Institute since 2017, leading significant expansion of not only the footprint of the cancer program but also the unique patient impact of its multidisciplinary cancer teams. This has culminated in the creation of the Ochsner MD Anderson Cancer Center, a partnership between Ochsner Health and MD Anderson Cancer Center. He has championed innovative programs such as a Phase I clinical trials team, a digital chemotherapy care companion designed to keep active patients out of the ED and the hospital, and a new cellular therapy program, while diversifying the supportive services available to patients. In his former role as system chair of otorhinolaryngology, he led a department that is consistently ranked in the top 50 by US News & World Report. 

Lori Morgan, MD. President and CEO of Huntington Hospital (Pasadena, Calif.). Dr. Morgan is the president and CEO of 619-bed Huntington Hospital. She most recently served as corporate vice president of seven-hospital system Legacy Health in Portland, Ore., for eight years and as president of 554-bed Legacy Emanuel Medical Center where she managed 3,600 employees. Dr. Morgan has spent nearly 30 years in healthcare and healthcare administration roles. Her experience focuses on patient care, physician relationships and financial performance.

R. Lawrence Moss, MD. President and CEO of Nemours Children's Health (Jacksonville, Fla.). Dr. Moss is president and CEO of Nemours Children's Health with more than 1.9 million patient encounters annually. His passion and clarity in focusing on the overall health of children, which goes above and beyond simply treating illness, has been the essential driver now guiding the organization toward a transformation of healthcare to create the healthiest generations of children. He is internationally recognized for his leadership in the area of healthcare quality and safety for pediatric surgery. He is currently a member of the Children’s Hospital Association Board of Trustees.

Adnan Munkarah, MD. Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer of Henry Ford Health System (Detroit). Dr. Munkarah has played an important role in building partnerships within the Henry Ford Medical Group and Henry Ford Allegiance Medical Group, as well as with outside physician leaders. He participates in the development of the health system's population health and accountable care strategies. Dr. Munkarah joined Henry Ford in 2008 as chairman of the department of obstetrics, gynecology and women's health as well as CMO of Henry Ford Hospital & Health Network.

John Murphy, MD. CEO of Western Connecticut Health Network (Danbury). Dr. Murphy serves as the CEO of 822-bed Western Connecticut Health Network, which includes 983 physicians and 4,009 faculty. Under his leadership, Western Connecticut Health Network was established. It is the result of a merger between two hospitals. He served as the CEO of Danbury Hospital, one of the facilities involved in the merge. Dr. Murphy has more than 40 years of healthcare management and medicine experience. Prior to holding leadership positions, he practiced neurology.

Daniel Napierkowski, MD. President of Cleveland Clinic Marymount Hospital (Garfield Heights, Ohio). Dr. Napierkowski is president of 315-bed Cleveland Clinic Marymount Hospital. He also served as president of Euclid Hospital from May 2015 until July 2019. Dr. Napierkowski started at Cleveland Clinic as an anesthesiologist in 1997 before assuming leadership roles. He is a former chairman of regional practice anesthesiology at Cleveland Clinic.

Brian Nester, DO. President and CEO of Lehigh Valley Health Network (Allentown, Pa.). Dr. Nester has served as president and CEO of the 13-hospital Lehigh Valley Health Network since 2014. Before his current role, he held numerous administrative positions within the nonprofit health system, including chairman of the emergency department and senior vice president for physician hospital network development. Dr. Nester is a member of the health system's board of trustees and the healthcare and pharmaceutical management program advisory board at Columbia University in New York City.

Janice Nevin, MD. President and CEO of Christiana Care Health System (Wilmington, Del.). As president and CEO of Christiana Care Health System, the largest health system in Delaware, Dr. Nevin emphasizes value-based care. One of her many accomplishments is developing Carelink CareNow, a data-driven platform that addresses patients' social, behavioral and medical needs. Dr. Nevin is also a founding partner of eBrightHealth, an alliance of health systems and hospitals to increase access to affordable healthcare in Delaware. In 2017, she was inducted into the Delaware Women's Hall of Fame. Dr. Nevin is on many boards, including the Delaware Business Roundtable Executive Committee.

Kurt Newman, MD. President and CEO of Children's National Health System (Washington, D.C.). Under the leadership of Dr. Newman since 2011, Children's National Health System has transformed into an organization that focuses on patient-centered care, research, operations and clinical care. He has fostered partnerships with other health systems, government and community entities. Dr. Newman joined Children's National in 1984 as a surgical fellow and was later promoted to surgeon-in-chief and senior vice president. He published a medical memoir in 2017 and serves on the Children's Hospital Association Board of Trustees and other boards.

Steven Packer, MD. President and CEO of Community Hospital of the Monterey (Calif.) Peninsula. Dr. Packer, an internal medicine physician, is president and CEO of 258-bed nonprofit Community Hospital of Monterey Peninsula. The hospital's network includes outpatient facilities, satellite laboratories, a mental health clinic and a short-term skilled nursing facility. Before accepting his current position in 1999, he was chief of staff and medical director at the hospital.

Paryus Patel, MD. Corporate Chief Medical Officer of Prime Healthcare (Ontario, Calif.). Dr. Patel is the chief medical officer of Prime Healthcare's Region III-VI hospitals and corporate chief medical Officer for Prime Healthcare. Region III-VI includes Prime Healthcare's 20 acute care community hospitals located in Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Michigan, Florida, Indiana, Ohio, and Rhode Island. Dr. Patel is a triple board certified physician in the fields of critical care medicine, internal medicine and pulmonology. Dr. Patel has many accomplishments throughout his nearly 30-year career in medicine, including implementing new accountable care organization programs, expanding Prime's hospitalist and surgical nursing facility programs, and implementing three disease management programs.

Cam Patterson, MD. Chancellor of University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and CEO of UAMS Health (Little Rock, Ark.). Dr. Patterson is the chancellor of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, the state of Arkansas' sole health sciences university. Having built a career as a cardiologist and healthcare administrator, he became head of UAMS in June 2018 following his tenure as senior vice president and chief operating officer at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City. Dr. Patterson is committed to further medical research and has secured more than $60 million in grants as a principal investigator or co-investigator from organizations such as the National Institutes of Health, the American Heart Association, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. His work has been published in 323 peer-reviewed scientific publications.

Joseph Pepe, MD. President and CEO of Catholic Medical Center (Manchester, N.H.) and President and CEO of GraniteOne Health (Wolfeboro, N.H.). Dr. Pepe has served as president and CEO of Catholic Medical Center, a large health system with 330 beds and 40 physicians, since January 2012. He also has served as president and CEO of GraniteOne Health, a network of New Hampshire-based hospitals that includes more than 4,000 employees and 950 physicians, since 2017. In January, GraniteOne signed a letter of intent to combine with Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health. Dr. Pepe was CMO and vice president of medical affairs at Catholic Medical Center for more than 12 years before becoming its CEO.

Daniel K. Podolsky, MD. President of University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (Dallas). Since becoming president of the medical center in 2008, Dr. Podolsky has aimed to keep it at the frontier of science. He previously served as a medical professor at Boston-based Harvard Medical School, chief of gastroenterology at Massachusetts General Hospital and chief academic officer of Partners HealthCare in Boston. One of Dr. Podolsky's key achievements is the development of Southwestern Health Resources, a health system that includes 31 hospitals, 300 clinics and 2,600 physicians.

