Trailblazers

The City & State 2025 Trailblazers in Healthcare

These innovators, experts and advocates are tackling the state’s – and the world’s – health challenges head on

From left to right: Bill Deal, Danielle Hansen & C. Frank Igwe

From left to right: Bill Deal, Danielle Hansen & C. Frank Igwe Provided; LECOM; Provided

Against the headwinds of federal funding cuts, an aging population and public health challenges, Pennsylvania’s healthcare leaders are responding with novel strategies and collaborative energy. City & State’s 2025 Trailblazers in Healthcare include physicians and lobbyists, educators and entrepreneurs, attorneys and nonprofit leaders – all on the front lines of a sector critical to global health, as well as the state’s economy and well-being.

Meaghan Abbott

Director, Alzheimer’s, Dementia & Related Disorders Office, Pennsylvania Department of Aging
Meaghan Abbott / Commonwealth Media Services

Meaghan Abbott is the founding director of the Alzheimer’s, Dementia & Related Disorders Office at the Pennsylvania Department of Aging, where she is spearheading a first-in-a-decade comprehensive overhaul of the state’s ADRD strategy. She began her career in nonprofit roles before joining the state Department of Health as director of intergovernmental affairs. More recently, she held a series of roles in the Governor’s Office, including leading external affairs for then-Gov. Tom Wolf and serving as chief of staff to First Lady Lori Shapiro. 

Deborah Addo

Interim CEO, President & COO, Penn State Health

Veteran health system executive Deborah Addo currently serves as interim CEO of Penn State Health, which she joined in 2021 and where she is also the president and chief operating officer. Under her leadership, Penn State has prioritized financial stability and redoubled its focus on community health, with a strategic plan to bolster mental, physical and nutritional health equity across the region. She previously held leadership roles with Inova Health System in Virginia.

Megan Barbour

Director, Advocacy & Government Relations, Pennsylvania Health Care Association
Megan Barbour / Source Creative House

On behalf of the commonwealth’s long-term care sector, Megan Barbour directs advocacy and government affairs for the Pennsylvania Health Care Association. She draws on her experience as founding director of the Long-Term Care Transformation Office at the state Department of Health, which supports Pennsylvania’s growing senior population through technical and financial assistance to care facilities. She also worked on affordable insurance coverage as policy director at the Pennsylvania Insurance Department and currently serves on the Governor’s Alzheimer’s, Dementia and Related Disorders Advisory Committee.

Peter Bidey

Dean & Chief Academic Officer, Osteopathic Medicine Program, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Peter Bidey / PCOM

Family medicine physician and dedicated educator Peter Bidey has been integral to the growth of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine since joining the faculty in 2012. Currently dean and chief academic officer of the school’s osteopathic medicine program, he previously served as medical director of the school’s Department of Family Medicine, where he continues to teach. Most recently, he orchestrated an enrollment expansion at PCOM’s South Georgia campus and launched an instructional partnership with his high school alma mater, Holy Ghost Prep in Bensalem.

Joseph Cacchione

CEO, Jefferson
Joseph Cacchione / Jefferson Health

Presiding over Jefferson’s rapid expansion is Joseph Cacchione, a cardiologist who has helmed Philadelphia-based Jefferson Health, Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health Plans since 2022. Under his leadership, the enterprise recently acquired Lehigh Valley Health Network, creating a $15 billion system with 32 hospitals, 65,000 employees and some 360,000 health plan members. He also partnered Jefferson with Philabundance to open a community pantry at Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia Hospital. He joined Jefferson from Ascension, a $28 billion health organization.

Marie Carbonara

Environmental Health Director, Delaware County Health Department
Marie Carbonara / BeauMonde Originals Photography

Marie Carbonara is the founding director of the Environmental Health division for Delaware County’s Health Department, which launched in 2022. She oversees a division that monitors communicable and chronic diseases, promoting equitable public health through community health and prevention workshops, as well as projects like the Mosquito-Borne Disease Prevention Initiative. A registered nurse and the former health officer for Radnor Township, she recently completed leadership programs with Delaware County and the organization Elected Officials Protecting America.

