People on the Move – February 25, 2019

By Matt Skoufalos

The InterMed Group of Alachua, Florida has named Dan Harrison its Chief Growth and Development Officer. Harrison is a seasoned sales executive with more than 40 years of experience in the Healthcare Technology Management industry. He began his career as a Biomedical Equipment Technician (BMET) in the US Air Force, and followed that with a civilian career repairing clinical, imaging, and laboratory equipment. Most recently, Harrison was a Zone Director for Siemens Healthineers.

 

Nihon Kohden of Irvine, California named Yasuhiro Yoshitake its new president and CEO, succeeding Wilson P. Constantine, who led the organization from April 2015 to February 2019. The company also promoted Scott Iserman to chief commercial officer, promoted Shinya Hama to chief operations officer, and added Kenji Sakai as CFO.

 

HCA Healthcare of Nashville, Tennessee has named Greg Lowe president of the newly created Asheville-based North Carolina Division, covering the recently purchased Mission Health system in western North Carolina. Lowe has been the CEO of the HCA Healthcare Chippenham and Johnston-Willis (CJW) hospitals in Richmond, Virginia for the past three years. HCA also named Terence van Arkel CFO of the North Carolina Division, as Mission Health president-CEO Ronald A. Paulus will become a strategic advisor. Van Arkel has been CFO of HCA’s South Atlantic Division since 2016.

 

Amid its national expansion, Beacon Hill Life Sciences of Indianapolis, Indiana named Wade Franchville its division director. Prior to joining the company, Franchville was a sales manager within the Beacon Hill science and engineering divisions. He has a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the University of Southern Indiana.

 

PTS Advance of Irvine, California named Jayne Gill managing director in its life science division. Gill began her career in the UK in the Royal Air Force, and has spent more than 15 years doing strategic consulting for global medical device, pharmaceutical and biotechnology organizations. The company also named Glenn Haegle to its Quality, Regulatory and Compliance Consulting group; Haegle has spent more than a decade in business development in the consulting and life sciences industries.

 

UNIC REX of Raleigh, North Carolina has named OB-GYN Ann S. Collins chair of its healthcare board, the first woman to hold the position. Collins practices with Centre OB/GYN in Raleigh, and specializes in general obstetrics and gynecology. She succeeds Robert Thomas, who served as chair of the UNC REX board since 2004.

 

FirstLight Home Care of Cincinnati, Ohio named Kim McGraw the executive director of talent acquisition, HR, and client services. McGraw comes from Procter & Gamble with over two decades of leadership roles in HR and organizational management. FirstLight also hired Jamie Davis as executive director of franchise development and Michelle Miserez as director of franchise development. Davis joins the company from Edible Arrangements, where she was senior manager of franchise sales. Perry Pruett is FirstLight’s new executive director of technology platform services; he has been a VP of IT systems for various providers. Caroline Hodson has been named new senior business analyst of technology platform services. Kerri Pendley will be its director of healthcare strategy, and Amy Swan will support the healthcare strategy team and FirstLight franchise owners.

 

WellCare Health Plans of Raleigh, North Carolina has named Troy Hildreth its state president of North Carolina. Hildreth joined the company in 2004, and was most recently its VP of business development strategy.

 

The Cherry Hill, New Jersey-based Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSSA) has named Alexandra von Plato to its board of directors. Plato is the CEO of Publicis Health, and has been president and chief creative officer at Digitas Health.

 

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts named Richard Lynch its COO, Sukanya Soderland its chief strategy officer, and Himanshu Arora its chief data and analytics officer. Lynch most recently was EVP and Northeast region market president of Beacon Health Options. Soderland was a senior partner in Oliver Wyman’s health and life sciences and digital practices. Arora was most recently head of data science and analytics enablement at Health Care Service Corp.

 

closerlook, inc. of Chicago, Illinois added Chris Abtahi as its VP and managing director. Prior to joining closerlook, Abtahi was executive director at Outcome Health, and has been EVP and Midwest practice lead at The Access Group agency.