Clint Purvance, MD. President and CEO of Barton Health (Lake, Tahoe, Calif.). Dr. Purvance is president and CEO of Barton Health, a nonprofit healthcare system that serves South Lake Tahoe, Calif., and its surrounding communities. He was CMO of Barton Health for eight years before assuming his current role in 2015. Dr. Purvance has practiced emergency medicine at Barton Memorial Hospital since 1999. In addition to his role with Barton Health, he serves on the Hospital Council of Northern and Central California's board of directors.

Megan Ranney, MD. Dean of the Yale School of Public Health (New Haven, Conn.). Dr. Ranney became dean of the Yale School of Public Health in July 2023. A renowned public health thought leader, researcher, advocate and clinician, she aims to drive public health innovations, especially as it pertains to underserved populations. Prior, she acted as deputy dean of the School of Public Health at Brown University in Providence, R.I. Dr. Ranney is known for taking a community-driven approach to public health issues, specializing in firearm injury, COVID-19, and technology-based interventions for population-level health promotion. Her funded research primarily focuses on developing and disseminating technology-augmented interventions to prevent violence, substance use, and mental illness.

David Reich, MD. President and COO of Mount Sinai Hospital and President of Mount Sinai Queens (New York City). Dr. Reich has served as president and COO of Mount Sinai Hospital, a 1,134-bed tertiary care facility, and president of Mount Sinai Queens, which includes 500 physicians of 40 specialties, since 2013. He also was chair of the department of anesthesiology for 10 years and president of the medical board from 2011 to 2012. Dr. Reich has published more than 200 articles, and his research interests include neurocognitive outcome after thoracic aortic surgery.

Scott Rissmiller, MD. Executive Vice President and Chief Physician Executive of Advocate Health (Downers Grove, Ill.). Dr. Rissmiller serves as the executive vice president and chief physician executive for Advocate Health, the fifth-largest nonprofit integrated health system in the nation. As a top executive at Advocate Health, he guides nearly 150,000 employees who provide care to approximately 6 million patients annually across 67 hospitals and 1,000-plus care sites. Dr. Rissmiller is recognized as a telemedicine pioneer, having overseen the creation of Atrium Health Hospital at Home during the pandemic, which resulted in a significant increase in virtual visits and improved patient satisfaction. He is committed to addressing social determinants of health, spearheading initiatives such as affordable housing projects and efforts to combat burnout among healthcare professionals. 

Cliff Robertson, MD. President and CEO of Saint Francis Health System (Tulsa, Okla.). Dr. Robertson leads the largest regional health system in Nebraska with 14 hospitals, 136 clinic locations and 12,500 employees. He has more than 20 years of experience in healthcare administration. Before joining CHI Health in 2014, he served as CEO of St. Luke's Health System in Houston and as COO of CHI Franciscan Health in Washington state. Dr. Robertson is a member of several boards, including the Geneva Foundation Board.

Loren Robinson, MD. Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Medical Affairs at Christus St. Michael Health System (Texarkana, Texas). Dr. Robinson serves as the chief medical officer and vice president for medical affairs at Christus St. Michael Health System, where she leads quality and safety efforts as well as physician recruitment. She played a pivotal role during the COVID-19 pandemic as the physician lead and medical technical-specialist lead for the hospital's incident command structure. Dr. Robinson's leadership resulted in an improved safety grade from The Leapfrog Group, successful Joint Commission survey visits, and more. She is currently spearheading the transition to the Epic Go-Live EMR system as the lead and executive sponsor. Prior to joining the Christus Health team, she served as deputy secretary for health promotion and disease prevention for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Marschall S. Runge, MD, PhD. Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs and CEO of Michigan Medicine (Ann Arbor). Dr. Runge is the executive vice president for Medical Affairs and CEO of Michigan Medicine, one of the largest healthcare complexes in the world and one of the largest hospitals in the state. Prior to joining Michigan Medicine, he held administrative positions at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. Dr. Runge holds five patents and is a former president of the American Heart Association, Galveston Island Division.

Jaewon Ryu, MD. President and CEO of Geisinger (Danville, Pa.). Dr. Ryu took the role of interim president and CEO of Geisinger, a health system that services over 3 million patients in 45 counties, in 2018 and took on the role permanently on July 1, 2019. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Emergency Medicine. Previously, Dr. Ryu was executive vice president and CMO of Geisinger, where he improved patient care quality, cost and experience. Before joining Geisinger, Dr. Ryu was president of integrated care delivery at Humana. In addition to his responsibilities at Geisinger, Dr. Ryu was appointed to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission and is on the board of directors of My Health Direct Inc.

Thomas B. Smyth, MD. President and CEO of University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center (Towson). Dr. Smyth leads 2,300 health professionals as president and CEO of 232-bed University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center. He went into medicine to follow in the footsteps of his father who was a practicing urologist. He eventually took over the practice and led its merger with other practices. He served as director, CFO and COO of Chesapeake Urology Associates before taking leadership roles with the University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center in 2015.

Olumide Sobowale, MD. Chief of Staff and Chief of Trauma Surgery at Lakeland (Fla.) Regional Health. Dr. Sobowale is chief of staff and chief of trauma surgery at Lakeland Regional Health. For nearly two decades, he has fostered the growth and development of numerous aspiring trauma surgeons and provided stability for the evolving health system. His efforts to improve collegial activity and fellowship among the more than 1,000 members of Lakeland's medical staff has greatly improved physician satisfaction performance. A prominent voice in all of the system's quality improvement and leadership councils, he is a staunch advocate for patient safety and quality care. 

Kevin Tabb, MD. President and CEO of Beth Israel Lahey Health (Cambridge, Mass.). Dr. Tabb serves as the president and CEO of Beth Israel Lahey Health, a system of academic medical centers, teaching hospitals and community hospitals. The health system has more than 4,000 affiliated physicians and 35,000 employees. He previously served as CEO of the Beth Israel Deaconess System and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Prior to joining BIDMC, Dr. Tabb worked at Stanford (Calif.) Hospital & Clinics as CMO and chief quality and medical information officer.

Susan Turney, MD. CEO of Marshfield (Wis.) Clinic Health System. Dr. Turney became the first CEO of Marshfield Clinic Health System in 2014 and has presided over a period of growth. During her tenure, the health system has gone from owning and operating one hospital to owning and operating seven and has added more than 3,000 employees. Dr. Turney also has overseen the development of innovative programs to shift patient care to low-cost settings. She is the former president and CEO of Englewood, Colo.-based Medical Group Management Association. She practiced and taught internal medicine for more than 20 years.

Amit Vashist, MD. Chief Clinical Officer of Ballad Health (Johnson City, Tenn.). Dr. Vashist focuses on clinical quality and initiatives to improve performance while cutting costs for the 21-hospital system serving northeast Tennessee, southwest Virginia and parts of Kentucky and North Carolina. The board-certified internist and psychiatrist is a liaison to the system's clinical council, a partnership with physicians for quality improvement. His work has included reducing the mortality of sepsis patients and improving the outcomes of heart failure and pneumonia patients as well as the overall patient experience.

