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custom contentm a r c h 21, 2 02 2w o m e no fi n f l u e n c eHEALTH CAREI2022, solid leadership in the healthcare sector remains as important as it has ever been as wecontinue to navigate through new solutions and best practices.There are some particularly stellar health industry stewards in the LA region who happen to be women andwe’ve alphabetically listed some of the best of them here, along with information about their careers and recentsuccesses and stand-out moments they’ve achieved.Congratulations to the extraordinary women leaders who made this year’s class of 2022. Thank you for your continueddedication in advancing the profession and working to keep the people and businesses of Los Angeles healthy.nMethodology: The professionals featured in these pages did not pay to be included. Their profiles were drawn from nomination materialssubmitted to the Los Angeles Business Journal. Those selected for inclusion were reviewed by the editorial department and chosen basedon a demonstration of impact made on the profession and on the Los Angeles community.065-80 WOI-HC.indd 653/17/22 12:29 PM
66 LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL – CUSTOM CONTENTMARCH 21, 2022WOMEN OF INFLUENCE: HEALTH CAREELAINE BATCHLOR, MD, MPHDr. Elaine Batchlor is the chief executiveofficer of Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital, which opened in 2015.Dr. Batchlor was the driving force behindthe effort to open the new, state-of-the-art,community-oriented, safety-net hospitalproviding compassionate, quality care andimproving the health of the South LosAngeles community.Throughout her career, Dr. Batchlor’spriority has been to improve access andquality of care for underserved communities utilizing innovative and collaborativeapproaches. Her work to increase access forunderserved populations has been recognized as an example of leading best practicesand adopted throughout California. Beforeassuming the helm of Martin Luther King,Jr. Community Hospital, Dr. Batchlor servedon the executive leadership team of L.A.Care Health Plan, the nation’s largest publichealth plan. She was instrumental in developing a care delivery model that expandedaccess and resources to more than a millionindividuals throughout the county.KAVITHA BHATIA, MD, MMM,FAAP, FACHEANGELA BERNACKIChief Executive OfficerMLK Community HealthcareChief Talent OfficerEmanate HealthAngela Bernacki serves as the chief talent officer for Emanate Health. She isresponsible for Human Resources’ strategic development and senior managementof recruitment and retention, patient experience, patient relations, interpreter services,physician coaching, the Patient and FamilyAdvisory Council and the Cope HealthScholar program. Since joining EmanateHealth, Bernacki has taken a leadership rolein developing the organization into a recognized employer of choice.With more than 20 years of experience inthe human resources field, Bernacki bringsexpertise in talent acquisition management,reward and recognition, and organizationaland professional development, which hascontributed to Emanate Health’s growth. Sheis passionate about patient and family-centered care and employee engagement. Shehas successfully driven a culture of serviceexcellence and accountability across thesystem. Emanate Health presented Bernackiwith a ‘Women of Achievement’ award forher exceptional achievements.President and Chair Prime Healthcare FoundationChief Medical Officer, StrategyPrime HealthcareDr. Kavitha Bhatia serves as the CMOof strategy and is a member of PrimeHealthcare’s senior executive team.Dr. Bhatia leads the development andimplementation of strategic initiatives thatadvance the mission and long-term successof Prime Healthcare. Dr. Bhatia works withcorporate and hospital leaders to align goals,prioritize system-wide value creation andimplement strategic initiatives to ensurePrime’s continued operational, financial andclinical success.Dr. Bhatia’s leadership has helped Primebuild the infrastructure to leverage itsunique value and national scale. She facilitates visionary, out-of-the-box thinking andhas led teams toward transformative changein nearly every area of the organization. Dr.Bhatia also serves as president and chair ofthe board of the Prime Healthcare Foundation, a 501(c)3 public charity.SHERILL BROWN, MDMedical