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 2022 honorees, listed by organization. 


 

AdvantageCare Physicians
Nicole Y. Thomas-Sealey, MD, Vice President, Clinical Education

BronxCare Health System
William A. Lois, MD, FACS, Chairman, Surgery

The Brooklyn Hospital Center
Sheila Anane, MPH, Senior Director of Ambulatory Quality and Services


Coalition of Asian-American IPA (CAIPA)

Milestones Pediatrics of New York
Jason C. Chen, MD, Treasurer

Connie Lam, DO, President

Nancy Ngai, MD, Vice President


Catholic Health  
Corrinne Tramontana, Vice President of Quality Programs and Clinical Data Analysis

Charles B. Wang Community Health Center
Holly M. Lee, FNP, Clinical Director

Community Healthcare Network
Harvey A. Diaz, Program Director

Elizabeth Seton Children’s Center 
Carmela Senese, MA, OTR/L, Chief Rehabilitation Officer
and
Yelena Yadgarova, MBA, RRT-NPS, Director of Respiratory Therapy

Gurwin Jewish Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
Diane Shea, RN, BSN, Chief Quality Officer

Hackensack Meridian Health 
Thomas J. Bader, MD, MBA, Chief Clinical Officer

HealthCare Partners, IPA
Tiffany La Croix, LCSW, Manager of Behavioral Health and Social Work

Hospital for Special Surgery 
Michael L. Parks, MD, Associate Professor of Clinical Orthopaedic Surgery

Institute for Community Living
Ellen B. Tabor, MD, Associate Chief Medical Officer

Institute for Family Health 
Cindy-Lou Killikelly, BSN, RN, Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer

The Jewish Board
Helene Lauffer, MPA, Chief Operating Officer

Maimonides Medical Center
Ingrid A. Walker-Descartes, MD, MPH, MBA, FAAP, Director of Child Maltreatment Services and Vice Chair of Pediatric Education

MediSys Health Network
Sabiha Raoof, MD, FACR, FCCP, Chief Medical Officer, Patient Safety Officer, and Chairperson, Radiology

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Francesca M. Gany, MD, MS, Chief Attending, Immigrant Health & Cancer Disparities



MJHS

Isabella Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing Care
Christene Joseph, RN, MS, WCC, C-NE, IPC, LNC, Director of Nursing Services

Menorah Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing Care
Faina Vasserman, RN, MS, CNS, IP, Director of Nursing

MJHS Home Care and MJHS Hospice
Lorette Shea, RN, BSN, MPS, Assistant Vice President of Quality Management



Montefiore Health System  

Burke Rehabilitation Hospital 
Pauline M. Jones, MEd, FNP-BC, CRRN, Assistant Vice President of Nursing

The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore 
Patricia A. Hametz, MD, MPH, Division Chief of Pediatric Hospital Medicine and Senior Medical Director

Montefiore Medical Center, Einstein Campus
David Esses, MD, Interim Chair and Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine

Montefiore Medical Center, Moses Campus
Katherine E. Di Palo, PharmD, Clinical Program Manager, Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program

Montefiore Medical Center, Wakefield Campus  
Mary O'Keeffe, BSN, RNC, Clinical Staff Nurse

Montefiore Mount Vernon Hospital   
Luckdjyne Labelle Neas, LCSW, CASAC-2, Clinical Manager

Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital 
Shannon P. Wales, MSW, Manager, Quality and Regulatory Affairs 

Montefiore Nyack Hospital  
Daryl Schiller, PharmD, FASHP, BCPS-AQ ID, Senior Director of Pharmacy

Montefiore St. Luke’s Cornwall  
Evan P. Cohen, MD, Medical Director of Emergency Services

White Plains Hospital 
Rafael E. Torres, MD, FACEP, Chief Quality Officer



Mount Sinai Health System

Mount Sinai Brooklyn 
Radfan M. Gazali, MD, Director of Hospital Medicine

The Mount Sinai Hospital 
Gary Oldenburg, MSc, RRT-NPS, Director, Respiratory Care Services

Mount Sinai Morningside 
Seana Friedman, DNP, MBA, MSN, FNP, RN, Director, Cardiovascular Nursing

