MI2015 Speaker Biographies

Pete Celano
Catherine Estrampes
Clifford Frank
Brian Hilligoss
Frederick Hobby
Stephen Jones
Steve Lewis
Lisa McDonnel
Michael McGovern
Kelly Owen
Janet Porter
Ramanathan Raju
Peter Rasmussen
Yolanda Robles
John Schaeffler

	Frederick Hobby President and CEO, Institute for Diversity in Health Management (Institute)Fred Hobby joined the Institute for Diversity in Health Management (Institute) as president and CEO in 2005 with more than 25 years of hospital administration experience in three states and six hospital systems. Fred will lead the Institute into its second decade of service, developing tools and resources to enhance diversity in our nation’s hospitals, and helping health care organizations with their diversity activities.Fred began his hospital administration career with Humana, Inc. in Louisville, KY after serving 4 years as the Executive of the City’s Affirmative Action Department and 3 years on the faculty of the University of Louisville.Before joining the Institute, Fred spent 10 years with the Greenville (SC) Hospital System (GHS), a 1,086-bed acute care teaching hospital system. As an administrator and chief diversity officer at GHS, he developed and implemented a system-wide diversity initiative that is nationally recognized for its comprehensiveness and success. Its components include diversity training and education for the system’s 7,200 employees as well as an extensive language interpretation center to better serve patients who speak languages other than English. The GHS Language Center was the first recipient of a recognition letter from the HHS Office of Civil Rights recognizing the system’s compliance with the Federal LEP Guidelines. Prior to joining GHS, Fred served as the Chief Operating Officer with the Portsmouth (VA) General Hospital and is a former CEO of the Newport News General Hospital.Fred received a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Kentucky State University in Frankfort, KY, and a master’s degree in sociology from Washington University in St. Louis.He is a frequent guest speaker on diversity and featured at a number of prestigious national conferences. In 1999, he was named “Senior Executive of the Year” by the National Association for Health Services Executives. Fred was named to Modern Healthcare magazine’s “100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare” in August, 2006 and 2007. He was the cover story in the 2006 Winter issue of HR Pulse, the official publication of the American Society for Healthcare Human Resource Administration. The Chicago Defender appointed Fred to their Man of Excellence roster in 2010. In 2015, Fred received ACHE’s President’s Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award from NAHSE. Fred served on the National Board of the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI). He was selected to represent the interest of hospitals and has served as a founding member since CCHI’s inception. In 2010, Fred was selected as a content expert to serve on the National Project Advisory Committee (NPAC) of the CLAS Standards Enhancement Initiative. The NPAC was created by the Dept. of Health and Human Services’ Office of Minority Health to modify current standards or create new ones to advance equity in the health care delivery system. Fred is married to Patricia King-Hobby and they have three children: twins, Brian and Ryan and daughter, Ashley.
	Stephen K. Jones, FACHE President and CEO, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and Robert Wood Johnson Health SystemMr. Jones was appointed President and Chief Executive O¬fficer of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and the Robert Wood Johnson Health System in September 2007, and served as Interim President and Chief Executive Officer since December 2006. The Robert Wood Johnson Health System is a five-hospital system that includes Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (with campuses in New Brunswick and Somerville), as flagship; the Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at RWJUH; Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital – Hamilton; Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital – Rahway; and Children’s Specialized Hospital, the nation’s largest provider of pediatric rehabilitative care, as well as five comprehensive fitness and wellness centers. RWJUH is the principal teaching hospital of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and flagship hospital of Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey. The Robert Wood Johnson Health System currently has $1.6 billion dollars in annual revenue, 10,300 employees, 3,250 medical staff members and 1,733 beds. Mr. Jones has been recognized by the Association of Hispanic Healthcare Executives, the Philippine Nurses Association of New Jersey, Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple, among other professional and civic groups, for his leadership in advancing practices around diversity and inclusion within healthcare. Before being named President, Mr. Jones previously served as Senior Vice President, Operations, of the Hospital since October 1983. Prior to joining the Hospital, Mr. Jones served as Assistant Director at Somerset Medical Center, Somerville, New Jersey and Assistant Director at Barnert Memorial Hospital Center, Paterson, New Jersey. Mr. Jones is Immediate Past-Chairman of the New Jersey Hospital Association Board and a member of the Board of the Center for Medical Interoperability. Mr. Jones is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Mr. Jones has a faculty appointment at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, in the Bloustein School undergraduate Health Administration Program. He has presented nationally on Lean/Six Sigma, graduate medical education and accountable care organizations in academic medicine. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from the University of Maryland in 1973, and a Master of Arts in Health Care Administration from George Washington University in 1976. Mr. Jones is a veteran, having served in the United States Air Force from 1966 to 1970. He served as a Russian linguistic with the USAF and with the National Security Agency.
