Academic Medical Center Leadership Forum

Monday, April 13, 2026 

Academic medical centers remain central to the nation’s healthcare landscape — driving breakthrough research, advancing clinical training, and elevating standards of patient care. As hubs of discovery and education, they shape the next generation of clinicians and fuel innovation that reverberates across the entire system. At the same time, these institutions are contending with rising financial pressures, persistent workforce shortages, accelerating technological disruption, and growing demands for equitable, community-centered care.

This leadership forum convenes senior executives from leading academic medical centers nationwide for a focused exchange on the most pressing issues and emerging opportunities ahead. Attendees will hear candid perspectives and forward-looking approaches from peers who are navigating today’s complexity while reimagining how academic medicine can deliver greater impact in the years to come.

Thank you to our sponsor: 

FORUM AGENDA

Monday, April 13, 2026
10. Mastering Fiscal Sustainability: Thriving Despite Healthcare's Financial Shifts8:50 AM - 9:30 AM
10. Academic Medicine’s Triple Aim: Care, Research, and Innovation in Action9:40 AM - 10:20 AM
10. Fostering Growth: Addressing Key Challenges at Leading Academic Medical Centers11:35 AM - 12:15 PM
10. Driving Outcomes Through Equity and Core Values1:30 PM - 2:10 PM
Tuesday, April 14, 2026
10. Shaping Tomorrow’s Workforce Using Long-Term Talent Strategies in AMCs9:20 AM - 10:00 AM
10. Fostering a Supportive Environment for Women in Healthcare10:30 AM - 11:10 AM
10. Transforming Patient Care with Predictive Analytics2:10 PM - 2:50 PM
Wednesday, April 15, 2026
10. Growth Strategies for AMCs: Expanding Impact Through Research, Education, and Clinical Innovation8:30 AM - 9:10 AM
10. The Promise and Potential of Generative AI in Academic Healthcare9:20 AM - 10:00 AM
10. Workforce Implications of Site-of-Care Shifts: From Hospital to Home11:20 AM - 12:00 PM
10. Future-Ready Ambulatory Strategy for Academic Healthcare1:20 PM - 2:00 PM
10. Big Tech in Healthcare: Friend, Foe, or Future Partner?2:10 PM - 2:50 PM
Time Zone: (UTC-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada) [Change Time Zone]