Pooja Vyas, DO. Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Christian Hospital (St. Louis). Dr. Vyas, an internal medicine physician specializing in palliative medicine, serves as vice president and chief medical officer at BJC Healthcare's Christian Hospital. Her role involves the oversight of day-to-day operations of medicine workflow and delivery. She assumed the position in 2022, having most recently served as medical director of hospital medicine at Christian Hospital. Dr. Vyas has greatly improved the hospital by restructuring medical director positions, enhancing safety event monitoring, setting up a patient satisfaction pilot program, reducing readmissions and unnecessary admission via algorithm, and implementing effective processes for identifying quality improvement initiatives. 

Jennifer Watts, MD. Chief Emergency Management Medical Officer and Director of Global Health at Children's Mercy Kansas City (Mo.). Dr. Watts, an emergency medicine physician, serves as chief emergency management medical officer and director of global health at Children's Mercy Kansas City. She cares deeply about pediatric emergency medicine and disaster planning in global health. In 2011, she created the global health program at Children's Mercy Kansas City, and has gone on to train over 100 pediatric physicians in global health. She is also responsible for helping to restructure and rebuild emergency management at Children's Mercy during the pandemic. She and her team work to propel emergency preparedness on a local, regional and national scale.

David Williams, MD. Chief Clinical Officer, Senior Vice President of UnityPoint Health (West Des Moines, Iowa). Dr. Williams is chief clinical officer and senior vice president of UnityPoint Health, a system of more than 30,000 team members serving residents in Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin. He previously served as president and CEO of UnityPoint Clinic and UnityPoint at Home, which make up the ambulatory division of UnityPoint Health. He is trained and board-certified in pediatrics and has been practicing for over 20 years. Dr. Williams is a member of the American Association for Physician Leadership.

Medical Groups and ASCs

Maria Ansari, MD. CEO and Executive Director, The Permanente Medical Group; President and CEO, Mid-Atlantic Medical Group; and Co-Chief Executive Officer, The Permanente Federation (Oakland, Calif. and Rockville, Md.). Dr. Ansari serves as the CEO and executive director of The Permanente Medical Group, making her the first woman to serve in the role. She is also the president and CEO of Mid-Atlantic Medical Group and the co-CEO of Oakland, Calif.-based The Permanente Federation. In her role, Dr. Ansari leads two of the largest medical groups in the nation, with more than 11,000 physicians and 44,000 staff delivering high-quality health care to more than 5.4 million members. Previously, Dr. Ansari served as the physician-in-chief for the Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center, where she helped design and implement numerous advances in medical practice in primary care and specialty care.

Gregory Benson, MD. Medical Director of the Outpatient Surgery Center at Akron (Ohio) Children's Hospital. Dr. Benson, in his role as the medical director at the Outpatient Surgery Center in Akron, prioritizes evidence-based protocols, fosters collaboration, enhances the patient experience, and emphasizes safety and quality with a value-based approach. Throughout his career, Dr. Benson has successfully established and managed surgery centers in Atlanta, Columbus, and most recently, northeast Ohio for the past nine years. As a leader in pediatric ambulatory surgery, he has led ASCs in multiple renowned institutions and personally provided care to over 30,000 pediatric patients.

Erik Benton, MD. Facility Medical Director at TeamHealth Anesthesia and Medical Director of Brandon (Fla.) Surgery Center. Dr. Benton developed his career in the private sector for over a decade, building a successful outpatient anesthesia practice. After joining TeamHealth, Dr. Benton continued to be a leader in the outpatient anesthesia arena. As an ongoing contributor and leader in business development, Dr. Benton assisted with the startup of the Brandon Surgery Center in Brandon, Fla., in 2020, a distinct achievement with a successful launch during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Brandon Surgery Center is one of the busiest ASCs in the nation, performing over 22,200 procedures each year. Dr. Benton currently serves as medical director, in addition to serving as TeamHealth's on-site facility medical director. His commitment to patient safety and satisfaction continues to drive him professionally.

Donald Bohay, MD. Medical Director at OAM Surgery Center at Midtowne (Grand Rapids, Mich.). Dr. Bohay medical director at the OAM Surgery Center at Midtowne, where he specializes in foot and ankle reconstruction, trauma and injury, and deformity. In addition to his role as CMO, Dr. Bohay is director of the Grand Rapids Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Fellowship Program. He dedicates time not only to treating patients and leading the center, but also participating in research and working humanitarian relief efforts, such as One World Surgery, a medical mission in Honduras.

Robert S. Bray, Jr., MD. CEO and Founding Director of DISC Sports & Spine Center (Marina Del Rey and Newport Beach, Calif.). Dr. Bray, CEO and founding director of Disc Sports & Spine Center, is a renowned sports medicine specialist who has revolutionized the field through his innovative and forward-thinking approach. With an impressive 95 percent of surgeries performed as outpatient procedures, far surpassing the national average of 20 percent, he has redefined patient care in sports medicine. Utilizing microsurgical techniques, Dr. Bray excels in treating complex spine conditions, including spine fusion, disc replacement, and microdiscectomy, resulting in superior outcomes, speedy recoveries, and minimal scarring for his patients. Dr. Bray developed expertise and leadership through his previous roles as the director of neurosurgery and head of spinal programs at St. John's Medical Center, Century City Hospital and Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital. He also founded and built up Cedars Sinai's Institute for Spinal Disorders. He has made significant contributions to education and research, training numerous fellows, delivering international lectures, and publishing peer-reviewed articles. He also serves as the official medical provider for the U.S. Sail GP Team and Red Bull North American athletes.

Glenn Buterbaugh, MD. President of the Hand & UpperEx Center and the Executive Director of the Western PA Surgery Center (Wexford, Pa.). With nearly 40 years of orthopedic healthcare experience, Dr. Buterbaugh currently serves as president of the Hands & UpperEx Center and executive director of the Western PA Surgery Center. He actively practices on the medical staff of several Pennsylvania hospitals, including multiple sites of UPMC across the city of Wexford. Additionally, Dr. Buterbaugh engages in sports medicine care as Hand Consultant for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pittsburgh Penguins. He is also a clinical associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine's department of orthopedic surgery. 

Jeffrey Carlson, MD. President of the Orthopaedic and Spine Center at Coastal Virginia Surgery Center (Newport News, Va.). With two decades of experience, Dr. Carlson is a leader in outpatient spine surgery. As president of the Orthopaedic and Spine Center at Coastal Virginia Surgery Center, he spearheaded the development of two orthopedic specialty ASCs. A leader in ASC orthopedic surgery, Dr. Carlson was the first in Virginia to perform a cervical disc arthroplasty and lumbar fusion in an ASC setting. Additionally, he was the first in the U.S. to perform a 3-level lumbar fusion with PLIF in an outpatient ASC.

Shawn Carson, MD, MS. Anesthesia Director of The Mayfield Brain and Spine’s Surgical Innovation Center and Assistant Facility Medical Director for TeamHealth Anesthesia at The Christ Hospital Health Network (Cincinnati). Dr. Carson is the anesthesia director of The Mayfield Brain and Spine’s Surgical Innovation Center and serves as the assistant facility medical director for TeamHealth's anesthesia services at The Christ Hospital Health Network. During his time developing ASC business, Dr. Carson has lectured on operating room efficiency, the economic principles of ASC management and the science behind pushing the boundaries of ambulatory surgery. An Epic physician builder, he served as the informatics officer at Evendale Hospital in Cincinnati as well as the Butler County Medical Center in Hamilton, Ohio. His widespread experience saw him elected as chair of the TeamHealth Practice Management Committee, chair of the Mayfield medical executive committee and assistant director of acute pain management services. He brings a unique approach to traditional ambulatory surgery, as is evident in his successful business development, patient care and fresh marketing strategies.

