Welcome to this week's Chutes & Ladders, our roundup of hirings, firings and retirings throughout the industry. Please submit the good news—or the bad—from your shop, and we will feature it here at the end of each week.
Magellan Health
Derrick Duke is the next CEO of Magellan Health, according to a Thursday announcement from the managed care company.
He succeeds former CEO Ken Fasola, who is moving to an executive vice president role at Centene, which acquired Magellan at the top of the year.
Duke came to Magellan in 2020 as its chief risk officer. He was promoted earlier this year to chief operating officer and chief financial officer, titles that placed him in charge of Magellan’s finances, business transformation, IT and operations.
The years before saw Duke handle numerous leadership roles at health insurance agency HealthMarkets until its sale to UnitedHealth Group in 2019, as well as executive roles at Allstate Insurance subsidiary National Health Insurance.
The new CEO gig will place Duke in charge of Magellan’s strategic direction, overall growth and the development and execution of its business strategy.
Peter Bridges is in as the new chief commercial officer of Transcarent, the company announced Tuesday.
He comes hot on the heels of a yearlong president role at Curai Health, a virtual primary care company, and three years as chief commercial officer at digital behavioral health company Ginger. At the latter, he helped grow revenue by more than 1,700% prior to and through its 2021 merger with Headspace.
Bridges preceded his virtual health years with senior executive and global practice leader roles with Hewitt Associates, Willis Towers Watson and Aon Corporation. He had also founded a business focused on healthcare organization effectiveness and actuarial consulting that was ultimately acquired by a regional insurance carrier.
Bridges will be reporting directly to CEO Glen Tullman and leading Transcarent’s sales, channel partnerships, provider relations and consultant relations teams. The company recently raised $200 million off its pitch to streamline employer-sponsored healthcare.
Jean Fitterer Lance was tapped as Banner Health’s new executive vice president, chief legal officer and general counsel, the Arizona-based health system announced Tuesday.
Lance had been serving as vice president of legal services and deputy general counsel since 2019. In that role, the 30-hospital system said she was “instrumental in supporting service line growth and relationships, working with Banner’s innovation and strategy teams on equity investments and acquiring cutting-edge platforms and providing guidance on pandemic-related issues.”
She came to the organization with over 30 years of legal experience, 21 of which were with Boston Scientific Corporation.
Lance is replacing David Bixby, who recently announced his retirement from Banner after 25 years with the health system.
Shoshana Deutschkron has joined Austin, Texas-based virtual care infrastructure company Wheel as its first chief marketing officer, according to a Wednesday announcement.
Deutschkron most recently served as chief marketing officer of healthcare AI and automation company Olive. Preceding that was nearly five years as vice president of communications and brand at online talent marketplace Upwork and other Bay Area communications and public relations roles.
Deutschkron is expected to help Wheel scale its virtual care platform and nationwide clinical network. The company closed a $150 million series C funding round in January.
The expansion effort will also be supported by three other leadership hires announced alongside Deutschkron’s appointment: Brandon Castel as vice president of sales, Daniel DeSantis as vice president of partnerships and Brendon Kelly as business lead for behavioral health.
> CHRISTUS Health promoted Gerardo “Jerry” Flores to chief nursing executive. He had served as the deputy chief nursing executive for the past three years.
> The New York Academy of Medicine announced Ann Kurth as its next president effective Jan. 1, 2023. She will be the first nurse to hold the role in the organization’s history.
> BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina named Michael J. Mizeur as president and CEO, effective July 1. He replaces former CEO David Pankau, who retired and was made chairman of the board effective April 21.
> Stanford Children’s Health appointed Anne Dubin, M.D., as chief of the division of pediatric cardiology and director of the Betty Irene Moore Children’s Heart Center at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford.
> West Virginia University Health System will see Melanie Heuston as its first chief nursing executive, effective Aug. 22.
> The National Association of ACOs (NAACOS) unveiled Aisha Pittman as its next senior vice president of government affairs.
> Emory Health appointed Rashard Johnson as CEO of its Emory Decatur Hospital, Emory Hillandale Hospital and Emory Long-Term Acute Care Hospital.
> Graphite Health hired Baylor Scott & White Health’s Jennifer Brown to serve as chief administrative officer and general counsel.
> Well Health, a digital patient communications software company, brought on JP Knapp as vice president of sales and Justin Widlund as general counsel.
> OU Health, the health system of the University of Oklahoma, is adding on Jonathan Curtright as chief operating officer.
> BrightSpring Health Services named Phani Konduru as its chief digital and technology officer.
> Iterative Scopes, a gastroenterology precision medicine technology company, brought on Laura Mantell as vice president of life sciences.
> COTA, an oncology data and analytics company, named Noel Alaka as vice president of life sciences.