25 Recipients of Becker's Healthcare 2014 Leadership Awards

Becker's Healthcare is pleased to announce the 25 recipients of the Becker's Healthcare 2014 Leadership Awards.

The awards recognize men and women who have made remarkable contributions and will leave lasting legacies to their respective health systems, hospitals and communities.

These leaders work at organizations of various sizes throughout the country, but all have demonstrated a noteworthy range of talent, skill and passion in their work. Awardees have extended their leadership and vision beyond the confines of their organizations to improve the well-being of their local communities, as well. We are delighted to honor them for their achievements. We hope they serve as an inspiration to others in the healthcare industry.  

Awardees will each receive a token of appreciation for their hard work and service, along with recognition at the 5th Annual Becker's Hospital Review May Conference, which will take place May 15-17 in Chicago.  

Editor's note: Becker's Healthcare received numerous nominations for the Leadership Awards. We appreciate the time and thought that went into each nomination, all of which were considered by a panel of editorial team members and healthcare industry experts. The 2014 awardee decisions are final. Becker's Healthcare looks forward to highlighting exemplary careers in healthcare with annual Leadership Awards in years to come.  

Barry S. Arbuckle, PhD. President and CEO of MemorialCare Health System (Long Beach, Calif.). As president and CEO of MemorialCare Health System, Dr. Arbuckle leads a nonprofit integrated healthcare delivery system with $2 billion in annual revenues. The six-hospital system includes Long Beach Memorial, Miller Children's Hospital Long Beach, Community Hospital Long Beach, Orange Coast Memorial in Fountain Valley and Saddleback Memorial in Laguna Hills and San Clemente. It has ties to 13,000 physicians, nurses and clinical support staff, along with an active graduate medical education program, clinical training, research, numerous outpatient and satellite services, retail health facilities, a medical foundation and philanthropic foundations.

Along with his role in the C-suite, Dr. Arbuckle serves on many boards, including March of Dimes in California and Integrated Healthcare Association. He is the past chair of VHA West Coast and member of the Healthcare Leadership Council in Washington, D.C. Dr. Arbuckle was previously chair of the California Hospital Association, representing 450 hospitals and health systems. He also speaks frequently nationally and internationally on a variety of topics in healthcare.

MemorialCare Health System has received many accolades with Dr. Arbuckle at the helm. He has led the system to earn consecutive Gallup Great Workplace awards along with its recognition as one of the Best Governed Hospital Systems in the U.S. by The Governance Institute, among other honors. In 2013, the Partners in Care Foundation named Dr. Arbuckle the recipient of its Mathies Award, which is presented each year in recognition of an innovative and creative leader or healthcare organization whose vision and accomplishments are changing the shape of the industry.

Dr. Arbuckle is a graduate of Missouri State University in Springfield. He earned his master's degree from Arizona State University in Phoenix and a PhD from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. He served on the adjunct faculty for the departments of psychology and sociology at California State University Long Beach. He currently serves on the adjunct faculty at the Graduate School of Nursing.

Bryan Becker, MD. Associate Vice President of Hospital Operations at University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System and CEO of University of Illinois Hospital (Chicago). Dr. Becker came to the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2010 as senior associate dean for clinical affairs and has moved through several positions to his present role in the hospital structure and as a professor in the department of medicine at UIC.

Before his work with UIC and UI Health, Dr. Becker led the nephrology division at the University of Wisconsin department of medicine beginning in 2002, serving
as fellowship program director for five years. He was previously vice-chair for clinical affairs in UW's department of medicine, a role in which he oversaw 14 community-based and academic practice sites and developed new mechanisms for incentive compensation, among other initiatives. Dr. Becker previously served as president of the National Kidney Foundation, which is based in New York City and is the world's largest organization dedicated to nephrology. Dr. Becker also served on National Institutes of Health review panels for more than 10 years.

Dr. Becker has published more than 190 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters and abstracts, and he has served either as an editor or reviewer for 15 different publications in the field of nephrology and internal medicine. Dr. Becker also has served or continues to serve on or chair a number of different committees at the national level for the American Society of Transplantation, the American Society of Nephrology, the Association of Specialty Professors and the National Kidney Foundation.

Dr. Becker attended Dartmouth College for his bachelor's degree, then attended the University of Kansas School of Medicine for his medical degree. He completed his residency in internal medicine at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., and fellowship training in nephrology at Duke and at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. He received his master's degree in medical management from Tulane University in New Orleans.

Steven Bjelich. President and CEO of Saint Francis Healthcare System (Cape Girardeau, Mo.). Mr. Bjelich has led Saint Francis Healthcare System as president and CEO since 1999. Under his leadership, the three-hospital system has expanded its market share by 12 points to 54 percent, achieving an average operating margin of nearly 8 percent in the process. The system has also completed several capital investments and secured valuable affiliations with other providers under Mr. Bjelich's vision and leadership.

