- Mark C. Adams
- Richard Afable
- Craig Becker
- James F. Burke
- Patrick Cawley
- Charles Erlichman
- Linda Q. Everett
- David J. Fine
- Donna H. Griffith
- Philip Johnson
- Ronald L. Kaufman
- Lois L. Kercher
- Gregory F. McAuliffe
- James T. McDeavitt
- Judith A. Melin
- Kevin Most
- Jonathan B. Perlin
- William W. Pinsky
- Peter F. Rapp
- Michael Rock
- Lee B. Sacks
- Kenneth F. Sands
- Dan Stultz
- John R. Combes
AHA SENIOR STAFF
Mark C. Adams, MD, FACS, is Chief Medical Officer at Franciscan Health System in Tacoma, Washington. He serves on the board of directors of the Regence Group and the Puget Sound Health Alliance. He was previously a member of the board of directors for the Washington State High Risk Insurance Pool, Western Conference of Prepaid Health Plan, and the Foundation for Healthcare Quality, president of the Washington State Medical Association, and founding member of Washington State Healthcare Forum, and Foundation for Healthcare Quality board of directors.
Dr. Adams received both his BA in Biology and MD from the University of Pennsylvania. He completed a general surgery residency at the University of Washington Affiliated Hospitals, followed by a vascular surgery fellowship at the same institution. He is board certified in both general surgery and vascular surgery.
Richard Afable, MD, MPH, is President and Chief Executive Officer of Covenant Health Network and EVP, St. Joseph Health, Southern California. Formerly, Dr. Afable was Executive Vice President/CMO at Catholic Health East based in Newtown Square, P. He was also the founder and President/CEO of Preferred Physician Partners (PPP), an Ohio-based physician practice management company that supported physician groups and provider networks. He has served as Associate Professor of Medicine at Wake Forest University and Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at Northwestern University.
Before his management and academic career, Dr. Afable spent 10 years in private medical practice in Chicago, specializing in internal medicine and geriatrics. Dr. Afable received his BS degree from Loyola University in Chicago and an MD from the Loyola Stritch School of Medicine. He obtained his MPH degree from the University of Illinois School of Public Health and a certificate in business administration from Villanova University.
Richard Afable, MD, MPH, is President and Chief Executive Officer of Covenant Health Network and EVP, St. Joseph Health, Southern California. Formerly, Dr. Afable was Executive Vice President/CMO at Catholic Health East based in Newtown Square, P. He was also the founder and President/CEO of Preferred Physician Partners (PPP), an Ohio-based physician practice management company that supported physician groups and provider networks. He has served as Associate Professor of Medicine at Wake Forest University and Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at Northwestern University.
Before his management and academic career, Dr. Afable spent 10 years in private medical practice in Chicago, specializing in internal medicine and geriatrics. Dr. Afable received his BS degree from Loyola University in Chicago and an MD from the Loyola Stritch School of Medicine. He obtained his MPH degree from the University of Illinois School of Public Health and a certificate in business administration from Villanova University.
James F. Burke, MD, has held a variety of medical positions at Scottsdale Healthcare since 1991. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer before being named Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs in 2008. He received his Medical degree from the University of Nebraska Medical Center in 1979, completed his residency in the Scottsdale Healthcare Family Medicine Residency Program, and is board certified in Family Practice.
Patrick Cawley, MD, is the Chief Executive Officer at Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) Medical Center in Charleston, South Carolina. Prior to his current position, he served as section chief of hospital medicine and Vice Chairman of Clinical Affairs in the Department of Medicine at MUSC. Dr. Cawley is a past president of the Society of Hospital Medicine and a co-founder of the first hospital medicine program at Duke University.
Dr. Cawley graduated with honors from the University of Scranton. He received his doctor of medicine degree from Georgetown University, an MBA from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and completed an internal medicine residency at Duke University. He is board certified in internal medicine and was named a Senior Fellow in Hospital Medicine by the Society of Hospital Medicine. He is a certified physician executive through the American College of Physician Executives and a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Charles Erlichman, MD, FRCPC, FACP, became Chair of the Department of Oncology at Mayo Clinic Rochester in 2002 after serving as chair of research for the Division of Medical Oncology since 1994. He has served on institutional committees including the National Strategies committee, the Personnel Committee and the Marketing Committee. Currently he is a member of the Rochester Finance Committee. He has taken executive program courses in Strategic Alliances, Implementing Strategies, Leading and Managing People and Strategic Persuasion.
