Panel 1: Leading Through Mergers and Acquisitions
Panel 2: Meaningful Executive Alignment with Physicians and Organizational Financial Goals
Panel 3: Meeting the Needs of Healthcare Consumers
Leading Through Mergers and Acquisitions
Moderator: Kenneth N. Sable, MD, MBA, FACEP - Regional President, Southern Market, Hackensack Meridian Health
Panelists:
Ann B. Gavzy, Esq. - EVP, Co-Chief Legal Officer, Hackensack Meridian Health
Leslie D. Hirsch, FACHE - Chief Executive Officer, Saint Peter's Health
Kevin J Slavin - Former CEO, St. Joseph's Health
Welcome, Kenneth Sable!
Kenneth N. Sable, MD, MBA, FACEP is regional president for the southern market of Hackensack Meridian
Health. Dr. Sable has oversight of Jersey Shore University Medical Center (a Level One Adult and Level Two Pediatric Trauma Center) in Neptune, Ocean University Medical Center in Brick, Riverview Medical Center in Red
Bank, and Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin. Jersey Shore University Medical Center, is a 630-bed university-level teaching hospital and includes K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital – the first children’s hospital in Monmouth and Ocean counties. Ocean University Medical Center is a 317-bed hospital serving southern Monmouth and Ocean counties, Riverview Medical Center is a 460-bed hospital serving Northern Monmouth County, while Southern Ocean Medical Center, located in the heart of Southern Ocean County, is a 176-bed medical center. All four hospitals are part of the Hackensack Meridian Health network.
Prior to joining Hackensack Meridian Health, Dr. Sable was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
for Saint Peter’s Healthcare System in New Brunswick, New Jersey, responsible for the coordination and oversight of operations for the entire health care system from 2012 through 2014.
From 2002 through 2012, Dr. Sable was Vice Chairman for Operations in the Department of Emergency Medicine at
Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Dr. Sable holds a Doctor of Medicine from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and completed an
Emergency Medicine Residency Program at Cooper University Medical Center in Camden, New Jersey. He holds a
Master of Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts, Isenberg School of Management, and a
Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. He is
a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians (FACEP), Diplomate of the American Board of
Emergency Medicine (ABEM), and a graduate of Maimonides Medical Center’s Physician Leadership and
Development Program. He has also received the Medical Service Award from Bikur Cholim.
Dr. Sable is the Assistant Dean for Integration at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine.. He is on the board
of the New Jersey Hospital Association (NJHA), and chairs NJHA’s Teaching Hospital Constituency Group. He is
also a board member of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Coastal & Northern New Jersey.
Welcome, Ann Gazvy!
Ann B. Gavzy, Esq. serves as Executive Vice President,
Co-Chief Legal Officer and is a member of the
executive leadership team reporting directly to the
CEO. In this role she oversees legal services related
to transactions across the Network (including,
mergers & acquisitions, joint ventures, partnerships,
alliances, new programs, corporate restructurings),
managed care, CIN, ACO, and value based initiatives,
real estate, population health, commercialization of
innovation, and with other key leaders evaluates and
makes recommendations on governance issues.
She previously served as senior vice president and general counsel for Meridian Health, responsible for overseeing and coordinating legal services for the health system. Prior to Meridian Health, Ms. Gavzy was a partner at the law firms of Kalison and McBride, P.A. in
Liberty Corner, New Jersey and Norris, McLaughlin and Marcus in Somerville, New Jersey.
Ms. Gavzy holds a Juris Doctor from American University’s Washington College of Law and a bachelor’s degree from Clark University. She is a member of the American Health Lawyers Association and American and New Jersey Bar Associations. Ms. Gavzy is a recipient of the NJBIZ 50 Best Women in Business Award, NJBIZ General Counsel of the Year Award, New Jersey Women Lawyers Association Leaders in the Law Award, First Chair Award and 2022 NJBIZ Leaders in Law Award.
Welcome, Leslie Hirsch!
Leslie (Les) D. Hirsch is a seasoned healthcare executive whose career spans over 40 years. He has served as president and CEO of Saint Peter’s Healthcare System, New Brunswick, New Jersey, since 2017, having initially joined the organization as president in 2015.
Prior to joining Saint Peter’s, Mr. Hirsch served for seven years as president and CEO of Saint Clare’s Health System in Denville, New Jersey. He previously served as president and CEO of Touro Infirmary in New Orleans, Louisiana, starting in August 2005, just one week before New
Orleans took a direct hit from Hurricane Katrina – the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. Before joining Touro, Mr. Hirsch served as president and CEO of Exempla-Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver, Colorado. He also spent 14 years in Camden, New Jersey, with The Cooper Health System (currently known as Cooper University Health Care), beginning in 1988 as executive vice president and chief operating officer and becoming president and CEO in 1999.