Chaudron Carter Short

Executive Vice President & Chief Nurse Executive, Temple Health
Chaudron Carter Short / Temple Health

Chaudron Carter Short, who holds doctorates in both education and nursing leadership, oversees nursing services at Temple Health, where she serves as executive vice president and chief nurse executive and also teaches. Her two-decade career advancing the profession and prioritizing underserved communities has been widely recognized, including with the Philadelphia Business Journal’s 2022 Woman of Distinction award. She is a member of The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania’s Maternal Health Task Force and the Healthcare Improvement Foundation board.

Robert Christmas

COO, Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center
Robert Christmas / Provided

As chief operating officer for the Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center, Robert Christmas leads operations, strategy and innovation across a tripartite organization that includes a research arm, the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute and the advocacy-focused Hepatitis B Foundation. He recently released the center’s capital improvement plan and works to coordinate entrepreneurship guidance for early-stage biotech ventures. He also launched the Life Sciences Affinity Club within the Union League and has developed STEM programs for middle and high school students.

Julie Cousler

Executive Director, Pennsylvania School-Based Health Alliance
Julie Cousler / Alex Emig

Since founding the Pennsylvania School-Based Health Alliance in 2020, Executive Director Julie Cousler has secured a $2.8 million investment in school-based health centers and scaled a network of centers in Philadelphia public schools. A Temple-trained social worker, she also partnered with the state Department of Human Services to assess school-based health centers’ impact on reducing Medicaid costs. Her experience with the model includes more than a decade leading a Philadelphia nonprofit focusing on school-based clinics and, more recently, helming Education Plus Health.

Bill Deal

Senior Vice President, Sales & Client Services, Aetna
Bill Deal / Provided

Bill Deal, Aetna’s senior vice president for sales and client services, draws on his extensive work experience to drive growth and improve health outcomes across Pennsylvania’s healthcare landscape, with a focus on public-sector organizations and labor unions.  Most recently, he sponsored a multi-year initiative that expanded access to high-quality health care coverage for Pennsylvania’s unionized state employees and their families. He also partnered across Aetna to spearhead health improvements among the commonwealth’s diverse communities.

Charma D. Dudley

Associate Director of Behavioral Health Services, Carelon

Psychologist Charma D. Dudley is the associate director of behavioral health services at Carelon, a subsidiary of Elevance Health that serves Medicare and Medicaid patients.  She previously served as clinical director of Allegheny Children’s Initiative, a Pittsburgh community-based mental health program. She has long been involved with the National Alliance on Mental Illness Keystone Pennsylvania chapter, where she is a past president of the board of directors.

Michael Flanagan

President & CEO, St. Clair Health

Michael Flanagan joined St. Clair Health nearly two decades ago as chief operating officer and has served as the Pittsburgh health system’s president and CEO since 2022. Under his leadership, St. Clair has flourished as an integrated health system and collaborates with the storied Mayo Clinic. He studied health policy at Penn State and earned a master’s in health care management from Carnegie Mellon; he previously worked at Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, also in Pittsburgh.

Steven Fontaine

CEO, Penn Highlands Healthcare
Steven Fontaine / Penn Highlands Healthcare

Under the decade-long leadership of Steven Fontaine, Penn Highlands Healthcare has grown to become a system that contributes nearly $2 billion to the Pennsylvania economy through nine acute-care hospitals, senior living facilities, retail pharmacies and other services. He joined Penn Highlands in 2014 as COO and became CEO two years later, emphasizing facility upgrades, including a new Level II Trauma Center at Penn Highlands DuBois and a $70 million hospital that opened last year in State College.

Leon Ford

Director, External Affairs, The Hear Foundation
Leon Ford / Free Library of Philadelphia

After being shot by a police officer in a 2012 mistaken-identity case, Pittsburgh native Leon Ford was left paralyzed – and became a champion for the disabled. He channeled his experience into founding The Hear Foundation, a nonprofit that promotes social justice and public safety in his Pittsburgh community. He was the 2023 recipient of the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award and the National Urban League Community Service Award, and serves on Pittsburgh’s Disability Stakeholder Task Force and the Pennsylvania Citizen Law Enforcement Advisory and Review Commission.