	Lisa M. McDonnel Senior Vice President, Network Strategy & Innovation, United HealthcareMs. McDonnel leads network strategy and innovation for United Healthcare’s nationwide network of over 650,000 physicians and 5,200 hospitals, serving 25 million Commercial members and 7 million Medicare and Medicaid members. In this role Lisa is responsible for network standards, payment and delivery system strategy to improve the value of the network for our customers.Lisa began her managed care career building networks to support Lockheed Missile’s and Space Company’s self funded benefit plan in Northern California.Later, she moved to Private Healthcare Systems where she was responsible for managing networks throughout Northern California and the Pacific NW. In 1997, she joined UnitedHealthcare where she continued to advance through various network leadership roles.Prior to her current role, Lisa was responsible for UnitedHealthcare’s network in the West Region.Educated at the University of CA, Irvine where Ms. McDonnel earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. She also attended the MPA/MPH program at the University of San Francisco.
	Michael (Mike) McGovern Senior Vice President, Business Development, Select Medical CorporationMichael T. McGovern is Senior Vice President of Business Development for Select Medical Corporation (NYSE: SEM), a leading operator of specialty hospitals in the United States. As of December 31, 2014, Select operated 113 long-term acute care hospitals and 16 acute medical rehabilitation hospitals in 28 states. Select is also a leading operator of outpatient rehabilitation clinics in the United States, with approximately 1,023 locations in 31 states and the District of Columbia. Select also provides medical rehabilitation services on a contract basis at nursing homes, assisted living and senior care centers, schools and worksites.Mr. McGovern is responsible for developing new hospitals and partnerships throughout the United States, including recent rehabilitation joint ventures with the Cleveland Clinic, Baylor Scott & White, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Ohio Health, Tri Health, among others. He has served in regional operational and development roles for Select Medical Corporation since December 1998.He was Executive Vice President, Operations for Intensiva HealthCare Corporation from September 1996 until its merger with Select Medical Corporation in December 1998.Prior to joining the Company, he was Vice President of Physician Services for the BJC Health System in St Louis from 1994 to 1996 and Executive Vice President, Corporate Services at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, Inc. from 1988 to 1994.He served in a variety of senior executive positions at Columbus Children’s Hospital, Inc. from 1982 to 1988. Mr. McGovern has over 30 years of experience in working with large health systems and academic health centers. Mr. McGovern holds a B.A. from Ohio Wesleyan University and a M.H.A. from The Ohio State University.
	Kelly J. Owen Director, Payment Innovations, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue ShieldAs Director of Payment Innovations for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Kelly has responsibility for developing the provider network through contract negotiations, collaboration and relationship development. Kelly is primarily accountable for strategy and local execution of Payment Innovation, Value-Based Contracting Programs across Ohio. These Programs empower primary care physicians to engage in those comprehensive primary care functions that move us toward a coordinated, evidence-based care model that has the greatest impact on achieving the triple aim of improved quality, patient experience and affordability.Kelly has more than 15 years of experience as a cross-functional project leader, change agent and Lean Six Sigma Expert. She has held several leadership positions and was responsible for implementing operational transformations in healthcare, manufacturing and service businesses resulting in improved revenue growth, cost savings and expanded capacity.Kelly is originally from Dayton, Ohio, and holds a B.S. in Management from Xavier University and MBA in Healthcare Management from Walden University.
	Janet Porter, MHA, MBA, PhD Strategy and Operational Consultant, StroudwaterDr. Janet Porter has 35 years of experience as a hospital administrator, teacher, association executive, consultant, and public health leader. She joined Stroudwater Associates in 2012 and serves as a strategy, operational and leadership development consultant to academic medical centers, specialty hospitals, physician practices, pharmaceutical companies, and national associations.Janet served as the Chief Operating Officer of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; the Associate Dean of Executive Education at University of North Carolina’s School of Public Health; the Interim CEO of the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA); and the Vice President, and then COO of Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.A popular speaker, Janet recent presentations include those at the American College of Healthcare Executives Congress, the National Patient Safety Foundation, Harvard’s Palliative Care Leadership Institute, the Cleveland Clinic and the Singapore Health Management Congress. Janet has served on the faculties of Harvard University, University of Minnesota and University of Colorado. She is currently an adjunct professor at University of Miami, Ohio State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Janet is also faculty director of the IHI’s Leading Quality Program. She has authored over fifty articles and book chapters; Janet was the founding co-author of the national column The Management Moment for the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice and recently co-authored the book Managing the Public Health Enterprise.Janet was on the Expert Panel for Public Health for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. She was a fellow and board member of the Commission for Accreditation on Health Management Education (CAHME) and a founding board member for the National Center for Healthcare Leadership.Janet currently serves on the Board of Directors of AARP, the Ohio State University Alumni Association, the Foster McGaw Committee for the American Hospital Association and the High-Value Healthcare Collaborative. Janet has been an examiner for the Malcolm Baldrige Award and has completed Intermountain Healthcare System’s Advanced Training Program.Janet received her BS and MHA from Ohio State University and her MBA and PhD in healthcare strategy from the University of Minnesota.
