Glenn D. Steele Jr. MD, PhD, is President and Chief Executive Officer of Geisinger Health System. Dr. Steele previously served as the dean of the Biological Sciences Division and the Pritzker School of Medicine and as vice president for medical affairs at the University of Chicago, as well as the Richard T. Crane Professor in the Department of Surgery. Prior to that, he was the William V. McDermott Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School, president and chief executive officer of Deaconess Professional Practice Group, Boston, MA, and chairman of the department of surgery at New England Deaconess Hospital (Boston, MA). Widely recognized for his investigations into the treatment of primary and metastatic liver cancer and colorectal cancer surgery, Dr. Steele is past Chairman of the American Board of Surgery. He serves on the editorial board of numerous prominent medical journals. His investigations have focused on the cell biology of gastrointestinal cancer and pre-cancer and most recently on innovations in healthcare delivery and financing. A prolific writer, he is the author or co-author of more than 460 scientific and professional articles.
Dr. Steele received his bachelor’s degree in history and literature from Harvard University and his medical degree from New York University School of Medicine. He completed his internship and residency in surgery at the University of Colorado, where he was also a fellow of the American Cancer Society. He earned his PhD in microbiology at Lund University in Sweden. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and serves on their Committee on Reviewing Evidence to Identify Highly Effective Clinical Services (HECS), the New England Surgical Society, a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the American Surgical Association, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and past president of the Society of Surgical Oncology. He was a member of the National Advisory Committee for Rural Health, the Pennsylvania Cancer Control Consortium and is presently a member of the Healthcare Executives Network, the Alliance for Advancing Non-profit Health Care, the Commonwealth Fund’s Commission on a High Performance Health System, and he serves as a member of the National Committee for Quality Assurance’s (NCQA) Committee on Performance Measurement.
In addition, Dr. Steele was Chair for the American Hospital Association Systems Governing Council and now serves on the AHA Long-Range Policy Committee. He is currently Honorary Chair of the Pennsylvania March of Dimes Prematurity Campaign. Dr. Steele serves on several boards including Bucknell University’s Board of Trustees, Temple University School of Medicine’s Board of Visitors, the American Hospital Association’s Board of Trustees and Executive Committee, and Premier, Inc. Additionally, he serves on the Healthcare Financial Management Association’s Healthcare Leadership Council, the HFMA Healthcare Leadership Council, the Northeast Regional Cancer Institute, the Global Conference Institute, and previously served on the Simon School of Business Advisory Board (University of Rochester) 2002 - 2007.
In 2006 Dr. Steele received the CEO IT Achievement Award, given by Modern Healthcare and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) for promoting health information technology. In 2007, Dr. Steele received AHA’s Grassroots Champion Award and was named to Modern Healthcare’s 50 Most Powerful Physician Executives in Healthcare.
Jean A. Adams, is Geisinger Health System Associate Vice President, Information Technology. She is accountable to plan and direct the development and expansion of the Geisinger Health System electronic health record initiatives which includes Ambulatory, Inpatient, ED and OR services, patient registration and scheduling, patient portal, external physician portal and patient kiosk. She is the primary facilitator and coordinator of all projects and resources within the system's Information Technology department, operational areas and vendors to achieve cost-effective value-added solutions to patients and physicians. She is also a consultant to the system's for-profit Ventures group, contributing to the development and organization of intellectual capital for Venture initiatives. Her 30 years of experience within the Geisinger system includes experience as a Patient Care Nurse Manager and various analyst and management positions within Information Technology. Jean is a Registered Nurse with an emphasis in Health Care Administration.
Tammy Anderer, PhD, CRNP is a Research Associate and the Director of Best Practices for Geisinger's 40 primary care clinics. A board certified, practicing Family Nurse Practitioner, Dr. Anderer leads evidence based Clinical Decision Support, Best Practices, IT, Pay for Performance and Clinical Redesign strategies at Geisinger. Dr. Anderer’s responsibilities include the development and optimization of evidence based primary care decision support for complex chronic illness (Diabetes, 2006; Coronary Artery Disease, 2007), and preventive care (Adult Prevention, 2008), medical home, medication reconciliation, electronic prescribing and closing care gaps. Dr. Anderer has spoken nationally on Geisinger Clinical Decision Support and primary care transformation strategies and outcomes. Dr. Anderer completed a PhD in nursing research with a focus on primary care health outcomes at Duquesne University and completed Family Nurse Practitioner training at Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Anderer is currently a primary investigator on a CDC funded study in the area of reducing antibiotic usage in viral syndromes through electronic health record clinical decision support. Additionally, Dr. Anderer supports Geisinger Center for Health Research studies in the area of e-health, decision support and electronic health record data mining.
Judith Argon is Chief Administrative Officer of Research at Geisinger Health System. Ms. Argon came to Geisinger following her role as the Vice President of Research Administration at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She was also the director of research and resource development in the Office of Basic Sciences and Graduate Affairs at The University of Chicago.
Ms. Argon earned her masters degree in theological studies from Harvard University and completed a masters program in Near Eastern languages and literature from The Johns Hopkins University.
Ms. Argon is involved with several selected committees such as the Working Group on Human Subjects Research Council on Governmental Relations, CHOP Budget Policy Group, Research Affinity Group Council, Clinical research Action Team, President’s Research Council, Research HIPAA Compliance Committee, and CHOP/Penn Joint Committee. She is a member of a number of professional societies, such as the National Council of University Research Administrators, the Society of Research Administrators, the Health Care Compliance Association, and the Council on Governmental Relations.
Peter B. Berger, MD, is the Associate Chief Research Officer and Director of the Center for Clinical Studies at Geisinger Clinic, which is responsible for clinical research throughout the 3 hospital 40 clinic Geisinger Health System. He is also an interventional cardiologist at Geisinger. Prior to joining Geisinger in the summer of 2006, he was a Professor of Medicine and the Director of Interventional Cardiology at the Duke University Medical Center, and Co-Director of Cardiovascular Device Research at the Duke Clinical Research Institute.