Cate Galea

Of Counsel, Greenberg Traurig
Cate Galea / Greenberg Traurig

From government investigations to health care mergers, licensing issues to fraud complaints, Cate Galea is a go-to resource on health law for clients at Greenberg Traurig, where she is of counsel. She specializes in laws and regulations governing health data, including HIPAA, and has counseled clients, including major health systems, on data breaches, HIPAA compliance, transactions and enforcement matters. She holds both a J.D. and a master’s in public health from Drexel University, where she teaches at the Kline School of Law.

Harvey Green

Senior Vice President, Philanthropy & Chief Development Officer, WellSpan Health
Harvey Green / LinkedIn

Harvey Green brings 20 years of leadership across academic health systems and higher education to WellSpan Health, where he leads philanthropic efforts and serves as chief development officer. Under his purview are six foundation boards representing a nine-hospital system, for which he has doubled annual fundraising and driven capital initiatives, including a $457 million investment in WellSpan’s flagship hospital. He previously led institutional advancement at Morehouse School of Medicine, where he helped bolster a $100 million endowment. 

Stacy Gromlich

Associate, Malady & Wooten
Stacy Gromlich / GK Visual

Malady & Wooten health care lobbyist Stacy Gromlich began her policy career nearly 25 years ago as an intern in Harrisburg and a research analyst for the state House Health and Human Services Committee. More recently, she has championed legislation that expands caregivers’ resources in food allergy emergencies and supports medically tailored meals for individuals with chronic illnesses. She serves on the board of Nouri’s Place, a nonprofit dedicated to families of neurodiverse individuals.

Geoff Gross

Founder & CEO, Medical Guardian
Geoff Gross / Jeff Wojtaszek

With over 20 years in personal emergency response, Geoff Gross leads Medical Guardian, the Philadelphia-based digital health and safety company he founded that now serves over 625,000 members nationwide through remote monitoring and emergency support. He has also launched a variety of user-friendly personal emergency response devices and systems that manage chronic conditions, proactively monitor wellness, and support senior-living communities. He currently serves as president of the Medical Alert Monitoring Association and is a fundraiser for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Christopher Hansen

Divisional General Manager, U.S. Medical Affairs - East, Sanofi
Christopher Hansen / Three Little Bees Photography, LLC

Pittsburgh-based neuroscientist Christopher Hansen, a leading researcher on neurotrauma, helped build a diverse medical affairs team at Sanofi, the global pharmaceutical outfit where he currently oversees its U.S. East division. He has published important research, secured NIH funding and worked on 13 novel therapies – including treatments for rare genetic conditions. He also volunteers with the Ronald McDonald House and supports rural education outreach, including through involvement with STEM programming at a Butler County elementary school.

Danielle Hansen

Regional President, LECOM Health
Danielle Hansen / LECOM

As regional president of LECOM Health, her medical school alma mater, Danielle Hansen recently débuted the rebranded LECOM Medical Center. She also expanded the health system’s behavioral health offerings through strategic affiliations with community mental health centers and the launch of the LECOM Institute for Behavioral Health, along with a psychiatric residential treatment facility. She holds master’s degrees from LECOM in medical education and health services administration, is certified in internal, geriatric and palliative medicine, and serves as a clinical professor at LECOM. 

Pamela Hepp

Shareholder, Healthcare, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney
Pamela Hepp / Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney

As a shareholder specializing in health care with Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, Pamela Hepp helps large institutions with complex transactions, regulatory issues, Medicare and Medicaid fraud, data security, HIPAA and other health law matters. She previously served as in-house counsel at a large health system and for an international medical device company. She has been consistently ranked among The Best Lawyers in America since 2018 and was included in Chambers and Partners’ USA Healthcare rankings for 2025, among other recognitions.

Sara Hussey

Executive Director, Allegheny County Medical Society, ACMS Foundation
Sara Hussey / Sami Saunders Studio

Advocacy, equity and physician well-being are the principles that Sara Hussey advances as the first female director of the 150-year-old Allegheny County Medical Society. Her initiatives include launching the society’s Physician Wellness Program and expanding its Women in Healthcare Committee, both aimed at bolstering engagement and peer support. Through the ACMS Foundation, she has directed funding to projects supporting vaccine equity, school-based mental health and public health literacy. She also represents the Allegheny County Executive on the Speakers Advisory Panel at the Pennsylvania Medical Society.