	Ramanathan Raju, MD, MBA, FACS, FACHE President and CEO, New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC)Ramanathan (Ram) Raju, MD, MBA, FACS, FACHE is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC), the largest municipal healthcare system in the nation. Dr. Raju was appointed by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio in January 2014 to lead the 37,000 employees of this $7 billion corporation, which includes 11 acute care hospitals, five nursing homes, six large diagnostic and treatment centers, more than 70 community-based health centers, a large home care agency, and one of the New York area’s largest providers of government-sponsored health insurance, MetroPlus Health Plan, the plan of choice for nearly half a million New Yorkers. Last year, HHC facilities served 1.4 million New Yorkers — including more than 475,000 uninsured.Prior to accepting the role of President and CEO at HHC, Dr. Raju was the Chief Executive Officer for the Cook County Health & Hospitals System (CCHHS) in Chicago, Illinois. CCHHS is the third largest public health system in the country, overseeing a comprehensive, integrated system of healthcare, comprised of two hospitals; a regional outpatient center; a correctional healthcare facility; an outpatient infectious disease center specializing in the treatment of HIV/AIDS; 16 community clinics and a nationally accredited public health department. During his tenure there, Dr. Raju obtained federal approval for a Section 1115 Medicaid Waiver permitting CCHHS to “early enroll” under the ACA Medicaid expansion, reduced the structural deficit by more than $200M, and gained meaningful designation throughout the health system.Dr. Raju began his medical career in the United States at Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn and went on to serve as the COO and Medical Director at HHC’s Coney Island Hospital. Then in 2006, he became the HHC Chief Medical Officer, Corporate Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President. While he served there, HHC continued to climb and reach great heights in quality, patient safety and healthcare data transparency. He was also an integral part of the team that embarked, in 2010, on the HHC restructuring and cost containment plan.Dr. Raju attended Madras Medical College to earn his medical diploma and his Master of Surgery degree. He underwent further training in England and was elected as a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons. Dr. Raju is also a physician executive, having obtained an MBA from the University of Tennessee and CPE from the American College of Physician Executives.Dr. Raju is the recipient of numerous national recognitions, including being named to lists of the 100 Most Influential Healthcare Leaders in 2014, the 50 most influential Physician Executives in Healthcare in 2013, 2014, and 2015. Top 25 Minority Executives in Health care for 2012 and 2014, all by Modern Healthcare, and Becker’s top 25 Health care executives to follow in Twitter. He serves on Boards of Directors, including the American Hospital Association, America’s Essential Hospitals (formerly the National Association of Public Hospitals), the Greater New York Hospital Association, and the Healthcare Association of New York State. A longtime resident of Staten Island, Dr. Raju and his wife, a physician, and have two children.
	Yolanda Robles Founder and President, CulturaLinkAs founder and President of CulturaLink, Yolanda’s vision has been instrumental in helping healthcare organizations improve the delivery of services to multilingual and multicultural communities and improve diverse employee engagement. Yolanda has developed numerous programs bridging cultural gaps in healthcare delivery systems large and small resulting in a more engaged workforce and improved patient experience. Born in the Dominican Republic, Ms. Robles emigrated to the U.S. when she was a child and quickly assimilated to the culture and local community where she served as an interpreter and cultural navigator for her family. Her personal and professional experiences laid the foundation for her desire to dedicate her life working on diversity issues to increase the level of cultural competence in the U.S. healthcare system. Ms. Robles’ background is in training and communications.She is a member of the Joint Commission’s Long Term Care Advisory Council, AHA’s Institute for Diversity in Health Management, a trained consultant for the American Medical Association’s Ethical Force Program’s Communication Climate Assessment Tool (CCAT), a certified consultant for the Johns Hopkins COA 360 Certified Consultant Program, member of the National Forum for Latino Healthcare Executives and National Association of Healthcare Service Executives (NAHSE). Yolanda is also a member of the Association of Language Companies, American Translator’s Association, and National Council on Interpreting in Healthcare, the International Medical Interpreter Association, and the American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration.Yolanda’s dynamic presentations have been heard at national and regional conferences and she has conducted trainings for audiences of front line staff and the C-suite. Her long history of training, awareness of the health care environment and her personal background add to the interest of her presentations and leave participants with valuable and actionable information.CulturaLink, Inc. is a certified minority and women-owned business specializing in helping organizations improve delivery of culturally competent solutions to diverse communities. Our mission is to strengthen an organization’s ability to deliver proven solutions in managing today’s multicultural and multilingual communities. We accomplish this through a comprehensive range of services including: cultural competence assessments, community needs assessments, consulting services around diversity, inclusion, the provision of culturally competent care. In addition on a national level we provide language services (interpretation and translation), and interactive training elements on inclusion. As an integrated cultural diversity consulting, training, and language services company, CulturaLink understands the nuances of vulnerable populations and has helped health systems adapt their processes and practices to achieve operational excellence. Our strength lies in the methodology and innovation we use when consulting with our clients on their journey to establish effective cultural competence, diversity and inclusion programs. Our dedication and innovation has helped our clients develop tools and process improvements to make care to diverse populations more efficient and cost effective.