Saint Francis Healthcare opened its Family BirthPlace in 2001, its Wellness Center in 2004 and its Heart Hospital Cancer Institute in 2011 — the largest privately funded construction project in Cape Girardeau's history at the time. The system also affiliated with the MD Anderson Cancer Network in 2005 for treatment protocols from the University of Texas' acclaimed cancer center.

Additionally, Mr. Bjelich took the lead in the development of a Health Care Collaborative between Saint Francis and two systems in Illinois and Kentucky, allowing the three to share intellectual capital. Mr. Bjelich is now planning and executing the system's $127 million "Building on Excellence" project, which involves a new orthopedic and neurosciences center and a new women and children's pavilion, slated for completion in 2016.

Mr. Bjelich formerly served as president and CEO of Saint Francis Hospital and Health Care Services in Wilmington, Del., executive director at Wyoming Valley Health Care System in Kingston, Pa., and executive vice president and COO of Saint Mary and Saint Elizabeth Hospitals in Louisville, Ky. He is also an active community leader, serving his parish and numerous nonprofit organizations. He is former board chair of the Missouri Center for Patient Safety and is a member of the board of directors of the Missouri Hospital Association.  
Mr. Bjelich earned his bachelor's degree in business administration from Indiana University in Bloomington and his master's degree in healthcare administration from Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis.

Richard Bracken. Chairman of Hospital Corporation of America (Nashville). Mr. Bracken has more than 30 years of experience at HCA. He retired from the CEO role at the end of 2013, but maintained his role as chairman of the 165-hospital network that includes 115 freestanding surgery centers across 20 states and England.   

Mr. Bracken began his career with HCA in 1981, and he has held various executive positions within the company since. His career includes time spent as a hospital CEO, specifically CEO of the Green Hospital of Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation in San Diego and CEO of Centennial Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1995, Mr. Bracken was appointed president of HCA's Pacific Division, Western Group in 1997, COO of the company in 2001 and president and COO in January 2002. He was elected to the HCA board of directors in 2002, became president and CEO in January 2009 and then chairman and CEO in December 2009.

Mr. Bracken has served on numerous professional and community boards, including the California Hospital Association, the Federation of American Hospitals, and the United Way of Metropolitan Nashville. He is a member of the American Society of Corporate Executives, the Business Council and the Nashville Healthcare Council. He is also a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Alan Channing. President and CEO of Sinai Health System (Chicago). Special Lifetime Achievement Award

Mr. Channing has led Sinai Health System for 10 years and orchestrated a 2012 addition to the system, bringing on Holy Cross Hospital in Chicago's Southwest Side. After spending 40 years of his career at nonprofit, safety-net hospitals, Mr. Channing will retire July 1.

Mr. Channing joined Sinai Health System on Chicago's west side in 2004. The nonprofit system includes Mount Sinai Hospital, Sinai Children's Hospital and Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital, the Sinai Urban Health Institute, Sinai Community Institute and a medical group. Sinai serves some of Chicago's most challenged neighborhoods and the system has a payer mix of 60 percent Medicaid, 20 percent Medicare and 13 percent uninsured.

Nonetheless, the health system has made strides in population health efforts, public health education, community-based care programs and quality reporting. For instance, in 2013, the American Hospital Association honored Sinai Urban Health Institute with the NOVA Award for its hospital-led community effort that educates families to help prevent and reduce the severity of pediatric asthma in the Lawndale area of Chicago.

Under Mr. Channing's leadership, Sinai has also experienced some of its more profitable years and expanded its reach. Mr. Channing engineered the unexpected merger of Mount Sinai with its Catholic neighbor about five miles south, Holy Cross Hospital. That combination created a private health system with more than $525 million in estimated annual revenue.

Mr. Channing earned a master's degree in hospital administration from The Ohio State University and a bachelor's degree in industrial management from the University of Cincinnati. He is active in professional and community organizations and is a sought after spokesperson on safety-net organizations and other healthcare topics. Mr. Channing will continue to hold an assistant professorship at Ohio State University and is a past board member of the Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council, and a former member of the American Hospital Association Regional Policy Board, Region 5 for which he continues to serve as an Alternate Delegate for 2013-2016.

"Alan is a one-of-a-kind leader whose intelligence and warmth — his brain and his heart — are unequalled. He has a tremendous impact on the critically needed safety-net and non-profit healthcare communities," said Scott Becker, JD, CPA, publisher of Becker's Hospital Review. In light of Mr. Channing's heart and passion, Mr. Becker said he seems ageless, or at least "way too young to retire."

Chuck Lauer, former publisher of Modern Healthcare, said Mr. Channing has always been a quiet leader with a determination that is fascinating to behold.

"Alan Channing is one of those rare individuals who exude graciousness. He is what used to be referred to as a gentleman's gentleman, a healthcare professional filled with optimism and an overwhelming gift of gentleness with patients," said Mr. Lauer. "When he joined Mt. Sinai Hospital as the CEO 10 years ago he was asked to lead a hospital that had numerous financial and quality challenges and yet under his leadership turned into one of the finest safety-net hospitals in the country."

