Welcome to this week's Chutes & Ladders, our roundup of hirings, firings and retirings throughout the industry. Please submit the good news—or the bad—from your shop, and we will feature it here each week.
Week of March 23
> Cigna Healthcare, the insurance arm of the Cigna Group, announced that it named Stanley Crittenden, M.D., as its new chief medical officer.
In the role, Crittenden will the lead the insurer's clinical operations, and will be tasked with partnering with other key leaders across the company to support the central goals of improving access and simplifying the healthcare journey for both patients and providers.
Crittenden brings years of experience in managed care, value-based care and population health to the role, Cigna said in an announcement. He most recently served as CMO at Quantum Health, and also held leadership roles at Evergreen Nephrology, Anthem and Humana.
Crittenden is also board certified in internal medicine and nephrology, Cigna said.
“I’m honored to join Cigna Healthcare at this important moment in its transformation toward making health care simpler, more personalized and more affordable,” said Crittenden in the announcement. “I am committed to fostering a collaborative and supportive environment, doing everything we can to improve the experience and outcomes of all those we serve.”
Week of March 16
> John Haupert, president and CEO of Atlanta-based Grady Health System, will be handing the reins over to current Chief Operating Officer Anthony Saul at the end of this year.
Saul is immediately claiming the president title, and will shuffle into the top spot on Jan. 1, 2027. Haupert will stick around through 2027 in an advisory role to soften the transition, support philanthropic and capital fundraising and provide strategic guidance on a new $1+ billion medical campus the nonprofit also announced this week.
Haupert has headed Grady for the past 15 years. Saul has been around for seven, initially joining as chief financial officer.
> AI-powered prior authorization company Humata Health is bringing Liz Fowler, former director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI), onto its board of directors.
The company said in an announcement that Fowler's experience at CMMI will support the team's efforts to accelerate Humata's mission to ensure patients get the care they need quickly. At CMMI, Fowler was tasked with rethinking reimbursement in Medicare and Medicaid to drive uptake of value-based care, providing critical insights she can bring to Humata.
Before her stint at CMMI, Fowler held leadership roles at the Commonwealth Fund and Johnson & Johnson. She currently serves as a distinguished scholar at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Carey Business School.
“Liz is a unicorn, a rare leader with deep experience in all realms of the healthcare ecosystem,” said Jeremy Friese, M.D., Humata’s co-founder and CEO, in the announcement. “She understands the inherent complexities of the health system, and her expertise will be instrumental as we work toward our mission of solving these challenges."
From her role driving innovation at CMMI to her track record of bipartisan work on federal health legislation, Liz’s experience will be an invaluable asset as we make AI-driven medical review a seamless process that ensures every patient receives the right care as quickly as possible," Friese said.
Week of March 9
> Jeff Balser, M.D., Ph.D., is retiring from his roles as CEO of Vanderbilt Health and dean of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine at the end of 2026.
The academic system's board of directors has kicked of a national search for a successor who would hold both titles, according to the March 12 announcement.
A 1990 Vanderbilt graduate himself, Balser spent years as a cardiac anesthesiologist and surgical intensivist at Johns Hopkins before returning to Vanderbilt in 1998. He was named chair of the Department of Anesthesiology in 2001, dean of the medical school in 2008 and head of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2009. He has served as dean and in the health system's top executive role for the past 17 years.
The organization has grown from a four-hospital system to an eight-hospital system under his tenure, during which its annual net revenue also grew from around $2 billion to nearly $9 billion, according to the announcement. Part of that time was an effort he led to legally and financially separate the medical center and its system from the university as a standalone nonprofit. The organization's cash reserves also have also grown from 50 days to more than 110, with total cash on hand plus investments now exceeding $3 billion.
> Greg Hoffman, chief financial officer of Providence, will retire in June, the organization announced.
Hoffman has been with the major nonprofit system for over a decade, and served as CFO for the past five years. His tenure in the role is marked by a multi-year financial turnaround that finally brought operations into the black during the quarter ended Sept. 30, 2025. The announcement of his retirement also pointed to his role striking up new strategic partnerships, resetting contracts with commercial payers and heading the implementation of an enterprise resource planning system.
Providence said it plans to conduct an internal and national search for Hoffman's replacement.
Week of March 2
> Kevin Tabb, M.D., president and CEO of Beth Israel Lahey Health, has given notice to the system's board that he plans to step down after this year.
The physician executive was tapped as CEO of Beth Israel Deaconess in 2011, and stayed at the top through its merger with fellow Massachusetts provider Lahey Health in 2019. Today the organization spans 14 hospitals, employs 42,000 people and cares for 1.7 million patients annually.