Lisa Cassileth, MD. Founder and CEO of Cassileth Plastic Surgery (Beverly Hills, Calif.). Dr. Cassileth, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon, serves as medical director and CEO of her practice, Cassileth Plastic Surgery. The practice includes a clinic with three additional plastic surgeons, as well as two surgery centers and the Bedford Breast Center. In addition to her executive responsibilities, Dr. Cassileth performs breast reconstruction surgeries for both cancer and botched procedures, and is a strong advocate for optimal, whole-person patient care.

Nkem Chukwumerije, MD. President and Executive Director of The Southeast Permanente Medical Group (Atlanta). Dr. Chukwumerije is the president and executive medical director for The Southeast Permanente Medical Group, a multispecialty medical group with over 800 clinicians that serve more than 300,000 members. Dr. Chukwumerije is a member of the Society of Hospital Medicine, a fellow of the American College of Physicians, and board certified in internal medicine. He also serves as the national leader for equity, inclusion and diversity for The Permanente Federation, which is based in Oakland, Calif.

Brian Cohen, MD. Founder of Cohen Orthopedic (Chillicothe, Ohio). Dr. Cohen, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in illnesses and injuries of the knee, hip and shoulder, is the founder of Cohen Orthopedic and medical director at Great Seal Medical Group. Dr. Cohen's leadership was prominent in the development and growth of Adena Bone and Joint Center, where he served as medical director until 2020. Under his direction, the center increased from only two providers to over 30, as well as expanded their practice specialties. The success led by Dr. Cohen inspired multiple further Adena expansion projects, culminating in the construction of the $70 million Adena Orthopedic and Spine Institute.

Bruce Cohen, MD. CEO of OrthoCarolina (Charlotte, N.C.). Dr. Cohen is the CEO of OrthoCarolina and a distinguished leader in the field of orthopedic surgery, particularly in foot and ankle care. Prior to assuming his current role, he held other leadership positions at OrthoCarolina, including vice chairman of the board of directors and chair of the operations committee. His contributions have been instrumental in establishing OrthoCarolina as a nationally-recognized model for patient success and value-based care. He is actively involved in research as a principal investigator through the OrthoCarolina Research Institute. As a practicing physician, he serves as the chief of the foot and ankle division at Atrium Health-Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, N.C., where he continues to provide exceptional patient care. He also acts as current president of the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society and sits on its board of directors. 

Sukdeb Datta, MD. CEO of Saddlebrook (N.J.) Endoscopic and Orthopedic Surgery Center and Datta Endoscopic Back Surgery and Pain Center (New York City). Dr. Datta serves as CEO of Saddlebrook Endoscopic and Orthopedic Surgery Center as well as Datta Endoscopic Back Surgery and Pain Center. The latter now encompasses New York and New Jersey, with 12 office locations across both states. Dr. Datta has been listed as a New York Super Doctor for 11 consecutive years, featured in the NY Times Hall of Fame for 10, and recognized as a Castle Connolly Top Doctor in New York Metro for eight. In his many years of experience, Dr. Datta has been involved in various national and international ASC industry task forces, and is an industry leader in promoting endoscopic surgery in the ASC setting.

Ramin Davidoff, MD. Executive Medical Director and Chair of the Board, Southern California Permanente Medical Group; Chair of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, The Southeast Permanente Medical Group; Chair of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Hawaii Permanente Medical Group; Co-Chief Executive Officer, The Permanente Federation (Oakland and Pasadena, Calif., Atlanta, Honolulu). Dr. Davidoff provides leadership and strategic direction to the Permanente Medical Groups and assists in the creation of Kaiser Permanente’s national strategy. As leader for the Southern Permanente Medical Group, Dr. Davidoff leads one of the largest self-governing medical groups in the country, consisting of more than 8,500 physicians caring for more than 4.6 million members across 221 offices and 15 medical centers in Southern California.

Kevin Denny, MD. Director of the Pacific Vision Eye Institute, Co-Owner of the Pacific Vision Surgery Center and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at California Pacific Medical Center (San Francisco). Dr. Denny currently serves as the director of the Pacific Vision Eye Institute and chair of the department of ophthalmology at California Pacific Medical Center. In addition, he runs an active independent clinic where he provides medical care to individuals suffering from various ailments including cataracts, glaucoma, dry eye syndrome and diabetic eye disease. Dr. Denny is co-owner of the Pacific Vision Surgery Center, a comprehensive ophthalmology practice specializing in advanced cataract surgery.

Michael Dolphin, DO. Head of Back, Neck and Spine Center at Orthopaedic Specialist and Medical Director at Mississippi Valley Surgery Center (Davenport, Iowa). Dr. Dolphin leads the medical staff of Mississippi Valley Surgery Center, a multispecialty, multi-site ASC, as their medical director. In his role, he is responsible for leading all aspects of clinical care, championing advanced certification, and working with all specialties to ensure effective communication throughout all facilities and operations. He has performed 150-plus outpatient spine surgeries at the center. In addition to his leadership at Mississippi Valley, Dr. Dolphin is the head of the Back, Neck and Spine Center at Orthopaedic Specialists.

Brian Fiani, MD. Board of Trustees and Vice Chair of Bureau of Emerging Leaders for American Osteopathic Association (Chicago). Dr. Fiani, a board-certified neurosurgeon with Ivy League fellowship training in minimally invasive spinal surgery, is a leader in ASC spine surgery. He currently serves as the postdoctoral trainee member on the board of trustees at the American Osteopathic Association, as well as vice chair of the bureau of emerging leaders. Dr. Fiani currently practices in Michigan, and has published 120-plus peer reviewed articles, many focusing on minimally invasive techniques he utilizes in the ASC setting. 

Larry Frevert, MD. Board Chair at St Luke's Surgicenter-Lee's Summit (Mo.). Dr. Frevert is an orthopedic surgeon and board chair at St. Luke's Surgicenter-Lee's Summit. He has led Rockhill Orthopedics for over 30 years, and has served in his role as board chair for 17. Under his leadership, the center has evolved from a 250 case per month, two-OR center to one with five ORs and three GI rooms doing 1,300 cases per month. The ASC is also the first in Missouri to acquire approval for a da Vinci surgical robot. In addition to this expansion, Dr. Frevert currently serves on a committee leading an 18,000 square foot expansion which will add an additional three ORs, one GI room and two procedure rooms.

Scott Fowler, MD. President and CEO of Holston Medical Group (Kingsport, Tenn.). As president and CEO, Dr. Fowler leads a team of over 200 providers across 30 specialties, three diagnostic centers, two sleep centers and three ASCs. In his leadership, Dr. Fowler issues the practice and its facilities remain community focused, and is recognized as an industry leader in discussing value in healthcare, healthcare innovation, and the role of ASCs in each. In addition to leading operations and organizational expansion, Dr. Fowler has spearheaded efforts to ensure continuity of care, including an investment in community health information exchange integration technology.