Mr. Hirsch has been an active community leader throughout his career and is the recipient of numerous awards and recognition some of which are noted below. He currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, the Board of Trustees of the Hope Through Education Foundation having recently been honored as its Person of the Year and, the Middlesex County Crime Stoppers Board of Directors. He is a recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from his alma mater, William Paterson University, and has also been recognized by NJBIZ in its Power 100 and Health Care Power 50 lists and by ROI-NJ in its Influencers Power lists, as well as its recently announced “Champions of the C-Suite” list honoring New Jersey’s top 150 business industry leaders.
He has been a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) for over 30 years and was honored with the Distinguished Service Award from the ACHE-New Jersey chapter. He served as Chairman of the Board of the New Jersey Hospital Association (NJHA) for two consecutive years in 2015 and 2016 and was re-elected to the board in 2021. He was honored with NJHA’s Distinguished Service Award in 2022. He currently serves as chairman of the Board of Directors of the NJHA HealthPAC and on the American Hospital Association, Regional Policy Board for New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.
Mr. Hirsch holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in political science from William Paterson University
and a Master of Public Administration Degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Welcome, Kevin Slavin!
Kevin J. Slavin recently retired after a 40 plus year career in the healthcare industry. His most recent position was President & CEO of St. Jospeh’s Health, an integrated multi-hospital major academic healthcare system based in Paterson, New Jersey. He was responsible for the overall strategic, clinical, academic and operational functions of St. Joseph’s Health, which encompasses St. Joseph’s University Medical Center, St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital, St. Joseph’s Wayne Medical Center, St. Joseph’s Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center, Visiting Health Services of NJ and numerous ambulatory and physician sites throughout northern North Jersey.
Under Mr. Slavin’s guidance, St. Joseph’s University Medical Center was the first in the United States to launch an Alternatives to Opioids Program (ALTO), a highly successful and unique approach to acute pain management without the use of opioids. The Alternatives to Opioids (ALTO) in Emergency Departments Act (based on the St. Joseph’s program) was signed into legislation in October of 2018, expanding its use to hospitals across the nation.
Mr. Slavin’s career encompasses senior management roles, predominantly in New Jersey. Prior to coming to St. Joseph’s in December 2014, Mr. Slavin served as President and Chief Executive Officer at East Orange General Hospital, Essex County; Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at St. Joseph’s Healthcare System, Passaic County; Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at St. Clare’s Health System, as well as President and Chief Executive Officer and Vice President for Ambulatory Care at St. Clare’s Hospital, Morris County; and Vice President for Planning and Marketing at Dover General Hospital and Medical Center, Morris County, NJ. He started his career in healthcare as an Orderly at the prestigious Craig Rehabilitation Institute in Englewood, Colorado.
Mr. Slavin received his Masters degree in Health Administration (MHA) at the University of Colorado’s Graduate School of Business with an emphasis in Financial Management. He holds a Bachelors degree in Industrial Engineering from Rutgers University, New Jersey.
He has received numerous recognitions throughout his career, including the American College of Healthcare Executives New Jersey Senior Executive Award, Community Leadership Award from the Morris County Organization of Hispanic Affairs, Community Service Award from the Caribbean Medical Mission and recognition from the East Orange Democratic Committee as a Jewel of the Community.
Mr. Slavin served as the 2020 Chairman of the New Jersey Hospital Association Board of Trustees. He was a Member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, a Trustee and Past Chairman of the Hospital Alliance of New Jersey, inaugural Chair of the Healthcare Coalition of Passaic County and has held a variety of legislative appointments to healthcare boards, commissions and task forces.
A native of Trenton, he and his wife, Wendy, live in Branchville, NJ. They have five children and nine grandchildren.
Strategies to Create Meaningful Executive Alignment with Physicians and Organizational Financial Goals
Moderator: Mark D. Sparta, PT, MPA, FACHE - President, Northern Region, Hackensack Meridian Health
Panelists:
Lee Lebowitz, MBA - Vice President of Academic Practices, RWJBarnabas Health
Dean Q. Lin, MHA, MBA - External Advisor, McKinsey & Company
Jane Kaye, MBA - Associate Teaching Professor, Rutgers University
Welcome, Mark Sparta!
