Movers & Shakers: Jefferson Health, Genesis Health, Roche Pharma announce leadership changes
Welcome to Movers & Shakers, a roundup of the latest executive movements in the healthcare industry.
Jefferson Health names new president
Baligh R. Yehia, MD, MPP, MSc, FACP, has been named the new president of Jefferson Health, a nonprofit health system based in Philadelphia. He will assume the role Jan. 17, 2023.
Yehia joins Jefferson Health from Ascension, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit health systems, where he served as senior vice president. At Ascension, he led system-wide health operations, from population health, pharmacy services, behavioral health, virtual care, graduate medical education and other programs.
He also previously served as president of Ascension Medical Group, one of the largest medical groups in the United States with nearly 9,000 clinicians. He originally joined Ascension Medical Group as chief medical officer. He also previously held leadership roles at Johns Hopkins Medicine, the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) and the University of Pennsylvania. He has published more than 150 articles, abstracts and chapters in journals.
The announcement was made by the CEO Jefferson Health, Joseph G. Cacchione, MD, who took the helm of the health system earlier this year.
Genesis Health System CEO to depart
Doug Cropper, CEO and president of Genesis Health System, announced his intent to leave his role in June 2023. He has taken a full-time leadership role with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Genesis Health System is a non-profit health system based in Davenport, Iowa, with $708 million in operating revenue. Kurt Andersen, MD, chief clinical officer/chief medical officer for Genesis, will assume the role of CEO and president once Cropper departs in June.
In his new role, Cropper will serve a three-year assignment as a mission leader along with his wife, Lynne. His departure ends a 14-year tenure with Genesis and 41-year career in healthcare. He got his start in the healthcare industry as a hospital surgical orderly in Salt Lake City in 1981. He joined Genesis in 2008.
Cropper’s planned departure comes after Genesis and Iowa-based MercyOne, which is part of Trinity Health, announced their intent to form a partnership.
Roche Pharmaceuticals CEO to leave post
Bill Anderson, CEO of Roche Pharmaceuticals, has decided to pursue opportunities outside the company and will step down from his role, effective Dec. 31, 2023. A successor will be appointed by March 2023.
Thomas Schinecker will become the ad interim CEO Roche Pharmaceuticals starting Jan. 1, 2023, when he hands over the CEO Roche Diagnostics role to Matt Sause as previously announced.
Anderson has been with Roche for 16 years, starting his career with the drug company in 2006 as senior vice president of the immunology and ophthalmology business unit in South San Francisco at Genentech, a subsidiary of Roche based in San Francisco. He then led the bio-oncology unit before moving to Basel, Switzerland (where Roche is headquartered) and served as head of global product strategy and chief marketing officer for the pharma business in 2013. In 2016, he returned to San Francisco to lead North American Operations of Genentech and was appointed CEO of Genentech shortly after. He became CEO of Roche in 2019.
In addition, Roche announced Silke Hörnstein will become head of corporate strategy, secretary to the corporate executive committee and will be a member of the enlarged Corporate Executive Committee, effective April 2023. He currently serves as global head of strategy and transformation for the diagnostics division.
Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."