Director, Infection PreventionAltaMed Health ServicesDr. Sherrill Brown, medical director forinfection prevention, lead AltaMed’sresponse to the unprecedented COVID19 public health crisis. When early news ofthe coronavirus emerged, Dr. Brown formeda task force to train staff, secure additionalPPE, and implemented advanced infectionprevention protocols in all of AltaMed’s43 health centers across Los Angeles andOrange Counties.Under her leadership, AltaMed was thefirst to launch drive-thru COVID-19 testing and outdoor medical evaluation sitesin Los Angeles and Orange counties. Shecoordinated the efforts to make this happenin 10 days. AltaMed provided COVID-19testing to all, regardless of being insured.These testing sites would serve many of theessential workers who put their lives at risk.Dr. Brown’s efforts ensured that the mostvulnerable populations had a place to turnfor help when little information about thevirus and its treatment were available.Congratulations, Johnese Spisso, MPA — President, UCLA Health; CEO, UCLA Hospital System;Associate Vice Chancellor, UCLA Health Science—for being recognized as one of L.A.’s Women ofInfluence. Your vision and compassionate leadership inspire the entire UCLA Health family and thecommunities that it serves throughout Southern California and the world.065-80 WOI-HC.indd 663/17/22 12:29 PM
CUSTOM CONTENT – LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL 67MARCH 21, 2022Keck Medicine of USC is proud to honor its leaders who have beenrecognized by the Los Angeles Business Journal’s list of Women of Influence:Health Care. These outstanding individuals work together to advance onegoal — providing world-class care sparked by our patients’ potential.Yolee Casagrande, DNP, RNSmitha RavipudiJehni Robinson, MDSara Van Orman, MDJoi Torrence-HillMichelle SullivanAssociate Administrator – Nursing,Keck Medical Center of USCAssociate Vice Provost for Student Affairsand Chief Health Officer, Student AffairsKeck School of Medicine of USCCEO, USC Care Medical GroupChief of Operations, USC NorrisCancer HospitalChair, Department of Family Medicine andAssociate Dean for Primary CareKeck School of Medicine of USCAssociate Administrator, AncillaryServices, USC Verdugo Hills HospitalTOGETHER WE ARE LIMITLESS 2022 Keck Medicine of USC008-86 labj20220321 fullpages.indd 673/16/22 8:11 PM
68 LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL – CUSTOM CONTENTMARCH 21, 2022WOMEN OF INFLUENCE: HEALTH CAREYOLEE CASAGRANDEAssociate Administrator of Nursing,Keck Medical Center of USCKeck Medicine of USCYolee Casagrande, DNP, RN, is the associate administrator of nursing at KeckMedical Center of USC, which includesKeck Hospital of USC and USC NorrisCancer Hospital. In this role, she is incharge of the evaluation and treatment clinic, the electroconvulsive therapy unit anddialysis services. She oversees 150 nurses.Casagrande also serves as the administrative director of employee health services,including COVID-19 testing, exposure/contact tracing, and return-to-work policies. Her testing efforts on behalf of thehealth system began almost two years ago,when she helped create a testing tent atKeck Medicine within days of the start ofthe COVID-19 pandemic. This test wasone of the first, if not the first, in SouthernCalifornia. Since then, Casagrande hasco-supervised testing efforts as COVID-19waxed and waned. And then in Decemberof 2021, the omicron surge hit, and all ofCasagrande’s talents were needed more thanever.065-80 WOI-HC.indd 68SUNANDA CHATTERJEE, MDPEGGY CHULACKPathologistEmanate Health Queen of the Valley HospitalDr. Sunanda Chatterjee had a criticalleadership role in the lab during theCOVID-19 pandemic working closelywith Emanate Health Queen of the ValleyHospital’s clinical director. In the early daysof the pandemic, hospitals and the healthcare industry faced immense challengesobtaining testing platforms and testing supplies. These items were critical to patientswho were coming to the facilities for procedures and to hospital staff who were providing care to patients during the pandemic.Dr. Chatterjee played a critical role tosecure these testing platforms and suppliesat a time when these materials were difficultto obtain. These supplies have allowed Emanate Health Queen of the Valley Hospitalto help communities in need during thepandemic.Dr. Chatterjee also