	Pete Celano, MBA Director of Consumer Health Initiatives, MedStar Institute for InnovationPete has worked in healthcare for 20 years, including as a co-founder of BeClose.com and before that the owner of a Software-as-a-Service company in the x-ray space, for sharing DICOM images among hospitals. BeClose.com (Vienna, VA) was founded in 2009, and is a competitor in Remote Patient Monitoring, having spun out of MicroStrategy, Inc.As Director of Consumer Health Initiatives for the MedStar Institute for Innovation, Pete is especially focused on making patient access more convenient and friction-free. A major area of interest is cloud-platforms that can tie into the EMR, to drive new system revenue, reduce costs, improve outcomes and extend access. Another interest area is screening patients using evidence-based questionnaires, especially on the web and mobile.A major focus for Pete includes the Employer, and how Wellness programs can be brought to bear to improve care and lower costs.Pete has a BA and MBA from the University of Virginia, and has presented at a variety of meetings and conferences on Digital Health, Mobile, Cloud Platforms and Access.
	Peter A. Rasmussen, MD, FAHA, FAANS Director, Cerebrovascular Center, Cleveland Clinic – Neurological InstitutePeter A. Rasmussen, MD, is Director of the Cerebrovascular Center at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, and the Medical Director of Distance Health. Dr. Rasmussen’s clinical interests are in hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke, primarily focusing on cerebral aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations and occlusive intracranial atherosclerotic disease. He maintains a busy practice offering patients either open microsurgery or endovascular, minimally invasive treatment options. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Medical School in Madison, Wisconsin, completed his residency in neurosurgery at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, completed fellowship training in interventional neuroradiology/endovascular neurosurgery at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, as well as a fellowship in microsurgical treatment of cerebrovascular disease also at the Cleveland Clinic. He joined the faculty at the Cleveland Clinic in 2000. He has authored numerous scientific papers and book chapters. Currently he is an ad hoc reviewer for the Journal of Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery, Journal of Neurointerventional Surgery and American Journal of Neuroradiology.During his career, Dr. Rasmussen has maintained an active interest in applied or translational research acting as the Co-Director of the Endovascular Neurosurgery Research Laboratory. He is an active member of many professional organizations including the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery, and the Joint Sections on Neurotrauma, Critical Care and Cerebrovascular Surgery.Dr. Rasmussen is the President of the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery (SNIS), is a past Vice Chair of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons/Congress of Neurological Surgeons, Cerebrovascular Section, and has been appointed as a fellow to both the American Heart Association (FAHA) and the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (FAANS).
	Brian Hilligoss, PhD, MSIS Assistant Professor in the Division of Health Services Management and Policy, The Ohio State University College of Public Health Brian Hilligoss, PhD. MSIS, is an assistant professor in the Division of Health Services Management and Policy at The Ohio State University College of Public Health. His research explores the dynamics of both clinical and administrative work and investigates how processes of organizing, communicating, and coordinating influence the quality and safety of care delivered by health services organizations. He has studied such topics as patient handoffs, accountable care organizations, quality improvement, and translational science.Dr. Hilligoss has expertise in a variety of qualitative methods, with a particular passion for ethnographic and field-based observational approaches to understanding organizational phenomena. Funding for his research has been provided by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality.