Prior to Duke, Dr. Berger was a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiology at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine for 14 years. He has served on (and chaired) the American Heart Association Committee on Diagnostic and Interventional Catheterization, and on the Cardiac Catheterization and Interventional Cardiology Committees of the American College of Cardiology and the Society of Cardiac Angiography and Intervention. Dr. Berger has been a member of the American Board of Internal Medicine that writes the interventional cardiology board exam. Dr. Berger received his medical degree from the New York University Medical School and did his residency and fellowship at Boston City Hospital and Boston University Medical Center.
Frederick J. Bloom, Jr., MD, MMM is the Assistant Chief Quality Officer for the Geisinger Health System. Specializing in Family Medicine and Geriatrics, his practice is located in northeast Pennsylvania. Bloom earned his bachelor’s degree from Gannon University in Erie, PA, his medical degree from Hahnemann University in Philadelphia and completed his family medicine residency at St. Vincent’s Health Center in Erie. PA. Tulane University awarded him his Master of Medical Management degree.
As Assistant Chief Quality Officer, Dr. Bloom coordinates all performance improvement activities in the Community Practice Service Line and the Geisinger hospitals in northeast PA. He works extensively on systems of care for chronic disease and prevention, creating reliable work flows in the electronic medical record used by Geisinger since 1996. More recent work on population health has helped the Geisinger System to develop a successful medical home model, ProvenHealth Navigator SM.
Albert Bothe Jr., MD, is Executive Vice President and Chief Quality Officer for the Geisinger Health System. He has oversight responsibility for a variety of quality initiatives that derive from Geisinger’s strategic focus on improving the quality of care provided throughout the organization. He also serves as Chief Medical Officer for the Geisinger Medical Center, a 422-bed tertiary/quaternary medical center. The Geisinger Medical Center provides a full range of specialty and subspecialty services for patients throughout central Pennsylvania.
Dr. Bothe received his bachelor’s degree from Johns Hopkins University and his medical degree from Harvard Medical School. He subsequently received a master’s degree in medical management from the Tulane School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine. He is past chair of the Association of American Medical College’s Group on Faculty Practice and its subcommittee on Legislative and Regulatory Affairs, and serves as a representative to the Ambulatory Care Quality Alliance. He is a member of the American Medical Association’s CPT Editorial Panel, the American College of Surgeon’s General Surgery Coding and Reimbursement Committee and its Health Policy and Advocacy Group. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Health Care Quality Alliance and is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Advisory.
Kevin F. Brennan, CPA, FHFMA, is Executive Vice President for Finance, Chief Financial Officer of the System, and Treasurer of the Foundation. As Chief Financial Officer, he is responsible for System financial operations, mergers and acquisitions, strategy, reporting, and policy. Mr. Brennan directs key financial functions including: treasury management, revenue cycle, financial reporting, budgeting, third party contracting, compliance, payroll, accounts payable, tax, and decision support.
From 1997 through 2000, he also served as the Chief Financial Officer of the Penn State Geisinger Health System with similar functions and responsibilities. Prior to joining the System, Mr. Brennan served as the Regional Vice President of Finance and Vice President of Managed Care with the Franciscan Health System with responsibilities covering eight hospitals and affiliates in the Mid-Atlantic Region. He also served as the Vice President of Finance for The Germantown Hospital and Medical Center, a 300-bed teaching hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and as Vice President of Finance for Saint Michael’s Medical Center, a 443-bed major teaching hospital, in Newark, New Jersey.
Mr. Brennan holds a Master’s of Business Administration degree in healthcare administration and a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration, both from LaSalle University in Philadelphia. He has been a certified public accountant since 1979 and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accounts. He is a fellow of the Healthcare Financial Management Association since 1992.
Lissa Bryan-Smith, RN is Chief Administrative Officer, Geisinger Regional Ambulatory Campus - South Wilkes Barre. Lissa is responsible for the overall transition and redevelopment of the campus programs into a premier regional ambulatory program to achieve Geisinger’s northeast strategic growth.
Lissa received her RN from Reading Hospital and Medical Center School of Nursing. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Public Affairs (BSPA) in Healthcare Administration from St. Joseph’s College and went on to receive her Masters in Health Care Administration from the University of Maryland. She is a member of the Medical Group Management Association, and serves on a number of Geisinger committees which include: the Geisinger Wyoming Valley Advisory Council and Ethics Committee, the Governing Body and the Medical Executive Committees of Geisinger Wyoming Valley hospital.
John Buckley is Chief Administrative Officer, Geisinger Northeast. As such, he is responsible for Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, which is comprised of two campuses in Wilkes-Barre, Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center and Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre, our regional ambulatory care center in the Northeast. He is involved in strategic planning, budgetary/capital planning, business/facility development, financial performance, clinical quality improvement, and compensation. Most recently, Mr. Buckley was Chief Executive Officer of Temple East, a 187-bed community hospital owned by Temple University Health System in Philadelphia. Previously, Mr. Buckley led Temple’s Strategic Resource Group, a team of professional staff members responsible for service line expansions and product line integration throughout the health system. Before joining Temple, John served as President & CEO of Pottstown Healthcare Corporation (Pottstown, PA); Chief Executive Officer for several hospitals managed by the Hospital Corporation of America/Quorum Health Resources; and as Associate Hospital Director at Hahnemann University Hospital (Philadelphia).
A Fellow of the American College of Health Care Executives, Mr. Buckley earned an MBA in Health Administration from Temple University, and a BS in Economics from Widener University.