established protocolsto work around deficiencies in the availability of blood products for patients. Her workin this area was truly life saving for patients.Chief Administrative OfficerPIH HealthPeggy Chulack is the chief administrative officer of PIH Health’s nonprofit,regional healthcare network that servesmore than 3.7 million residents in theLos Angeles County, Orange County andGabriel Valley region. Chulack joined PIHHealth in 1981 and has held several positions in the organization including directorof administrative services, director of corporate services, vice president of operations ofHealthMed Services, Inc., and PIH HealthPhysicians. She became chief administrativeofficer in 2003.In the 1980s, when Chulack started atPIH Health, it was a stand-alone hospital,but there was a need and an opportunity toexpand. Chulack supported and served asa valuable contributor to the initial expansion of PIH Health, which 40 years later, iscomposed of three hospitals, 35 outpatientmedical offices, a multi-specialty medicalgroup, home healthcare, hospice care andmore. Chulack’s impact continues to playan integral role in the organization’s growthplans.GLADYS D’SOUZA, RN, MSN, MBAChief Nursing OfficerBarlow Respiratory HospitalGladys D’Souza is chief nursing officer atBarlow Hospital where she is an important leader with nearly 20 years of professional service. She manages Barlow Respiratory Hospital nursing staff, more than150 registered nurses in three locations: LosAngeles, Van Nuys and Whittier. She oversees an all-RN team that includes criticalcare nursing specialists, certified wound carespecialists and intensive care nursing staff.An accessible and visionary leader,D’Souza was instrumental in developingthe hospital’s Nursing Residency Programto train newly hired registered nurses in theskills needed to serve Barlow RespiratoryHospital high-acuity patients. She is responsible for meeting regulatory requirements,preparing for Joint Commission and California Department of Public Health surveys,developing department policies, and ensuring the hospital complies with standards forsafe, quality patient care. A practicing nursefor over 36 years, D’Souza previously served19 years as clinical manager for BahrainDefense Force Hospital.3/17/22 12:46 PM
CUSTOM CONTENT – LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL 69MARCH 21, 2022Women of Influence in Health CareAngela BernackiSunanda Chatterjee, MDLoucine KasparianWhereBrenda Hayakawa, MDArifa MajeedWomen of Influencecome fromCongratulations to these five outstanding women whose talent,perseverance and compassion have helped Emanate Healthemerge from the pandemic to continue to provide high-qualityhealth care services in the San Gabriel Valley.Inter-Community Hospital Queen of the Valley Hospital Foothill Presbyterian Hospitalemanatehealth.org008-86 labj20220321 fullpages.indd 693/11/22 4:57 PM
70 LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL – CUSTOM CONTENTMARCH 21, 2022WOMEN OF INFLUENCE: HEALTH CAREZOILA D. ESCOBARDEBRA FIELDSExecutive Vice President & Chief AdministrativeOfficer; President of the AltaMed FoundationAltaMedZoila Escobar serves as the executive vicepresident and chief administrative officerof AltaMed Health Services, the nation’slargest independent federally qualified healthcenter. Escobar oversees several criticaladministrative areas shaping nearly everydimension of the AltaMed experience toensure that everyone AltaMed serves receivespatient-centered care.Dedicated to leveling disparities in healthcare for underserved Latino communities,Escobar has spent more than three decadesin community health leadership, spearheading everything from grassroots initiatives tomajor policy changes at a national level toimprove access to healthcare services. Escobar helps design innovative culturally competent programming to meet the complexhealth needs of the communities AltaMedserves. Escobar raises 40-46 million annuallyfor AltaMed to fulfill its mission to providequality health care, regardless of the abilityto pay.Executive Vice President andChief Transformation OfficerCity of HopeDebra Fields is executive vice presidentand chief transformation officer atCity of Hope, a world-renowned biomedical research and treatment center for cancer,diabetes and other life-threatening diseases,with a National Cancer Institute–designatedcomprehensive