Mark D. Sparta, PT, MPA, FACHE, is the president of Hackensack Meridian Health’s (HMH) North Region, overseeing four hospitals including Hackensack University Medical Center, the academic flagship of HMH. Previously, Mr. Sparta held the position of president & chief hospital executive at Hackensack University Medical Center from 2018 to 2024, after serving as EVP and COO at the same institution. Additionally, he was acting CEO of Hackensack Meridian Health Pascack Valley Medical Center from November 2014 to June 2015. In July 2024, his role expanded to include oversight of Ambulatory and Laboratory Services across the entire Hackensack Meridian Health system. In this expanded role, Mark leads a team responsible for 70+ ambulatory care sites, which include urgent care, imaging, health & wellness, ambulatory surgery, and dialysis centers.
As the president of the North Region, Mark is accountable for the 803-bed academic flagship of Hackensack Meridian Health. The research and teaching hospital has over 8,000 active team members and over 1,600 physicians. Hackensack University Medical Center is ranked the #1 hospital in New Jersey by US News & World Report. It ranks nationally among the Top 50 US News & World Report specialties Cancer, Cardiology, Heart & Vascular Surgery, Diabetes & Endocrinology, Geriatrics, Neurology & Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Pulmonology & Lung Surgery, and Urology. The medical center is also home to the John Theurer Cancer Center, # 1 state cancer center, and home to the Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital, ranked the #1 children’s hospital in New Jersey and ranked in the Top 50 for Pediatric Cancer, Pediatric Nephrology, Pediatric Neurology & Neurosurgery and Pediatric Urology U.S. News & World Report. Hackensack University Medical Center has earned the distinction of being a top-rated 5 Star hospital by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Under Mark’s leadership, the medical center has seen exponential growth and transformation including construction of one the largest capital projects in the state, the Helena Theurer Pavilion, a nine-story, 530,000 sq. ft. surgical and critical care tower.
As regional president, Mark also oversees Hackensack Meridian Health’s Palisades Medical Center, Mountainside Medical Center, and Pascack Valley Medical Center with more than 3,000 team members, 1,800 physicians, and approximately 675 beds, across Hudson, Essex, and Bergen counties respectively. Palisades and Mountainside Medical Center are recognized as high-performing hospitals in Heart Failure, Kidney Failure, and Maternity Care by U.S. News and World Report. All three medical centers met the achievement criteria for the American Heart Association’s Get with the Guidelines programs in stroke and type 2 diabetes.
Mark started as a staff physical therapist at Hackensack University Medical Center over 30 years ago. As a licensed Clinician, he offers a unique perspective, applying firsthand direct patient care experience to all facets of decision making and strategic development in the mission to transform healthcare. Mark’s progressive career accomplishments are based on a strong clinical foundation, a high regard for quality, perceptive business acumen, effective communication and passionate strategic leadership during his more than three decades of healthcare experience. He has received numerous professional recognitions, most recently including Becker’s Hospital Review’s 2022 “58 Population Health Executives to Know” list and Crain’s New York Business’s list of 86 “Notable Healthcare Leaders.”
Mark holds a BS in Physical Therapy from Ithaca College and an MPA in Health Policy and Management from Seton Hall University. He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and is Board Certified in Healthcare Management. He serves on several community non-profit boards including Felician University, Hudson Farm Foundation, Bergen Volunteer Medical Initiative, Eastwick College, and Meadowlands 2040 Foundation. He is also a member of the New Jersey Hospital Association’s Policy Development Committee and the American Hospital Association Region 2 Policy Board.
Welcome, Lee Lebowitz!
Lee currently serves as the Vice President of Academic Practices at RWJBarnabas Health Medical Group. In this role, Lee is responsible for the clinical mission of the 13 academic departments affiliated with RWJ Barnabas Medical Group (Rutgers Health). Lee previously spent 8 years at Penn Medicine, most recently as the AVP, Clinical Strategy where he had system-wide clinical strategy responsibility for portfolio of services including Neurosciences and Musculoskeletal & Rheumatology. Prior to that role, Lee was Chief Administrative Officer, Neuroscience Service Line, where he was responsible for the successful development, implementation and alignment of operational, strategic and programmatic initiatives for the Neuroscience Service Line. Before joining Penn Medicine, Lee worked in consulting - as a Manager with Invoyent (now part of West Monroe Partners), a consulting firm focused on the healthcare Payer market, and with Accenture’s Health & Public Service Strategy practice based in Philadelphia. Lee focused his consulting career in the Payer space, working on several projects related to Health Insurance Exchanges, business continuity, and revenue assurance. Prior to Accenture, he spent eleven years at McKesson with significant experience in sales leadership and customer service operations, managing teams big and small and leading enterprise-wide projects focused on revenue growth, operational efficiency, and profit margin expansion.
