Key Executives is pleased to announce The Top 25 Hospital Executives for 2023. These executives are crucial in managing and directing healthcare organizations to ensure they provide high-quality patient care. This year’s awardees are responsible for strategic planning, financial management, operational oversight, and developing and implementing policies and procedures to improve patient outcomes. They navigate complex regulations, manage staff, and work closely with other healthcare providers, stakeholders, and government agencies to promote positive health outcomes for patients and communities. As the healthcare industry continues to evolve, these executives are increasingly important in ensuring their organizations remain competitive, financially viable, and provide effective and efficient care. Their leadership and decision-making skills have been critical in addressing the challenges and opportunities facing healthcare organizations year after year.

Among this year’s awardees is Tomislav Mihaljevic, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cleveland Clinic, an accomplished cardiovascular surgeon who has performed more than 1,000 heart surgeries and has been recognized as one of America's Top Doctors for Cardiovascular Surgery by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. Awardee David Brown, the President of Massachusetts General Hospital, has been recognized in the past for his leadership and innovative approaches to healthcare, including the development of a program that leverages technology to improve patient care and outcomes. Also awarded is Dr. Redonda Miller, the President of The Johns Hopkins Hospital, who is the first woman to hold this position and has a background in internal medicine, with a focus on patient-centered care, quality improvement, and medical education.

Please join us in celebrating the accomplishments of The Top 25 Hospital Executives for 2023.

 

1. Gianrico Farrugia
CEO and President, Mayo Clinic - Rochester

Dr. Gianrico Farrugia is the President and CEO of Mayo Clinic, which is ranked as the No. 1 hospital by U.S. News and World Report and is one of the largest not-for-profit, academic health systems in the U.S. Mayo Clinic employs 70,000 people and generates $14 billion in annual revenue, providing care for more than 1.2 million people with serious or complex illnesses from all over the world. Dr. Farrugia has been with Mayo Clinic for 31 years, serving as CEO of Mayo Clinic in Florida prior to his current role. He is also a member of the Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees and Governors, a professor of medicine and physiology, and jointly appointed in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, and the Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering.

Dr. Farrugia is a well-known expert in the field of gastroenterology and has published over 300 articles on genomics and the treatment of disorders of gastrointestinal motility. He has co-authored a book titled "Think Big, Start Small, Move Fast: A Blueprint for Transformation from the Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation," which highlights the need for change in the delivery of healthcare. He is also a member of the Minnesota Business Partnership and a healthcare governor at the World Economic Forum.

 

2. Tomislav Mihaljevic
President & Chief Executive Officer, Cleveland Clinic

Dr. Tom Mihaljevic is the CEO and President of Cleveland Clinic, one of the top hospitals in the US with a global healthcare system that includes 22 hospitals, 226 outpatient locations, and 72,500 caregivers worldwide. He aims to make Cleveland Clinic the best place for care and the best place to work in healthcare, guided by his principles to treat patients and caregivers like family, care for each community, and grow the organization to serve as many people as possible.

Before assuming his current role, Dr. Mihaljevic served as the CEO of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, where he established the hospital's reputation for clinical excellence, patient experience, research, and education. He joined Cleveland Clinic in 2004 as a surgeon in the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, specializing in minimally invasive and robot-assisted procedures, valve replacement and repair, image-guided surgery, and cardiac transplantation.

Dr. Mihaljevic has performed almost 3,000 operations and is the author or co-author of over 140 articles in peer-reviewed publications. He is also a member of various medical associations and serves on the boards of several organizations, including GE and the US-UAE Business Council. Dr. Mihaljevic is the inaugural holder of the Morton L. Mandel CEO Chair, which supports leadership and innovation at Cleveland Clinic.

 

3. David Brown
President, Massachusetts General Hospital

David F. M. Brown, MD is President of Massachusetts General Hospital, Executive Vice President of Mass General Brigham, and the Mass General Trustees Professor of Emergency Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Prior to becoming President of Mass General, Dr. Brown served as Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital from 2013 to 2021 and as interim President and CEO of Cooley Dickinson Health Care in 2021.

Dr. Brown is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Princeton University and received his MD from Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, where he was a member of Alpha Omega Alpha. He trained at Massachusetts General Hospital and is a diplomate of both the American Board of Emergency Medicine and the American Board of Internal Medicine. He is a fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians and the American Academy of Emergency Medicine.