At a national level he serves as co-chair of the Investigational Drug Steering Committee of the NCI which advises NCI on drug development and also serves on an NCI guidelines harmonization workgroup and the NCI Operational Efficiency Working Group
Linda Q. Everett, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, is the executive vice president and chief nurse executive at Indiana University Health in Indianapolis, Ind. Previously, she was the long-time chief nursing officer at the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics. Dr. Everett earned her nursing diploma from Riverside White-Cross School of Nursing; a bachelor of science in nursing from Kent State University; and a master’s of science in nursing at Case Western, all Ohio schools. Her doctorate in nursing administration/nursing systems is from The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
David J. Fine serves as president and chief executive officer of St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System. Dr. Fine has 35 years of experience as a healthcare executive, including more than 25 years as chief executive officer of university hospitals, multi-hospital systems, medical groups and managed care organizations.
Dr. Fine is active in civic and professional organizations. He is past chairman of the Board of Directors of the Association of University Programs in Health Administration, was founding vice-chairman of the National Center for Healthcare Leadership and is presently a Regent of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including a Doctor of Philosophy Honor is Causa from The University of Southern Mississippi in 2007. Modern Healthcare named him one of the “100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare” in 2004. Dr. Fine also earned the Birmingham Business Journal Health Care Executive of the Year 2003, Robert S. Hudgens Medal of the American College of Healthcare Executives, of which he is a Fellow, the Martin Luther King Special Humanitarian Award of the University of Cincinnati and the Champion of Public Health Award of Tulane University.
Donna H. Griffith, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, CENP, FACHE, is a health care and nursing executive leader with more than 30 years experience in the industry, Ms. Griffith has a Master’s Degree in nursing from Vanderbilt University and a BSN from University of the State of New York. She is triple board certified as a Healthcare Executive and Fellow (FACHE) of the ACHE, Nurse Executive Advanced, Board Certified (NEA-BC) by the American Nurses Center, and Certified Nurse in Executive Practice (CNEP) by the AONE.
Philip Johnson, MS, RPh, FASHP, is Pharmacy Oncology Director for Premier Inc. In addition to his present position, he has served as the director of Pharmacy at Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington, IL and as a Clinical Pharmacist at Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, IL and Memorial Hospital of Du Page County in Elmhurst, IL.
Ronald L. Kaufman, MD, FACHE, MBA, is Chief Medical Officer for the California/Nebraska Region of Tenet Healthcare. Prior to joining Tenet in 2004, Dr. Kaufman served as Senior Associate Dean for Administration at the Keck School of Medicine and as the Associate Senior Vice President for Administration, both at the University of Southern California. He is on the board of directors of Integrated Healthcare Association, on the board of the Facey Medical Foundation, and served a term as a member of the board of trustees of the California Hospital Association.
Dr. Kaufman has a bachelor’s degree from UCLA. He received his MD at the University of California Irvine, and MBA at the University of Southern California. Dr. Kaufman completed his postgraduate medical training at LAC+USC Medical Center and is board certified in internal medicine, rheumatology, and medical management. Dr. Kaufman is Professor Emeritus of Clinical Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine at USC, and a Master of the American College of Rheumatology and a fellow of the American College of Physicians, the American College of Healthcare Executives and the American College of Physician Executives.
Lois L. Kercher, PhD, RN, has been with Sentara Healthcare since December 2004. During this time she has served as Chief Nursing Officer from December 2004 – 2009 and currently since January 2010 has been serving in the role of Program Director responsible for Magnet Journey operations for Sentara Hospitals. Prior to her work at Sentara Healthcare, Lois had served in different executive roles with Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital and The George Washington University Medical Center. Lois received her Doctor of Philosophy from The Catholic University of America, her Post-Masters Certificate in Health Care Administration from The George Washington University and her Master of Science in Nursing from The Catholic University of America.