cancer center and a largebasic biosciences institute at its heart. Shehas been a leader at City of Hope since 1998,previously serving as chief compliance officerand then chief risk officer and privacy officer.In her current role, Fields is responsiblefor an extensive portfolio, with the overallgoal of ensuring that City of Hope’s growing,increasingly complex enterprise is unitedin pursuing its mission of transforming thefuture of health. She oversees the organization’s human resources, communications anddiversity, equity and inclusion functions, aswell as an enterprise transformation teamwith a prodigious array of initiatives thatreach into every major facet of City of Hope’sactivities.BRENDA HAYAKAWA, MDEmergency Department Physician,Chief-of-Staff (Elect)Emanate Health Foothill Presbyterian HospitalDr. Brenda Hayakawa has been with Emanate Health for over 25 years. She wasone of the first female emergency roomphysicians at Foothill Presbyterian Hospital.She is known for being a dedicated, thorough, knowledgeable, and focused on herpassion for emergency medicine. Workingequally well with pediatric patients as wellas adults, her priority has always been thepatient, and then the smooth running of theEmergency Department.Dr. Hayakawa has taken the lead inmany projects and has served as a memberon the Infection Control Committee, thePharmacy & Therapeutics Committee, theUtilization Review Committee, the Intensive Care Services Committee, the MedicalDepartment, the Credentials Committee,the Peer Review Committee, as well as theMedical Executive Committee. Dr. Hayakawa has served for two years as secretary-treasurer and is currently in line to become chiefof staff in 2024 and 2025.ALICE ISSAIPresidentAdventist Health GlendaleAlice Issai is the first woman and the firstArmenian to lead Adventist HealthGlendale. She began her professionalcareer at the hospital nearly four decadesago as a financial analyst before moving toprogressively responsible leadership roles ina number of Southern California healthcareorganizations.Adventist Health Glendale was amongthe most-impacted hospitals in Los Angelesduring the COVID-19 pandemic. UnderIssai’s leadership, the hospital was able tonearly triple capacity by expanding COVIDunits beyond the ICU and establish an advisory team of physician experts in infectiousdisease, intensive care, pulmonology andpharmacology meeting daily to review andassess treatment for every COVID patient inthe hospital. Supply chain was secured earlyin the pandemic to maintain a consistentflow of protective equipment and otherrequired tools. Regular communication tophysicians and associates has kept the staffup to date throughout this dynamic time.Huntington:Where healthmeets heart.When you need to put your health in good hands, lookno further than the community care, expert services,and compassionate clinicians we have at Huntington,now an affiliate of Cedars-Sinai.Find out why Huntington means a healthier you:HuntingtonHospital.org/Health065-80 WOI-HC.indd 703/17/22 12:29 PM
MARCH 21, 2022CUSTOM CONTENT – LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL 71We’ve madeHope a science.At City of Hope, our breakthrough cancer treatments allow patients to leadlonger, fuller lives. Our pioneering research was the catalyst for the developmentof four of the world’s most widely used cancer drugs, and we are working onmore than 130 investigational new therapies. Our relentless pursuit of scientificdiscoveries is driven by our unwavering commitment to bring leading-edge carereceive world-class cancer treatment. Discover more at CityofHope.org.City of Hope physician Fornati Bedell, M.D., M.H.S.008-86 labj20220321 fullpages.indd 71 2022 City of Hopeto patients everywhere. Because we believe you shouldn’t have to go far to3/16/22 8:12 PM