	Clifford R. Frank Co-Founder, Partnera Health, LLCCliff is co-founder of Partnera, a company that provides turnkey products and services that grow Health Systems’ market share and brand loyalty. Cliff specializes in designing managed care products that offer financial incentives for patients to use efficient and high quality health care providers.Cliff is also President of Healthcare Management Solutions, Inc. a managed care consulting located in Jacksonville, Florida. He has more than 25 years of healthcare experience with demonstrated abilities in managed care contracting, provider/payer relationships, bundled payment design, capitation program design and management, accountable care design and operations, and evaluation of managed care models and structures.Cliff is currently the interim Executive Director of Shore Quality Partners, a clinically integrated network in Somers Point, NJ. Cliff recently finished as the turnaround CEO of FirstCare Health Plans of Texas, a 140,000 member health plan that has commercial HMO and PPO plans, self-insured products, Medicare HMO plans and Medicaid managed care, now financially profitable.Cliff also served as President of Vermont Managed Care, a capitated physician-hospital network in Burlington, Vt. The PHO has 41,000 lives and has consistently returned over 100% of physician risk funds over his tenure at VMC.Cliff is the former Administrator for Baptist/St. Vincent’s Integrated Delivery Organization – Mission: Health – a joint venture between the health system and the North Florida Physician’s Association. Mission: Health was a managed care management company handling full risk capitated contracts, PPO contracts and physician administrative support services through aligned clinical and financial incentives. Cliff was previously the Vice President of Managed care for Baptist/St. Vincent’s Health System, responsible for negotiating contracts with HMOs and PPOs across a full continuum of care, including hospital, skilled nursing facility, lab, home health, primary care and ancillary contracts. Prior to Joining St. Vincent’s, he was a product development consultant for the actuarial firm of Tillinghast, a Towers Perrin Company. Cliff also has held positions as director marketing and operations for a provider-owned HMO, director of product development for Blue Cross and group practice administrator. He has a Masters of Health Services Administration degree from the University of Michigan, and a Bachelors degree from UCLA. Cliff also co-authored a book titled: Physician Empowerment through Capitation. (Aspen, 2000) and lives in Tampa, Florida area.
	Steve Lewis, M.D. Vice President Population Health, Northern Arizona HealthcareSteven Lewis, M.D., was named vice president of Population Health for Northern Arizona Healthcare. Dr. Lewis joined the organization in 2007, serving as chief medical officer and vice president of Medical Affairs.Before joining Flagstaff Medical Center, Dr. Lewis was the regional medical director at Intermountain Healthcare, Dixie Regional Medical Center, in St. George, Utah. He is a board-certified pulmonologist and intensivist (specialty trained to care for patients in intensive or critical care units). Additionally, he also had a part-time private practice.Dr. Lewis earned his Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Hawaii and his medical degree at the University of Washington School of Medicine. His postgraduate medical education includes an internship, residency and fellowship at the University of Washington, as well as a fellowship at the American College of Chest Physician
	Catherine Estrampes Senior Vice President & General Manager, GE Healthcare U.S. & CanadaCatherine Estrampes is Senior Vice President and General Manager of GE Healthcare’s $2.8 Billion U.S Central Zone. With responsibilities spanning across all of GE Healthcare’s diagnostics, health information technology, life sciences offerings and Service, Catherine’s primary focus is on leveraging the capabilities of GE Healthcare in partnering with providers to lower costs, improve quality, and achieve greater access in healthcare.Catherine began her career at GE Healthcare Europe in 1990 where she held business leadership positions for the Cardiology/Interventional and CT product lines and gained extensive international exposure. She moved to the United States of America in 1999 for GE Capital where she held several General Manager positions for various P&Ls both for GE Capital Equipment Finance and GE Healthcare Financial Services Global Vendor division. Catherine moved back to GE Healthcare in October 2010 to the position of Senior Vice President and General Manager heading the Mid America Zone. In January 2013, her responsibilities were expanded to include the entire Central corridor.Catherine earned an MBA from IAE Business School and an undergraduate degree from IEP- Institut d’Etudes Politiques (Economics & Finance) in France. She also holds an undergraduate degree in Foreign Languages from Toulouse Universite in France.
	John Schaeffler Senior Manager, Government Affairs & Policy, GE HealthcareJohn Schaeffler re-joined GE Healthcare in March of 2010 as the General Manager for Government Relations. John had served as Senior Manager of Government Relations from 2004 to 2009. In between his time at GE Healthcare, John was the Senior Vice President of Federal Affairs of DaVita – a dialysis provider. Prior to coming to GE Healthcare the first time, John spent nine years at the American Health Care Association (AHCA) ending his time there as Senior Vice President for Policy and Government Relations. John began his career as a legislative aide to two Members of Congress from Minnesota from 1987 through 1995. He is a graduate of American University’s School of Public Affairs with a degree in political science.