An accomplished clinician, scholar, teacher, mentor and administrator, Dr. Brown is the author of more than 250 peer-reviewed articles, reviews, and chapters, has written two popular textbooks related to cardiovascular emergencies, and served as the inaugural editor-in-chief of the textbook Scientific American: Emergency Medicine. He has been recognized by trainees and peers with multiple local, national, and international teaching and mentorship awards.

 

4. Redonda Miller
President, The Johns Hopkins Hospital

Dr. Redonda Miller is the President of The Johns Hopkins Hospital, which has over 11,000 employees, $2.7 billion in operating revenue, and a mission of innovation and community care. Dr. Miller has led the hospital to focus on exceptional clinical care, quality, safety, the patient experience, and health equity. The hospital has been consistently recognized for clinical excellence, maintaining its ranking among the top three hospitals in the nation on the U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll. Additionally, it earned its fourth consecutive Magnet designation for nursing excellence and gold certification for person-centered care from Planetree International, becoming the largest academic medical center in the world to be certified by the organization.

Dr. Miller joined Johns Hopkins as a medical student in 1988 and joined the medical faculty in 1997. She has held several administrative roles of increasing responsibility, including vice chair of clinical operations for the Department of Medicine and senior vice president of medical affairs for the Johns Hopkins Health System. She continues to see patients and her firsthand experience helps inform decisions to ensure that patients receive high-quality care and providers and staff members are supported in their work.

Dr. Miller is active in several community and professional organizations, serving on the boards of Turnaround Tuesday, Visit Baltimore, and Gilchrist. She was inducted into the National Academy of Medicine and the Maryland Chamber of Commerce Business Hall of Fame in 2020. Modern Healthcare magazine named her one of the top 25 women leaders in health care in 2019, and she was among 100 great leaders in health care by Becker’s Hospital Review.

 

5. Johnese Spisso
President, UCLA Health - Ronald Reagan Medical Center

Johnese Spisso is the President of UCLA Health, CEO of the UCLA Hospital System, and Associate Vice Chancellor of UCLA Health Sciences. With over 30 years of experience, Spisso is responsible for all operations of UCLA’s hospitals and clinics, as well as the health system’s regional outreach strategy. She spent 22 years at UW Medicine in Seattle, where she held various roles including Chief Nursing Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and Vice President of Medical Affairs. In this latter role, Spisso was responsible for two academic medical centers, two community hospitals, a network of community clinics, and the Airlift Northwest flight program. She also led the development of a statewide trauma system.

Spisso received her master’s degree in health care administration and public administration from the University of San Francisco, and a bachelor’s degree in health sciences from Chapman College. She earned her RN at the St. Francis School of Nursing. She has published numerous articles and book chapters on healthcare leadership, and she serves on several national boards, including the American Association of Medical Colleges’ Council of Teaching Hospitals and Health Systems. She is also active in community leadership, serving as the Los Angeles Community Chair for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Light the Night Walk and the Los Angeles Community Chair for the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Luncheon.

 

6. Howard Chrisman
President and Chief Executive Officer, Northwestern Memorial Hospital

Dr. Chrisman is President and CEO of Northwestern Memorial HealthCare, the primary teaching affiliate of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Since joining Northwestern Memorial HealthCare in 1997, Dr. Chrisman has been an active clinician and leader. Today, he oversees the Northwestern Medicine healthcare system, including 11 hospitals, more than 200 ambulatory and diagnostic sites, and over 30,000 employees and 5,500 aligned physicians.

Dr. Chrisman previously served as president and COO of Northwestern Memorial HealthCare, as well as EVP of clinical operations and president of Northwestern Medical Group. He has also served as interim chair of four different academic departments including Radiology, Anesthesia, Pathology, and Surgery.

After earning an undergraduate degree from Cornell University, Dr. Chrisman completed a Doctor of Medicine degree from SUNY Upstate Medical University and a health administration MBA from the University of Colorado at Denver. He completed a residency in diagnostic radiology at the University of Virginia and a fellowship in vascular and interventional radiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Chrisman continues to serve as a professor of radiology and surgery, and is clinically active with a primary expertise in treating fibroid disease using endovascular techniques.