 

Kesem of Chicago, Illinois has named Kim McCall its new CEO, effective April 3. McCall was most recently the executive director for Playworks New York and New Jersey. She has a masters degree in public policy and nonprofit management from Georgetown University.

 

MedeAnalytics of Richardson, Texas, has named Cindi Carter its chief security officer (CSO). She has a master’s degree in Information Technology from Central Michigan University.

 

The Arlington, Virginia-based March of Dimes named Darlene Slaughter its Chief People Officer. Slaughter was most recently VP and Chief Diversity Officer at United Way Worldwide, and has held the same title at Fannie Mae.

 

The San Diego, California-based Denovo Biopharma named Lei Zhang its Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of hematology and Bruce M. Wagman its SVP of regulatory affairs and quality assurance. Zhang was most recently executive medical director at Celgene Corporation; Wagman has worked for Prometheus Laboratories, Covance Inc., MDS-Pharma, Inc., Astra USA, Inc., and Bristol-Myers Squibb.

 

The California-based MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center and Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach has named Antonio Garcia its new Chief Nursing Officer. Garcia brings nearly 15 years of experience in progressive nursing leadership roles to this position, and also was a 14-year firefighter in Toronto, Ontario Canada for 14 years. Most recently, Garcia was Chief Nursing Officer in Tenet Health’s Northern California Central Valley Region.

 

The Boston, Massachusetts-based Beacon Health Options named Susan Coakley, former President of Boston Medical Center HealthNet Plan as its Northeast Market President. Coakley has years of experience working with government healthcare programs throughout the region.

 

Versant Health of Baltimore, Maryland has named Josh Ellis its senior director of sales operations. Ellis has spent 14 years in sales operations with VSP and CEB (now Gartner), and Sears, Roebuck, and Co, where he served as manager for government affairs.

 

Mirati Therapeutics, Inc. of San Diego, California named Faheem Hasnain the chair of its board of directors, replacing the retiring Rodney Lappe. Lappe spent eight years on the board, chairing it for five of those, and will likely continue as a consulting advisor to the company. Hasnain is the Executive Chairman of Gossamer Bio, Inc., past President, CEO, and a director of Receptos, Inc. from November 2010 to August 2015, and has been president, CEO, and a director of Facet Biotech Corporation.

 

Finn Partners of New York, New York promoted Kristie Kuhl from senior to managing partner overseeing its New York and Chicago Health Groups and US Pharma Team. Kuhl joined Finn Partners in 2015, having served as an EVP at both the Cohn & Wolfe and Makovsky public relations agencies. Kuhl has a law degree from Quinnipiac University.

 

Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) of McLean, Virginia named Thomas B. Casale, professor of medicine at University of South Florida Health (USF Health) Morsani College of Medicine as its Chief Medical Advisor for Operations. Casale was formerly president of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI), a director at the World Allergy Organization, and chaired the American Board of Allergy and Immunology.

 

Quest Diagnostics of Secaucus, New Jersey named Denise M. Morrison to its board of directors. Morrison was president and CEO of Campbell Soup Company from 2011 to 2018, is a director of Visa, Inc. and MetLife, Inc., and a member of the Board of Trustees for Boston College. She also served on President Donald Trump’s Manufacturing Jobs Initiative and President Barack Obama’s Export Council.

 

SantaFe HealthCare of Gainesville, Florida will be searching for a new president, CEO, and board member as Michael P. Gallagher will be retiring. Gallagher joined the company in 2001, has been EVP and CFO for SantaFe HealthCare and AvMed, and served as president and a member of the board of directors for Haven and SantaFe Senior Living. Gallagher is a licensed CPA in Ohio and an author and continuing education instructor.

 

The Vero Beach, Florida-based Watercrest Senior Living Group created the role of sales specialist for Laurie Venden. Venden will support sales and marketing leadership for all senior living communities owned and operated by Watercrest Senior Living Group. She joined the company from another assisted living and memory care community and has a decorated career that includes being named a Yardi specialist.