Rick Ganim, MD. Medical Director at Vital Heart and Vein (Humble, Texas). As medical director for Vital Heart and Vein, Dr. Ganim shapes positive patient experience and staff communications. As an interventional cardiologist with over 15 years of experience, he is a mentor for new cardiologists. In addition to his role at Vital Heart and Vein, Dr. Ganim serves with the HCA Gulf Coast Division as the division medical director of interventional cardiology. He is rated a Top Doctor as well as Hall of Fame Physician.

Monte Goldstein, MD. Chief Medical Officer of the Virtua Ambulatory Surgical Centers (Marlton, N.J.). Dr. Goldstein, an anesthesiologist, is chief medical officer of the Virtua Ambulatory Surgical Centers. In 2019, Dr. Goldstein joined the staff of Virtua Health and was promoted to CMO in 2021. Under his leadership, he has provided guidance to a larger network of ASCs throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, offering clinical, business, and strategic advice to promote ASC success. Additionally, Dr. Goldstein serves as a board member and certified CMS inspector on the AAAASF accreditation board, and is on the board of Project Orbis, a flying ophthalmology hospital which provides services to underserved communities across the world.

Nicholas Grosso, MD. President of The Centers for Advanced Orthopaedics (Bethesda, Md.). Dr. Grosso, an orthopedic surgeon who has been practicing for over 25 years, serves as president of The Centers for Advanced Orthopaedics. CAO is one of the most expansive orthopedic care providers in the nation. He is also the president of Bethesda, Md.-based MedVanta, a physician-owned musculoskeletal services organization. His expertise in total joint replacement, sports medicine, fracture care and general orthopedics has been showcased in numerous peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Grosso is a veteran of the U.S. Army. 

Joy Guth, MD. Medical Director of Kaiser Ambulatory Surgery Center at Colorado Permanente Medical Group (Denver, Colo.). As medical director of KASC at Colorado Permanente, Dr. Guth promotes patient safety and quality in a multispecialty ASC with OR utilization over 80 percent. The center completes over 12,000 outpatient surgeries annually in a venue that has stood for more than three decades. Dr. Guth prioritizes internalizations, such as immediate breast reconstructions, as well as operational efforts in a patient centric manner that cultivates a teamwork, partnership and performance focused workplace culture.

Jason Habeck, MD. Executive Medical Director of the M Health Fairview Ambulatory Surgical Center (Minneapolis). As medical director of the M Health Fairview Ambulatory Surgical Center, Dr. Habeck ensures best practices in both patient safety and patient quality are upheld and exceeded in the ASC. In his role, he has increased surgical and procedural volumes even amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which allowed for offloading to acute care hospitals. In addition, Dr. Habeck has demonstrated great leadership in developing quality and safety standards: he created anesthetic standards and admission criteria at the ASC as well as quality standards to ensure a safe and efficient experience for all patients.

Scott Hayworth, MD. President and CEO of CareMount Medical (Mount Kisco, N.Y.). Under the leadership of Dr. Hayworth, CareMount Medical has grown from having 40 physicians two decades ago to over 600 physicians today. The practice includes 45 offices in New York that serve more than 640,000 patients. He has led the affiliations between CareMount and 10 regional hospitals, including Massachusetts General Hospital and Mount Sinai Hospital. He is an associate dean and clinical assistant professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Hayworth serves on many boards and is the president of the board of directors of Bedford Physicians Risk Retention Group.

Robert D. Hoffman, MD.  Medical Director of Chatham Orthopaedic Surgery Center (Savannah, Ga.). In his role as medical director, Dr. Hoffman engages in cooperative efforts with management, nursing, and medical personnel to establish and uphold patient-centric processes at Chatham Orthopaedic Surgery Center. Under his leadership, the center has been recognized as a top ASC both regionally and nationally by Newsweek. His work with the surgical staff includes maintaining cost efficiency by utilizing existing technology, streamlining usage of vendor implants, and consolidating supply procurement. In addition, Dr. Hoffman plays a prominent role in assuring the rotations of qualified students within the center as they obtain hours for medical school, physician assistant or nurse practitioner training applications. As a former Naval officer, Dr. Hoffman is also an excellent provider and resource for military patients and families.

David Jakofsky, MD. Founder and CEO of HOPCo and The CORE Institute (Phoenix). As the founder and CEO of HOPCo, The CORE Institute, and its affiliated entities, Dr. Jacofsky brings extensive business management expertise to the healthcare industry. He focuses on aligning stakeholders in the healthcare space through partnerships with payers, providers and hospitals with the goal of delivering value-based care and enhanced financial performance. He is deeply involved in academic pursuits, having authored multiple peer-reviewed publications, book chapters and orthopedic textbooks. With over 30 patents to his name, he is also recognized as an accomplished inventor.

Valluvan Jeevanandam, MD. Director of Heart and Vascular Center and Chief of Section of Cardiac Surgery at University of Chicago Medicine. Dr. Jeevanandam is director of the Heart and Vascular Center and chief of the section of cardiac surgery at UChicago Medicine. In this role, Dr. Jeevanandam has shown exemplary commitment to serving an often ignored patient population: those who refuse blood products for religious or clinical reasons. He has led one of the most mature bloodless programs in the world, with patients all over the country requesting bloodless cardiothoracic procedures at the University. A pioneer of bloodless cardiothoracic procedures, Dr. Jeevanandam is recognized as a leader in performing surgical procedures including heart transplants, LVADs, aortic dissections, CABGs, all without the use of blood transfusions.

Michael Kessler, MD. Chief of Hand Surgery at MedStar Orthopaedic Institute (Washington, D.C.). Dr. Kessler, an orthopedic hand surgeon, is chief of hand surgery at Medstar Orthopaedic Institute. Performing surgery at MedStar Lafayette ASC and the Medstar Georgetown University Hospital, Dr. Kessler advocates for thoughtful, individualized care in both his leadership and patient care. He has experience caring for a number of professional sports organizations, including the New Jersey Devils, Association of Tennis Professionals, Philadelphia Phillies and Philadelphia Flyers, as well as a consulting hand surgeon for the D.C. United. Dr. Kessler received the John H. Boyes Award from the American Society for Surgery of the Hand in 2009 — one of his numerous awards for clinical and basic science research. In addition to his clinical and leadership roles, he is the director of the Orthopaedic Residency Program, a professor of orthopedic surgery, and vice chair of resident education at the Georgetown University School of Medicine.

Sunil Khurana, MD. CEO of Premier Medical Group (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.). Dr. Khurana, a full-time gastroenterologist, is CEO of Premier Medical Group, where he oversees over 450 employees, 15 locations, 11 specialty divisions, and an endoscopic center. Since founding the organization over a decade ago, Dr. Khurana has expanded the group from just two specialties — gastroenterology and urology — into the 85 provider, 11 specialty organization it is today. Bridgeview Endoscopy, the renowned outpatient endoscopy facility, opened in 2016 under Dr. Khurana's leadership. Professional Research Consultants recognized Dr. Khurana with the Five Star Excellence Award for scoring in the top 10 percent nationally for overall quality of physician care. In addition to his executive leadership and patient care at Premier Medical Group, Dr. Khurana also offers free health screenings to those in need through the Premier Cares Foundation.

