UHF’s Excellence in Health Care Award honors extraordinary personal leadership to improve quality of care, patient safety, and patient experience. Honorees are selected for their vision and accomplishments by participating hospital systems, long-term care facilities, home care organizations, independent practice associations, and federally qualified health centers from across the greater New York metropolitan region. Following are the 2020 honorees, listed by organization. 

 

AdvantageCare Physicians
Seema Massand, MD, MBA, Vice President, Clinical Quality

BronxCare Health System
Marion Riggins, BSN, MPH, CPHQ, Assistant Vice President, Regulatory Services and Quality Management

Coalition of Asian-American IPA (CAIPA)
Zhao Hui Wang, MD, PhD, President, Wang’s Medical PC

Catholic Health Services of Long Island 
Rita A. Jermyn, MD, FACC, Director, Center for Advanced Cardiac Therapeutics, St. Francis Hospital 

Edward F. Lundy, MD, PhD, FACC, FACS, Surgical Director, Kroll Family Center for Heart Failure and Circulatory Support, St. Francis Hospital

Elizabeth Seton Children’s Center 
Andrew R. Sosa, Supervisor of Adaptive Equipment

Gurwin Jewish Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
Lynette Rutherford, RN, MSA, MSN, RAC-CT, Chief Nursing Officer

Hackensack Meridian Health, Jersey Shore University Medical Center  
Noelle M. Aikman, MD, FACOG, Program Director, OB/GYN Residency and Director of OB 

HealthCare Partners, IPA
Robert LoNigro, MD, MS, Executive Vice President

Hospital for Special Surgery 
Linda A. Russell, MD, Director of Perioperative Medicine

Maimonides Medical Center 
Robin J. Gitman, MBA, MPH, Vice President, Academic Affairs and Designated Institutional Official

MediSys Health Network 
Sharon L. Narducci, DNP, APRN-BC, CCRN, Chief Quality Officer

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center 
Frank Licciardi, Chair Emeritus, Patient and Family Advisory Council for Quality


MJHS

Isabella Geriatric Center
Yoko Tajimi, MA, LCAT, QCP, QAPI Specialist

MJHS Hospice & Palliative Care
Dolores Schiele, MSN, RN, Director of Quality Management

Menorah Home and Hospital
Jessica M. Wares, RN, BC, LNHA, Assistant Administrator


Montefiore Health System  

Burke Rehabilitation Hospital 
Paulette Bainbridge, RN, JD, Director of Performance Improvement

The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore 
Michael L. Rinke, MD, PhD, Medical Director of Pediatric Quality

Montefiore Medical Center
Mary Ellen Lindros, EdD, RN, Director of Professional Practice/Nursing Quality Officer

Maryanne Schmid, RN, BSN, MHA, CPHQ, CPPS, Senior Director of Quality Management

Elizabeth A. Duthie, RN, PhD, CPPS, Director of Patient Safety, Network Performance Group

Montefiore Mount Vernon Hospital   
Virginia Conicelli, MSN, RN, CWOCN, IP, Infection Preventionist, Nursing Administration

Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital 
Robert C. Goldstein, MD, CWSP, FACP, FIDSA, Infectious Disease Specialist, Department of Medicine

Montefiore Nyack Hospital  
Besher Kabak, MD, FCCP, Director of Intensivist Medicine

Montefiore Medical Center, Wakefield Campus  
Marilou O. Corpuz, MD, FACP, Clinical Director, Infectious Disease and Infection Prevention    

Montefiore St. Luke’s Cornwall  
Uticia M. Belfield, MD, Director, The Medical Group

White Plains Hospital 
Samantha Silverstein, MSN, BSN, RN, CPHQ, CNOR, Assistant Director of Surgical Quality


Mount Sinai Health System

Mount Sinai Beth Israel
Marie K. Moss, MPH, RN, CIC, Director, Infection Prevention and Control

Mount Sinai Brooklyn 
Adam R. Brenner, MD, Director of Critical Care

The Mount Sinai Hospital 
Beth Oliver, DNP, RN, Senior Vice President, Cardiac Services