Lee received his MBA in Finance from The Wharton School and graduated with high honors with a B.S. in Management Science & Information Systems from Rutgers University.
Welcome, Dean Lin!
Dean Q. Lin is a healthcare executive with 20+ years of experience leading operations and strategy in nationally renowned integrated delivery systems and start-ups. He is currently an External Advisor with McKinsey & Company. He is the former president and board member of PE-backed Rendr, a value-based care focused medical group serving over 200K Chinese patients in New York City. Prior to Rendr, Lin held several senior executive roles at Hackensack Meridian Health (HMH), including President of Care Transformation, President of the Physician Services Division, Regional President, and Hospital President. Before HMH, Lin was System Vice President for Diversified Services and Business Development at Geisinger Health System (Danville, PA). Prior to Geisinger, he was Regional Operations Officer at Intermountain Healthcare (Salt Lake City, UT). Lin is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and a member of the Fellowship of the College of Physicians in Philadelphia, the oldest private medical society in the country. He was elected to the Monmouth University Board of Trustees in 2017 and elected Secretary in 2023.
Lin earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Organizational Behavior from the University of Michigan and both his Master of Business Administration and Master of Health Administration degrees from the University of Minnesota.
Welcome, Jane Kaye!
Jane Kaye has 25+ years of healthcare experience in teaching, consulting, and financial management.
Jane is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Health Administration program at Rutgers. She joined the faculty in 2016 and became a full-time professor in 2021. Jane was the recipient of the Jerome Rose Excellence in Teaching Award in 2023.
Jane is the founder of Healthcare Finance Advisors, a consulting practice for healthcare entities and social service providers that focuses on strategic financial planning, revenue cycle improvement, and financial management.
Earlier in her career, Jane was a Chief Financial Officer at RWJ Hamilton and Bayshore Community Health Services, where she had direct responsibility for all facets of the revenue cycle, financial reporting, financial operations, and internal controls. Jane is active in many industry and community organizations.
She holds a Master of Business Administration from Boston College and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania.
Meeting the Needs of Healthcare Consumers
Moderator: Jess Backofen - Chief Development Officer, University Hospital
Panelists:
Regina M. Foley, PhD, MBA, RN - Exec.VP, Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Clinical Transformation & Integration Officer, Hackensack Meridian Health
Chrisie Scott, MBA - SVP & Chief Marketing officer, Virtua Health
Eric Steinberger, MBA - VP Marketing and Communications, Atlantic Health System
Welcome, Jess Backofen!
Chief Development Officer & Head of Marketing & Communications, University Hospital, Newark
Jess has over 20 years of experience promoting and raising funds to address healthcare disparities, advance translational research, and advocate for important issues. As the Chief Development Officer and Head of Marketing & Communications at University Hospital in Newark, Jess works to improve healthcare, education, and wellness for communities who need it most, oftentimes collaborating with the Board of Trustees for the University Hospital Foundation (UHF) and top hospital executives to advance health equity and raise awareness of New Jersey’s only public academic medical center. Since joining University Hospital in 2021, UHF revenue has grown 400%. Additionally, Jess has secured $11M in federal funding for capital projects, to build a trauma-specific operating room, expand the liver transplant center and purchase ten, new ambulances. A cornerstone achievement of Jess’ work is the deployment of a new, state-of-the-art mobile mammography bus that provides free mammograms and pap smears for under- and uninsured women, which was made possible by the Foundation.
Prior to joining University Hospital, Jess served as the National Associate Vice President of Corporate Development & Strategic Alliances for Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF International), where she oversaw a sales team that generated $20M by creating high-impact corporate partnerships largely centered on marketing and education campaigns. Prior to this role, she led the merging of three local chapters, which led to unprecedented financial growth, as the Executive Director of New Jersey.
Jess spent time at Friends of the Children, headquartered in Portland, OR as their National Vice President with a goal of scaling their mission and breaking the generational cycle of poverty. She worked on a transformational re-branding & storytelling campaign and deployed a development strategy that allowed the organization to serve more children in more cities across the country.
