The Pandemic Effect on Health Equity

Kevin B. Mahoney is Chief Executive Officer for the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS). He assumed this role on July 1, 2019. Beginning in 1996, Kevin’s leadership posts at Penn Medicine have included serving as Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of UPHS, Executive Vice Dean of the Perelman School Medicine, and Senior Vice President of UPHS. He also served as Executive Director of Phoenixville Hospital, as Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer for Clinical Care Associates, and as Director of Network Development. Kevin’s operational portfolio at Penn Medicine has included information technology, strategic planning, the primary care network, human resources and capital planning. He has led several transformative construction projects which have expanded and enhanced Penn Medicine’s clinical care, teaching and research missions, including the Smilow Center for Translational Research and the Henry A. Jordan M'62 Medical Education Center. He oversaw the implementation of a common electronic health record platform across five hospitals, numerous outpatient clinics, and home care – the only comprehensive system of its kind in the Philadelphia region.  He directed the development and construction of the new $1.6 billion hospital, The Pavilion, on Penn Medicine’s West Philadelphia campus, which houses inpatient care for the Abramson Cancer Center, heart and vascular medicine and surgery, neurology and neurosurgery and a new emergency department. The Pavilion is the largest capital project in Penn’s history and opened in October of 2021. Kevin conceptualized and spearheaded the development of the Penn Medicine Co-Investment Program, which catalyzes scientific and medical innovation developed by Penn Medicine faculty. The Program is transforming healthcare by bringing novel therapies and treatments to patients more quickly and creates jobs in the region, paving the way for the next generation of treatments and cures. Since its inception, the Program has launched over 10 companies which have collectively brought over $1B in capital to Philadelphia. Prior to joining UPHS, Kevin served as Vice President for Johnson & Higgins, where he provided leadership to the Health Group, including risk transfer and alternative risk management strategies. He also served as Vice President for Administration for nine years at Bryn Mawr Hospital, and as Director of Administrative Services for Episcopal Hospital for three years. He is a graduate of Millersville State College, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics, and he holds an MBA and a doctorate from the Fox School of Business at Temple University. 

Dr. Ajayi, board certified in family medicine, is co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Cityblock Health, the first tech-driven provider for communities with complex health and social needs–bringing better care to neighborhoods where it’s needed most. Cityblock’s model of care meets individuals where they are, delivering highly personalized primary care, behavioral health care, and social services to its members, with a focus on those who access Medicaid, are dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare, and others living in lower-income neighborhoods. Prior to Cityblock, Dr. Ajayi served as Chief Medical Officer of Commonwealth Care Alliance, a nationally renowned integrated health plan and care delivery system for individuals eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. In this role, she led clinical operations, spearheaded care delivery innovations, and oversaw multi-disciplinary teams of clinicians, community health workers and administrators. Dr. Ajayi received her undergraduate degree from Stanford University, an MPhil from the University of Cambridge and her medical degree, with Distinction in Clinical Practice, from King’s College London School of Medicine. She completed her residency training at Boston Medical Center and continues to practice primary care focused on patients with chronic, complex and end-of-life needs.

Lisa Fitzpatrick is a health care leader, with over 20 years of health care management, leadership, clinical and research experience with renown organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, US Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services, including Medicaid and the Milken Institute George Washington University School of Public Health. She is a member of the Aspen Institute Global Leadership Network and an Aspen Institute Health Innovator. Dr. Fitzpatrick is highly achieved in global health leadership, designing and conducting prevention and clinical research and establishing multi-disciplinary coalitions to influence organizational change. She is an influencer among clinicians and public health leaders. Dr. Fitzpatrick has keen insights both personally and professionally into low-income and African American populations and over her career has conducted countless formative interviews, including focus groups, with low-income populations to better understand barriers and challenges to engagement in health care and preventive health behaviors. She founded an outpatient clinical center and a wellness non-profit to help address the unmet needs of the low-income population in Washington, DC. She is a skilled negotiator and uses her strategic and analytical decision-making expertise to influence agency policies affecting at-risk minority populations. In 2015 Dr. Fitzpatrick became the Senior Medical Director for the Washington, DC Department of Health Care Finance, a health care agency with a $3.1 billion budget. In this executive role, she develops and influences all clinical policies for the Medicaid program and fosters cross-sectoral collaboration with the Departments of Health, Human Services, Behavioral Health and Emergency Services. Before her Medicaid appointment, Dr. Fitzpatrick was a Commander in the US Public Health Service and served at the CDC for 10 years where she held a variety of leadership roles including, senior medical epidemiologist, lead researcher and mentor for young, minority investigators. Throughout her career, Dr. Fitzpatrick has received many awards and honors, most recently and notably, the American Hospital Association Grassroots Champion award, the DC Health Care Finance Director’s Award for Excellence in Service, the US Public Health Service Commendation Medal and has been recognized by Ebony magazine as a “Future Leader of the 21st Century”. She is a member of the American Public Health Association and is a member of the board of the Infectious Disease Society of America HIV Medicine Association and the Public Health Committee Advisory Group. Dr. Fitzpatrick holds Doctor of Medicine from the University of Missouri, a Master in Public Health from the University of California-Berkeley and a Master in Public Administration from the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government.https://www.grapevinehealth.com/Youtube: Grapevine Health Twitter: @HealthGrapevineInstagram: @Drlisaonthestreet and @GrapevineHealth

Summer Knight, MD, MBA, is the author of the new book Humanizing Healthcare (McGraw-Hill). She is a former firefighter/paramedic-turned primary care and emergency room doctor, is a Managing Director in Deloitte Consulting’s Life Sciences & Health Care practice. She is a passionate advocate for humanizing healthcare, an innovative leader in digital and virtual health, and a pragmatic futurist who helps clients act upon today’s rapid changes in healthcare.Dr. Knight maintains an active physician license, is board certified in family medicine and was Chief of Staff of a 4-hospital healthcare system and Emergency and Urgent Care Department Chair. She is an accomplished leader having held key executive positions in F100 Plan, Digital Health, Provider, Government and Private Equity. She also has academic credentials having been an adjunct Professor and Executive-in-Residence for Healthcare at the Fox School of Business at Temple University. Her perspective on healthcare is informed not only by her professional experience, but also by her role as a patient and sandwich generation caregiver.Summer’s life goal is to empower each of us to live our best lives.

Eric Dozier is Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer at Lilly Oncology leading North America’s commercial operations teams. Since joining Lilly in 1998, Eric has worked across multiple business units, functions and affiliates in Japan, Puerto Rico and the continental United States. Currently based at Lilly’s Indianapolis headquarters, Eric serves his local community through several boards and civic engagements. Eric earned his bachelor of science with a major in marketing from The Ohio State University, and a master’s in business administration from Indiana University.