Metro Philadelphia Health Care Power Players 2023

Dr. Shahzad Ahmed is board certified in interventional cardiology, cardiovascular medicine, echocardiography, nuclear cardiology, vascular ultrasound, and internal medicine. He was awarded the Prestigious Award of Fellow of the American College of Cardiology in 2019 and Fellow of the Society of Cardiovascular Interventions in 2020. He completed internal medicine, cardiovascular, and interventional cardiology training at Drexel University College of Medicine.  

What’s your favorite thing about working in health care?
I decided to pursue a career in health care to help patients in dire need of help. In my profession, it is even more critical to promptly save someone’s life, mainly dealing with a massive heart attack. If I have saved one life, I have accomplished my goal, which is the most satisfying as a health care provider and cardiologist.

What are the biggest issues facing the health care system in Philadelphia?
To provide equal access to health care to all Pennsylvania residents, equal coverage of health care needs, including prescription medications, and coverage for all diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, including essential medicines. Unfortunately, Medicare patients are primarily on fixed incomes and cannot afford many treatment modalities, as they are in a donut hole and must pay a specific % payment.

What does the future of health care in Philadelphia look like to you?
I see more healthcare innovations, including cardiology, in the next five years. I imagine it is going to be more telemedicine. I envision more outpatient cardiac procedures and labs. I also see an increased burden of cardiovascular disease in the future.

Valerie A. Arkoosh, MD, MPH, was appointed to lead the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services by Governor Josh Shapiro on January 17, 2023. She took office as secretary on June 29, 2023. Prior to this role, Secretary Arkoosh served on the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners since January 2015. Arkoosh won election to a full four-year term in November 2015 and served as commission vice chair until her election as commission chair in November 2016. She was the first woman ever to serve in this role.

Madeline Bell is president and CEO of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, which is one of the top-ranked children’s hospitals in the United States and was ranked No.1 on Forbes’ 2022 list of America’s Best Large Employers. A bold and visionary leader, Ms. Bell champions change with empathy and integrity, inspiring the nearly 24,000 employees and other workforce members in the hospital’s $4.1-billion-a-year health system and research institute to create breakthroughs that have worldwide impact.

What’s your favorite thing about working in health care?
It is a privilege to lead CHOP because we make an impact on the lives of children each and every day through the care that we provide and through the research we are leading to discover cures and treatments for childhood diseases. There are countless stories of our talented team’s efforts to ensure that children have a healthy future. Seeing our team put CHOP’s mission and values into action inspires me every day!

What are the biggest issues facing the health care system in Philadelphia?
The cost of providing care has risen significantly, and we are working on ways to be more efficient and effective. We are also addressing the many challenges facing Philadelphia’s children. We must improve access to care — not only physical healthcare but behavioral healthcare. We must also address non health care factors — like access to healthy food, housing, and other resources that affect children’s health — so we can give every child a healthy future.

What does the future of health care in Philadelphia look like to you?
In the future, most patient care will be delivered in patients’ homes; only the most complex patients will be cared for in the hospital. We will use AI to help us work more efficiently and digital technologies to enhance the patient and employee experience. We will also be able to diagnose and treat diseases earlier and more precisely, and more patients will receive gene and cell therapies as a preventive measure.

Dr. Cheryl Bettigole is the health commissioner for the City of Philadelphia’s Department of Public Health. She is a board-certified family physician and previously served as the director of the Division of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention for the Department of Public Health, as chief medical officer of Complete Care Health Network, a federally qualified community and migrant health center group in Southern New Jersey, and as a physician and clinical director with the city health centers.

Cassie Blanchard, Ph.D. is a principal investigator at CenExel HRI in Berlin, NJ. Dr. Blanchard specializes in psychiatric disorders, more specifically in MDD, bipolar, OCD, GAD, adult/pediatric ADHD, panic disorder, schizophrenia, and PTSD. Dr. Blanchard is a trained psychedelic facilitator and has vast experience working in a variety of clinical trials in this space. Dr. Blanchard is also a licensed psychologist in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

What’s your favorite thing about working in health care?
Working in health care has numerous benefits, especially when it comes to clinical trials. I would say working with subjects is at the top of my list. Researching new medications and providing support to people who suffer from mental health symptoms, who are otherwise unable to access health care or who haven’t responded to current treatments available, is hugely rewarding. It’s exciting to be at the forefront of new development in treatment options.

What are the biggest issues facing the health care system in Philadelphia?
I believe that the biggest issue facing the health care system in Philadelphia is the ability to receive proper treatment. To be able to see a professional and work with this professional who can provide appropriate diagnosis and treatment options. Another issue is the ability of community members to be able to access these treatment options, develop a plan to stay on track with treatment, and have the ability to follow up.

What does the future of health care in Philadelphia look like to you?
I would like the future of health care to provide a system of support for all. It is essential to offer easy access to mental health providers and efficacious treatment options. The Philadelphia community would benefit greatly from more individualized treatment plans, a greater number of mental health centers, and access to new treatment options, as well as outreach and follow up within the community. 

As commissioner, Dr. Bowen oversees a robust network of providers offering treatment and services to address mental health and substance use challenges, and the impact of social determinants of health on behavioral health and wellness. Bowen has deepened systems approaches to the solving of complex issues and focuses on innovative solutions that address trauma, work to achieve equity, and engage community. She has been commissioner of DBHIDS since December 2020.

What’s your favorite thing about working in health care?
My favorite thing about working in health care is being able to be there for people when they are at their most vulnerable, but also to see the uplift that comes from supporting the individuals, families, and communities we serve. Healing really happens in the community, particularly from a behavioral health perspective, through the strength, power, and connectedness of communities. The commitment, dedication and resilience of the behavioral health workforce is also a favorite thing!