John B. Bulger, DO, is Assistant Chief Quality Officer and Director of the Hospital Medicine Service Line for the Geisinger Health System. Dr. Bulger developed Geisinger Medical Center’s hospitalist model in 2001 and continues to lead the program’s maturation as Director of Hospital Medicine and Associate Director of the Department of General Internal Medicine at Geisinger Medical Center. This includes innovations in resident and student education, participation in nationally recognized research and performance improvement projects and growth of the Geisinger hospitalist model. The Geisinger Health System currently sponsors hospitalist programs in four Pennsylvania hospitals.
Dr. Bulger is active in residency and student education. He is Associate Chief Academic Officer for Osteopathic Medical Education for Geisinger Health System as well as Regional Assistant Dean for the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM). PCOM and Geisinger enjoy a close, regional campus relationship. He is Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at PCOM and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Temple University School of Medicine.
Dr. Bulger is a recognized leader in osteopathic graduate medical education. He serves as the chair of the American College of Osteopathic Internists’ (ACOI) Council of Education and Evaluation and the American Osteopathic Association’s (AOA) Program and Trainee Review Council (PTRC). The AOA’s PTRC is the national accrediting body for osteopathic graduate medical programs.
Dr. Bulger is also interested in health policy. He is a 2003 graduate of the Osteopathic Heritage Health Policy Fellowship. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of PCOM and the ACOI and is the president-elect of Association of Osteopathic Program Directors and Medical Educators (AODME). Dr. Bulger regularly lectures to undergraduate students, medical trainees and physicians on health policy issues. He was a member of the Pennsylvania Medical Society’s Board of Trustees for six years.
Dr. Bulger is a fellow in the ACOI, American College of Physicians, Society of Hospital Medicine and AODME. He is a recipient of the 2003 American Osteopathic Foundation Emerging Leader Award and the 2001 American Medical Association Emerging Leader Award. He also received the ACOI’s Teacher of the Year award in 2005. He recently received Juniata College’s 2009 Health Professions Alumni Appreciation Award. Dr. Bulger serves as an ad hoc peer reviewer for Annals of Internal Medicine, the Journal of General Internal Medicine and Academic Medicine.
Dr. Bulger is a lifelong resident of rural Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of Juniata College (1991) and PCOM (1995). His wife, Michele, also a Juniata and PCOM graduate, is a pediatrician and member of Geisinger’s faculty. They reside in Danville with their children Ethan, Ben, and Ava.
David Carey, PhD, is Associate Chief Research Officer for Geisinger Clinic and Director of the Weis Center for Research. Prior to joining Geisinger in 1987, Dr. Carey received a Ph.D. degree in Biochemistry from the St. Louis University School of Medicine in 1980, and was a research fellow of the Muscular Dystrophy Association at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He held faculty positions at Penn State College of Medicine-Hershey Medical Center and Louisiana State University. His research interests include extracellular matrix biology, peripheral nerve development, and peripheral vascular disease.
Dr. Carey has co-authored more than 90 peer-reviewed research papers. He has been the recipient of multiple research grants from the National Institutes of Health, American Heart Association, and other agencies. He has served on scientific review panels for the National Institutes of Health, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society and US Army Cancer Research Program. He is a past member of the editorial board of Analytical Biochemistry. He is also a member of scientific advisory boards for the FONDAP research program at the Catholic University of Chile, and the Maine Medical Center Research Institute.
Alfred Casale, MD, is Chairman of Surgery for the Geisinger Heart Institute, Co-Director of its Cardiovascular Service Line and Associate Chief Medical Officer for Geisinger Northeast. He has been the director of cardiothoracic surgery at the Richard and Marion Pearsall Heart Hospital at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center since he joined Geisinger in 2001.
Dr. Casale graduated from the Johns Hopkins University with a BA in human biology and then earned his MD from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He did postdoctoral work at Johns Hopkins University in general, thoracic, and cardiac surgery, at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in thoracic surgical oncology and at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government in Health Care Policy.
Dr. Casale is active in local, regional and national surgical societies within which he has held leadership roles and he speaks often on clinical and policy topics. He joined Geisinger from Atlantic Health System in New Jersy, and has held faculty positions at Johns Hopkins, UMDNJ, College Misercordia, King's University and Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Casale's seminal work in establishing Geisinger's ProvenCareTM program as a model of value-generating redesign of complex acute surgical care using comparative effectiveness principles has been widely acclaimed in professional and popular media. He has been honored in Who's Who in America and The Best Doctors, (Castle Connolly Medical Ltd.). He maintains an active clinical practice in complex adult cardiac surgery in addition to his administrative responsibilities.
Jonathan Darer, MD, MPH, is Medical Director, Clinical Transformation for the Division of Clinical Innovation for Geisinger Health System. His information technology expertise includes: Clinical Director, for the Clinical Decision Intelligence System of which he co-led the implementation for enhanced analytic platform design to allow self-serve reporting from multiple data systems. He has led the design and implementation of the quality improvement initiatives for Chronic Disease, including Kidney Disease, Osteoporosis and Heart Failure.
In addition, he led the design team for inpatient clinical decision support. Dr. Darer came to the Geisinger from Kaiser Permanente where he was the Physician Advisor for KP HealthConnect and led clinical content and decision support development in EpicCare Ambulatory, in addition to developing and leading training sessions to improve end-user competency. Dr. Darer also built over 20 Best Practice Alerts designed to improve patient safety, chronic disease care and cross-department workflows. Dr. Darer’s practice areas include Urgent and Primary Care.
Dr. Darer received his bachelor’s degree cum laude in engineering from Harvard University and his medical degree from University of Connecticut Medical School. He completed his internship and residency at Oregon Health Sciences University, his fellowship in General Internal Medicine at John Hopkins University, School of Medicine, in addition to receiving his Masters of Public Health from John Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health. Dr. Darer has also authored and co-authored several peer and non-peer reviewed articles.