 

7. Steven Corwin
President and Chief Executive Officer, New York-Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia and Cornell

Dr. Steven J. Corwin is the President and CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian, one of the largest and most comprehensive healthcare systems in the US. Under his leadership, NewYork-Presbyterian has nearly doubled in size, with more than 48,000 employees and affiliated physicians providing world-class care at 10 hospitals and 200 community-based primary and specialty care clinics in Greater New York. During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Corwin led a multifaceted response to address inpatient capacity, staffing needs, equipment shortages, and disease management. He also launched innovative initiatives such as NYP OnDemand, which offers digital health services, and the installation of a single, integrated, electronic medical record across the NYP enterprise.

Dr. Corwin has overseen the development of state-of-the-art care facilities such as the NewYork-Presbyterian David H. Koch Center, the Alexandra Cohen Hospital for Women and Newborns, the Center for Community Health, and the Och Spine Hospital. He has also positioned NYP as a leader in addressing health equity by establishing the Dalio Center for Health Justice, committed to improving the health and well-being of NYP's patients and communities. Dr. Corwin is a respected cardiologist and internist, a member of several healthcare and civic organizations, and has been elected to membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

 

8. Marschall Runge
CEO, University of Michigan Hospitals - Michigan Medicine

Marschall S. Runge is Chief Executive Officer of Michigan Medicine, EVP for Medical Affairs at the University of Michigan, and Dean of the Medical School. Prior to joining the University of Michigan in 2015, he was executive dean and chair of the Department of Medicine at the UNC School of Medicine, where he was instrumental in guiding the academic and clinical leadership of the School of Medicine and the UNC Health Care System. He was also a principal investigator and director of the North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences Institute at UNC Chapel Hill. He was elected to the Eli Lilly and Company board of directors in 2013.

Before joining the UNC faculty in 2000, Runge held the John Sealy Distinguished Chair in Internal Medicine and was director of the Division of Cardiology and the Sealy Center for Molecular Cardiology at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.

Runge earned his doctorate in molecular biology at Vanderbilt University and his medical degree from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, where he also completed a residency in internal medicine. He was a cardiology fellow and faculty member at Harvard Medical School’s Massachusetts General Hospital before joining Emory University as an associate professor of medicine in 1989. Runge has been a physician-scientist for his entire career, combining basic and translational research and education with the care of patients with cardiovascular diseases. He is the author of over 200 publications in the field and holds five patents for novel approaches to health care.

 

9. Suresh Gunasekaran
President and Chief Executive Officer, UCSF Medical Center

Suresh Gunasekaran is the President and CEO of UCSF Health, a health system that includes UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals, Langley Porter Psychiatric Hospital and Clinics, UCSF Benioff Children's Physicians, and the UCSF Faculty Practice. UCSF Health has approximately 18,000 staff and physicians, 1,290 beds, admits 41,000 patients, and has over 2.5 million outpatient visits yearly, with annual revenue of more than $5 billion. Gunasekaran leads the execution of UCSF Health's vision, growth, revitalization, and innovation, and oversees UCSF Health's expanding network of affiliated healthcare organizations throughout Northern California. He partners with UCSF's research and education enterprises and upholds the health system's PRIDE values and commitment to advancing anti-racism and social justice.

Gunasekaran has more than 20 years of experience in healthcare administration and information technology, with a focus on quality and safety, patient service, collaboration, and operational excellence. He was previously the CEO of University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics and AVP for University of Iowa Health Care. Before that, he served as the CIO and then the COO for the health system of University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Gunasekaran began his career in healthcare as an administrative director in outpatient clinical operations at Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt. He earned a master of business administration degree, graduating with honors, from Southern Methodist University.

 

10. Craig Albanese
CEO, Duke University Hospital

Dr. Craig T. Albanese is the Chief Executive Officer of Duke University Health System, the state’s fourth-largest employer and one of the nation’s top academic medical centers. Albanese joined the system as an EVP and COO in January 2022 and was named CEO in February 2023. A respected surgeon-scientist and clinical investigator, Albanese is also a seasoned healthcare administrator. His more than 25 years of healthcare management experience includes serving as group senior vice president and system chief medical officer of the NewYork-Presbyterian (NYP) enterprise.