Mount Sinai Queens 
Wilder A. Chavez, Project Manager, Hospital Operations

Mount Sinai West 
Dayna Dixon, PhD, RN, NPD-BC, CPHQ, Nurse Education Manager

New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai 
Shravan V. Savant, MD, Chief Resident, Department of Ophthalmology

Mount Sinai South Nassau 
Zapora Burillo, MS, RN, CNN, CPHQ, Director of Nursing

Mount Sinai Union Square
Elizabeth Capa, MS, Associate Director, Ambulatory Care



The New Jewish Home 
Sandra Mundy, LMSW, LNHA, Administrator, Manhattan Division



Northwell Health 

Corporate 
John D'Angelo, MD, Senior Vice President, Regional Executive Director
and
Jill Kalman, MD, Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Physician-in-Chief

Lenox Hill Hospital / Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital / Lenox Hill Greenwich Village
Daniel J. Baker, MD, MBA, Medical Director

Long Island Jewish Forest Hills 
Lorraine Chambers Lewis, PA-C, MBA, FACHE, Executive Director

Long Island Jewish Valley Stream
Keasha S. Guerrier, MD, Chair, Family Medicine

Peconic Bay Medical Center
Amy E. Loeb, EdD, MBA, RN, Executive Director

South Shore University Hospital
Ralph J. Civello, MSN, BSN, BS, RN, NE-BC, Chief Nursing Officer and Associate Executive Director

Staten Island University Hospital North and Prince’s Bay
Myrna Capabianco, RN, MSN, NEA-BC, Associate Executive Director, Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer

Zucker Hillside Hospital
Marybeth McManus, MPA, BSN, RN, PMH-BC, Chief Nursing Officer and Associate Executive Director of Patient Care Services



NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi Medical Center/North Central Bronx Hospital
Jana E. Romm, MD, Attending Pediatrician

One Brooklyn Health System/Schulman and Schachne Institute for Nursing and Rehabilitation
Genevieve Sorensen, CPHQ, Vice President for Long Term Care

Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation
Igor Israel, MD, Chief Medical Officer

Richmond University Medical Center
Fiona Shehaj, MD, Chief, Women’s Cardiovascular Health

RiverSpring Health Plans
Theresa Renart, RN, Education Diabetic Manager

SBH Health System 
Janine L. Adjo, MD, Chair, Department of Pediatrics

St. John’s Episcopal Hospital 
Bevin Mathew, CPHQ, CPPS, Manager, Quality & Performance Improvement

St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children 
Tina Hess, Assistant Director of Quality, Safety, and Emergency Preparedness

SOMOS Community Care
Maria M. Molina, MD, Pediatrician

Stamford Health 
Rohit Bhalla, MD, MPH, Senior Vice President, Chief Clinical and Quality Officer

Summit Health
Kerry S. LeBenger, MD, Clinical Immunologist

Visiting Nurse Service of New York 
Ritchell R. Dignam, MD, HMDC, Chief Medical Officer for VNSNY Provider Services and Hospice Medical Director for VNSNY Hospice and Palliative Care



Yale New Haven Health 

Bridgeport Hospital 
Christopher Bussiere, Safety & Quality Specialist III, Performance Improvement

Greenwich Hospital
Christopher M. Davison, MD, FACEP, Medical Director, Department of Emergency Medicine

Lawrence + Memorial Hospital 
Carin Gutelius, MSN, RN-C, NE-BC, Director of Inpatient Nursing and Critical Care

Northeast Medical Group
Karen E. Brown, MD, Medical Director, Primary Care and Co-Chair YNHHS Care Signature Ambulatory Council

Westerly Hospital
Robin Heard-Albert, RN, CIC, Infection Prevention, Site Lead

Yale New Haven Health System
Rebecca McCray, MS, BSN, RN, CNML, Director, Vaccine Enterprise
and
Nancy Hamson, MBA, System Director, Community Health Improvement

Yale New Haven Hospital
Adam L. Ackerman, MD, Physician Lead and Co-Chair of Opioid Stewardship, Yale New Haven Health

Yale School of Medicine
Darin A. Latimore, MD, Deputy Dean, Chief Diversity Officer and Associate Professor, General Internal Medicine