Duane Davis, MD, is Vice President, Chief Medical Officer of Geisinger Health Plan/Geisinger Indemnity Insurance Company/Geisinger Quality Options. Prior to 2000, Dr. Davis served as Senior Vice President and Medical Director of Geisinger Health Plan from 1987 to 2000. In his role, he is responsible for all health services, including Quality Improvement, Medical Management, Disease Management, Network Management and Pharmacy Management. He is accountable for accreditation compliance with National Committee for Quality Assurance (“NCQA”), CMS and the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
Dr. Davis is a NCQA Surveyor. He served on the NCQA Reconsideration Committee and is now chair of the NCQA Review Oversight Committee. Dr. Davis maintains a clinical practice in the Department of Rheumatology at Geisinger and participates in clinical research, as well as the teaching programs for Fellows and Residents. In addition, he is currently a Clinical Professor of Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University School of Medicine.
He is a Fellow in the American College of Physicians, the American College of Rheumatology, and a member of the American College of Physician Executives. An active member of the America’s Health Insurance Plans (“AHIP”), he serves on the AHIP Committee for Quality Health Care and AHIP Chief Medical Officer’s Committee and Leadership Council. He also serves as a mentor for the AHIP Executive Leadership Program.
Seth Frazier is Vice President, Transformation for Geisinger Health Systems. His responsibilities include providing business leadership to large scale innovation projects within the health system (e.g. Transitions of Care and ProvenCare) and external consulting for Geisinger Ventures. Prior to coming to Geisinger, Mr. Frazier was Senior Vice President, Strategic Services for The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Mr. Frazier led CHOP’s proton therapy development initiative, national contracting for tertiary services and strategic plan development and management. Before assuming the strategic services role,
Mr. Frazier had executive responsibilities for CHOP-affiliated Children’s Health Net, a pediatric managed care organization, that developed and managed a globally capitated a 100+ PCP network under contract with the dominant regional HMO. Mr. Frazier came to CHOP after a nine-year consulting career with a large national health care firm. His practice areas included clinical resource management, managed care, service line strategy, hospital redesign and strategy.
Mr. Frazier holds an MBA with honors from The Wharton School, where he was a Kaiser Fellow. Mr. Frazier received a BA in Economics (Honors) from Haverford College.
Richard J. Gilfillan, MD, is a consultant with the Geisinger Health System. Dr. Gilfillan was previously the President and CEO of Geisinger Health Plan and Executive Vice President for System Insurance Operations at the Geisinger Health System. In that position Dr. Gilfillan was responsible for Geisinger’s three managed care companies that provide a full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers and Medicare beneficiaries. With $1 billion in revenue, GHP and its affiliated companies provide health coverage to more than 235,000 members.
Dr. Gilfillan began his career as a family practitioner for the Georgetown University Community Health Plan. After establishing a family practice group in Massachusetts, he became Medical Director for Medigroup Central HMO, a Blue Cross of New Jersey managed care company in 1985. He was Chief Medical Officer for Independence Blue Cross from 1992 until 1995, when he became the general manager of their AmeriHealth New Jersey managed care subsidiary. Prior to joining Geisinger, Dr. Gilfillan was the Senior Vice President for National Network Management at Coventry Health Care.
Dr. Gilfillan received his undergraduate and medical degrees from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He completed a family practice residency at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis. He also earned an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Gilfillan has served on numerous community and corporate boards.
Thomas Graf, MD, is Chairman, Community Practice Service line for Geisinger Health System. Dr. Graf is responsible for the Community Practice network with additional responsibility for the physician medical group’s advanced medical home pilot process as well as participating on the network wide quality improvement, electronic health record, and physician compensation task forces. He has implemented over 20 NCQA Level III accreditation Medical Home Models in the Geisinger ProvenHealth Navigator model and leads the operations and development of these sites. He has extended this model to include comprehensive nursing home care with dedicated providers tied to ProvenHealth Navigator clinics.
Dr Graf has established innovative care models for optimizing chronic disease with established systems of care enhanced by MyCare modules of care for individual disease parameters lead by mid-levels through the use of the Delta Innovation Incubator program he established. Dr Graf serves as a content expert for the AHRQ Patient Centered Medical Homes Project.
After graduating from University of Michigan Medical School and completing Family Medicine residency training at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, he served on the faculty of the Henry Ford Family Practice Residency and was Director of the Southwest Georgia Family Practice Residency prior to joining Geisinger.
Howard R. Grant, JD, MD, joined the Geisinger Health System as Executive Vice President, Chief Medical Officer on May 1, 2008. In this role, he is responsible for guiding the activities of the 750-member physician group practice in 60 locations serving 41 counties and the three Geisinger hospitals. These activities include compensation, quality and performance improvement, credentialing, and new program development. As one of the executive leaders for the System, he is involved directly in clinical operations, capital planning and other issues for the Clinic and the Health System. He was previously the Chief Medical Officer of the Temple University Health System.
Grant – who is both a pediatrician and an attorney – served as a corporate Vice President for Medical Affairs at the Chester County Hospital for five years in West Chester, PA. Previously, he spent 10 years at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia serving in various clinical and administrative positions including Director of Home Care Services and Medical Director for the hospital’s Quality Assurance, Risk Management and Utilization Management Programs while serving as a Staff Pediatrician. He also has served as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University Of Pennsylvania School Of Medicine.
Grant earned both his medical and law degrees from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Pennsylvania. He completed his pediatrics residency at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He is a member of the American Medical Association, the American College of Physician Executives, and is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Susan M. Hallick, RN, is Executive Vice President, Chief Nursing Officer and collaborates with the Executive Vice President Chief Medical and Chief Operating Officers of the Clinical Enterprise to lead the enterprise at Geisinger Medical Center and integrate best practice nursing standards across the system. Sue began her professional career at Geisinger in 1983 as a staff nurse in Psychiatric and Medical/Surgical Nursing. From 1986-1995, Sue held various Middle Management positions in the Medical/Surgical Units and Psychiatric Units at GMC.