What are the biggest issues facing the health care system in Philadelphia?
Layers of trauma are continuously impacting our families, neighborhoods, and the city as a whole, whether we are talking about racism, poverty, housing and food insecurity, substance use, gun violence, or the continuing impact of the pandemic and social isolation. These traumas are having an impact today on the wellness of all Philadelphians and will continue to impact our health and wellness in the years to come. 

What does the future of health care in Philadelphia look like to you?
Health care in the future needs to be more mobile, more flexible, and more accessible. Technology is an important tool, but the direct human approach needs to be front and center for true healing to occur. Creating pipelines for youth to learn about public behavioral health, and to become excited about the opportunity to work in such a field, supporting that passion, is critically important as we look to the future of the health care workforce.

Dr. Joseph G. Cacchione is the CEO of Jefferson, which includes Thomas Jefferson University, Jefferson Health, and Jefferson Health Plans (formerly Health Partners Plans). Throughout his 30-plus year career, Dr. Cacchione has held leadership roles nationally and in Pennsylvania for the American College of Cardiology, and has served on several national and community-based administrative health committees. He has authored and co-authored scholarly papers and presented at national conferences and meetings on health care systems and cardiology.

What’s your favorite thing about working in health care?
The best part of working in healthcare is being able to improve the lives of others. I’m grateful that I now can help improve the lives of even more people at every stage of their lives.

What are the biggest issues facing the health care system in Philadelphia?
In our region, your zip code could influence your life expectancy by as much as 20 years. We screen patients for health related social needs to identify concerns. We address those health equity causes through partnerships with community and faith-based organizations and advocates. We joined several regional health organizations to form the Regional Coalition to Eliminate Race-Based Medicine to remove race “adjustments” from 15 commonly used clinical decision support tools that may impact patients’ outcomes.

What does the future of health care in Philadelphia look like to you?
Health care is moving away from being hospital-centric. The practice of medicine in offices, hospitals, and homecare has transformed how we can care for those between the times of access. It’s an expanded version and staying connected in a new way that has become an end-to-end consumer journey around health care. We can’t wait for people to come to us, we have to be able to meet people where they are and go to them. 

Dr. Charles B. Cairns is the Walter H. and Leonore Annenberg Dean of the College of Medicine and senior vice president for medical affairs at Drexel University. He is a leader in emergency medicine education, training, and research. He has published over 200 scientific articles and obtained over $40 million in research funding. He serves on the boards of St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, National Foundation of Emergency Medicine and Eureka Institute for Translational Medicine. 

What’s your favorite thing about working in health care?
I enjoy working with students, trainees, faculty, and staff who are dedicated to making a positive impact on their patients and communities. I especially enjoy working with my colleagues at Drexel University and St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, our Tower Health campus in Reading as well as our regional campuses in Chester (Crozer Health), Pittsburgh (Allegheny Health), Harrisburg (UPMC), York (WellSpan), North Carolina (Cape Fear Valley Health), and in California (Kaiser Permanente).

What are the biggest issues facing the health care system in Philadelphia?
The biggest issues facing the health care system in Philadelphia are similar to those facing most major health care systems across the country. We’re coming out of a once in a century pandemic which totally disrupted all aspects of the health care system. Health care providers have been stressed from burnout to moral injury and deserve our support. In addition, hospitals and providers have had significant financial challenges given these systemic disruptions and withdrawal of COVID-19 support funds.

What does the future of health care in Philadelphia look like to you?
The future of health care is Philadelphia bright! Indeed, Philadelphia is at the cutting edge of health innovation, especially in cell and gene therapy. We have world-class health care facilities. We have a wide range of health partnerships across the city. We have the unique opportunity to translate new discoveries, technologies, and models to the benefit of all members in our community and show the rest of the world how to do it right.

Danna Casserly has advocated for health care access for low income consumers since she began her legal career as an attorney with PHLP in 2013. Her work has focused on representing children with complex disabilities in Medicaid appeals involving denials of home health services. She now serves as the organization’s acting co-executive director. Casserly earned a J.D. from Villanova University School of Law and a B.A. in political science from Providence College. 

Elan Cohen, Ph.D. is a principal investigator at CenExel HRI. CenExel HRI conducts inpatient and outpatient Phase I-IV normal healthy volunteer/first in human, psychiatric, substance use disorder, Human Abuse Potential/Liability, and medically-focused clinical trials. Dr. Cohen has presented and published on placebo and nocebo effect mitigations, particularly in regard to the proprietary Placebo-Control Reminder Script. Dr. Cohen is also a licensed psychologist in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

What’s your favorite thing about working in health care?
There are numerous aspects of working in health care that are especially appealing. Oftentimes individuals come to us having suffered for many years with mental health symptoms, and they report feeling validated when there is in fact a name to what they have been experiencing and they feel less alone. Additionally, it is exciting to bring new drugs to market that are more efficacious and/or have less side effects.

What are the biggest issues facing the health care system in Philadelphia?
I would have to say, for sure, access. We see countless individuals struggle with mental health ailments and their lives are greatly impacted but who cannot get into a clinic to be adequately evaluated and obtain needed treatment. Far more money needs to go into providing hassle-free availability. And then I have seen, firsthand, individuals who literally cannot get a hold of their mental health clinic because the site is overwhelmed with work.

What does the future of health care in Philadelphia look like to you?
It is more like a wish, where there is streamlined, trouble-free, systemically robust access to services that enhance both medical and mental health care, including but not limited to individual, family and group counseling, assistance in job training and attainment of work and needed education, nutritional instruction, and housing opportunities. I have to add that these are rendered powerless without applying laws that enhance economic opportunities and weaken marginalization — think Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.