C. Frank Igwe

President, Moravia Health
C. Frank Igwe / Provided

In little more than a decade, Moravia Health founder and president Frank Igwe has grown his home healthcare agency into a national powerhouse with 5,000 employees and 3,500 patients across 21 states. Under his leadership, Moravia Health received a Gold Seal of Approval from the Joint Commission for best-in-nation care. He holds a doctorate in information sciences and technology from Penn State, where he was a 2025 commencement speaker, and promotes public health through the nonprofit Moravia Cares.

Cody Jones

Senior Director of Government Affairs, Pennsylvania Homecare Association
Cody Jones / Andrea Jones

Cody Jones brings political savvy honed over a career in campaigns to the Pennsylvania Homecare Association, where, as senior director of government affairs, he leads advocacy on behalf of the state’s home health industry. He launched a public relations campaign to raise awareness of issues like workforce shortages and caregiver compensation and, in April, orchestrated Pennsylvania’s largest-ever Homecare Advocacy Day at the Capitol. He previously helped pass historic higher education reform legislation as chief strategic relations officer for Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education.

Omar Khanataev

CEO, AmeriBest Home Care

Based in Philadelphia, Omar Khanataev, the CEO of AmeriBest Home Care, recently orchestrated a merger with TEAM Services Group. He joined the firm 15 years ago and, through various roles, contributed to the rapid growth of its senior-focused health model. A graduate of the Fox School of Business at Temple University, he garnered praise for his leadership in a critical industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mike Lane

Associate Vice President, Wojdak Government Relations

Health lobbyist Mike Lane is an associate vice president at Wojdak Government Relations, whose health care practice he joined in 2018. His expertise in Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement is informed by a decade of overseeing finance and policy for The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania, as well as his work with DeBrunner & Associates, where he championed the Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania, a Medicaid provider advocacy group. He is a past president of the Central PA chapter of the Healthcare Financial Management Association.

Minna Latortue

Nurse Anesthetist, WellSpan Health
Minna Latortue / Tee Elle

Minna Latortue, a nurse anesthetist at WellSpan Health in York, is an advocate for holistic, patient-centered practice and for the communities she cares for. She holds a doctorate in nursing, has worked in specialties including medical-surgical and ICU care, and is active with the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology, mentoring aspiring nurse anesthetists. She also volunteers as a clinical consultant on independent public health initiatives, including “Of Black Wombhood” at Philadelphia’s Tilt Institute, and lends her time to the Lupus Association of America.

Lynn Lucas-Fehm

President, Pennsylvania Medical Society
Lynn Lucas-Fehm / The Pennsylvania Medical Society

Earlier this year, diagnostic radiologist Lynn Lucas-Fehm became the 175th president of the Pennsylvania Medical Society, marking the culmination of a long-standing involvement with organized medicine at both the county and state levels. A breast imaging specialist with Mid Atlantic Radiology Consultants, she trained at Philadelphia’s Albert Einstein Medical Center and earned a law degree from Temple University. She is a vocal advocate for private equity reform in Pennsylvania, weighing in at a Senate Democratic Policy Committee hearing and pressing Capitol lawmakers on the issue.

Kevin Mahoney

CEO, University of Pennsylvania Health System
Kevin Mahoney / UPHS

Since 2019, Kevin Mahoney has headed the University of Pennsylvania Health System, overseeing seven hospitals and hundreds of specialty and outpatient sites across three states. His efforts to expand the system’s reach include the addition of the nationally ranked Clifton Center for Medical Breakthroughs, Doylestown Health and the forthcoming Penn Medicine Montgomeryville, a 162,000-square-foot outpatient center, along with cancer and imaging facilities at Penn Medicine Princeton. He also co-created the $1.6 million Fund for Health to address health challenges in underserved communities.