Sue moved on in July 1996 to become a Nursing Resource Engineering Facilitator for the “Geisinger 2000” Project, focusing on the development and implementation of a patient-focused inpatient care delivery model. In March 1998, she assumed the role of Assistant Vice President, Nursing Services, where she assisted the CNO in the successful implementation of care delivery and productivity systems. Sue is an adjunct faculty member of Thomas Jefferson University and actively participates in networking and events through the Pennsylvania Organization of Nurse Leaders (PONL), the Hospital and Healthcare Association of PA (HAP) and the Nightingales of PA.
Bruce H. Hamory, MD, is Executive Vice President and System Chief Medical Officer Emeritus. His current responsibilities include Geisinger's research institutes, as well as leading Geisinger’s efforts to extend its innovations in healthcare delivery and payment to other groups and health systems. He is a nationally known speaker on care redesign for value and improved quality. From 1997 to 2008 he helped to lead the 740-physician group practice and clinical activities in three hospitals. He was involved in oversight of clinical operations, capital planning and many other issues. Previously Dr. Hamory was executive director of Penn State's University Hospitals and Chief Operating Officer of The Milton Hershey S. Medical Center, the integrated academic health center for Penn State. Dr. Hamory's academic career began at the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1987.
Dr. Hamory moved to Penn State's College of Medicine in 1987 where he became Professor and later Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs. Dr. Hamory obtained his undergraduate degree in microbiology at the University of Tennessee and medical degree at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX. After an internship and residency in medicine at Vanderbilt, and a fellowship in virology and epidemiology at the University of Virginia, he spent two years in the United States Navy, including one year as the Chief of Clinical Investigation at Navy Medical Research Unit No. 5 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Currently a board member for the American Medical Group Association, he also serves on numerous advisory groups in the areas of quality improvement and measurement. He has held national office in two professional organizations concerned with hospital associated infection and is a member of several professional societies actively interested in the areas of infectious diseases and internal medicine. He has published more than 50 papers in refereed journals and 11 book chapters. His research interests have been occupational diseases of healthcare workers, hospital-acquired pneumonias and osteomyelitis. He is also involved in research comparing the performance of hospitals and physicians.
Jean Haynes, RN, MBA joined the Geisinger Health System on September 28, 2009 as Chief Executive Officer, Geisinger Health Plan, Geisinger Indemnity Insurance Company and Geisinger Quality Options, Incorporated. In addition, Ms. Haynes will serve as Executive Vice President, Insurance Operations for Geisinger Health System.
Jean is a proven leader with a history of enhancing quality and value at various health plans throughout the country. Most recently, she served as Executive Director of Boston Medical Center HealthNet Plan, a 250,000 member health plan throughout Massachusetts. Prior to that, she was Vice President, Health Services & Operations for OSF HealthPlans in Illinois, Executive Director for the Anthem US Business Division and Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield; Director of Quality & Risk Management for Physicians Healthcare Plans in Tampa; and Director of Quality and Resource Management at Humana/St. Petersburg General Hospital in Florida.
Ms. Haynes is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of St. Francis Medical Center College of Nursing in Peoria, IL, with a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing, and also earned a Master of Business Administration from the College of Business Administration at the University of South Florida in Tampa.
Kenneth A. Holdren is Chief Administrative Officer for the Geisinger Clinic. Mr. Holdren is responsible for operational management of the activities for the 850 physician multi-specialty group practicing at more than 61 sites. Previously, Mr. Holdren served as the Vice President for Finance for Geisinger Health System. He was responsible for financial operations, strategy, reporting and policy, directing key financial functions. Mr. Holdren joined the System in June 1985 as Controller of Geisinger Clinic and served as Chief Financial Officer of the Clinic before his System Finance role.
Prior to joining the Geisinger Health System, Mr. Holdren was a Manager with the public accounting firm, Price Waterhouse. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Lycoming College in Williamsport, PA. He has been a certified public accountant since 1981 and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Maryland Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Healthcare Financial Management Association and Medical Group Management Association. He has served on the HFMA National Task Force for Patient Friendly Billing.
Meg Horgan is Vice President, Department of Innovation for Geisinger Health Systems. In her role, she leads projects for the enterprise-wide transformation program (GAPP – Geisinger Accelerated Performance Program) focused on achieving excellence in clinical quality, cost savings, and growth. Meg has more than 30 years experience in the healthcare quality and informatics arena, with national experience partnering with executive, physician, nursing and quality leaders in developing and executing reliable clinical processes, facilitating change management and enhancing organizational focus on efficiency. Meg's clinical background was as a staff nurse in the ER and medical/surgical settings, and her career has included roles with the University of Pennsylvania Health System, Allegheny University Health System and the Philadelphia PSRO. Most recently, Meg was Vice President for Premier/CareScience overseeing clinical improvement, client education and consulting, and clinical quality and efficiency analysis and support for more than 700 hospitals nationwide. While at Premier, she launched QUEST, a large scale collaborative in partnership with the Institute of Healthcare Improvement, to assist in driving healthcare to new levels of performance excellence in quality, efficiency and safety with a focus on transparency.
Dean Q. Lin, MBA, MHA, FACHE, Chief Executive Officer, Careworks Convenient Healthcare, a Geisinger clinic and management services company specializing in consumer health services/retail clinics. Prior to joining Geisinger, Dean served as Regional Operations Officer with Intermountain Health Care's four hospitals in Salt Lake City where he led clinical, teaching, research and support services. Dean was also a Business Associate with The Laurel Company, which consulted with various business clients in repositioning their healthcare products and services. He also served as a Policy Fellow with the Alliance for Health Reform in Washington, D.C. Mr. Lin earned dual MBA and MHA degrees from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, and received his BA from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He previously served as chairman of the board for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah.