72 LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL – CUSTOM CONTENTMARCH 21, 2022WOMEN OF INFLUENCE: HEALTH CARESHAFALI JESTE, MDChief, Division of Neurology and Co-Director,Neurological InstituteChildren’s Hospital Los AngelesDr. Shafali Jeste is a behavioral child neurologist specializing in autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders. She isthe chief of the Division of Neurology andco-director of the Neurological Institute atChildren’s Hospital Los Angeles. After earning a BA in philosophy from Yale Universityin 1997 and her MD from Harvard MedicalSchool in 2002, Dr. Jeste completed a residency in child neurology and a fellowship inbehavioral child neurology at Boston Children’s Hospital. She joined UCLA in 2010.Dr. Jeste’s research is focused on developing methods to improve precision inthe diagnosis and treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders. Her lab studiesneurodevelopmental disorders from earlyinfancy through late childhood. Dr. Jestehas designed innovative studies in early predictors of autism in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) that integrate biomarkers withbehavior to define atypical developmentprior to the onset of autism.PRECIOUS MAYESPresident/CEOPacifica Hospital of the ValleyAs a healthcare leader and entrepreneur,Precious Mayes’ journey has been filledwith opportunities and experiencesin a variety of industries. She has alwaysexplored the impossible with the philosophythat “anything is possible.”Pacifica Hospital of the Valley is a safetynet hospital. It faces challenges with timely funding by the state. The hospital is innorth San Fernando Valley and providesservice to patients as far as 400 miles away.The need in the immediate and distantcommunities are high, so Mayes has beenable to work through financial limitationsby adding new service lines and diversifyingits portfolio with the various managed careorganizations and IPA groups. With thepandemic experience since February 2020,in response to the Governor’s call to actionduring the first COVID-19 surge, Mayesdecided to pivot available beds and transitioned beds/units for intensive care, acuteand subacute level COVID-19 patients.065-80 WOI-HC.indd 72LOUCINE KASPARIANCAROL LUCASInfection Control DirectorEmanate HealthLoucine Kasparian is the director of infection prevention at Emanate Health andhas infection control experience in avariety of healthcare settings, including acutecare, sub-acute, long-term care and ambulatory care. Prior to her hospital epidemiologyand infection prevention career, Kasparianspent over eight years as a microbiology labtech at Lutheran General Hospital and Evanston North-shore Hospital in Illinois. Herfocus areas include patient safety, preventionof healthcare-associated infections, outbreakinvestigation, emergency preparedness, andantimicrobial resistance.Kasparian developed a COVID-19 Pandemic Plan for the Emanate Health system.She continues to be an active participantin the Emergency Management CommandCenter as an advisor on the pandemic, providing invaluable epidemiological information. She also partnered with Meditech todevelop an electronic data tracking systemand contact tracing tool to help controlexposures and identify outbreaks.EVA MEYERS, PHD., FNP-CCancer Detection Program: Cecilia GonzalezDe La Hoya Cancer CenterAdventist Health White Memorial Medical CenterEva Meyers has been a champion for delivery of quality cancer care for underservedpopulations here in greater Los Angelesfor the past 25 years. She is an expert inthe California Public Health Program:Every Woman Counts since its inceptionand which provides free breast and cervicalcancer screenings, diagnostic tests, andtreatment for eligible Los Angeles Countyun/under-insured women of all ethnicitiesand languages.Meyers is passionate about the importance of early detection of cancer andempowering women to become knowledgeable and connected to their own bodies andto the greater healthcare delivery system inorder to live healthy lives. She is a clinician,preceptor, grant-writer, advocate, researcher,educator, scientific author, and leader in thefield of cancer detection. Involved in manybenevolent organizations, Meyers has, forexample, played numerous roles for the past20 years (volunteer, grantee, speaker, etc.)for the Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.ARIFA MAJEEDShareholderBuchalterCarol K. Lucas focuses her practice onhealthcare law and general business law.She has extensive experience in mergersand acquisitions, joint ventures, securities,private placements, state and federal regulations, entity formation and corporaterepresentation of both public and privatecompanies in the healthcare industry. Overthe last several years, Lucas has representednumerous clients in connection with issuesand disputes related to payment for healthcare services. She is also an expert on theestablishment and representation of Federally