Prior to NYP, he held senior leadership roles at Stanford University and Stanford Health Care, including VP of quality and performance improvement at Stanford Children’s Health and serving as the John A. and Cynthia Fry Gunn director of Pediatric Surgical Services at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. In the Stanford University School of Medicine, he was a professor of Surgery, Pediatrics, and Obstetrics and Gynecology, and chief of the Division of Pediatric General Surgery.

Albanese received his medical degree from SUNY Health Science Center. He holds an MBA from the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University. He has published more than 160 peer-reviewed articles. He is also the lead author of “Advanced Lean in Healthcare”, a performance improvement book providing practical information about how organizations can move from stabilizing discrete work processes to continuously improving and linking the entire system, all within an empathetic healing environment.

 

11. Kevin Mahoney
CEO, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania - Penn Presbyterian

Kevin B. Mahoney is the Chief Executive Officer of the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS). He has been with Penn Medicine since 1996 and has held various leadership positions, including EVP and chief administrative officer of UPHS, executive vice dean of the Perelman School of Medicine, and SVP of UPHS. Mahoney has overseen several transformative projects at Penn Medicine, including the implementation of a common electronic health record platform across five hospitals and numerous outpatient clinics. He directed the development and construction of The Pavilion, a new $1.5 billion hospital on Penn Medicine's West Philadelphia campus.

Mahoney began his career in healthcare as director of administrative services for Episcopal Hospital. He also served as VP for administration for Bryn Mawr Hospital and VP for the Health Group at Johnson & Higgins, where he provided leadership in risk transfer and alternative risk management strategies. He earned a bachelor's degree in economics from Millersville State College, an MBA, and a doctorate from the Fox School of Business at Temple University.

 

12. Robert Grossman
Dean and Chief Executive Officer, NYU Langone Hospitals

Robert I. Grossman is the Chief Executive Officer of NYU Langone Health and Dean of NYU School of Medicine, which was renamed in his honor in 2019 as NYU Grossman School of Medicine. As CEO, he oversees more than 45,000 employees, students, and non-compensated faculty across 6 inpatient locations and over 320 sites. As dean, he led the historic and unprecedented initiative of providing tuition-free medical education for all current and future students in its MD degree program. He also curated a new approach to medical education, called Curriculum for the 21st Century, which emphasizes clinical training from the beginning of medical school and includes a revolutionary three-year MD program for select candidates.

Grossman himself has trained more than 100 fellows and has authored hundreds of publications, including the book Neuroradiology: The Requisites. He received his BS in biology from Tulane University and his MD from the University of Pennsylvania. He completed his internship at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, two years of a neurosurgery residency at the University of Pennsylvania, a radiology residency at the University of Pennsylvania, and a two-year fellowship in neuroradiology at Massachusetts General Hospital.

 

13. Omar Lateef
President and CEO, Rush University Medical Center

Dr. Omar Lateef became CEO of RUSH in July 2022. He was appointed president of RUSH University System for Health in 2021 and has been president and CEO of RUSH University Medical Center since May 2019. Prior to becoming president and CEO of the Medical Center, Lateef was its chief medical officer. Under his leadership, the Medical Center has received national attention for its ongoing, effective management of the COVID-19 pandemic, which included building a forward triage, deploying early testing, acceptance of critically ill patient transfers especially from communities hit hardest by the pandemic, and being one of the first to offer antibody testing.

Lateef has worked with physicians and analysts at RUSH and from academic medical centers across the nation to evaluate the driving factors and methodology of quality rankings by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S. News & World Report and others. In January 2020, Lateef was invited by the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to serve on the National Advisory Council for Healthcare Research and Quality of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Lateef and his colleagues evaluated and recommended changes to the rating systems for accuracy and the best reflection of quality. His work to ensure that key national measures are transparent and measure the right, meaningful data points greatly affected how health care quality is reported across the country.

Lateef earned a bachelor's degree in religious studies from the University of Florida-Gainesville in 1995. He received his medical degree from Des Moines University and completed his internship and residency at New York University Downtown Hospital. He completed a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine at RUSH University Medical Center in 2005.

 

14. Peter Healy
President, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

As President of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), Peter Healy leads the 673-bed academic medical center affiliated with Harvard Medical School that boasts a full range of outpatient and emergency services, including a Level I Trauma Center, more than 1,200 physicians on the medical staff, and annual research funding totaling $230 million.