Gregory F. McAuliffe, MD, is the Chief Medical Officer at San Luis Valley Regional Medical Center (SLVRMC) in Alamosa, Colorado. Dr. McAuliffe was named the first Chief Medical Officer at SLVRMC, now an integrated health system, in 2009. Prior to this, he served on the board of directors and as president of a 24-provider private multi-specialty group for 10 years. Dr. McAuliffe has been practicing Internal Medicine in Alamosa since 1988.
A Colorado native, he graduated from Colorado State University and obtained his medical degree from the Autonomous University of Guadalajara. Dr. McAuliffe completed his Internal Medicine residency in Baltimore, Maryland. He is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, and is a member of the American College of Physician Executives and the American College of Physicians. In addition to his CMO duties, Dr. McAuliffe continues to practice Internal Medicine on a part-time basis.
James T. McDeavitt, MD, oversees medical education and research activities at CHS, including the Charlotte Campus of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. CMC is the primary training hospital for physicians within the System and North Carolina’s only independent academic medical center. Under Dr. McDeavitt’s leadership, CMC offers residency training programs and fellowships in 18 specialty areas. More than 300 faculty physicians and 250 residents are practicing and training under his leadership. Other responsibilities include the Charlotte Area Health Education Center (AHEC), James G. Cannon Research Center, Cancer Services/Ambulatory Care and the Carolinas College of Health Sciences.
Judith A. Melin, MD, MA, is Chief Medical Services Officer and serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees at Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Massachusetts, a teaching hospital and 500 physician group practice. She co-chairs the Greater Boston Aligning Forces for Quality’s Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions Committee, is vice-chair of the physician HIT advisory group to MA’s Regional Extension Center (for CMS’ Meaningful Use program), and serves on both the MA Hospital Association’s Clinical Issues Advisory Council and the Eastern MA Healthcare Initiative’s steering committee. She has served as Lahey’s medical director, as well as on several boards and executive committees in Massachusetts.
Dr. Melin graduated from Harvard – Radcliffe College with a bachelor’s degree with high honors and a concurrent master’s degree in chemistry from Harvard University. She received her medical degree from Yale Medical School, and completed an internal medicine residency at University Hospital in Boston. She graduated from the Radcliffe Seminars Graduate Management Certificate Program. She is board certified in internal medicine and practices at Lahey Clinic.
Kevin Most, DO, is the Vice President of Medical Affairs at Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, Illinois. Serving CDH since 1990, Dr. Most has held previous positions as Senior Medical Director of the CDH Convenient Care Centers and Medical Director of the Business Health Unit. He also remains a physician on-staff.
Dr. Most earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kansas, a Doctorate of Osteopathic medicine from the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, and an MBA from the University of Notre Dame. He completed his residency in family practice at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois. He is board certified in family medicine.
Jonathan B. Perlin, MD, PhD, MSHA, FACP, FACMI, is President, Clinical and Physician Services Group and Chief Medical Officer for Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), based in Nashville, Tennessee. Before joining HCA in 2006, Dr. Perlin was Under Secretary for Health in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate, as the senior-most physician in the Federal Government and Chief Executive Officer of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Dr. Perlin led the nation’s largest integrated health system.
Dr. Perlin has an MS in Health Administration and received his PhD in pharmacology (molecular neurobiology) with his MD as part of the Physician Scientist Training Program at the Medical College of Virginia of Virginia Commonwealth University.
Dr. Perlin is available for engagement via the Speakers Express service.
William W. Pinsky, MD, is Executive Vice President and Chief Academic Officer at Ochsner Health System. Dr. Pinsky also serves as a professor at the University of Queensland School of Medicine, as well as the head of the Ochsner Clinical School, University of Queensland. Prior to joining Ochsner in 1999, Dr. Pinsky’s career had been university based in an academic career in Pediatric Cardiology. Pinsky was Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs at Wayne State University and Senior Vice President and Chief Quality Officer for the Detroit Medical Center. Prior positions at the Detroit Medical Center included President of Coordinated Healthcare (the managed care subsidiary responsible for all managed care activities at the Medical Center), Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs, President of the Ambulatory Division, and Chief Executive of Sinai Hospital. Dr. Pinsky received his M.D. at St. Louis University School of Medicine in 1973, and served a residency in Pediatrics and a post-doctoral fellowship in Pediatric Cardiology at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital.
Peter F. Rapp is vice president and executive director of Oregon Health and Science University in Portland.