Qualified Health Centers and relatedissues such as governance requirements,issues raised by hospital sponsorship ofFQHCs, application issues, and the impactof health care reform on these entities.Lucas also specializes in the representation of ambulatory surgery centers, med spas,imaging centers, and other ancillary providers in a variety of medical specialties, and inthe legal and business issues that confrontindependent practice associations and otherphysician organizations.In-House CounselEmanate HealthArifa Majeed has been in-house counselfor Emanate Health since May 2021.She previously served as associatein-house counsel for three years, directorof contracts and privacy for two years andprivacy specialist for more than one year.During her time at Emanate Health, Majeedhas been instrumental in supporting theorganization with her vast breadth of knowledge in healthcare law. She has held keyroles in propelling many innovative clinicalprograms forward at Emanate Health. Currently, she is working towards establishingEmanate Health’s medical foundation.Majeed has more than 20 years ofexperience as a lawyer. She has spent asignificant portion of her career consultingwith physicians and small business owners.She is a certified Lean Six Sigma GreenBelt, and also holds a Certificate in HealthCare Corporate Compliance from GeorgeWashington University. She is a CertifiedInformation Privacy Professional.ALINA MORANLORI J. MORGAN, MD, MBAPresidentDignity Health - California Hospital MedicalCenter (CHMC)Alina Moran, MPA, FACHE, FAB is thepresident at Dignity Health - California Hospital. Since joining CaliforniaHospital, Moran has spearheaded numeroushospital-wide initiatives focusing on patientsafety, health equity, and employee engagement, while being an active voice and advocate for members of the local communities.Additionally, she oversees the large-scaleconstruction of a new four-story patienttower which will house new Emergency andTrauma departments, new NICU and maternal health departments and much more.Moran has also played a pivotal role inintegrating the Hope Street Margolis FamilyCenter with the hospital which continuesto impact the thousands of children andfamilies that utilize its community healthand educational services. Moran sits on theBoard of the Hospital Association of Southern California (HASC).President & CEOHuntington HospitalDr. Lori J. Morgan is the president andCEO of Huntington Hospital, a 619bed, non-profit hospital in Pasadena.In her four years at Huntington Hospital,Dr. Morgan has brought her best-practicelens as both a physician and administratorto elevate how care is delivered. She hasfortified resources that support the patientexperience and invested in programs thatensure quality outcomes. She is also leadingthe organization’s vision in ensuring accessto care across the continuum – particularlythroughout the COVID-19 pandemic.Dr. Morgan holds a deep concern forall patients, especially those who are mostvulnerable to a traumatic life situation orpast experience. She has implemented atrauma-informed care training for everyemployee in the hospital that recognizes andappropriately responds to patients who’veexperienced trauma to ensure the hospital ishonoring the humanity in each person whoseeks care.3/17/22 12:29 PM
CUSTOM CONTENT – LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL 73MARCH 21, 2022Caring for thesmallest of patients.Neonatal IntensiveCare Unit (NICU) atSt. Francis Medical Center,Lynwood, CAEvery award tells a story of a lifetouched by Prime HealthcareOur 45 hospitals across the nation earn national excellence recognitions each year. While weappreciate the recognition, what we are most proud of is what these awards mean to ourneighbors, friends and families — quality care to get better, feel stronger and live their best lives.For the 2021-2022 award season, Healthgrades recognized Prime Healthcare hospitals with 347 achievements for clinical excellence, including2 “America’s 250 Best Hospitals”, 23 “America’s 100 Best by Specialty”, 73 “Specialty Excellence”, 218 “Five-Star”, and 31 “Patient Safety” awards.Women of Influence: HealthcareCongratulationsDR. KAVITHA BHATIAfor being recognized asone of L.A.’s Womenof Influence by theLos Angeles BusinessJournal for threeconsecutive years.Kavitha Bhatia, MD, MMM, FAAP, FACHEPresident and Chair,Prime Healthcare Foundation &Chief Medical Officer of Strategy,Prime HealthcarePrime Healthcare by the Numbers45Hospitals in 14 states14Not-for-profit hospitals600Communities served2.6MPatients served annually50,000Staff and physicians 1.7BCapital improvementssince 2005 9BCharitable contributionssince 2010300 Quality awards in 2021 forpatient safety and excellence600,000 COVID-19 patients testedand cared for200,000 COVID-19 vaccinationsGet to know primehealthcare.com008-86 labj20220321 fullpages.indd 733/16/22 8:15 PM
