Population Health
Steve Carson Senior vice president of population health, Temple University Health System; CEO, Temple Center for Population Health
Carson has been at the forefront of launching several innovative programs at Temple, including a community health worker program, community-based substance use disorders programs and projects to address food insecurity. In 2019, he set out to address needs for homeless people coming into the emergency department, who, on average, made four or more trips to the ED in a year. Carson spearheaded a partnership with not-for-profit Resources for Human Development to address housing, as well as reduce avoidable ED utilization and hospital readmissions. The program enrolled 25 high healthcare users, who between April and October 2020 were given subsidies and help finding housing. As a result, Temple saw a 75% decrease in ED visits, a 79% decrease in inpatient admissions and a 50% increase in outpatient appointments with a primarycare provider.
Suzy Gulliver Director and chief of the Warriors Research Institute Baylor Scott & White Health
Gulliver, a clinical psychologist and researcher, launched the Warriors Research Institute to address the unmet mental healthcare needs of military veterans and emergency responders. The idea was to bring evidence-based care to this patient population. Part of the program includes a peer-support training model that helps veterans and their family members identify when someone may be in distress. She also oversaw efforts to expand telehealth services in rural areas. Over the past two years, 78% of participants completed their treatment program and more than 80% reported experiencing a noticeable reduction in symptoms
Dan Liljenquist Senior vice president and chief strategy officer Intermountain Healthcare
In addition to his role at Intermountain, Liljenquist serves as board chairman for Civica Rx, the not-for-profit generic drug company founded in 2018 by Intermountain and other U.S. health systems. He has worked with leadership to expand Civica Rx’s membership, recently adding Anthem and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association to the mix. At Intermountain, as the pandemic was hitting full stride, Liljenquist helped launch Project Protect, a program to manufacture medical-grade personal protective equipment for front-line workers. The project resulted in 6 million masks being made, exceeding the goal by 20%, as well as 100,000 face shields and 60,000 isolation gowns. The project was a finalist in Fast Company’s annual World Changing Ideas Awards.
Dr. Tomi Pastinen Director of the Genomic Medicine Center Children’s Mercy Kansas City
Pastinen has helmed the center since 2017 and leads its efforts to better integrate research and clinical care through the use of genomic medicine, precision therapeutics and population health. In 2019, his team launched Genomic Answers for Kids to bring genomics into rare disease research taking place at the hospital. They set a goal of collecting genomic data and health information from 30,000 children and their families over the next seven years. As of mid-2021, the initiative had enrolled more than 2,450 families and over 5,700 individuals, resulting in more than 12,300 new genomic analyses and almost 400 genetic diagnoses. It also contributed to reporting of 10 new disease genes.