Toby Cosgrove, MD. President and CEO of Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Cosgrove has led Cleveland Clinic as president and CEO since 2004, but his time with the organization spans nearly 40 years.

He joined Cleveland Clinic in 1975 and was later named chairman of the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery in 1989. Along with his role and accomplishments in the C-suite, Dr. Cosgrove performed more than 22,000 operations and earned an international reputation for expertise in all areas of cardiac surgery before retiring from surgery in 2006.

As CEO, Dr. Cosgrove presides over a $4.6 billion healthcare system comprised of the Cleveland Clinic, nine community hospitals, 14 family health and ambulatory surgery centers, Cleveland Clinic Florida, Cleveland Clinic Toronto and the developing Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. Cleveland Clinic has maintained its position as the No. 1 hospital nationwide for cardiac care by U.S. News & World Report since 1994. Under Dr. Cosgrove's tenure, the patient-centered system has secured partnerships with some of the country's largest companies for their employee healthcare, including Chicago-based Boeing, Mooresville, N.C.-based Lowe's and Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart Corp.  
 
Dr. Cosgrove has published nearly 450 journal articles and book chapters in addition to his latest book, "The Cleveland Clinic Way." As an innovator, Dr. Cosgrove has 30 patents filed for medical and clinical products used in surgical environments. Dr. Cosgrove is also a sought-after speaker and healthcare expert: He has addressed the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee in Washington, D.C., is regularly quoted and featured in national magazines and newspapers, and has made appearances on several national media outlets.

Dr. Cosgrove completed his undergraduate work at Williams College in Williamstown, Mass. He received his medical degree from the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville and completed clinical training at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston Children's Hospital and Brook General Hospital in London. He was a surgeon in the U.S. Air Force and served in Da Nang, Republic of Vietnam, as the chief of U.S. Air Force Casualty Staging Flight. He was awarded the Bronze Star and the Republic of Vietnam Commendation Medal.

Lloyd Dean. President and CEO of Dignity Health (San Francisco). As president and CEO of San Francisco-based Dignity Health (formerly Catholic Healthcare West), Mr. Dean is responsible for the overall management, strategy and direction of the system's 42 hospitals across three states, as well as its ancillary services, home healthcare and medical group foundations.

Mr. Dean joined Catholic Healthcare West in 2000 as president and CEO. Before then, he was executive vice president and COO of Downers Grove, Ill.-based Advocate Health Care. Mr. Dean is also a member of the board of directors of Wells Fargo, as well as chair of the company's human resources committee and a member of its corporate responsibility, credit, risk and governance nominating committees. Previously, he served as chairman of the board of the Catholic Health Association of the United States.

Mr. Dean has established himself as an advocate for healthcare reform and has been actively involved in discussions with President Barack Obama and his White House staff concerning healthcare issues. He serves on the State Health Care Cost Commission, which aims to develop practical policies to contain healthcare costs.

Mr. Dean earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Mich.

Trevor Fetter. President and CEO of Tenet Healthcare (Dallas). Mr. Fetter has led Tenet Healthcare as president and CEO since 2003. He joined Tenet in 1995 as executive vice president and CFO. In his current role, Mr. Fetter led Tenet's 2013 acquisition of Vanguard Health Systems. The deal, valued at $4.3 billion, expanded Tenet to include 78 acute-care hospitals, more than 170 ambulatory surgery centers, six accountable care organizations and five health plans. Tenet is now a top leader in 20 of its 30 main metropolitan markets.  

Mr. Fetter temporarily left Tenet to in 2000 to serve as chairman and CEO of Broadlane, a provider of hospital cost-management services that was founded by Tenet and several other major healthcare providers. Mr. Fetter returned to Tenet in 2002. In addition to his role with the hospital operator, Mr. Fetter serves on the company's board of directors. He also serves on the board of The Hartford Financial Services Group and previously served as board chairman of the Federation of American Hospitals.

Mr. Fetter holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Stanford University and a master's degree in business administration from Harvard Business School.

Jeffrey Gold, MD. Chancellor of the University of Nebraska Medical Center (Omaha). Dr. Gold became chancellor of the University of Nebraska Medical Center in February 2014, but his previous accomplishments as chancellor of the University of Toledo's health science campus suggest his leadership skills and vision healthcare delivery will serve him and University of Nebraska well.

University of Toledo's health campus includes the colleges of medicine, nursing, pharmacy, health science and human service, and graduate medical study. In his role as chancellor, Dr. Gold oversaw more than 66 commencement ceremonies and 38 ribbon-cuttings, award ceremonies and fundraisers. Dr. Gold played a vital role in the opening of the UT's Eleanor N. Dana Cancer Center and the Gardner McCaster Parkinson Center. The campus also added an orthopedic center, minimally invasive surgery center, medical pavilion and student library under Dr. Gold's leadership.