74 LOS ANGELES BUSINESS JOURNAL – CUSTOM CONTENTMARCH 21, 2022WOMEN OF INFLUENCE: HEALTH CARESHELLY NECKE, MSN MSHCA RNJENNIFER PARKHURSTVice President, Post-Acute Care ServicesPIH HealthShelly Necke, MSN MSHCA RN, is ahealthcare executive with 25 years ofexperience in nursing and healthcareadministration. She began her career at PIHHealth and currently serves as the vice president of post-acute care services which provides in home and post-acute inpatient carefor over 1,200 patients across Los Angeles,Orange and San Bernardino counties daily.In her 25 years at PIH Health, Necke hasheld various leadership roles, including critical care educator, cardiac telemetry clinicaldirector, and administrative director of postacute care.Necke leads PIH Health’s skilled PostAcute Care team that offers continuedmedical treatment following hospitalizationfor an injury or illness. Their work supportspatients’ recovery, either at-home or in aspecialized facility, depending on the levelof care needed. Her team’s services provideour patients with an entire post-acute continuum of care, which eases their transitionout of the hospital and onto recovery.Chief Financial OfficerCity of HopeJennifer Parkhurst is the chief financialofficer at City of Hope, one of the world’sforemost cancer treatment hospitals andacademic research institutions, where she isresponsible for the financial strategy, longterm investment portfolio, treasury, debtportfolio, capital planning, financial planning and analysis, accounting and financialoperations, and revenue cycle operations forthe enterprise.An accomplished, mission-driven andstrategic health care executive, Parkhursthas over 30 years of experience across thehealth care ecosystem. Her sound financialstewardship has helped the organizationnot only weather the COVID-19 crisis, butthrive in order to benefit patients. Whileother health care organizations saw an(expected) dip in revenue during the coronavirus pandemic, City of Hope remainedon track. During her time as CFO, City ofHope grew total clinical, research and contribution revenues by 25%, and increasedtotal cash and assets by over 30%.LUCINDA PLACE RN MSNJUDY PUGACH, MPH RNCPHQ CPHRM HACPVice President Quality Management and PerformanceExcellencePIH HealthLucinda Place is instrumental in the development and implementation of strategiesto improve the quality of the care provided at PIH Health and to achieve patientsafety throughout PIH Health, which iscomposed of hospitals in downtown LosAngeles, Whittier and Downey and 35 medical office buildings located throughout LosAngeles County and beyond. In her currentrole, she has oversight of Quality Management, Performance Excellence, PatientSafety, Medical Staff Services, and InfectionPrevention, and joint, bariatric and strokeprograms. The importance of her roles hasbeen magnified throughout the COVID19 pandemic as initiatives launched byher team positively impacted the health ofpatients, physicians and staff.Place began her career at PIH Health in1988, as a critical care nurse. In her morethan three decades with the organization,she has demonstrated her tenacity, innovation, commitment to patient care and exemplary leadership skills.IVice President Regulatory AffairsPIH Healthn her current role, Judy Pugach hasoversight of the Emergency Preparednessprogram and all licensing and regulatoryresponsibilities of the enterprise. She isdedicated to addressing the evolution in regulations and PIH Health’s compliance withstandards of the numerous governing
Keck Medical Center of USC Keck Medicine of USC Y olee Casagrande, DNP, RN, is the asso-ciate administrator of nursing at Keck Medical Center of USC, which includes Keck Hospital of USC and USC Norris Cancer Hospital. In this role, she is in charge of the evaluation and treatment clin-ic, the electroconvulsive therapy unit and dialysis services.