Peter joined BIDMC as President in 2017. He has worked with BIDMC's senior management team and Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians leadership to strengthen clinical operations, academic achievement, and the BIDMC Experience. Previously, he served as president and CEO of Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital–Milton (BID Milton). During his tenure, BID Milton was one of the fastest-growing community hospitals in the state, earned national recognition for healthcare quality and patient safety, grew its medical staff, and recorded positive financial results five years in a row. Peter has more than 25 years of hospital leadership experience in Greater Boston, including key roles at Boston Medical Center and Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital.

Peter earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio, and a Master in Health Services Administration from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio.

 

15. Thomas Jackiewicz
President, University of Chicago Medical Center

Thomas Jackiewicz is the President of the University of Chicago Health System and the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he oversees the seven-hospital clinical enterprise that integrates the patient care mission of UChicago Medicine with the education and research missions of the University of Chicago. Jackiewicz has executed ambitious and broad transformations in academic environments and engaged physician leaders to drive organizational change.

During his tenure as CEO of Keck Medicine of USC, Jackiewicz grew the University of Southern California’s medical enterprise into a $2.2 billion regional academic health system with internationally renowned physicians and exceptional scientific research capabilities. Prior to that, he served as CEO of the University of California, San Diego Health System, leading the academic health system during a period of major growth and expansion. Jackiewicz is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and Leadership Greater Chicago, and he is a frequent speaker at national gatherings of societies. He earned a master’s degree from Columbia University and a bachelor’s from the University of Georgia.

 

16. Jeffrey Balser
President and CEO, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Dr. Jeff Balser is the President and CEO of Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), where he has overseen remarkable growth since 2009, expanding patient visits to nearly 3 million with annual net revenues from $2B to over $6B. VUMC is the highest-ranked adult and children’s hospitals in the Southeast by US News and employs over 40,000 people. Under his leadership, VUMC has become a leader in personalized medicine, integrating advances in biomedical informatics, discovery science, and precision genomics. VUMC houses the NIH Data and Research Support Center for the US Precision Medicine “All of Us” Program. Dr. Balser guided VUMC through an historic restructuring process, separating the medical center legally and financially from Vanderbilt University through a $1.2B public debt issuance to form an independent corporation that continues its historic academic affiliation with the university.

Dr. Balser has guided acquisitions growing VUMC from two to five regional campuses, including seven hospitals with over 1700 inpatient beds and 200 outpatient facilities, while expanding the employed medical practice to over 3000, the largest in the Mid-South. VUMC houses one of the nation’s largest medical education programs with over 1100 residents and fellows training in over 200 specialties. The School of Medicine ranks among the nation’s top NIH grant recipients, with over $800M in annual research awards supported by government, foundation, and industry sponsors.

Dr. Balser was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2008 and serves on the boards of VUMC, Tulane University, the Nashville Healthcare Council, and CVS Health. Dr. Balser undertook his internship, residency, and fellowship training in anesthesiology and critical care at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, MD. He joined the Hopkins faculty in 1995 and returned to Vanderbilt in 1998, becoming Dean of Medicine and Vice Chancellor for Health affairs in 2008/09.

 

17. Alan Kaplan
Chief Executive Officer, University of Wisconsin Hospitals

Dr. Alan S. Kaplan assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer of UW Health in May 2016. He is a nationally renowned healthcare leader with a proven track record of leading large-scale clinical and cultural transformation with a focus on care coordination. He previously served as EVP and chief clinical transformation officer for UnityPoint Health, a multi-state, integrated health system based in West Des Moines, Iowa. He was also the founder and president/CEO of UnityPoint Clinic, where he provided leadership for 1,300 providers. Kaplan also served as president/CEO of UnityPoint at Home, a provider of home care, palliative, hospice, and home infusion services.

Prior to joining UnityPoint Health in 2009, he served as vice president and chief medical officer at Edward Health Services Corp. (EHSC), a health care system based in Naperville, III. Dr. Kaplan earned his medical degree from Rush University in Chicago in 1985, is board-certified in emergency medicine, and earned a master's in medical management from Carnegie Mellon University in 2000. He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and a fellow of the American Association of Physician Leadership, where he previously served as chairman of the board.