In his current role, Dr. Gold is responsible for all aspects of campus administration, including UNMC's annual operating budget of more than $640 million, a staff of about 5,000 and its 3,600 students. Additionally, the clinical enterprise has 6,500 employees and an operating budget of more than $1 billion.

Dr. Gold has served on more than 50 professional committees and upwards of 100 national organizations, volunteer boards, and government and public health councils. He was recently elected to the American Medical Association's Council on Medical Education, the board of the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education and the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, where he serves as chair. He has served on the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Board of Trustees and has served as president of the Thoracic Surgery Directors Association. Dr. Gold has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed articles, 250 national presentations and 40 books and chapters.

Dr. Gold came to The Medical University of Ohio from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City. He received his bachelor's degree from the Cornell University College of Engineering in Ithaca, N.Y., and his medical degree from the Weill Cornell College of Medicine in New York City. He completed residencies at the New York Hospital (which later merged to form NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital in New York City) and Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston, and he received additional training as pediatrics cardiac surgery chief fellow at the Children's Hospital of Boston. Dr. Gold is a board-certified thoracic surgeon and he specializes in adult and pediatric cardiac surgery.

Lynne Thomas Gordon, MBA, RHIA, FACHE. CEO of the American Health Information Management Association (Chicago). Since October 2011, Ms. Thomas Gordon has served as CEO of AHIMA, the premier association of health information professionals worldwide with more than 71,000 members.  

Ms. Thomas Gordon was previously associate vice president for hospital operations and director of the Children's Hospital at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. She is a member of the Rush University faculty in the graduate program in health systems management. Before her time with Rush, Ms. Thomas Gordon served as administrator of Houston Medical Center in Warner Robins, Ga., and as COO of Children's Hospital of Michigan in Detroit and Shands at AGH in Gainesville, Fla.

Ms. Thomas Gordon has been involved in numerous professional organizations and has received recognition on several occasions. She was a member of the Information Management Taskforce of the Joint Commission, and also served as a governor on the board for the American College of Healthcare Executives, receiving Early Career Healthcare Executive and Regent's Awards from the College. She served on AHIMA's nominating committee and house of delegates, and received the association's Achievement Award and Education-Practitioner Award. Ms. Thomas Gordon is a past president of Georgia HIMA and received its Distinguished Member Award. In 2012, Ms. Gordon earned fellowship status at AHIMA.

Ms. Thomas Gordon received her executive master's degree in business administration from Georgia State University in Atlanta and her bachelor's degree in health information management from the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta.

John Halamka, MD, MS. CIO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and CIO and Dean for Technology at Harvard Medical School (Boston). Dr. Halamka began serving as CIO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in 1998. He is also CIO and Dean for Technology at Harvard Medical School and a practicing emergency physician.

As CIO of Beth Israel Deaconess, Dr. Halamka is responsible for all clinical, financial, administrative and academic information technology serving 3,000 doctors, 12,000 employees and 1 million patients. As CIO and dean for technology at Harvard Medical School, he oversees all educational, research and administrative computing for 18,000 faculty and 3,000 students. Dr. Halamka also served as CIO of Harvard Medical School from 2002 to 2012 and CIO of Harvard Clinical Research Institute from 2001 to 2007.

His research focuses on security and confidentiality issues, scalability issues and implementation of standards for exchange of administrative and clinical information. As a clinician, Dr. Halamka uses his research to improve the care of the patients he treats in the Beth Israel Deaconess Emergency Department. He is also an active teacher, lecturing on both medical and technology topics at Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

In addition to his roles as CIO, Dr. Halamka is also chairman of the New England Health Electronic Data Interchange Network, CEO of regional health information organization MA-SHARE and chair of the U.S. Healthcare Information Technology Standards Panel.

Dr. Halamka completed his undergraduate studies at Stanford University, where he received a degree in medical microbiology and a degree in public policy with a focus on technology issues. In 1984, Dr. Halamka completed medical school at the University of California San Francisco and simultaneously pursued graduate work in bioengineering at the University of California, Berkeley, where he focused on technology issues in medicine.

Catherine Jacobson. President and CEO of Froedtert Health (Milwaukee). Ms. Jacobson serves as president and CEO of Froedtert Health, a $1.5 billion regional system that includes an academic medical center, two community hospitals, a community-based medical group and several related joint ventures. Ms. Jacobson joined the system in 2010 as executive vice president of finance and strategy, CFO and chief strategy officers. She was named president in 2011 and then took on the CEO role in 2012.

During Ms. Jacobson's tenure as CEO, Froedtert Health has successfully embarked on several building projects while maintaining its AA-bond rating. In October 2013, Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Moorland Reserve Health Center opened, bringing convenient access to primary, specialty and urgent care services to the neighborhood setting. In June 2013, the system broke ground at Froedtert Hospital for a new building, The Center for Advanced Care, which will enhance the hospital's innovation capabilities and offerings in surgical/interventional, heart and vascular and transplant services.