Alongside navigating the merger and a pandemic, Tabb is credited with advancing initiatives around care access and connecting services delivered between its locations. Beth Israel Lahey also notched new partnerships: a teaching relationship with UMass Chan School of Medicine and an upcoming cancer collaboration with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Tabb will remain in his role while the system's board searches for his successor, a process expected to take about eight to 10 months, according to the announcement.
> Health tech company Stellar Health has added Raul Smith, a veteran of Elevance Health, as its chief financial officer.
Smith has 20 years of experience in healthcare leadership, according to an announcement, including six years as president CFO for Anthem's East Region. He has also served as CFO for Duo Health and Gold Kidney Health Plan.
Stellar said that Smith's experience in the health insurance industry will help the company build out its platform. Stellar supports payers in value-based care by making it easier for providers to engage with these complex environments.
In addition, he'll play a key role in driving the financial evolution of its risk-based portfolio, including the tech-enabled accountable care organization, shaco.
"Stellar is already setting the pace for value-based care, and Raul adds the institutional caliber to match our growing scale," said Michael Meng, CEO and cofounder of Stellar Health. "Raul brings the financial authority to stand behind the definitive value we deliver to our payor partners. His leadership solidifies that our ROI is absolute and verifiable—impact that will only continue to compound and get better year over year."
> Wellpoint Tennessee, an Elevance Health subsidiary, has named Rachel Chinetti as president of its health plan.
As president, Chinetti will be tasked with leading the insurer's strategy and operations across the state, including a focus on affordability, access and quality for individuals enrolled in TennCare, its Medicaid program.
She brings almost two decades of experience in Medicaid and long-term services and supports (LTSS) to the role, per an announcement from the insurer. Chinetti has held multiple roles within TennCare and most recently served as a staff vice president within Elevance Health's government unit, where she led a center of excellence in LTSS.
Chinetti is also a native of the state who lives in Nashville, with strong community relationships, the company said.
“It is an honor to serve Tennesseans in this role,” Chinetti said in the release. “Wellpoint Tennessee has a strong legacy of partnership and innovation. I look forward to working alongside TennCare, providers, advocates, and community leaders to strengthen rural and maternal health, enhance long-term services and supports, and deliver more coordinated, person-centered care that helps our members live healthier, more independent lives.”
Week of Feb. 16
> James Downing, M.D., will be stepping down from his role as president and CEO of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital near the end of 2026, the pediatric research hospital announced.
The physician executive has been with the organization for four decades, and has sat at its head for the past 12 years. Under his leadership St. Jude underwent the largest strategic expansion in its history, which included the completion of two separate strategic plans requiring nearly $20 billion of investment and over 2,300 new positions; major expansion to St. Jude's main campus; and greater international collaboration.
Prior to that he served as scientific director for eight years, a period in which he spearheaded the Pediatric Cancer Genome Project.
Downing plans to transition into a faculty role at St. Jude's Department of Global Pediatric Medicine after handing over the reins. The organization said a replacement is expected to be named over the summer.
“I’ve watched St. Jude transform the care of pediatric cancer around the world, and I’m grateful to have played a small part as its CEO," he said in the announcement. "It has been the honor of a lifetime to wake up every day and know that I have a purpose, to be a part of this workforce, and to change the outlook for children everywhere.”
Week of Feb. 9
>The Department of Health and Human Services announced several leadership changes as the agency looks to advance Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Make American Healthy Again agenda.
HHS said that Chris Klomp will step into the role of chief counselor at the agency, where he will "oversee all operations of the department." Klomp currently serves as the director of Medicare.
In addition, both Politico and the Washington Post have reported that Jim O'Neill, deputy secretary of HHS and the acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will step down from both roles. Sources told the Post that O'Neill will be offered a position as an ambassador.
The Post reported that the shakeup comes amid significant controversy over the shift at HHS in vaccine policy and other hot-button topics. Kennedy is looking to shift talking points to more politically palatable topics, like healthy food, per the Post.
In addition to the new title for Klomp, Kennedy has tapped Kyle Diamantas and Grace Graham to serve as senior counselors for the Food and Drug Administration as well as John Brooks to step in as senior counselor for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
HHS said that each of these three will also continue to hold their current roles in addition to supporting Kennedy's office.
"I am proud to elevate battle-tested, principled leaders onto my immediate team—individuals with the courage and experience to help us move faster and go further as we work to Make America Healthy Again," Kennedy said in the press release.
Week of Jan. 12
>The Federation of American Hospitals announced multiple leadership appointments this week.
The organization's new CEO, Charlene MacDonald, took the role on Jan. 1, and on Jan. 14, FAH revealed the names of key members of her team, including:
- Tilithia McBride, chief operating officer
- Adam Broder, chief strategy officer
- Alyssa Keefe, senior vice president and head of policy
- Katie Tenoever, senior vice president and general counsel.