Christopher McDade

President, Medicare Markets, AmeriHealth Caritas
Christopher McDade / AmeriHealth Caritas

Christopher McDade leads the Medicare Markets division at AmeriHealth Caritas, bringing over 20 years of managed care leadership to one of America’s largest Medicaid managed care providers. He has overseen a 40% growth in membership as he guides AmeriHealth’s multi-state expansion of Medicare Advantage and other plans. He has also championed in-home and virtual care options, care coordination and measures to address social determinants of health, leading to a ranking in the Top 10 nationally for Medicare-Medicaid plan customer service satisfaction.

Richard McLaughlin

President & CEO, Phoenixville and Pottstown Hospitals
Richard McLaughlin / Tower Health

Twenty-five years after he joined Pottstown Hospital as an emergency medicine physician, Richard McLaughlin was appointed CEO of both Pottstown Hospital and Phoenixville Hospital. He previously served as chief medical officer of both Tower Health institutions, which collectively have nearly 400 beds, and has also led Tri-County Emergency Physicians. He trained at Jefferson and also holds an MBA.

Christine Michaels

CEO, NAMI Keystone PA

A longtime advocate for those struggling with mental illness and their families, Christine Michaels serves as the CEO of NAMI Keystone PA, the commonwealth chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. She works to reduce stigma around psychological health conditions and broaden access to treatment for the millions of Pennsylvanians affected. The Pittsburgh-based executive has been recognized for her leadership throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath, which has coincided with a significant uptick in rates of mental illness.

Brian Nester

Executive Vice President & COO, Jefferson

Following Jefferson’s recent merger with Lehigh Valley Health Network, where he served as the system’s longtime CEO, Brian Nester stepped into a new role as the combined Philadelphia health system’s executive vice president and chief of operations. In addition to his guidance of the 32-hospital system, which now boasts 65,000 employees, he has responsibility for Jefferson Health Plans, the system’s fast-growing and lucrative insurance marketplace division.

Daniel Onorato

Executive Vice President, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Highmark Health

Daniel Onorato, a well-known figure in Allegheny County political circles, currently oversees corporate affairs at Highmark Health, the $27 billion Pittsburgh-based organization where he is executive vice president. Under his purview are 44,000 employees at divisions that include the Allegheny Health Network and one of the nation’s largest Blue Cross Blue Shield insurers. He previously served as county executive, county controller and as a member of Pittsburgh City Council.

Lindsay Petrosky

Member, Jackson Kelly
Lindsay Petrosky / Jen Barker Worley Photography

Attorney Lindsay Petrosky specializes in health care transactions – including, most recently, serving as lead for a health system’s acquisition of a 250-bed acute care hospital with 50 ancillary locations. She counsels health industry clients on regulatory and organizational matters at Jackson Kelly, where she is vice chair of the executive committee, managing member of the Pittsburgh office and serves on the recruiting committee. She is also the immediate past chair of the board of Allegheny County-based Center for Organ Recovery & Education.

Garry Pezzano

President & CEO, LeadingAge PA
Garry Pezzano / Misty Rose, LLC

As the longtime CEO of LeadingAge PA, Garry Pezzano is uniquely equipped to lead the aging-services trade association through an era of financial uncertainty and surging demand. On behalf of some 400 industry providers across the commonwealth, he advocates for the policy and funding that promote quality, affordable and ethical care for older adults. Under his leadership, LeadingAge PA recently formed an Innovations Committee to facilitate knowledge-sharing and support within the sector, and hosted an affordable housing roundtable with providers and government representatives.

Marc H. Rabin

Medical Director, Maternal and Family Health Services
Marc H. Rabin / Provided

Marc Rabin is the medical director of Maternal and Family Health Services, a human services nonprofit that serves 100,000 people across 17 Northeast Pennsylvania counties. He chairs the Maternal and Family Health Services Regional Maternal Health Coalition and was recognized with MFHS’s 2016 Outstanding Community Partner Award. The Hahnemann-trained OB-GYN is also a staff physician at Moses Taylor Hospital in Scranton, where he serves on the medical executive board and is the director of quality and safety.