Healthcare has long been apart of Ms. Jacobson's life: Her mother was a nurse and her first job was at a hospital washing dishes. Before she came to Froedtert Health, Ms. Jacobson spent 22 years at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, spending a portion of her career there as senior vice president for strategic planning and finance and CFO.

Ms. Jacobson serves on the boards of numerous organizations, including the Wisconsin Hospital Association, Cincinnati-based Catholic Health Partners, United Way of Greater Milwaukee, and the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, among others. She is also a member of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee College of Health Sciences Dean's Advisory Board. She also served as the voluntary national chair of the Healthcare Financial Management Association for the 2009-10 term.

Ms. Jacobson received her bachelor of science degree in accounting from Bradley University in Peoria, Ill. She is a certified public accountant.

Kathy Kuck. President and CEO of Pocono Health System and Pocono Medical Center (East Stroudsburg, Pa.). Ms. Kuck joined the Pocono Health System in 2006 and has served as its president and CEO since 2008.

Ms. Kuck's career in healthcare — which spans more than 30 years in acute- and long-term care facilities — began as a nurse. She eventually moved on to hold leadership positions at healthcare organizations in various shapes and sizes, including academic medical centers, urban hospitals, community hospitals and nursing homes. Before she came to PHS, Ms. Kuck served as principal with a management turnaround company based in New York.

During her tenure at Pocono Health System, Ms. Kuck has helped advance new services and technologies to improve healthcare in Monroe and surrounding counties. This includes an electrophysiology lab, accredited Level III trauma center, immediate care centers and a Level III neonatal intensive care unit, among others. To address the No. 1 cause of death in the local community, Ms. Kuck led the construction of a comprehensive Dale and Frances Hughes Cancer Center, which opened in June 2012.

Ms. Kuck is a director on the boards of PHS, Pocono Medical Center, Pocono Healthcare Management, VHA, Greater Pocono Chamber of Commerce, The Hospital & Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania, American Red Cross of the Poconos and the Pocono Health Foundation. She is also board chair of the Monroe County Youth Employment Service and serves as vice chair of the Greater Pocono Chamber of Commerce Board, among other governance roles.

Ms. Kuck holds a master's degree from Columbia University in New York City.

Richard Lopez, MD. CMO of Atrius Health (Newton, Mass.). Dr. Lopez became the first CMO of Atrius Health in 2009 and he has overseen led many of the physician-led health system's initiatives and improvement efforts.

Dr. Lopez is an innovator in the accountable care organization movement, helping jumpstart Atrius Health's involvement in CMS' Pioneer ACO program. He serves as the medical leader for Atrius Health's ongoing progress as an ACO. Whereas the average ACO reached the Medicare goals for 65 percent to 75 percent of their patients, Atrius Health performance rates range between 80 percent and 89 percent.

Dr. Lopez also prompted a major initiative to address practice variation. Atrius leaders work one-on-one with physicians to review clinical informatics data and help physicians improve their care, and this has led to decreased variation and increased physician awareness of how their care choices impact quality and cost. Also, early in his career, as vice president of medical management at Boston-based Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, Dr. Lopez built an in-house clinical pharmacy program that has since expanded across parent Atrius Health.
 
Dr. Lopez was named by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick to the Statewide Quality Advisory Committee, a diverse group of Massachusetts healthcare experts, industry stakeholders and consumer advocates who advise the state government on the alignment of healthcare performance metrics and reporting of the Standard Quality Measure Set. He also serves on the performance measurement expert panel of the Massachusetts Healthcare Quality and Cost Council and the Neighborhood Health Plan Patient Care Assessment Committee. He was previously the chair of the New England physician council for comparative effectiveness and on the board of the Massachusetts Coalition for the Prevention of Medical Errors.

Dr. Lopez received his bachelor's degree from Boston University and his medical degree from Boston University School of Medicine. He completed his residency and internship at St. Elizabeth's Hospital and is a clinical instructor at Harvard Medical School. He practiced internal medicine for nearly 30 years and served in a number of roles for Harvard Vanguard, including vice president of clinical programs, deputy medical director and internal medicine chief.

Laxmaiah Manchikanti, MD. Medical Director of the Pain Management Center of Paducah (Ky.). Dr. Manchikanti is the medical director of the Pain Management Centers of Paducah, Ambulatory Surgery Center in Paducah and Pain Care Surgery in Marion, Ill. He is also clinical professor of anesthesiology and perioperative medicine at the University of Louisville (Ky.).

Dr. Manchikanti has been in practice in Paducah since he completed his fellowship in anesthesiology and critical care medicine in 1980. Along with his clinical roles, Dr. Manchikanti is a founder and member of numerous professional societies and associations. He is the founder, chairman and CEO of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians and the Society of Interventional Pain Management Surgery Centers. He is also the founder of the Pain Physician Journal, the American Board of Interventional Pain Physicians and the ASIPP Foundation.

Dr. Manchikanti serves on the Murray State University Board of Regents, the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure and the Medicare Coverage Advisory Committee, among other organizations. Dr. Manchikanti has also testified before Congress on various occasions as an expert witness on controlled substance management and interventional pain management.

