Hackensack Meridian Health Leaders and Initiatives Achieve National Recognition from Becker’s Hospital Review

The recognitions include: Hospitals and Health Systems with Great Oncology Programs: Hackensack Meridian Health; Health System Diversity and Inclusion Executives to Know: Avonia Richardson-Miller, Ed.D., MA, BS, CDE®, senior vice president, chief diversity officer, Hackensack Meridian Health; Patient Safety Experts to Know: Theresa Harris, JD, vice president of Patient Safety and High Reliability, Hackensack Meridian Health; Women CEOs of Hospitals and Health Systems to Know: Emily Holliman, FACHE, chief hospital executive, Hackensack Meridian Pascack Valley Medical Center, and market vice president, Ardent Health Services; Michele Morrison, RN, president and chief hospital executive, Hackensack Meridian Southern Ocean Medical Center; Amie Thornton, president and chief hospital executive, Hackensack Meridian JFK University Medical Center; Rising Stars - Healthcare Leaders to Know: Marisa Tranchina, director of Content Strategy, Hackensack Meridian Health; ACOs to Know: HMH ACO; and Hospitals and Health Systems with Great Orthopedic Programs: Hackensack Meridian Health..

“I want to congratulate all of our leaders and team members on their well-deserved national recognition,” said Robert C. Garrett, FACHE, chief executive officer, Hackensack Meridian Health. “We are grateful for their high degree of skill and deep dedication as they embody our mission to transform health care and serve as leaders of positive change.”

Hospitals and Health Systems with Great Oncology Programs
Hackensack Meridian John Theurer Cancer Center comprises 16 subspecialized divisions, offering state-of-the-art technological advances, compassionate care, research innovations, medical expertise, and a full-range of survivorship services. Part of the NCI-designated Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University, the center recently expanded to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, with additional network focus on oncology at: The Children’s Cancer Institute at the Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital at Hackensack University Medical, JFK Medical Center, Ocean University Medical Center, The Booker Cancer Center at Riverview Medical Center, and Southern Ocean Medical Center. Toms River Regional Cancer Center and Saint Joseph's Health are also affiliated with the cancer center.

Health System Diversity and Inclusion Executives to Know
Avonia Richardson-Miller has network-wide responsibility for the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Department’s strategic initiatives and day-to-day operations. Under her leadership, Hackensack Meridian Health ranked number four nationally on the 2022 DiversityInc Top Hospitals & Health Systems List (up seven slots from 2021). She leads the network’s effort to implement the American Hospital Association Health Equity Roadmap.

Patient Safety Experts to Know
Theresa Harris leverages decades of experience in health care and law to manage the network’s resources related to Patient Safety and High Reliability training. She significantly developed the Patient Safety program during her tenure and is responsible for performance and process improvement, and promoting a culture of safety. Key to her role is smoothing out the health care experience for patients, team members, and physicians.

Women CEOs of Hospitals and Health Systems to Know
Emily Holliman joined Pascack Valley Medical Center with more than 16 years of health care experience, with 11 years as a hospital CEO. She leads the 128-bed hospital that serves the Pascack Valley and Northern Valley communities. She also serves as market vice president for Ardent Health Services overseeing the two joint venture hospitals between Hackensack Meridian Health and Ardent Health Services and associated ambulatory sites.

Leading Southern Ocean Medical Center, consisting of 176 licensed beds, Michele Morrison has accountability and oversight of the organization, including business economics, strategic development, philanthropy, and hospital operations. Her responsibilities include leading the hospital through COVID-19, an organizational redesign, business development through regional collaboration as well as collaboration with network hospital presidents.

Amie Thornton leads JFK University Medical Center, a 498-bed facility, and provides executive oversight to EMS services network-wide, with responsibility for divisions that include JFK University Medical Center and JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute.  She leads the hospital’s senior management team in driving all aspects of performance excellence and strategic positioning of the medical center.

Rising Stars - Healthcare Leaders to Know
Marisa Tranchina is responsible for ensuring that all content supports the strategic priorities of the network, leveraging more than a decade of experience managing communications projects and marketing campaigns, specifically within the healthcare industry, elevating all aspects of each campaign from concept and strategy to completion and analysis, with particular strength as a writer, creative director, and leader in strategic development.

ACOs to Know
HMH ACO is Hackensack Meridian Health’s newly combined ACO, consolidating the HackensackAlliance ACO, JFK Health ACO, and Meridian Health ACO. Under the leadership of William Oser, M.D. as ACO executive, this new ACO has more than 1,300 providers serving nearly 60,000 beneficiaries.

Hospitals and Health Systems with Great Orthopedic Programs
Orthopedic teams and programs at Hackensack Meridian Health offer a multidisciplinary and collaborative approach, balancing evidence-based medicine and cutting-edge techniques. Specialists provide comprehensive patient-centered care in orthopedics, including joint replacements, spine disorders, oncology, trauma, sports medicine, and pediatrics, meeting individual needs of patients by providing efficient, cost-effective, compassionate health care services of the highest quality. The focus is on delivering outstanding, personalized care across the musculoskeletal continuum.

Becker’s editorial team compiled these lists. Many of the honorees were selected in part based on nominations. For more information, visit: https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/lists.html.