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.
The Trevor Project
Jaymes Black has been appointed as CEO of the Trevor Project, a non-profit focused on suicide prevention and crisis intervention for LGBTQ+ youth. Black is the first non-binary and Black person to head the organization.
“I am elated and deeply honored to step into the role of CEO at The Trevor Project for so many reasons—especially since this is an organization I desperately needed myself as a queer young person growing up in South Texas,” Black (they/she/he pronouns) said in a statement. “This is an enormously difficult moment for both Trevor and the young people we serve. Anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and the dangerous, demeaning rhetoric surrounding it has reached a record high in this country, and LGBTQ+ young people are constantly being exposed to messages that attempt to invalidate their very identities," Black said.
They continued: "As CEO, it is my job to reinforce that LGBTQ+ young people have so many more people who love and support them exactly as they are, than those who wish them harm. This work won’t be easy, but I am ready to roll my sleeves up to help create a world in which all LGBTQ+ young people feel safe, accepted, and free to thrive as their truest selves.”
Black was formerly President and CEO at Family Equality, an LGBTQ+ family support organization.
Allina Health
Allina Health has tapped Indy Lane as Vice President of Women's Health. The Indiana University-trained OBGYN has worked at Community Health Network based in Indianapolis for the last 20 years and also served as the Chief Medical Officer for her local Indianapolis Health Department.
Lane has led women's health initiatives at Community Health for the last six years. In her role, she has led the implementation of an Enhanced Recovery after Surgery program for patients undergoing hysterectomy; committed to closing racial disparity gaps among black and brown women and babies through the implementation of evidence-based protocols, addressing social determinants of health and patient and provider education and leveraged virtual care to improve prenatal and postpartum care.
“I am excited to be joining Allina Health and building on its tradition of high-quality care. In addition to disparities in health outcomes, I am interested in developing a more holistic approach to women's health that includes obstetric care but does not ignore the growing health needs women have during the many stages of their lives,” Lane said. “I am passionate about standardized care models and pathways that ensure patients are getting high-quality, evidenced-based care regardless of site. Lastly, I want to work with the provider team to design models of care that support an improved work-life balance for providers while still delivering high-quality care to the patients we serve.”
MITRE
MITRE announced that Steve Ondra, a neurosurgeon, former hospital and healthcare insurance executive, White House policy adviser and entrepreneur, has been named its new vice-president of the Center for Transforming Health and Director of the CMS Alliance to Modernize Health Care.
Dr. Ondra will oversee MITRE's work with government, industry and academia to improve health outcomes for patients and veterans and well-being, according to a statement shared with Fierce Healthcare.
“MITRE’s work in health has had a tremendous impact, as we work with others to improve the health of the nation today while preparing to meet the challenges of tomorrow,” Ondra said in a statement. “I am honored to lead the MITRE team and collaborate with government, industry and academic leaders on solving the problems we face in improving the health and well-being of our nation, and building tools that can help create a health system that is not only higher quality but also more accessible, equitable, and resilient, with economic sustainability for everyone.”
In addition to holding positions as chief medical officer of major hospitals, heading an AI company and working as a consultant, Ondra served as senior health policy adviser for health affairs at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, in the Executive Office of the President as co-chair of the National Science and Technology Council for Health Information Technology, and as a member of the Implementation Deputy Group for the Affordable Care Act.
> Inlightened, a platform connecting healthcare and life sciences companies to industry experts, tapped Lucas Longacre as Head of Product for its SaaS products.
> Kimberly Robinson was tapped as Vice President of State Government Affairs at CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield.
> Julia Goebel was appointed to Chief Marketing Officer of Komodo Health.
> Luis Padilla will join the senior leadership team of the National Association of Community Health Centers as the Chief Health Officer.
> Mass General Brigham has named Mary Ellen Schopp as Chief Human Resources Officer.
> Rady Children’s-San Diego has announced that Christopher Souder will serve as Chief of the Orthopedic Trauma Service at Rady Children’s Hospital and Associate Clinical Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at UC San Diego.
> Curai Health has appointed Marc Adelson as its General Counsel.
> Rula Health, a behavioral health company focused on improving access and quality of mental healthcare, announced the appointment of Douglas Newton as Chief Medical Officer.
> West Jefferson Medical Center tapped James Callaghan as the new Chief Medical Officer.
> The Community Health Independent Practice Association (CHIPA) hired Bobbie Hangen as its new Executive Director.
> Aledade, the nation’s largest network of independent primary care, announced that Jessica Somers has joined the company as chief financial officer (CFO). John Doyle, who has served as Aledade’s CFO since 2021, will now head operations at the company.
> Private equity company Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R) tapped Adam Karol as a Partner on its healthcare team, where he will support the expansion of CD&R’s healthcare vertical and be engaged in sourcing and evaluating investments across the sector.
> Law firm Polsinelli hired Chad A. Landmon to chair its Hatch-Waxman & Biologics practice.
> Clearsense, a cloud-based data enablement platform company, hired a slate of leaders this week. It tapped Jonathan Cook as its Chief Technology Officer, Ken Misch as its Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer, and Glenn Wirick as its Chief Commercial Officer.
> Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, announced the addition of Jerome (Jerry) Tichner as a Partner in the Firm’s Boston office. Tichner has deep experience representing hospitals, health systems and investors in a broad spectrum of transactional and regulatory matters.
> Jason Prevelige will lead the American Academy of Physician Associates as President and Chair of the Board of Directors. The new Board’s 2024-2025 term started July 1.
> Jacob Cintron, president and CEO of University Medical Center of El Paso, has become America’s Essential Hospitals’ Board Chair. Jennifer DeCubellis, CEO of Hennepin Healthcare, becomes the association’s new Chair-Elect.