Dr. Manchikanti graduated from Gandhi Medical College, Osmania University in Hyderabad, India, and he completed his internship and residency in anesthesiology at Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad. After his arrival in the United States, Dr. Manchikanti completed a one-year residency in anesthesiology with the Youngstown (Ohio) Hospital Association and a one-year residency in anesthesiology with Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh. He also completed a fellowship in anesthesiology and critical care medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Ed Marx. Senior Vice President and CIO of Texas Health Resources (Arlington, Texas). Mr. Marx is senior vice president and CIO of Texas Health Resources in Arlington, one of the largest faith-based, nonprofit healthcare delivery systems in the United States and the largest in North Texas in terms of patients served. He has served in his current role since 2010.

Under Mr. Marx's leadership, Texas Health Resources received the 2013 HIMSS Enterprise Davies Award, which recognizes the use of health IT and electronic health records to improve healthcare delivery and patient safety, and achieve a demonstrated return on investment. The 14 hospitals in the Texas Health system are either at Stage 6 or Stage 7 on the HIMSS Analytics Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model, as well.  

Along with these organizational achievements, Mr. Marx has received professional recognition on an individual scale. He is the recipient of HIMSS' 2013 John E. Gall Jr. CIO of the Year Award, which recognizes health IT executives who have made significant contributions to their organizations and demonstrated innovative leadership through effective use of technology. Outside of his work with the health system, Mr. Marx is a member of the CIO advisory boards for HP, Cisco, AT&T, KLAS and Microsoft. He also serves on boards for Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, University of Texas Dallas, and Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

Mr. Marx's career in the healthcare industry spans 24 years, 16 of which have been spent as CIO. Concurrent with his career in healthcare, he served 15 years in the Army Reserve, first as a combat medic and then as a combat engineer officer. Prior to joining Texas Health, Mr. Marx was CIO of University Hospitals Health System of Cleveland. He previously served in a variety of IT leadership roles with healthcare organizations such as Nashville-based Hospital Corporation of America, Parkview Episcopal Medical Center in Pueblo, Colo., and Poudre Valley Health System in Fort Collins, Colo.

Mr. Marx has been leading Texas Health's Innovative Technology Services professionals in developing and implementing strategies to enhance the patient and provider experience through the application of IT since 2007.

Lynn Massingale, MD, FACEP. Founder and Executive Chairman of TeamHealth (Knoxville, Tenn.). Dr. Massingale co-founded the predecessor of TeamHealth, Southeast Emergency Physicians, in 1980. He previously served as chairman and CEO of the organization until 2008, when he assumed his current role.

Today, TeamHealth is affiliated with approximately 9,700 physicians and other healthcare professionals who provide emergency medicine, hospital medicine, anesthesia, urgent care, specialty hospitalist and pediatric staffing and management services to approximately 850 civilian and military hospitals, clinics and physician groups in 46 states, caring for more than 12 million patients per year.

Dr. Massingale has steered TeamHealth through several changes in private equity ownership, public parent company ownership, a leveraged buyout and public bond offerings. In December 2009, the company went public on the New York Stock Exchange. Since then, the company's market capitalization has increased from $780 million to $3.2 billion. Today, TeamHealth has annual revenues of $2.38 billion.

In addition to his work with TeamHealth, Dr. Massingale strives to improve health in his communities and the broader industry through active leadership and participation in multiple local and national organizations. He is a board member and former chairman of the Emergency Department Practice Management Association, former medical director of the Tennessee Department of Health Emergency Medical Services division, a board member of the American College of Emergency Physicians Emergency Action Fund and a board member of Health Insights.

Dr. Massingale earned his medical degree from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

Farzad Mostashari, MD. Former National Coordinator for Health IT and Visiting Fellow at the Brooking Institution (Washington, D.C.). Dr. Mostashari serves as a visiting fellow to the Brookings Institute's Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform, a role in which he advises on payment reform and delivery system transformation.

Dr. Mostashari was previously the national coordinator for health IT with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, a political appointment he held from April 2011 through October 2013. In that role, he oversaw a dramatic increase in the adoption of electronic health records among hospitals, going from 9 percent to 44 percent. He also led the implementation of the Health IT for Economic and Clinical Health (or HITECH) Act, which included the design and development of the Meaningful Use Incentive Program in collaboration with CMS, the EHR Certification Program and State Health Information Exchange Cooperative Agreements, among other programs and projects.  

Before his role as national coordinator, Dr. Mostashari served as principal deputy national coordinator and senior advisor at the ONC from 2009 through 2011. He previously served as assistant commissioner for New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's primary care information project and epidemiology services. He also previously worked for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as an epidemic intelligence service officer, in which he was a lead investigator for the 1999 West Nile virus outbreak.

Dr. Mostashari earned his bachelor's and masters degrees from Harvard College in Cambridge, Mass., and Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, respectively. He earned his medical degree from Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn.