 

18. Patty Maysent
Chief Executive Officer, UC San Diego Health - Jacobs Medical Center

Patty Maysent is the CEO of UC San Diego Health, which is the only academic health system in the region and includes numerous medical centers, clinics, and specialty centers throughout Southern California. She oversees over 14,000 team members who deliver world-class care to over 1 million patients annually, generating $3.6 billion in annual operating revenue. Under Maysent’s leadership, UC San Diego Health has grown significantly with the opening of Jacobs Medical Center and the Koman Family Outpatient Pavilion. Expansion continues with a multi-phase, multi-billion dollar long-range development plan to reimagine the 62-acre UC San Diego Medical Center in Hillcrest, including the construction of a state-of-the-art 250,000-square-foot outpatient pavilion scheduled to open in 2025.

Previously, Maysent served as chief of staff and chief strategy officer at UC San Diego Health. She was CEO of St. Jude Medical Center and served as a consultant for The St. Joseph Health System, University of Southern California's Keck Medical Center and Norris Cancer Center, and Alliance Healthcare Services.

Maysent serves on the board and executive committee of the California Hospital Association. In addition, she is passionate about her years of work with the Boys and Girls Club of San Dieguito, where she has also served on the board and executive committee. She holds a master's degree in business administration and a master’s degree in public health, both from UCLA, and received a bachelor's degree in human biology from Stanford University.

 

19. Cliff Megerian
Chief Executive Officer, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center

Dr. Cliff A. Megerian is the CEO of University Hospitals (UH), a comprehensive health system in Ohio with 21 hospitals, more than 50 health centers, and over 200 physician offices. He became CEO in February 2021, and prior to that, he served as the system's president, leading the organization through the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. In his previous role, he managed the clinical integration strategies, policies, and practice guidelines for more than 2,500 UH-employed physicians and raised physician productivity to its highest level while increasing physician engagement and research funding.

Dr. Megerian is also a professor in the Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. His clinical career has been devoted to the management of hearing loss, chronic ear disease, cholesteatoma, otosclerosis, vertigo, and other otology and neurotology issues. He co-founded UH’s Cochlear implant program and has performed over 1,500 cochlear implant surgeries.

Dr. Megerian has published over 130 peer-reviewed manuscripts and abstracts and has served as a visiting professor at numerous medical schools and institutions worldwide. He has also served as a consultant to the FDA in the regulation of Ear, Nose, and Throat Devices. He serves on the American Hospital Association’s Health Systems Committee and is also Chair of the Cleveland Innovation District/Jobs Ohio Consortium.

 

20. David Lubarsky
Chief Executive Officer, University of California - Davis Medical Center

David Lubarsky is the Vice Chancellor of Human Health Sciences and Chief Executive Officer of UC Davis Health, which has 14,000 employees, 1,000 students, and an annual budget of $3 billion. He oversees UC Davis Health's financial structure and academic, research, and clinical programs, including the School of Medicine and the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing. Dr. Lubarsky has re-established UC Davis Health's commitment to expanding care for the underserved and providing care for Medi-Cal patients while creating a sustainable financial model. He has established partnerships with Sacramento County Health Services to expand primary and specialty care to the underserved and positioned UC Davis Health as a resource to complement other health systems in the region.

Dr. Lubarsky has partnered with Adventist Health and the California Medical Association to address recruiting, training, and retaining doctors in rural areas throughout Northern California and championed training programs to advance rural and inner city care. Lubarsky is a UC Davis professor of anesthesiology, nursing, and business, and is on the faculty of the UC Davis Graduate School of Management. He was previously the chief medical officer and systems integration officer at the University of Miami Health System and a professor at Duke University. Dr. Lubarsky earned his undergraduate degree in history and medical degree at Washington University in St. Louis, completed his residency and a fellowship in anesthesia at New York University Medical Center, and received his MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.

 

21. Dan Lundergan
CEO, University of Utah Hospital

Dan Lundergan has worked at the University of Utah Health for over 40 years, holding various positions throughout his tenure. His experience includes managing surgical services and ambulatory clinics and coordinating administrative functions in the Laser Institute, where he established a post-graduate educational program for physicians and participated in research projects. Dan currently works with the executive team to ensure the hospital's financial viability and safety, satisfaction, and quality priorities. He also coordinates master space planning, strategic planning, and various initiatives impacting the University of Utah Health System.

