TOP 25 WOMEN IN HEALTHCARE
Patricia Maryland ASCENSION HEALTHCARE ST. LOUIS, MO
Maryland was named the CEO of Ascension Healthcare in January 2017 after serving as president and chief operating officer for more than four years. As incoming chief executive of Ascension’s sprawling healthcare operations, Maryland in July will assume responsibility for more than 141 hospitals and 2,500 other sites of care spanning 24 states and Washington, D.C. Before joining Ascension, Maryland held a several executive positions, including president and CEO of St. John Providence Health System in Warren, Mich., executive vice president and COO at North Oakland Medical Centers in Pontiac, Mich., and a number of roles over 15 years at the Cleveland Clinic.
Paula Steiner HEALTH CARE SERVICE CORP. CHICAGO, IL
As president and CEO of Health Care Service Corp., Steiner leads the nation’s largest customerowned health insurer. The company operates Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas, employing more than 22,000 and covering more than 15 million health plan members. Steiner has worked at Blues-related companies for more than 30 years, becoming HCSC’s president in July 2015 and adding the title of CEO in January 2016. Before taking the helm, Steiner served as HCSC’s executive vice president and chief strategy officer. She also managed the company’s external affairs, including government relations and advertising.
Nancy Schlichting HENRY FORD HEALTH SYSTEM ( RETIRED) DETROIT, MI
Schlichting retired in December as the longtime CEO of Henry Ford Health System, but continues to play influential roles on multiple industry boards, including for the Walgreen Boots Alliance and Duke University Health System. Schlichting joined Henry Ford in 1998 as senior vice president and chief administrative officer before being named CEO in 2003. She is largely credited with leading the health system through a dramatic financial turnaround in 2001. She was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as chair of the Commission on Care created by Congress to examine how to turn around healthcare delivery for veterans. She is also the author of the 2015 book Unconventional Leadership: What Henry Ford and Detroit Taught Me About Reinvention and Diversity.
Dr. Lynn Simon COMMUNITY HEALTH SYSTEMS FRANKLIN, TN
Simon has been president of clinical services and chief quality officer at Community Health Systems since 2014. She previously served as the for-profit system’s senior vice president for four years. In her current role, she oversees all clinical operations, including quality and safety, service lines, nursing and case management. She also manages medical staff relations, clinical integration, telemedicine initiatives and medical informatics. Before joining CHS in 2010, she was vice president of medical affairs at Jewish Hospital in Louisville, Ky., and then senior vice president and chief medical officer at Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare after a merger. She was a full-time practicing neurologist from 1989 to 2005.