Neeraja Kikkeri, DDS. CEO and Co-Founder of North Texas Team Care Surgery Center (Mesquite, Texas). In 2010, Dr. Kikkeri co-founded and opened the North Texas Team Care Surgery Center. As CEO of the organization, she oversees operations at the Surgery Center, Advanced Pain Solutions and Hinkapin Health. In addition to her executive responsibilities, Dr. Kikkeri has earned recognition as an industry speaker on topics such as staffing, supply costs and changing price transparency laws; in her presentations, she emphasizes the importance of maintaining ongoing communications between physicians, staff and administration. After the Haitian earthquake of 2010, Dr. Kikkeri organized flights and two medical missions to aid in the humanitarian crisis, and volunteered for another Haitian medical mission in 2016.

Leong Koh, MD. President and CEO, Northwest Permanente (Portland, Ore.). Dr. Koh leads more than 1,700 physicians, clinicians, and administrative staff at the largest independent, physician-led, multispecialty medical group in Oregon and Southwest Washington. Together, these physicians deliver evidence- and value-based health care with humanity to more than 620,000 members in the region. Dr. Koh has practiced family medicine for more than 25 years and has served in a variety of key operational and strategic leadership roles at both regional and national levels, most recently as vice president of quality, care experience, and patient safety. During Dr. Koh’s tenure, Kaiser Permanente Northwest has once again achieved Medicare 5-star status and several other prestigious awards and recognition for high-quality, exceptional care.

Stefan Kreuzer, MD. Founder of Inov8 Orthopedics (Houston). Dr. Kreuzer, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in outpatient joint replacement, founded Inov8 Orthopedics in 2015. Committed to providing exceptional patient care and clinical quality, the practice was the first in Texas to be recognized with advanced orthopaedic certification. Dr. Kreuzer demonstrates effective leadership in uniting stakeholders to align goals for patients, payers, leaders, teammates, and vendors. He is considered an industry leader and speaks frequently on strategies for better procedure performance, including navigating rate negotiations, outpatient setting efficiency with robotics, and surgeons' impact on overall care delivery. In addition to his role at Inov8 Orthopedics, Dr. Kreuzer is a clinical assistant professor at the Baylor College of Medicine.

David Kugler, MD. Regional EMS Medical Director of Nassau County (N.Y.). Dr. Kugler manages over 80 EMS agencies, interacting with five commercial hospital systems and 13 hospitals in his role as regional EMS medical director for Nassau County. In addition, Dr. Kugler is also an emergency physician, agency associate medical director for the East Coast's largest interfacility critical care transport and emergency service, and medical director for the critical care aeromedical service. Dr. Kugler is responsible for building New York State's first community paramedic program within the confines of public health law. Dedicating his life's work to the education and safety of all, he is also a volunteer firefighter, volunteer paramedic, and auxiliary police officer. A strong advocate for emergency preparedness education, Dr. Krugler has trained thousands of individuals, both clinical professionals and not, over many years in life saving CPR, and more recently in narcan administration and bleeding control.

Anita Kulkarni, MD. Founder of DC Plastic Surgery Boutique (Washington, D.C.). Dr. Kulkarni is an award-winning plastic and reconstructive surgeon and founder of DC Plastic Surgery Boutique. She has a special interest in post-pregnancy body contouring procedures and breast reconstruction following mastectomy. Dr. Kulkani oversaw all aspects of developing her Washington, D.C. center, including design, construction, equipment selection and accreditation. She has been named a Washingtonian Top Doc consecutively from 2016-22.

Joshua Lampert, MD. Founder of Lampert MD ASC (Miami). Dr. Lampert opened Lampert MD ASC, a plastic and reconstructive surgery ASC, in 2010 after decades of working within a hospital system. He is one of only six surgeons in the country certified by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education in craniofacial surgery. Dr. Lampert is also a clinical assistant professor at Florida International University's Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. Through his work in reconstructive surgery, Dr. Lampert aims to bring confidence and security to patients who have undergone severe physical trauma. In addition to his year-round plastic and reconstructive surgical procedures, Dr. Lampert has participated in charitable surgery days. These include A.L.L. For Moms Charity Surgery Day in May of 2023, where he and his team gifted three mothers free reconstructive surgery which they otherwise could not afford, as well as Day of Smiles, which aims to restore smiles to children with deformities that had impacted their happiness and confidence.

Brad Lerner, MD. President of Chesapeake Urology Associates and Medical Director of United Urology Group Ambulatory Surgical Centers (Baltimore). Dr. Lerner has been a leader in the urology ASC space for the last 25 years. He practices general urology, and has special clinical interest in areas such as vasectomy, male infertility, erectile dysfunction, and sperm retrieval procedures. As president of Chesapeake Urology Associates and the medical director at Summit Ambulatory Surgical Centers, Dr. Lerner has pioneered the advancement of urology procedures within ASCs. He has been named a Top Doctor in Baltimore magazine for urology consecutively from 2015-19, and was honored with a citation from former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley as recognition for more than 22 years of exemplary community healthcare service in Baltimore.

Jacqueline Luong, MD. Board Chair of Edina (Minn.) Specialty Surgery Center. Dr. Luong has high expectations when it comes to operations and patient care as board chair of Edina Specialty Surgery Center. She has a unique background with experience as a scrub tech, and has been essential in training incoming staff. Under Dr. Luong's leadership, the center has been recognized as Newsweek's top ASC for 2023 and a bronze winner for Minnesota's best ASCs. Dr. Luong is committed to a positive workplace culture, with staff retention being a top priority. Additionally, Dr. Luong is a strong advocate for patient-centered care, always making herself readily available to leadership and staff with questions regarding her patients, even with the center averaging 900 patients a month.

Mark Malone, MD. Founder and President of Advanced Pain Care (Round Rock, Texas). Dr. Malone founded Advanced Pain Care, a private clinic which aims to improve the quality of care in chronic pain and help patients regain quality of life with state-of-the-art treatments. Dr. Malone has experience as a chronic back pain patient himself — pain that was not cured after the two surgeries he underwent. The revolution that helped Dr. Malone overcome chronic pain was a spinal cord stimulator, a device the APC clinic is now one of the top providers for. With 17 locations across Texas, four ASCs, and three pharmacies, Dr. Malone leads APC with the support of hardworking doctors, nurses, medical assistants, and managers. In addition to his work with APC, Dr. Malone is also a clinical assistant professor of surgery and perioperative care at UT Dell Medical School.

Robert Masson, MD. Founder and Medical Director of Masson Spine Institute (Ocoee, Fla.). Dr. Masson is responsible for building two freestanding Masson Spine Institute ASCs in Park City, Utah and Orlando, Fla. He has brought cervical arthroplasty and lumbar reconstruction strategies into the ASC space for more than a decade. An internationally recognized neurosurgeon, Dr. Masson has committed his 34-year neurosurgical career to minimally invasive spine surgery and sports spine medicine. In addition to his role as founder and medical director of Masson Spine Institute, Dr. Masson is also the founder and CEO of eXpanded eXistence, a software company backed by artificial intelligence, augmented reality technologies and machine learning, which aims to enhance surgery. He has developed spine implants, technology and procedures with a focus on minimally invasive procedures offering maximum functional recovery. 