Richard Martin, MD, is Department Director for the Geisinger Community Practice Service Line in Scranton, Monroe County. Dr. Martin graduated from Jefferson Medical College in 1978 and completed his residency in Family Medicine at Geisinger Medical Center, Danville. He is Board Certified in Family Practice and a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Practice.
Kenric A. Maynor, MD, MPH, is Director for the Hospitalist Program at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Wilkes-Barre. In this role, he has trained hospitalists on Medication Reconciliation process and has lead the Rapid Response Team initiative at Geisinger Northeast from 2007 to present.
Dr. Maynor received his bachelor’s degree in biology as a Morehead Scholar from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Master’s of Public Health from the University of North Carolina School of Public Health, and medical degree from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at Yale-New Haven Hospital where he also served as Chief Resident. Dr. Maynor was a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar, Internal Medicine at Johns Hopkins Medical Center.
Darrin Michalak PA-C, MPAS is a Senior Performance Innovations Consultant for the Division of Clinical Innovation, Geisinger Health System. He works with the Clinic Service Lines to improve care delivery and efficiency. Additionally, he maintains an active role with the existing ProvenCare® initiatives assisting in redesign and ensuring continued reliability. He works clinically in General Surgery.
Prior to his present role he was the Clinical Practice Champion for the Hospitalist Advance Practitioners at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota. There, he was involved in clinical research regarding improved inpatient care delivery. He was the manager for clinical research for the Department of Gastroenterology at the William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak Michigan and has worked in a clinical capacity at the University of Michigan Hospital. He has been active in Physician Assistant education and was an Assistant Professor for the PA program at the University of Detroit/Mercy as well as serving on the Pennsylvania College of Osteopathic Medicine’s advisory board. He received his bachelors degree form Bucknell University, his PA degree from Hahnemann University and his masters degree from the University of Nebraska.
Lynn Miller is the Chief Administrative Officer at GMC. Ms. Miller has been with GHS since 1989 and served in various positions including Associate Chief Administrative Officer, Vice President Women’s Health and Psychiatry Service Lines, Associate Vice President Human Resources Benefits and Compensation, Assistant Director Information Technology, and Manager of Systems Planning.
In her capacity as Chief Administrative Officer, she partners with the Chief Medical Officer, Chief Nursing Officer, and Chief Financial Officer to provide operational leadership for Geisinger Medical Center. Ms. Miller also has leadership responsibility across the system for the Women's Health, Radiology, Laboratory, Pharmacy, and Psychiatry Service Lines. In addition to hospital operations, Ms. Miller has experience in human resources, finance, business office management, and information technology in the hospital; home heath and long term care environments.
Ms. Miller serves on the Geisinger/HealthSouth Joint Venture Board, The Danville Area Chapter of the American Red Cross and the Danville Child Development Center. Ms. Miller has an MBA from Loyola College and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Elizabethtown College.
Lee Myers currently serves as the Vice President for Community Practice for the Geisinger Health System. Over the course of his 31-year tenure with Geisinger, he has served in a number of key administrative roles including Administrator for the Moshannon Valley Medical Group and the Geisinger Medical Group-Centre County. Mr. Myers also held the position of Senior Vice President of Operations for the Geisinger Health System-Western Region as well as his current role of Vice President for Community Practice.
Mr. Myers received a Bachelor of Science degree from Penn State University in Business Management. He also holds a Master’s degree in Health Policy Administration from Penn State University and was recognized as the program’s Alumnus of the Year in 1998. He is a certified member of the American College of Medical Practice Executives and a member of the Medical Group Management Association.
Evan Norfolk, MD completed his training in medicine residency and Nephrology fellowship at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center. After joining Geisinger in 2003 he quickly took a leadership role in the development and implementation of Geisinger’s electronic health record. Having served multiple committees Dr. Norfolk has been critical in rolling out the inpatient electronic record, redesigning of work flows, , development of online and classroom physician education material, and ongoing optimization of the electronic record.
Raymond Nungesser, MD, MBA is Regional Medical Director, Community Practice Service line for Geisinger Health System. Dr. Nungesser is responsible for the administrative oversight of primary care physicians and coordination of programming and specialty physician staffing with other service lines. After graduating from Jefferson Medical College and completing Family Medicine residency training at Williamsport Hospital in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, he received his MBA from the University of Massachusetts. Dr. Nungesser has been with Geisinger Health System since 1995.
Jacquelyn Paul is Senior Vice President, Strategy and Business Development at Geisinger Health System, Danville, PA. In this role, she is responsible for the assessment of clinical program opportunities, development of system-wide strategies, plus the planning and coordination of strategy for new programs. She manages a group of planners and analysts skilled in obtaining and analyzing objective data key to measuring and planning for growth at the Geisinger Health System.
Prior to Geisinger, Ms. Paul held a series of US and global executive level non-healthcare sales and marketing strategy positions which help to provide a unique perspective in her present role. Her most recent responsibility was Global Director for the Nutritionals Centre of Expertise at Tetra Pak Intl. (Vernon Hills, IL, and Vevey, Switzerland). She earned a Bachelor of Science in Foods and Nutrition from California State University, Northridge, CA and completed an administrative dietetic internship at the University of California, Berkeley, CA. Ms. Paul obtained a Masters in Business Administration from Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA.