Prior to joining OHSU in 2002, Mr. Rapp held executive positions at other health systems, including Fairview Health Services and the University of Minnesota Hospital and Clinics.
Mr. Rapp also serves on the boards of OHSU, the University Hospital Consortium,and Health Future. He has a master’s degree in hospital and health administration from Northwestern University and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Denison University.
Michael Rock, MD, is the Chief Medical Officer at Mayo Clinic Hospitals/Mayo Foundation. In addition, he serves as a Consultant to the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Mayo, is a Professor of Orthopedics at the College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, and has teaching/examining privileges in Biomedical Engineering at Mayo Graduate School. He continues an active surgical practice. Prior to joining Mayo in 1988, Dr. Rock was an Associate Professor in the Departments of Surgery and Radiation Oncology at the University of Western Ontario and a Consultant to the Ontario Cancer Foundation.
An at-large American Hospital Association (AHA) Board of Trustees member and its Executive Committee, Dr. Rock has been an active member with the AHA Section for Health Care Systems since 2003 and served as Chair in 2008. In addition, Dr. Rock served on the AHA Long-Range Policy Committee in 2008, Chair of the AHA Leadership Council in 2009, and a member of the Board of Directors of Health Research and Education Trust.
Dr. Rock received his BS from the University of Western Ontario in Canada, and later went on to receive a medical degree from the same university. Dr. Rock completed his post-graduate fellowship training in orthopaedic oncology at The Rizzoli Institute in Bologna, Italy and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
Dr. Rock is available for engagement via the Speakers Express service.
Lee B. Sacks, MD, has been Executive Vice President, Chief Medical Officer of Advocate Health Care since 1997. He also serves as the Chief Executive Officer for Advocate Physician Partners, to which he was appointed in 1995. Dr. Sacks previously served as Medical Director, Vice President of Lutheran General Health Plan (PHO) and Vice President of Primary Care Development for Lutheran General Health System, prior to the merger that created Advocate in 1995.
Dr. Sacks received a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and a medical degree from the University of Illinois, Chicago. He completed a Family Practice residency at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois, serving as Chief Resident. He served as President of the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians from 1988-89 and on the Commission of Health Care Services of the American Academy of Family Physicians from 1994-2000.
Kenneth F. Sands, MD, MPH, is the Senior Vice President of Health Care Quality and Director of the Silverman Institute for Health Care Quality and Safety at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. He is also an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Sands joined Beth Israel Hospital in 1993 and was the Hospital Epidemiologist there until 1999 when he assumed his current role.
Dr. Sands received his medical degree from Dartmouth Medical School and a master’s in Public Health from Harvard. He completed his internship and residency at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
Dan Stultz, MD, FACP, FACHE, is president and chief executive officer of the Texas Hospital Association, an Austin-based trade association representing more than 85 percent of the state’s hospitals and health care systems. From 1999-2006, Dr. Stultz served as president and CEO of Shannon Health System in San Angelo, Texas. He is a member of the American Hospital Association’s Regional Policy Board 7 and of the State Hospital Association Executives Forum. He is a fellow for both the American College of Physicians and the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Dr. Stultz received his bachelor’s degree from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, and his medical school at the University of Texas Medical School in Houston. He completed his internship and residency at the University of Kentucky.
John R. Combes, MD, is Senior Vice President at the American Hospital Association (AHA) where he leads the association’s Physician Leadership Forum. He also serves as President of the Center for Healthcare Governance (CHG), an AHA affiliate organization. Dr. Combes serves as a Senior Fellow at the Hospital Research and Education Trust (HRET), as well as on the boards of the Hospital Sisters Health System, a 13-hospital health system in Illinois and Wisconsin, and the West Virginia Medical Institute, a multi-state Quality Improvement Organization. He is a member of the Not-for-Profit Advisory Council of the National Association of Corporate Directors. In addition, Dr. Combes is Principal Investigator for an AHRQ national initiative to reducing central line infections through the use of a comprehensive unit based patient safety approach pioneered by Johns Hopkins University.
Dr. Combes received his medical degree from Cornell University in New York and completed his post-graduate training at Boston City Hospital. He is certified in Internal Medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine and has Management Certification from the American College of Physician Executives.
Dr. Combes is available for engagement via the Speakers Express service.