Tuvi Mendel, MD. Head of Foot & Ankle Center at Orthopaedic Specialists and Board Chairman of Mississippi Valley Surgery Center (Davenport, Iowa). As board chairman of Mississippi Valley Surgery Center, Dr. Mendel focuses his efforts on ensuring a board with full understanding of physician, patient and staff needs. He is a champion for staff education and training, and has made staff retention a top priority for the center, resulting in a retention rate greater than 90 percent. In addition to his responsibilities in decision making for MVSC facilities, Dr. Mendel is also head of the Foot & Ankle Center at Orthopedic Specialists, where he provides orthopedic care to patients with feet, ankle, and lower leg disorders or injuries. He also has extensive experience as an orthopedic sports medicine specialist.

David Mendelson, MD. Co-Owner of Mendelson Kornblum Orthopedics (Livonia, Mich.). As co-owner of Mendelson Kornblum Orthopedics, Dr. Mendelson is committed to total patient care delivered in a fully vertically integrated model, as well as growing a diverse team of medical leaders. He practices general orthopedics in both Mendelson Kornblum's Livonia and Warren, Mich., offices in addition to being on staff at St. Mercy Livonia Hospital and St. John Macomb Hospital, at both of which he was formerly chief of the section of orthopedics. Dr. Mendelson has been voted as one of Hour Detroit magazine's Top Docs in Orthopedics and Sports Medicine by southeast Michigan medical professionals.

Thomas Michelson, MD. President of DuPage Eye Surgery Center (Wheaton, Ill.). Dr. Michelson serves as the president of DuPage Eye Surgery Center, where he has demonstrated strong leadership in transitioning the group to a transparent governance model. In his role, he was responsible for helping physician owners raise the capital to buyout a majority stakeholder while keeping the ASC debt-free. Additionally, Dr. Michelson played an instrumental role in establishing a new operating agreement which led to the creation of a governing board. He has been recognized as a Castle Connelly Top Doctor for his work in comprehensive ophthalmology.

Regina Najera, MD. Medical Director at Tucson (Ariz.) Surgery Center. Dr. Najera serves as the medical director of Tucson Surgery Center, a position she has held for several years. She also acts as chairman of the board at the surgery center. Thanks to her constant attentiveness to all ASC and medical staff needs, she has developed a reputation as one of the most respected leaders in both her community and the ASC. Dr. Najera is also a practicing ophthalmologist who leads a successful private practice, Vista Eye Care, that serves 30,000 patients annually. 

Yeshvant Navalgund, MD. Chief Medical Officer of Ambulatory Surgery at National Spine and Pain Centers (Frederick, Md.). Dr. Navalgund serves as the chief medical officer of ambulatory surgery at National Spine and Pain Centers. In his role, he navigates the complexities of the spine and pain ambulatory surgery setting and inspires his team to deliver exceptional patient care. He is adept at implementing the highest ethical standards into new practices to prioritize patient safety throughout the organization. He helped build the multispecialty ASC from the ground up and has been instrumental in developing a leading edge curriculum.

Kevin O'Connor, MD. Board Chairman of Loudoun Medical Group (Leesburg, Va.). Dr. O'Connor is currently the board chairman of Loudoun Medical Group. He joined The Urology Group in 1992 and has conducted extensive research in pediatric urology, particularly pediatric urinary tract infection. Since entering practice, he has maintained an active surgical and office practice with special interest in pediatrics, fertility, and cancer. He has served as president of the Loudoun County Medical Society, Loudoun Hospital Center’s chief of staff, and has been instrumental in spearheading many quality initiatives. Dr. O’Connor has also served on the Loudoun County Disability Services Board. He is a member of the American Urologic Society, certified by the American Board of Urology and a fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

David Parsons, MD. Chief Medical Officer and Director of Operations at Northwest Permanente (Portland, Ore.). As CMO and director of operations at Northwest Permanente, Dr. Parsons oversees the two Kaiser Foundation Hospitals in the Northwest region. He is an advocate of environmental consciousness in healthcare, and has made significant contributions to environmental health through his program, "Wait Don't Waste," which reduced opened-but-unused items in ORs and procedure areas and ultimately, 5 tons of plastic waste. Additionally, Dr. Parsons made great progress in addressing the opioid crisis at the organization: since 2017, his initiative for surgeons only to prescribe what is medically necessary has led to a 53 percent reduction in opioid pills prescribed per operation and 81 percent decrease in those prescribed more than 45 days from the operation. These reductions have coincided with positive impacts to quality, equity, and patient satisfaction.

John V. Prunskis, MD. Founder and Co-Medical Director of Illinois Pain & Spine Institute (Barrington, Ill.). Dr. Prunskis serves as founder and co-medical director of Illinois Pain & Spine Institute. He is also a presidential appointee to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Best Practices Pain Task Force in Washington, D.C. and a clinical professor at Chicago Medical School. He brings a deep clinical expertise to his roles, having been board certified in anesthesiology and pain management. He is also a fellow in interventional pain practice, the highest honor one can earn as an interventional pain physician. 

Michael Quinn, MD. Medical Director of Orthopaedic Surgical Institute (Rochester Hills, Mich.). Dr. Quinn, medical director of Orthopaedic Surgical Institute, has committed to creating and supporting a culture of surgeons, nurses and staff who want to grow and provide excellent care to the institute's entire patient population. He aims to guide the workforce through the rapidly changing ASC landscape. Since his appointment, joint volume in the facility has more than tripled, the number of total cases increased by 12 percent, and revenues increased by 8 percent. Dr. Quinn effectively guided the institute through the pandemic, supply shortages and staffing challenges while maintaining its talented staff and increasing growth and productivity.

Sudhakar Reddy, MD. CEO of Central Arizona GI and Liver Institute (Gilbert, Ariz.). Dr. Reddy is the CEO, president, founder and owner of Central Arizona GI and Liver Institute, Reddy GI Associates and The Liver Clinic. He is board certified in gastroenterology, anatomic pathology, clinical pathology, and internal medicine. He and his team aim to provide patient-centered care of digestive diseases. He has grown his practice tremendously over the past two decades and has cultivated a safe space for all staff members and patients. 

Michael Redler, MD. Founding Partner of The Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Center (Fairfield, Conn.). Dr. Redler is one of the founding partners of The Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Center. The medicine center joined forces with Connecticut Orthopaedics in 2018. Dr. Redler has developed expertise in sports medicine, hand surgery and upper extremity surgery. His goal as a leader and physician is to offer patients superior care and to help educate future sports medicine providers.

John Santa Ana, DO.  President of Michigan Center for Regenerative Medicine (Rochester, Mich.). Dr. Santa Ana currently serves as the president of Michigan Center for Regenerative Medicine. He is a board certified physician in physical medicine and rehabilitation and electrodiagnostic medicine. He subspecializes in interventional sports, joints, and spine treatments and has combined his expertise in musculoskeletal, sports, and pain management with regenerative medicine. He is considered a pioneer in regenerative orthopedics in Michigan, having brought treatments that were once only available to elite athletes to the general community. 