Jim Peters, MBA is Managing Partner, Geisinger Ventures & CEO, MedMining. He brings a combination of executive leadership, venture capital, healthcare, and technology experience to his role at Geisinger Health System. Mr. Peters provides venture direction for initiatives involving information services, genomics and personalized medicine, laboratory outreach, remote patient monitoring, and consumer oriented models of care. In addition, Peters founded and serves as CEO of one of Geisinger Ventures’ portfolio companies, MedMining, an information services business serving the pharmaceutical research market that has consistently experienced significant top and bottom line growth since inception. Mr. Peters received his BA from Lehigh University, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa; he completed continuing professional education in Healthcare Strategy at the Harvard School of Public Health; and he earned an MBA in Finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Managing Partner, Geisinger Ventures & CEO, MedMining. Mr. Peters oversees Geisinger Health System's venture and technology transfer strategies.
Steven B. Pierdon, MD, MMM, is Executive Vice President, Chief Medical Officer, Geisinger Northeast. As such, he is responsible for Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Wilkes-Barre and the ambulatory surgical facility at Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre. He is involved in strategic planning, budgetary/capital planning, business/practice development, financial performance, clinical quality improvement, physician recruitment and compensation.
Dr. Pierdon was in a pediatric group practice for 12 years prior to joining Geisinger in 1995. He has since served in a number of system leadership roles including chairman and medical director for the community practice network. He has published and presented nationally on improving physician network operations and utilizing information technology to support clinical care improvement.
A graduate of Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, Dr. Pierdon attended Children’s Hospital of Michigan for his pediatric residency training and chief residency. Dr. Pierdon received his master’s of medical management degree from Tulane University in 1999. He is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and the Certifying Commission in Medical Management.
Denise Prince, MBA, MPH, Founder & Managing Partner, Geisinger Ventures. Ms. Prince has been employed by Geisinger Health System in various leadership capacities since 1989. Since its launch in 2003, she has led Geisinger Health System’s venture and intellectual asset commercialization group. Geisinger Ventures seeks innovative ideas to improve healthcare delivery, licenses and brings to market intellectual property, develops business plans, launches new businesses, and builds industry partnerships. Portfolio companies include SureHealth, a retail and specialty pharmacy company. ISS a clinical engineering and IT services company, MedMining specializing in information services, CareWorks Convenient Healthcare, and Proven Diagnostics a full service clinical diagnostic laboratory. From 1991 – 2003, Ms. Prince provided leadership to the Diversified Services Division where she was responsible for numerous start-ups including home health and hospice services, sleep labs, and various pharmacy and therapy related services. She received her BA cum laude from Mount Holyoke College, and her MBA and MPH degrees from the University of California, Berkeley. Ms. Prince is a member of numerous professional associations and actively participates in several economic development organizations.
Francis Richards is Senior Vice President, Information Technology and Chief Information Officer, Geisinger Health System. Mr. Richards is responsible for all aspects of information technology for the system, including strategic planning, IT integration with key business initiatives, establishing enterprise-wide IT standards, and proactive staff development. Information Technology is currently responsible for all applications, technology, and telecommunications for the entire enterprise. The department has more than 400 IT professionals supporting approximately 70 sites in northeastern and central Pennsylvania.
Prior to this role, Mr. Richards served as vice president for Information Technology, Penn State Geisinger System Services. He earned a bachelor of science in chemistry from Juniata College and did post-graduate work in biochemistry at Ohio State University. Mr. Richards is also a member of the professional organization Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME).
Nancy L. Rizzo, serves as Sr. Vice President, Strategic Clinical Market Development/Geisinger Consultant, representing the Office of the President in operationally managing, promoting, fostering and developing the administrative and clinical infrastructure to ensure clinical programs, community provider and business relations and (“Partnerships”) that represent Geisinger Health System’s mission, values, and clinical excellence. Nancy provides the system administrative management/ leadership for the present portfolio of partnerships including hospital relations, private practice physicians, and joint ventures, including consulting for hospital organizations. Nancy is a principle leader in Geisinger’s efforts to extend its innovations in healthcare delivery and payment to other groups and health systems.
Nancy was recruited to the Health System in July 1997 from the Lahey-Hitchcock Clinic in Boston, Mass., where she served as Chief Administrative Officer over the ambulatory group practice. She received a Bachelor of Science from Tufts University, a Master of Science in Management at Lesley College. She served as a Fellow on the Labor and Human Resources Committee of the United States Senate from January – July 1984. She has published articles in the field of Rehabilitation and Laser Surgery and has lectured nationally in the fields of rehabilitation, research, and health administration.
Nancy’s professional memberships include: Member and past Chair, Steering Committee, Group Practice Improvement Network(GPIN); Member, Board of Governors, American Medical Group Association (AMGA); Member, American Medical Group Association Education Committee; Member, American Hospital Association (AHA) Task Force Committee; Founding member, National Clinic Research Consortium; Member, GHS Foundation Development Committee; Member, Geisinger HealthSouth Governance Committee; Co-Chair, GHS Advisory Council.
Walter (“Buzz”) Stewart, PhD, MPH, is Director of the Geisinger Center for Health Research and Associate Chief Research Officer. From 1998 to 2002, prior to joining Geisinger, Dr. Stewart was Vice President of Research and Development at AdvancePCS and founder and Director of the Center for Work & Health. In 1992 he co-founded and was President of Innovative Medical Research (IMR) a population based clinical trials and survey research company. IMR employed novel strategies for phase III FDA approved studies. IMR was acquired by AdvancePCS in 1998. Between 1983 and 1995 Dr. Stewart was a full-time faculty member of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology. He maintains an adjunct professor position at Johns Hopkins. Dr. Stewart has authored more than 19 textbook chapters and over 230 peer reviewed articles. He has served on study section (Epidemiology and Disease Control Study section) at NIH as well as other peer review scientific panels. He currently serves as Vice-Chairman of the HMO Research Network, a consortium of 16 research centers affiliated with large integrated delivery systems. Dr. Stewart earned his undergraduate degree from the University of California at Riverside and his master’s degree in public health from the University of California at Los Angeles. He received his PhD in epidemiology was Johns Hopkins University.
