First Annual Tribute to Excellence in Health Care Honors 57 Quality Improvement Leaders at 51 New York Area Institutions

NEW YORK, NY—May 3, 2019— On Monday, May 6, United Hospital Fund (UHF) will honor 57 extraordinary quality improvement leaders at 51 hospitals and long-term care facilities across the metropolitan region at its new annual event, Tribute to Excellence in Health Care, recognizing their personal efforts to champion quality of care, patient safety, and patient experience. 

The Tribute provides an opportunity for external recognition of excellence—hospitals and long-term care institutions were invited to identify one individual at each site who has demonstrated vision and accomplishment in improving quality of care. Each of the honorees will receive the Excellence in Health Care Award at a luncheon held at Cipriani 42nd Street in Manhattan. 

A keynote address will be delivered at the lunch by Carolyn Clancy, MD, Deputy Under Secretary for Health at the U.S. Veterans Administration and previously long-time director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. 

“The Tribute is both a celebration of personal leadership and an occasion to amplify and elevate the vital work underway to make our health care system more patient-centered, safe, and effective,” said UHF president Anthony Shih, MD, MPH.

Some 550 colleagues and health care leaders and supporters are expected to attend the awards program and lunch. Cary Kravet, a member of UHF’s board and a trustee of Northwell Health, is the event chairman. Mr. Kravet chairs the quality committee at Northwell.  

Following are the 2019 honorees:

BronxCare Health System
John R. Colón, Assistant Secretary, Board of Trustees.

The Brookdale University Medical Center
David Rose, MD, Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President for Medical and Academic Affairs

The Brooklyn Hospital Center 
Vasantha K. Kondamudi, MD, Executive Vice President, Network Physician Executive and Chief Medical Officer

Catholic Health Services of Long Island 
Kimon Bekelis, MD, Chair of Neurointerventional Services

Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center 
Christopher Moore, RN, Minimum Data Set Coordinator

Gurwin Jewish Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
Sherryann Rampersad-Lalchan, RN, Transition Nurse Educator

Hackensack Meridian Health 
Carol Leah Barsky, MD, Executive Vice President and Chief Quality Officer

Hospital for Special Surgery 
Steven K. Magid, MD, Chief Medical Information Officer

Interfaith Medical Center 
Prissana L. Alston, EdD, Chief Nursing Officer/ Senior Vice President, Nursing

Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center 
Cynthia Wright, RN, Patient Care Director, Emergency Department

Maimonides Medical Center 
Patrick I. Borgen, MD, Chair, Department of Surgery and Director, Maimonides Breast Center

MediSys Health Network 
Luigi G. Tullo, MD, Vice Chair, Department of Ambulatory Care

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center 
Louis P. Voigt, MD, Chair, Ethics Committee

Montefiore Health System  

Burke Rehabilitation Hospital 
Carolin Dohle, MD, Assistant Chief Medical Officer and Co-Director, Performance Improvement

The Children's Hospital at Montefiore 
Alan Shapiro, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor in Pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Senior Medical Director for Community Pediatric Programs

Montefiore Hospital, Moses Campus
Ulrich P. Jorde, MD, Section Head, Heart Failure, Cardiac Transplantation and Mechanical Circulatory Support 

Montefiore Mount Vernon Hospital   
Alison Vail, RN, Director of Nursing

Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital 
Michael Rubertone, MPA, Director, Quality and Regulatory Affairs

Montefiore School Health Program 
Rosy Chhabra, PsyD, Director

Montefiore Wakefield Hospital 
Joan O’Brien, RN, Director of Nursing

Montefiore Nyack Hospital  
Anthony V. Matejicka, II, DO, Chief Medical Officer

Montefiore St. Luke’s Cornwall
Gina Del Savio, MD, Chief Medical Officer

Montefiore St. Luke’s Cornwall
Mary V. Kelley, MBA, Vice President, Quality Management