John Noseworthy, MD. President and CEO of Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minn.). As president and CEO of Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic, Dr. Noseworthy leads one of the country's most pioneering healthcare institutions.

Dr. Noseworthy has led the health system since 2009, but he joined the system in 1990. He previously served as chair of Mayo's neurology department, medical director of the department of development and vice chair of the Mayo Clinic Rochester Executive Board. Dr. Noseworthy is a professor in the department of neurology, and he continues to practice medicine and consult with patients.

Dr. Noseworthy specializes in multiple sclerosis and has spent more than two decades designing and conducting controlled clinical trials with generous support from the Medical Research Council of Canada, the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the National Institutes of Health.

Each year, Mayo Clinic sees patients from all 50 states and 150 countries. In 2013, Dr. Noseworthy launched Mayo's "Destination Medical Center" initiative, which he says will secure Minnesota's status as a global medical hub. The 20-year, $5-billion plan is expected to bring more than 1,000 physicians to Mayo Clinic and Rochester, Minn. Dr. Noseworthy also oversaw the 2011 creation the Mayo Clinic Care Network, which has since grown to include member organizations in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota and Wisconsin, as well as Puerto Rico and Mexico.

Dr. Noseworthy has authored more than 150 research papers, chapters, editorials and several books, including the three-volume textbook "Neurological Therapeutics: Principles and Practice." Additionally, he previously served as editor-in-chief of Neurology, the official journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Dr. Noseworthy received his medical degree from Dalhousie University in Halifax in Nova Scotia, Canada, and completed his neurology training at Dalhousie University and the University of Western Ontario. He also completed a research fellowship at Harvard Medical School in Boston.

Randy Oostra. President and CEO of ProMedica (Toledo, Ohio). Randy Oostra has led Toledo, Ohio-based ProMedica as president and CEO since 2009.

One of Mr. Oostra's first moves as president and CEO was to implement a new mission to improve health and well-being, and he was driven to carry out that mission beyond the walls of ProMedica's hospitals. As a result, ProMedica has demonstrated a robust dedication to community advocacy efforts to increase awareness of childhood obesity and hunger.

Mr. Oostra has been appointed to several roles by Ohio Governor John Kasich, including a payment reform task force to discuss and identify innovative ways to address escalating healthcare costs. He is also involved in governance roles for the Ohio Third Frontier Advisory Board, which provides guidance to a technology-based economic initiative, and The Partnership for Excellence, which is responsible for making quality, disseminating best practices and improving organizational performance.

Mr. Oostra been with ProMedica since 1997, previously serving as president and COO, along with other senior level positions throughout his career. The 11-hospital system, which serves northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan, includes nearly 15,000 employees and 600 employed providers.

Mr. Oostra earned a doctoral degree from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and two master's degrees (one in healthcare administration, another in management) from University of Minnesota and University of Wisconsin, respectively.

Ora Pescovitz, MD. CEO of University of Michigan Health System and Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs (Ann Arbor, Mich.). Dr. Pescovitz became the first female to take on her respective roles in 2009, overseeing $3.2 billion in revenue and $490 million in research funding. Under her leadership, the health system has achieved its highest-ever patient satisfaction scores and made great strides in its population management initiatives.  

As a pediatric endocrinologist and researcher, Dr. Pescovitz has published more than 180 papers and books on clinical topics. She was elected to the Institute of Medicine in 2011 and has received several awards in recognition of her research, teaching and leadership. Dr. Pescovitz previously served as president of the Society for Pediatric Research, president of the Lawson Wilkins Pediatric Endocrine Society and chair of March of Dimes Grants Review Committee, among other governance roles. She is currently on the boards of the Associated of Academic Health Centers and the National Institutes of Health Advisory Board for Clinical Research.

Before assuming her role with U-M, Dr. Pescovitz served as executive associate dean for Research Affairs at Indiana School of Medicine, as president and CEO of Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis and as interim vice president for research administration at Indiana University. Dr. Pescovitz will depart U-M June 1, as she decided not to serve a second five-year appointment.

Dr. Pescovitz received her medical degree from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.

Warner Thomas, CPA, MBA, FACHE. President and CEO of Ochsner Health System (New Orleans). In September 2012, Mr. Thomas assumed the position of president and CEO of Ochsner Health System, a 10-hospital, nonprofit, academic health system.  

Since assuming the role of president and CEO, Mr. Thomas dedicated a significant portion of his energy and focus on engagement and rapport among Ochsner's 14,000 employees. He has led multiple initiatives, including the creation of employee advisory committees, which are made up of frontline staff and leaders and drive feedback throughout the organization. Mr. Thomas was also the driving force in the creation of the Ochsner Learning Institute, which provides free professional education for all Ochsner leaders to better prepare them to confront challenges and generate enthusiasm around best practices in healthcare.
 