Dan participates in innovative strategies to prepare for changes in the healthcare industry and merges institutional strategies into operational accomplishments. He values teamwork, honesty, and mutual respect, and envisions a culture change within hospital operations to improve local and national healthcare policies. Dan is committed to the University of Utah Health's mission to provide exceptional quality and patient experience while advancing science and education, and he aims to make a positive impact on both patients and their families.

 

22. John Lynch
President, Barnes-Jewish Hospital

Dr. John Lynch is the President of Barnes-Jewish Hospital at Washington University Medical Campus, a 1,263-bed facility located in St. Louis, Missouri. that is consistently ranked on the Honor Roll of America’s Best Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report.

Before being named president in August 2020, Dr. Lynch served as the chief medical officer and chief operating officer for Barnes-Jewish Hospital. He has been on the hospital’s medical staff and cared for patients at Barnes-Jewish Hospital since 1995. Dr. Lynch is board certified in pulmonary medicine and is a Fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians. He remains a professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine and formerly was vice chair of the Department of Medicine. He serves on the board of directors for Mid-America Transplant, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the facilitation and coordination of organ and tissue donation.

Dr. Lynch received his medical degree from Georgetown University. He completed his residency at the former Barnes Hospital and completed a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine at Washington University School of Medicine.

 

23. Matt Wain
Chief Executive Officer, Emory University Hospital

Matt Wain is the Chief Executive Officer, Emory University Hospital, Emory University Orthopedics & Spine Hospital, and Emory Wesley Woods Hospital.

Prior to relocating to Emory, Matt worked at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) Health, Charleston, SC from 2013-2019. His tenure included serving as chief operating officer of MUSC Medical Center and MUSC Health. From 2001-2013, Wain worked at Penn State Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA. This included several roles of increasing responsibility culminating as the medical center's chief administrative officer. Matt began his professional career as an active-duty military officer and helicopter pilot. He retired from reserve component military service in 2008.

He is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, and also earned a MAS from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida.

 

24. Chris Van Gorder
President and Chief Executive Officer, Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla

Chris Van Gorder has been the President and CEO of Scripps Health since 2000. He oversees all functions of the San Diego-based integrated health system, including its five acute-care hospital campuses, dozens of outpatient centers, the Prebys Cardiovascular Institute, and the Scripps MD Anderson Cancer Center. Van Gorder has made significant contributions in positioning Scripps among the foremost healthcare institutions in the country.

Van Gorder’s journey to health care executive began as a hospital patient when, as a police officer, he was critically injured during a family dispute call. After a lengthy recovery, Van Gorder continued his education in healthcare management and rose to levels of increased responsibility. He is board-certified in healthcare management and an American College of Healthcare Executives Fellow.

Van Gorder has established a horizontally matrixed management structure to identify and significantly reduce unnecessary variation in patient care and healthcare operations, which has led to more than $400 million in performance improvements from 2011 to 2015. He also created Scripps’ innovative Model Care program, harnessing the ideas and experience of front-line staff and physicians to completely redesign patient care.

 

25. Bob Page
President and Chief Executive Officer, University of Kansas Hospital

Bob Page has been an executive leader in The University of Kansas Health System for over 25 years and currently serves as its President and CEO. He has worked to improve the healthcare environment in Kansas by collaborating with nearly 70 hospitals across the state and has committed the organization to improve the health of Kansans through evidence-based practice and patient outcomes.

When Page joined the organization in 1996, it was at risk of closure due to poor performance and financial insecurity. The University of Kansas Health System had the lowest patient satisfaction ranking in the nation and was facing deteriorating patient volumes, higher-than expected-mortality rates, unsustainable turnover, and severe funding shortfalls. Throughout his tenure, Page has relied on a patient and staff-focused culture, resulting in national recognition for quality by both Vizient and U.S. News & World Report, high levels of staff engagement, top decile patient satisfaction, clinical integration of the medical staff and the health system, historic levels of capital investment, and significant growth.

Page, along with Tammy Peterman and Leeanne Seaver, has released a book titled “Proud But Never Satisfied,” where they share the ten transformative actions they used to reinvent their culture and engage their people, resulting in the highly acclaimed health system seen today at The University of Kansas Health System.