Robert Schnarrs, MD. Owner of The Hague Center for Cosmetic and Plastics Surgery (Norfolk, Va.). Dr. Schnarrs is acknowledged as a regional leader in breast reconstruction for correction of congenital anomalies and post-mastectomy for carcinoma. Dr. Schnarrs' private practice, The Hague Center for Cosmetic and Plastics Surgery, primarily performs cosmetic plastic surgery and reconstructive breast surgery. His practice also treats upper extremity and hand injuries, as well as craniomaxillofacial injuries. Dr. Schnarrs also cares for burn victims in collaboration with the trauma service at Sentara Norfolk (Va.) General Hospital. He serves on several academic committee appointments both locally and nationally and has published numerous articles in plastic surgery related journals, as well as several textbook chapters.  

Niazy Selim, MD, PhD. Founder of Selim Surgery Center (Lake Charles, La.). Dr. Selim is the founder of Selim Surgery Center. He is board certified in general surgery and a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He brings to his role deep experience in bariatric surgery, gastrointestinal surgery, and minimally invasive and robotic surgery. Dr. Selim has contributed to several publications and has given presentations on diseases of gastrointestinal tract. He has done extensive research on hepatobiliary diseases and other types of liver diseases. He is also trained in gastrointestinal diagnostic and interventional endoscopy.

Eliza "Pippa" Shulman, DO. Chief Medical Officer of Medically Home (Boston). Dr. Shulman is the chief medical officer of Medically Home. Utilizing an open and transparent communication style, she guides the company as a thought and operational leader both internally and externally. She is an expert in her field of decentralized healthcare, presenting on state, national and international stages. She is continually developing the care delivery model and championing the field amongst physicians, nurses, paramedics, pharmacists and other clinicians within healthcare.

Scott Sigman, MD. Founder and Chief Medical Officer of OrthoLazer (Rochester, N.Y.). Dr. Sigman, an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist, founded OrthoLazer in 2019. OrthoLazer has 11 locations with over 50 physicians, which offer patients non-invasive, opioid-free pain management solutions in the form of laser therapy. In addition to his role at OrthoLazer, Dr. Sigman has practiced as an orthopedic surgeon at Orthopedic Surgical Associates since 1996. He has served as the team physician for the U.S. Ski Jump Team and has been the Team Physician for UMASS Lowell for the past two decades. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Sigman started his podcast The Ortho Show, exploring the latest trends and strategy in orthopedics. In both 2022 and 2023, he received the Castle Connolly Top Doctor Award.

Donna Smith, MD. President of Franciscan Medical Group and Senior Vice President of Virginia Mason Franciscan Health (Seattle). As president of Franciscan Medical Group and senior vice president of Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, Dr. Smith’s handles strategy and operations for Franciscan Medical Group. She is an active physician leader and pediatrician at Virginia Mason Medical Center. She has taken on multiple physician leadership roles, including executive medical director and associate chief medical officer at Virginia Mason Medical Center, where she manages patient care in ambulatory and acute hospital environments. 

Amol Soin. CEO of Surgery Center at Corporate Way (Dayton, Ohio). Dr. Soin is the CEO of Surgery Center at Corporate Way. He also serves as the medical director for Ohio Pain Clinic in Centerville. He is triple board-certified in pain management and is board-certified in anesthesiology. Under his leadership, the surgery center was awarded the "Business of the Year" title three years ago by Dayton Business Journal. It also won the "Best Places to Work in Dayton" for two consecutive years. 

John Suh, MD. Chief Medical Officer at United Digestive (Atlanta). Dr. Suh became the chief medical officer at United Digestive in 2020. He first joined Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates, an associated practice of United Digestive, in 2008 and has steadily risen through the ranks. He is board certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology, and has a master's degree in health policy and management. 

Rahul Tevar, MD. Regional Medical Director of Perioperative Services for Kaiser Permanente and Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group (Oakland, Calif. and Rockville, Md.). Dr. Tevar oversees seven ambulatory surgery centers throughout Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., as the regional medical director of perioperative services for Kaiser Permanente and Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group. He performed the first robotic surgery at the Kaiser Permanente Largo Medical Center, utilizing the Intuitive da Vinci Xi robotic surgical system for complex hernia repair. Under his leadership, the ambulatory surgery center has seen significant growth in the volume and variety of robotic procedures, including prostatectomy, partial nephrectomy, and abdominal wall reconstruction. Dr. Tevar is also involved in the multidisciplinary breast care program, streamlining the treatment planning process for breast cancer patients. In addition to performing the full range of general surgical procedures, Dr. Tevar specializes in advanced laparoscopic and foregut procedures.

Alex Vaccaro, MD, PhD. President of Rothman Orthopaedic Institute (Philadelphia). Dr. Vaccaro has acted as Rothman Orthopaedics' president since 2014. Under his leadership, Rothman Orthopaedics recently saw its first spine case in partnership with Bayonne, N.J.-based CarePoint Health. In 2022, Dr. Vaccaro was recognized by Expertscape as the top-rated spine care expert in the world for the second year in a row. He has contributed greatly to the academic field of spine, as backed by his 200 non-peer reviewed publications, 900-plus peer-reviewed publications and 372 book chapters. 

Chris Watts, MD. Medical Director of Iowa City (Iowa) ASC. Dr. Watts, medical director of Iowa City ASC, is leading several major growth initiatives. His chief accomplishments thus far have been hiring a new executive director, implementing operational efficiencies, and recruiting new physician members. Under his leadership, the ASC has been awarded several accolades. Dr. Watts is also a practicing physician in ophthalmology. His areas of interest include cataract surgery, toric and premium intraocular lens implants, macular degeneration and diabetes mellitus.

John Wilckens, MD. Medical Director for Johns Hopkins Health Care & Surgery Center - White Marsh (Md.). Dr. Wilckens is an orthopedic surgeon serving as medical director for Johns Hopkins Health Care & Surgery Center at White Marsh. In his role, he supports staff growth at all levels, from registration staff, to the surgical technicians, nurses, and physicians. As a testament to his commitment to cultivating and engaging empowered staff, Dr. Wilckens spends time teaching fellows, residents, and OR staff. Under his leadership, White Marsh Surgery Center was named the top ASC in Maryland in 2021, according to Leapfrog. In 2018, Dr. Wilckens was recognized with the Jack Hughston Sports Physician Award.

Richard Wohns, MD. Founder of Neospine (Puyallup, Wash.). Dr. Wohns is the founder and president of NeoSpine, which offers total spine care including surgery, pain management, and imaging. He has been a practicing physician specializing in neurological surgery for more than 30 years. Since its inception, NeoSpine has been at the leading edge of creative outpatient spinal surgery and pain management techniques. Dr. Wohns created NeoSpine with the intention of helping patients to get back to their lives and activities. An innovator and businessman as well as a physician leader, Dr. Wohns has been intimately involved in several other successful businesses in the healthcare field. 

Jennifer Wolf, MD. President of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (Chicago). As president of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, Dr. Wolf is an empowering leader who encourages autonomy, advocates for necessary resources, and offers guidance and support to her team. Dr. Wolf is a strong advocate for promoting women in orthopedic care, and has been at the forefront of mentorship programs and educational initiatives that empower and nurture female orthopedic surgeons. In addition to her commitment to advancing gender equality in orthopedics, Dr. Wolf also shows great involvement in enhancing patient access to orthopedic care, having championed the development of ambulatory surgery programs for complex hand cases. Her impact as a leader in ASC orthopedics is evident in improved treatment experiences, better outcomes, and increased patient satisfaction.