At the beginning of her career, Jess spent ten years at the American Cancer Society focusing on building high-impact partnerships with executives at large companies to engage employees in cancer prevention, early detection, and wellness. During this time, she worked on cause-marketing initiatives and corporate sponsorships to garner funds for cancer research.
In her spare time Jess loves to volunteer and served on the Board of Directors for the League of Women Voters of New Jersey as Development Chair. She is proud volunteer leaders for her childrens’ soccer teams and loves to stay active by participating in triathlons and other fitness events. Jess graduated from Quinnipiac University with a Bachelor of Science in Health Management.
Welcome, Regina Foley!
Regina Foley, PhD, MBA, RN, serves as executive vice president, chief nurse executive and chief transformation officer for Hackensack Meridian Health.
Dr. Foley has been an integral member of the HMH team for more than three decades – from a nurse, to hospital leader and network executive. Among her myriad accomplishments, Dr. Foley led several hospitals to achieve Leapfrog A grades, Five Star ratings and Magnet designations for nursing excellence. She was also
instrumental in the development of New Jersey’s first satellite Emergency Department.
She most recently led extensive changes to HMH’s portfolio, including financial recovery from the pandemic, leading the COVID 19 vaccination program and
reimagining the health network. Dr. Foley has been published in several periodicals and is a board member of the New Jersey Hospital Association and Georgian Court University. She has received numerous honors and recognitions including: Modern Healthcare Top 25 Women in Leadership, NJBIZ Best Fifty Women in Business, and the Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanitarian in Health Care Award. Dr. Foley has also volunteered as a nurse in Haiti for more than 20 years.
Dr. Foley earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Monmouth University, and went on to complete her Master of Science in Nursing and PhD from Kean University.
Welcome, Chrisie Scot!
Chrisie Scott is the senior vice president and chief marketing officer of Virtua Health where she specializes in connecting data-driven consumer and behavioral insights into compelling marketing and experience strategies. She has responsibility for strategic brand development, marketing, communications, and media and public relations as well as experience and patient access.
Under her leadership since 2018, Virtua underwent a successful rebranding following the acquisition of another health system. She launched a CRM capability, a unique segmentation model, a robust online reputation management practice, an engaging podcast hosted by her CEO, and a micro-learning series in human understanding offered enterprise wide to support the connection of colleagues back to purpose. She introduced an online consumer feedback panel which now boasts over 45,000 consumers.
Prior to joining Virtua’s executive team, Chrisie served as the chief marketing officer for Hackensack Meridian Health where she led the development and launch of the inaugural brand strategy. She spent most of her career at Meridian Health as the vice president of marketing, communications, planning, and community outreach.
Chrisie is past board president of Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF) NJ Metro Chapter where she is a board member, advocate, and volunteer for accelerating a world without type 1 diabetes. She is a featured author in a newly released book, Transformative Leadership: Self Mastery for the New Voice of Business Success. She holds an MBA in marketing from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a bachelor’s degree in communications from Rowan University.
Welcome, Eric Steinberger!
Eric Steinberger is the Chief Marketing Officer for Atlantic Health System, where he is focused on refining and implementing a comprehensive and contemporary strategic marketing plan, advancing Atlantic Health System’s growth within the marketplace. He plays a key role in advancing the system’s mission to build healthier communities by delivering the highest quality of care combined with the best experience for patients, families and caregivers.
Eric joined Atlantic Health System in 2021. He partners closely with leadership to develop and execute a holistic marketing strategy that furthers brand awareness and engagement with consumers, referring physicians and other targeted stakeholders to ensure seamless access to the breadth of health care services that we offer to our communities. With a proven track record of driving value creation across a diverse range of businesses, Eric has earned a reputation as an inspirational leader who builds followership with high performers and strong relationships with key stakeholders.
Eric most recently served as Chief Marketing Officer for Bed Bath & Beyond, where he oversaw all print and digital marketing, media buying, customer relationship management, creative, content, public relations and promotions for 1,500 stores and seven branded web platforms, including the namesake banner, along with Buy Buy Baby, Christmas Tree Shops, Harmon Face Values and One Kings Lane.
Prior to Bed Bath & Beyond, Eric was a Senior Partner at Rosetta, a marketing strategy consulting firm and digital agency, where he held various roles, including managing client relationships and leading the consulting practice for the organization. He was one of the early partners at the firm and was instrumental in its growth. Earlier in his career, Eric held various marketing and strategy roles at American Express and AOL. He started his career in management consulting at Arthur D. Little.
Eric has a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Science degree in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering from Cornell University. He lives in Bucks County, Pennsylvania with his wife and three children.
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