Janet Tomcavage, RN, MSN, is Vice President of Health Services, Geisinger Health Plan. In this role, she is responsible for the administrative oversight of health services including medical management, appeals and grievances, quality improvement, clinical reporting, accreditation, medical home, disease/case management, and wellness. Ms. Tomcavage has worked for more than 20 years in the specialty of diabetes management, developing a comprehensive diabetes self-management education program and specialized care management programs for insulin pump therapy and high-risk pregnancy. More recently her work has focused on the development and implementation of enhanced medical management strategies including medical home, disease management and case management interventions that optimize quality and efficiency outcomes.
Ms. Tomcavage earned her bachelor of science in nursing from Bloomsburg State University and her master of science in nursing from College Misericordia. Ms. Tomcavage has held certifications as a certified diabetes educator and advanced practice for diabetes management. She has co-authored several articles on diabetes management and disease management and has lectured nationally on diabetes management, disease and case management, medical home, and other medical management strategies.
Joan E. Topper is Vice President, IT Optimization within the Division of Clinical Innovation for the Geisinger Health System. She directs the development and expansion of Geisinger's eHealth initiatives, specifically as they relate to streamlining use of the electronic health record and IT applications to improve quality, patient safety and clinical operations. She is accountable to achieve best practices in the optimal use of IT resources. Joan serves as a primary facilitator to transform the delivery of healthcare. She has operational responsibility for the patient and physician portals and the system's clinical data warehouse operation.
Joan's 25 years of Healthcare experience include clinical performance improvement, healthcare finance as well as clinic and hospital operations, with expertise in the use of the electronic health record and information technology.
She is a graduate of The Pennsylvania State University with a BS degree in Health Administration.
Frank J. Trembulak is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of GHS. He is executive vice president, operations and treasurer of Geisinger Health System Foundation and senior vice president and treasurer of the various Geisinger entities.
He has served in various staff and management positions since joining Geisinger as manager of internal audit in 1976. Prior to joining Geisinger, he worked in both for-profit health care and public accounting. His professional memberships include the Healthcare Financial Management Association - Advanced Member; Hospital and Health System Association of Pennsylvania; Susquehanna University Partners - Sigmund Weis School of Business; and, the Board of Directors of Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry. Mr. Trembulak earned his BS in accounting from Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove, PA, in 1969. Mr. Trembulak is also a director of the Maria Joseph Manor, a skilled nursing facility, a director of Susquehanna University, and is active in other community and civic organizations.
Joanne E. Wade is Executive Vice President, Strategic Program Development, overseeing the system’s major strategic program initiatives in the clinical and research enterprises. Ms. Wade is responsible for Strategy and Business Development, Geisinger Ventures and Research operations. Previously, Ms. Wade also held the (interim) position of Chief Administrative Officer for the Clinical Enterprise (Geisinger Clinic, Geisinger Medical Center, and Geisinger Northeast). Ms. Wade received her undergraduate degree from the College of Saint Elizabeth, Convent Station, NJ, and her master’s degree from Boston University, Boston, MA.
Before joining Geisinger, Ms. Wade was Associate Dean and Chief Operating Officer, Division of Biological Sciences and the Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, with primary accountability for the operational implementation of the division’s vision and for expanding clinical programs and care delivery, basic sciences and medical education programs and for managing the administrative infrastructure of this operation. Prior to joining the University of Chicago, Ms. Wade was Chief Operating Officer of the Deaconess Professional Practice Group, Inc., and Vice President, Department of Surgery at the New England Deaconess Hospital, Boston, MA. Ms. Wade has served on a number of national professional organizations and editorial boards.
James M. Walker, MD, FACP, designs and studies health IT systems that support safe and effective care. He is the Chief Health Information Officer of the Geisinger Health System, where he leads Geisinger’s development of a fully integrated inpatient and outpatient EHR; a networked patient health record (PHR) used by 142,000 patients; and a health information exchange that serves 2.5 million patients in 31 Pennsylvania counties.
Dr. Walker serves as the chair of the Medical Informatics Sub-Committee of the American College of Physicians, as a member of the HIT Standards Committee of HHS, and on the faculty of the CMIO Boot Camp of the American Medical Informatics Association. He is a former chair of the Biomedical Library and Informatics Review Committee of the National Library of Medicine and a charter board member of the Pennsylvania e-Health Initiative.
He has published numerous journal articles and a widely used book, Implementing an Electronic Health Record System (2005).
Dr. Walker earned his MD degree at the University of Pennsylvania before completing a residency in internal medicine at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center and a National Library of Medicine fellowship in medical informatics.
Teresa E. Willard, MBA, Vice President, Provider Network Management, Geisinger Health Plan, Geisinger Indemnity Insurance Company, Geisinger Quality Options. She has served in various staff and management positions since joining Geisinger Health System in 1986. Ms. Willard joined Geisinger Health Plan in 1990. She has been in her current role as Vice-President, Provider Network Management since 1997.
In her current position, Ms. Willard oversees key network management functions including network development, provider relations, reimbursement services, credentialing and contracting. Ms. Willard possesses extensive experience in hospital and physician contracting with a strong track record in building new networks, medical cost management, and ensuring the long term satisfaction and retention of the provider network. Ms. Willard has provided constant, innovative leadership and direction to all functional areas of Geisinger’s Insurance Operations delivering quality healthcare outcomes and superior medical loss ratios.
Ms. Willard earned her Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from the University of Scranton and Master of Business Administration degree from Bloomsburg University. Exceptional negotiation talent, astute financial management skills, coupled with a high level of integrity, honesty and forthrightness has established Ms. Willard as a key member of Geisinger’s management team and has provided her with a strong reputation in North Eastern and Central Pennsylvania’s Health care industry. She currently resides in Danville, PA with her husband and son.