SPEAKERS

Gaurava Agarwal
Gaurava Agarwal
MD
Chief Wellness Executive and Vice President
Northwestern Medicine
Hasan B. Alam
Hasan B. Alam
MD
Surgeon-in-Chief, Northwestern Memorial Hospital; Chair, Department of Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine
Northwestern University
Bill Atkinson
Bill Atkinson
Vice President, Clinical Operations
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Paola Buitrago
Paola Buitrago
PhD, RN
Vice President, Workforce Optimization and Strategy
Emory Healthcare
Kimberly Cantees
Kimberly Cantees
MD, MBA
Clinical Director, Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine
UPMC Presbyterian Hospital
Robert Corona
Robert Corona
DO, MBA
John B. Henry Professor of Pathology, SUNY Upstate Medical University; Chief Executive Officer
SUNY Upstate Medical University Hospital
Warren D'Souza
Warren D'Souza
PhD, MBA
Senior Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer
University of Maryland Medical System
Lyndon Edwards
Lyndon Edwards
MBA, MHS
Chief Operating Officer
Loma Linda University Health Hospitals
Lisa Fino
Lisa Fino
Chief Access Officer and Patient Experience Officer, Temple Faculty Physicians
Temple Health
Anna Flattau
Anna Flattau
MD, MSc, MS
Alumni Professor and Chair, Family and Community Medicine; Enterprise Chief, Primary Care Services
Jefferson Health
Luis Garcia
Luis Garcia
MD, FACS, MBA, FACHE
President, Rush Medical Group
Rush University Medical Center
Amir Ghaferi
Amir Ghaferi
MD, MSc, MBA
President and Chief Executive Officer, Physician Enterprise; Senior Associate Dean, Clinical Affairs
Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin
Krishnaj Gourab
Krishnaj Gourab
MD
Chief Medical Officer and Vice President, University of Maryland Rehabilitation and Orthopaedic Institute; System Medical Director, Post-Acute Care
University of Maryland Medical System
Vineet Gupta
Vineet Gupta
PhD, FASN
Vice President, Office of Innovation and Commercialization and Chief Executive Officer, Medical Branch Innovations, Inc.
The University of Texas Medical Branch
Jamie Hess
Jamie Hess
MD, MMM
President, UW Medical Foundation
UW Health
Scott Jessie
Scott Jessie
DHA, MSN, MBA, RN, CNS, NEA-BC
Chief Nursing Officer
SUNY Upstate University Hospital
Josephine Jorge-Reyes
Josephine Jorge-Reyes
PhD, RN, MSN, NEA-BC, NPD-BC, NI-BC
Vice President, Nursing
UC Irvine Health
Franziska Jovin
Franziska Jovin
MD
Chief Experience Officer and Senior Vice President, Patient Access
Cooper University Healthcare
Aroub Khleif
Aroub Khleif
PhD
Senior Director, Innovation and IT Access/Revenue Cycle/Ambulatory Clinical Systems
Houston Methodist
Travis Kidder
Travis Kidder
Director, Operational Excellence
Lee Health System
Tomi Kolade
Tomi Kolade
MD, MS, MCSO
Assistant Chief Medical Information Officer
UTHealth
Chad Konchak
Chad Konchak
System Assistant Vice President, Data Analytics
Endeavor Health
Omar Lateef
Omar Lateef
DO
President and Chief Executive Officer
RUSH
Stuart Levine
Stuart Levine
MD, FACP
President, MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center;
Senior Vice President, MedStar Health
T.Y. Alvin Liu
T.Y. Alvin Liu
MD
Endowed Professor, AI Oversight Team and Inaugural Director, James P. Gills Jr. MD and Heather Gills Artificial Intelligence Innovation Center
Johns Hopkins Medicine
C.J. Marbley
C.J. Marbley
MBA, BSN, RN
Chief Nursing Officer, University Medical Center New Orleans; Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Operating Officer, New Orleans East Hospital
LCMC Health
David Marcozzi
David Marcozzi
MD, MHS-CL
Chief Clinical Officer, University of Maryland Medical Center; Associate Dean, Clinical Affairs
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Lance R. McMahon
Lance R. McMahon
PhD
Executive Vice President, Research and Innovation
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
Carol Mention
Carol Mention
Executive Director, Critical Care Services
Cedars Sinai Medical Center
Deborah Mordecai
Deborah Mordecai
DNP, MS, MA, CNM, CENP
Associate Chief Nursing Officer
University of Texas Medical Branch
Rani Morrison Williams
Rani Morrison Williams
MS, MSW, LCSW, FACHE, CDE
Chief Diversity & Community Health Equity Officer
University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System
Girish N. Nadkarni
Girish N. Nadkarni
MD
Chair, Windreich Department of Artificial Intelligence and Human Health; Director, Hasso Plattner Insitute for Digital Health; Chief AI Officer
Mount Sinai Health System
Rebecca Napier
Rebecca Napier
MBA, SHRM-SCP
Vice President, Finance and Administration
The University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center
Wencesley Paez
Wencesley Paez
MD
Director, Clinical Research Operations
Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health
Vimal Ramjee
Vimal Ramjee
MD
Director, Cardiovascular CT Program
Memorial Hospital
Neil Ray
Neil Ray
MD, MBA
Chief Innovation and Technology Officer
Duke University Medical Center
Christopher Ruppert
Christopher Ruppert
MBA, MS, RN, NEA-BC, NHDP-BC
Vice President, Patient Care SErvices and Chief Nursing Officer
Mercy Hospital, Catholic Health
Maryam Saeri
Maryam Saeri MBA
MBA
Chief Administrative Officer
UChicago Medicine
Jason T. Schaffer
Jason T. Schaffer
MD, MBI, FACEP
Vice President, Chief Medical Information Officer and Associate Clinical Professor, Emergency Medicine
Indiana University Health
Timothy Seay-Morrison
Timothy Seay-Morrison
Senior Vice President, Service Lines and Chief, Ambulatory Care Operations
Stanford Health Care
Paresh C. Shah
Paresh C. Shah
MD, FACS
Group Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Weill Cornell Division
NewYork Presbyterian
Greg Sieg
Greg Sieg
Chief Information Security Officer, Regional Health Network
Michigan Medicine
Adrienne Sims
Adrienne Sims
PsyD
Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer
IU Health
Jake Stover
Jake Stover
MHSA
Vice President, Finance
UK HealthCare
Neil Weissman
Neil Weissman
MD
President, MedStar Health Research Institute; Chief Scientific Officer
MedStar Health
Mark Whalen
Mark Whalen
Executive Vice President and Enterprise Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer
Thomas Jefferson University Health
Michael Wiggins
Michael Wiggins
DBA, FACHE
Assistant Professor, Healthcare Management and Leadership
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
Bess Wildman
Bess Wildman
Vice Dean, Academic Administration and Finance
UChicago Medicine