Mount Sinai Morningside 
Lagrimas (Linda) Fausto, Senior Director

Mount Sinai Queens 
Daniella Stephen, MPH, MSN, RN, CPHQ, Clinical Program Manager, Nursing Quality

Mount Sinai West 
Joseph P. Mathew, MD, FACP, FCCP, Director, Medical Intensive Care Unit and the Center for Advanced Medical Simulation

New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai 
Scott R. Horn, MD, Deputy Chief Medical Officer/Quality Chair, Department of Anesthesia

Mount Sinai South Nassau 
Adhi Sharma, MD, FACEP, FACMT, Executive Vice President, Clinical and Professional Services and Chief Medical Officer


The New Jewish Home 

Westchester Campus
Karunadevi Kandiah, MD, Physician

Community Programs/Certified Home Health Agency
Sally A. Sobolewski, RN, MSN, CPHQ, Director of Clinical Excellence, Community Programs

Manhattan Campus
Yaffa Ungar, Senior Director of Clinical Compliance and Quality Advancement  


Northwell Health 

Donna Armellino, RN, DNP, CIC, Vice President, Infection Prevention

Mark P. Jarrett, MD, MBA, MS, Senior Vice President, Chief Quality Officer, Deputy Chief Medical Officer 

Steve Marzo, CHSP, Assistant Vice President, Safety and Regulatory, Northwell Health Corporate Facilities Services

Michael Oppenheim, MD, VP and Chief Medical Information Officer


NuHealth/Nassau University Medical Center 
Anthony Boutin, MD, FACEP, Interim President and Chief Executive Officer, Chief Medical Officer

NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln
Usha Venugopal, MD, Attending Physician, Inpatient Medicine; Program Director, Transitional Year; and Co-Chair, Facility Based Collaboration Council


NYU Langone Health

NYU Langone Hospital - Manhattan 
Jennifer Lighter, MD, Hospital Epidemiologist

NYU Langone Hospital - Brooklyn 
Karen DeLorenzo, MSN, RN, CHCR, Director Nursing Quality, Professional Practice, Recruitment and Retention, Magnet Program Director

NYU Winthrop Hospital 
Ulka Kothari, MD, Ambulatory Director of Quality, Department of Pediatrics and Physician Informaticist


One Brooklyn Health System

The Brookdale Hospital Medical Center    
Tracy L. Dowlat, RN, BSN, MHA, Vice President, Clinical Risk Management and Corporate Compliance 

Interfaith Medical Center 
Karen Carey, MPA, CHC, Senior Vice President of Compliance and Quality

Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center 
Myrna S. Tantiado, RN, Director of Quality Management


Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation 
Bonita Waites, LPN, Clinical Operations Manager, Parker at Your Door

Richmond University Medical Center 
Brian R. McMahon, MD, FAAP, Chair, Department of Pediatrics

SBH Health System 
Judith J. Berger, MD, Chief, Division of Infectious Diseases

St. John’s Episcopal Hospital 
Terri Coyle, MSW, Vice President of Behavioral Health

St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children 
Bency Mathew, RN, MSN, DNS-CT, Director of Inpatient Nursing Services and System Director for Quality, Education and Informatics

SOMOS
Ramon Tallaj, MD, Founder and Chairman of the Board

Stamford Health 
Ruth E. Cardiello, RN, MSN, CPHRM, CHC, Senior Vice President, Chief Risk Officer

SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, University Hospital of Brooklyn  
Jaycinth V. Blackman, RN, BSN, MSc/MBA, CPHQ, LSSBB, Director, Quality Assurance/Performance Improvement

Visiting Nurse Service of New York 
Timothy Peng, PhD, Chief Data Analytics Officer


Yale New Haven Health

Bridgeport Hospital 
Darcy Harris, DO, Emergency Medicine, Medical Director, Clinical Operations, Clinical Redesign  

Lawrence + Memorial Hospital and Westerly Hospital 
Donna Nucci, RN, MS, CIC, Manager, Infection Prevention

Greenwich Hospital
Herbert M. Archer, MD, PhD, Medical Director, Hospitalist Service

Yale New Haven Hospital 
Kathleen (Katie) T. O’Leary, RN, MPH, CHES, CPHQ, Vice President, Post-Acute Care Services