Kathleen Rhine

President & CEO, Mount Nittany Health
Kathleen Rhine / Mount Nittany Health

As CEO of Mount Nittany Health, Kathleen L. Rhine has led transformative growth across the region, adding 190 providers and investing some $700 million in new facilities, including a 10-story patient tower, an outpatient center, a diagnostic pavilion and specialized cardiac, women’s and children’s facilities. Under her leadership, the system achieved a CMS 5-star rating and an A grade from Leapfrog, and was named one of America’s best hospitals by Newsweek. She holds degrees in administration from Penn State and the University of Michigan.

Todd A. Rodriguez

Firmwide Managing Partner, Fox Rothschild

Based in Philadelphia and Exton, Fox Rothschild attorney Todd Rodriguez is sought out by the region’s numerous health organizations for his expert representation on regulatory and transactional matters, including fraud, Medicare reimbursement, HIPAA and corporate structuring. He is a former co-chair of the firm’s health law practice and currently serves as firmwide managing partner. His practice also spans corporate, life sciences and mergers, and acquisitions law.  

Maire St. Ledger

Nurse Practitioner, Street Medicine Team, Project HOME

Driven by a mission to serve those less fortunate, Maire St. Ledger has for the past dozen years tended to the medical needs of people on the streets of Philadelphia. The nurse practitioner is a member of the street medicine team at Project HOME, a nonprofit that addresses homelessness and poverty. She previously worked at Catholic Social Services and has worked with those in need in Haiti.

Susan Saxinger

Executive Director, Pennsylvania Assisted Living Association
Susan Saxinger / Camp Hill Photography

With 1 in 5 Pennsylvanians now over 65, Susan Saxinger champions a sizable constituency at the Pennsylvania Assisted Living Association, which represents the commonwealth’s personal care homes and assisted living communities. She advocates for both for-profit and not-for-profit institutions large and small at a time of growing demand. She joined the organization in 2023 after more than a decade as an administrator at Presbyterian Senior Living.

Andrew Sharp

Senior Director, Government Relations, Penn Medicine
Andrew Sharp / Penn Medicine

As Penn Medicine’s government relations chief, Andrew Sharp leads advocacy efforts In Harrisburg for one of the state’s largest health systems and employers. His deep industry knowledge and bipartisan ties across state government help shape policy on issues like health care access, hospital regulation and behavioral health. A veteran of Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration, he also served on the transition teams for Attorney General Dave Sunday and Gov. Josh Shapiro.

Jignesh Sheth

Senior Vice President, Enterprise Chief Operations & Strategy Officer, The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education
Jignesh Sheth / The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education

Jignesh Sheth, a specialist in internal and addiction medicine, oversees operations and strategy as senior vice president at The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, where he completed his medical residency. He has led initiatives around telemedicine and remote monitoring services, upgraded clinical practice through electronic health records and other technologies, and secured Wright’s federally qualified health center designation. He serves on the Keystone Health Information Exchange Steering Committee and Pennsylvania’s Alzheimer’s, Dementia & Related Disorders Advisory Committee.

Caleb Sisak

Health Care Practice Lead, Bravo Group
Caleb Sisak / Eric Forberger

From medical marijuana and telemedicine to the statewide insurance exchange and the opioid-epidemic response, Caleb Sisak, the Bravo Group’s health care practice lead, plays a key role in state health policy issues. His experience includes budget and legislative work with the state House Appropriations Committee, directing the House Human Services Committee and serving as a policy analyst in the state Senate. He holds an MPA from Shippensburg University and has also taught with Temple University’s Capital Semester program.

Linsey Smith

Executive Director, Greater Pennsylvania, Alzheimer’s Association

Earlier this year, Linsey Smith assumed leadership of the Alzheimer’s Association’s Greater Pennsylvania chapter, where she leads efforts to advance research, risk reduction and quality care for an aging state. Under her leadership, the chapter was recently named a finalist for State Advocacy Team of the Year, while the Pittsburgh Walk to End Alzheimer’s ranked among the top 30 such walks nationally. She previously held development and marketing leadership roles with Special Olympics Florida and has championed inclusive and equitable health care throughout her career.