White Plains Hospital 
Susan O’Boyle, RN, Vice President of Quality

Mount Sinai Health System

Mount Sinai Beth Israel
Michael R. Berman, MD, Chief Quality Officer

Mount Sinai Brooklyn 
Kinta A. Alexander, DrPH, Infection Control Manager

The Mount Sinai Hospital 
Gopi Patel, MD, Hospital Epidemiologist

Mount Sinai St. Luke's 
Natalia Cineas, DNP, Deputy Chief Nursing Officer
(Dr. Cineas is now Senior Vice President and System Chief Nursing Officer at NYC Health + Hospitals)

Mount Sinai Queens 
Allison Dempsey, MPH, Assistant Director of Quality

Mount Sinai West 
Jennifer Jaromahum, RN, Deputy Chief Nursing Officer 

New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai 
Sangyoon Jason Shin, DO, Medical Director of Pre-Surgical Testing

South Nassau Communities Hospital 
Shivani Young, RN, Assistant Director, Quality Management

The New Jewish Home 
Sonya Choudhury, MSN, NP, Long-Term Care Nurse Practitioner
Mila Lasker, RPh, Associate Director of Pharmacy

NewYork-Presbyterian Queens 
Sorana Segal-Maurer, MD, Director, The Dr. James J. Rahal Jr. Division of Infectious Diseases

Northwell Health 

South Oaks Hospital and Zucker Hillside Hospital
Carolyn Sweetapple, PhD, RN, Executive Director

Cohen Children’s Medical Center 
Peter Silver, MD, Medical Director 

Northwell Health Corporate Quality 
Karen Nelson, RN, MBA, Deputy Chief Quality Officer

Northwell Health Eastern Region and Southside Hospital
Jay Enden, MD, Regional Medical Director

Forest Hills Hospital 
Mitchel C. Jacobs, MD, FACP, Medical Director 

Northwell Health Solutions 
Zenobia Brown, MD, Vice President and Medical Director

Lenox Hill Hospital 
Jill Kalman, MD, Executive Director

North Shore University Hospital 
Andrea Restifo, RN, Associate Executive Director

Northern Westchester Hospital 
Marla Koroly, MD, Senior Vice President, Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer

Peconic Bay Medical Center 
Jean Marie Cacciabaudo, MD, Medical Director 

NuHealth/Nassau University Medical Center 
George J. Tsunis, Chairman and Interim Chief Executive Officer

NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue
Caralee Caplan-Shaw, MD, Medical Director, Tuberculosis Program and Director, Bellevue Chest Service

NYU Winthrop Hospital 
Virginia Peragallo-Dittko, RN, Executive Director, Diabetes and Obesity Institute

Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation 
Susan Costella, RN, MHA, Clinical Director of Nursing – Subacute

Richmond University Medical Center 
Jessie Saverimuttu, MD, PhD, Infectious Diseases Attending and Chief of Quality Improvement, Department of Medicine

SBH Health System 
Daniel P. Lombardi, DO, MBA, Vice President, Chief Quality Officer, Patient Safety Officer

St. John’s Episcopal Hospital 
Del Joiner, MEd, Vice President and Chief Quality Officer

Stamford Health 
Michael F. Parry, MD, The Thomas J. Bradsell Chair of Infectious Diseases

SUNY Downstate Medical Center 
Mohamed Rami Nakeshbandi, MD, Chief Quality Officer and Associate Chief Medical Officer

Visiting Nurse Service of New York 
Rose Madden-Baer, DNP, Senior Vice President, Population Health and Clinical Support Services

Yale New Haven Health 
L. Scott Sussman, MD, Senior Medical Director, Clinical Operations

Yale New Haven Hospital/Yale Medicine 
Christian M. Pettker, MD, Associate Chief Quality Officer 

More information about the honorees can be found at our website here.

 About United Hospital Fund
United Hospital Fund works to build a more effective health care system for every New Yorker. An independent, nonprofit organization, we analyze public policy to inform decision-makers, find common ground among diverse stakeholders, and develop and support innovative programs that improve the quality, accessibility, affordability, and experience of patient care. For more on our initiatives and programs, please visit our website at www.uhfnyc.org and follow us on Twitter. 

 
Published
May 3, 2019
Focus Area
Quality and Efficiency
Initiatives
Quality Institute