Outside of leading the 10-hospital system, Mr. Thomas has dedicated a significant portion of his energy and time focusing on bettering the healthcare community. He was chairman of the American Hospital Association Section for Health Systems Governing Council in 2012 and served on the Board of the American Medical Group Association. He is a member of the Association of American Medical Colleges Advisory Panel for Health Care and Council of Teaching Hospitals. Mr. Thomas is also the immediate past chairman and a member of the board of the Metropolitan Hospital Council of New Orleans, among other organizations.

Mr. Thomas served as Ochsner's president and COO for 14 years and played an instrumental role in stabilizing and expanding healthcare services in the region following Hurricane Katrina. Prior to joining Ochsner in 1998, Mr. Thomas served as the president and CEO of Foundation Medical Partners, a multispecialty physician group subsidiary of Nashua-based Southern New Hampshire Health System.

Mr. Thomas received his bachelor's degree in accounting and computer information systems from Southern New Hampshire University and his master's degree in business administration from Boston University.

Jeff Thompson, MD. CEO of Gundersen Health System (La Cross, Wis.). Dr. Thompson has served as CEO of Gundersen Health System since 2001. He is also chairman of the system's board and a practicing pediatric intensivist and neonatologist.

Dr. Thompson worked full-time solely at Gundersen Clinic and Lutheran Hospital–La Crosse (now Gundersen Health System) since completing his professional training in 1984. He previously served on the former board of directors of Gundersen Clinic and played a key role in the negotiations and governance design that led to the merger between Gundersen Clinic and Lutheran Hospital. Since 1996, Dr. Thompson has been a member of the board of governors and a member of the board of trustees. Before assuming the CEO role, he served as executive vice president for six years.

Dr. Thompson has demonstrated progressive leadership, as he was named one of 11 "Champions of Change" for public health and environmental protection issues in July 2013 by the White House. He was recognized for his leadership in environmental stewardship for healthcare organizations, as Gundersen is poised to be completely energy independent in 2014.

Dr. Thompson has also led broader healthcare organizations outside of Gundersen Health System. He is a founding member and past board chair of the Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality. Presently, he is chairman of the board of the La Crosse Medical Health Science Consortium. Dr. Thompson is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Physician Executives.

Dr. Thompson earned his medical degree from the University of Wisconsin Medical School in Madison. He completed his pediatric internship at the University of California-Davis and later spent time as a pediatric resident and chief resident at Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse, N.Y.

Barry Tanner. CEO of Physicians Endoscopy (Jamison, Pa.). Mr. Tanner served in a leadership role with Physicians Endoscopy since 1999, but his ability to create healthcare organizations from the ground up and reinforce their operations spans a much greater period of time.

Shortly after Mr. Tanner joined Physicians Endoscopy in July 1999, he co-authored the company's business plan with CFO Karen Sablyak. Years later, Mr. Tanner shares responsibility for the company's partnership development activities. He is also primarily responsible for the company's strategic direction while sharing in the day-to-day management and governance of several of the company's partnered facilities.

Before he joined Physicians Endoscopy, Mr. Tanner served as CFO and COO of Navix Radiology Systems, a Miami-based physician practice management company he co-founded. Mr. Tanner was primarily responsible for the development of NRS' business plan, and over the course of four years, Mr. Tanner helped build the company from zero to more than $75 million in revenues, including the acquisition of seven professional radiology practices and the acquisition and financing of a major diagnostics company.

Prior to founding Navix, Mr. Tanner served as COO of HealthInfusion, a Miami-based provider of home intravenous therapy services. Before joining HealthInfusion, Mr. Tanner was primarily involved in the financial services industry.

Kathleen E. Walsh. President and CEO of Boston Medical Center. Ms. Walsh was named president and CEO of the private, nonprofit Boston Medical Center in March 2010. BMC treats some of the city's most vulnerable patients: More than 70 percent are from underserved populations, including low-income families, elderly patients, individuals with disabilities, immigrants and refugees. Ms. Walsh has said it was this commitment from the hospital to the community that most drew her to BMC, even though the system had a $175 million deficit at the start of her tenure.

Under her direction, the hospital benchmarked productivity against some of the best hospitals in the country in order to ensure operations maximized efficiency. As a result, BMC cut $100 million from its cost structure while protecting needed services. It also achieved small but symbolical surpluses in fiscal years 2012 and 2013.

Ms. Walsh oversees and operating budget of $1 billion and approximately 1 million patient visits each year, along with a health plan, medical research and clinical training. She has spearheaded a five-pronged, multi-year strategic plan to be the lowest-cost, highest-quality provider in the marketplace.

The first in her family to attend college, Ms. Walsh received her bachelor's degree in urban studies and her master's degree in hospital administration from Yale University. She has worked at Montefiore Hospital and Medical Center, Columbia Presbyterian Hospital and St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, all in New York City. She also held roles as senior vice president of medical services at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center in Boston, COO of Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research in Cambridge, Mass., and as executive vice president and COO of Boston-based Brigham and Women's Hospital, the Brigham and Women's Physicians' Organization and its community affiliate, Faulkner Hospital.

 

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