Richard Snyder

Executive Vice President & COO, Independence Blue Cross
Richard Snyder / Independence Blue Cross

As chief operating officer of Independence Blue Cross, Richard Snyder leads efforts to advance innovative care delivery and promote equitable health through strategic collaborations and value-based programs that integrate behavioral and physical health. As executive vice president, he has overseen initiatives like Accelerate Health Equity, championed hands-only CPR training and broadened access to automated external defibrillators. He is a founding chair of HealthShare Exchange of Southeastern Pennsylvania and is active with the Independence Blue Cross Foundation and Horizons Greater Philadelphia.

Kim Sokoloski

Partner, Government Relations, One+ Strategies
Kim Sokoloski / Bevrore Portraits

At One+ Strategies, Kim Sokoloski specializes in assisting clients in matters involving Medicaid, pharmaceuticals, home health care and medical technologies. Now a government relations partner, she learned the Harrisburg ropes as executive director for two state Senate committees and, later, headed legislative affairs for the Department of Health. Her victories include helping secure legislation around telemedicine, regulation of milk banks, broadening cardiac care access, pediatric rate increases for home health care, and telemedicine law to include remote patient monitoring.

Michael Stern

President & CEO, Tower Health
Michael Stern / Tower Health

Michael Stern recently took over leadership of Tower Health, the $2 billion West Reading-based health system that has recently undergone a financial turnaround. As Tower’s chief operating officer since 2022, he played a key role in that transition and became president in 2024. His long record of health administration includes executive roles with Cleveland’s Metro Health system and Philadelphia’s Albert Einstein Health Network.

Raghav Tirupathi

Medical Director, Infectious Diseases & HIV, Keystone Health
Raghav Tirupathi / Provided

Raghav Tirupathi, a nationally recognized scholar of infectious disease, serves as the medical director for infectious diseases and HIV at Keystone Health. He launched a sexually transmitted infections clinic at a federally qualified health center, which serves vulnerable populations, and championed the establishment of an infectious diseases and HIV clinic in Chambersburg, where patients had previously lacked access to local specialty care. A clinical consultant to FDA and NIH health initiatives, he serves on the infectious diseases subspecialty board of the American Board of Internal Medicine.

Stacey Trooskin

Executive Medical Officer, Mazzoni Center

Stacey Trooskin, a nationally recognized infectious disease expert, is the executive medical officer at the Mazzoni Center, the health and wellness resource that is Philadelphia’s most prominent LGBTQ nonprofit. She leads a team that addresses issues, including HIV and sexually transmitted infections, primary care and behavioral health. A longtime faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, she previously oversaw medical care at Philadelphia FIGHT, a federally qualified health center.

Mark T. Williams

Board Chair, Woods System of Care
Mark T. Williams / Charlie Neiss

Mark Williams is part of a team that ushered in a new era of behavioral health services at the Woods System of Care, where he chairs the board of trustees. He steers an organization with integrated services across Pennsylvania and New Jersey for people with behavioral health complexities, autism, and intellectual and developmental disabilities. He also serves as president of the National Alliance on Mental Illness NJ and received the Stigma Free Ambassador Award from the Governor’s Council on Mental Health Stigma.

Donald Yealy

Senior Vice President, Health Services, UPMC

With a history of leadership spanning administration, research and education, Donald Yealy serves as UPMC’s chief medical officer and senior vice president for health services, guiding medical affairs at hospitals across Pennsylvania, New York and Maryland. He also mentors the next generation of frontline physicians as the chair of emergency medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, where he is a distinguished professor at the department where he trained, and was elected to the prestigious National Academy of Medicine.

Sean Zabaneh

Partner; Chair, Healthcare Litigation, Duane Morris
Sean Zabaneh / Maxine Cohen, Bresner Studios

Healthcare stakeholders – including healthcare systems, providers and associations – turn to Sean Zabaneh, who chairs the Healthcare Litigation practice at Duane Morris; he joined the firm 20 years ago and currently serves on its governing partners board. As lead counsel, he recently represented a dozen-plus hospitals and health systems across Pennsylvania in high-profile, national antitrust reimbursement litigation against Blue Cross Blue Shield. Additionally, he serves as counsel to the board of The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania and is a member of the American Health Law Association.