McBride brings more than 25 years of overall healthcare experience to the COO role, including more than four years at FAH as its leading voice on patient safety, quality and public health. Broder has been at FAH for more than two years, and will take on an expanded role as chief strategy officer, spearheading efforts to support the organization's mission as well as its long-term stability and growth.
Keefe joined FAH in December 2024 and has more than two decades of policy experience, both at the state and federal levels. Tenoever will continue in the general counsel role, and has held similar titles at other trade associations, FAH said.
“Our exceptional new executive team will be integral to the Federation’s success as we write our next chapter,” MacDonald said in the announcement. “We’re at a critical moment for health care coverage and access, and our team’s proven ability to be strategic, nimble, and relentlessly solutions-oriented will allow the Federation to deliver for our members and the millions of patients they serve.”
Week of Jan. 5
>Eduardo Conrado stepped into the CEO chair at Ascension on Jan. 1, taking over for the retiring Joseph Impicciche.
Conrado has been the major health system's president since 2023, and continues to hold that title. He joined in 2018 to serve in digital, strategy and innovation positions. Prior to that, he’d spent 26 years at Motorola Solutions and served on Ascension’s board for five years.
In a blog post published this week, Conrado said his focus as CEO will be for Ascension to strengthen access to care, modernize care delivery and deepen commitments to those most in need—achieved through a combination of mission-driven strategy, capital deployment and talent.
>Jesse Ehrenfeld, M.D., has joined clinical AI company Aidoc as its new chief medical officer.
Ehrenfeld, a board-certified anesthesiologist and clinical informaticist, steps into the role after a stint as president of the American Medical Association. There, he led advocacy on issues like physician wellbeing and the responsible use of AI in clinical care. His new post will keep to those subjects as he supports Aidoc's health system customers.
“It’s clear that Aidoc’s success to date has been rooted in building technology physicians trust," he said in a release. "I’m joining to help scale that impact, ensuring that clinical AI continues to be a seamless, essential part of the modern care delivery model.”
>Abhi Rastogi took on the roles of president and CEO at Temple Health on January 2, taking over for Michael Young, who retired.
Rastogi has been with the organization for more than 20 years. He most recently served as the president and CEO of Temple University Hospital and its campuses, as well as executive vice president and chief operating officer of the broader system. He's credited with delivering more than $100 million in annual impact via operational and financial improvements.
>Christian Pass was named chief financial officer of Keck Medicine of USC, and will officially begin the new role on Jan. 12.
He comes to the academic health system from Optum, where he was president of provider and payvider enterprise clients. Before that he had several senior financial leadership titles at John Muir Health that culminated in a chief financial officer role.
“Pass has more than 30 years of health care finance leadership experience with a proven history of cultivating high-performing teams and guiding organizations through critical financial and operational transformations,” Rod Hanners, CEO of Keck Medicine, said in a release. “He brings tremendous knowledge and skill to this position that will support the continued growth of the health system.”
>Sarah Ness officially began her new job as president and CEO of PeaceHealth on Jan. 3.
Ness has been with the nine-hospital system for more than 20 years, most recently as its executive vice president and chief administrative officer. She's credited with leading organizational transformations within the system's culture, technology systems and operations.
She takes over for Liz Dunne, who had announced her retirement last year.
>Chip Hubbs, the president CEO of Marysville, Ohio-based Memorial Health, shared plans to retire at the end of this year.
He's held the roles for nearly 22 years, and before that was the CEO of Community Memorial Hospital elsewhere in the state. "In all, Chip has worked for nine different hospitals throughout his career in every facet from groundskeeper and maintenance to intern, fellow, Evening Administrator, Executive Director, and CEO," according to the announcement.
Hubbs plans to work with the health system's board on a long-term strategy and transition plan during his final year in the office.
>The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, the lobbying group representing pharmacy benefit managers, has named longtime policy expert David Marin as its new CEO, succeeding J.C. Scott.
Marin will officially take the CEO chair on Jan. 20, according to a PCMA announcement. He comes to the organization from drugmaker Viatris, where he was the global head of government affairs, public policy and advocacy. He also previously served as a managing principal at Podesta Group, where he led advocacy efforts for a slew of firms including the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and Mylan.
He also held key staff roles on the Hill, according to the announcement.
“David Marin is the ideal leader for PCMA at a time of significant change in our industry,” said PCMA Board Chair Adam Kautzner, President of Express Scripts and Evernorth Care Management.
In addition to Marin's hire, PCMA announced that Brendan Buck will serve as the organization's new chief communications officer, also effective on Jan. 20. Buck joins PCMA from public affairs firm Seven Letter.