Modern Healthcare released its annual list of the "50 Most Influential Clinical Executives," highlighting clinical leaders who continued to innovate "in the face of unprecedented public health, societal, and financial challenges."

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About the list

For its 17th annual list of most influential clinical executives, Modern Healthcare accepted nominations for licensed clinicians who hold the title of SVP or higher in their organizations. From a list of 150 finalists, Modern Healthcare compiled its ranking of 50 honorees, based on readers' votes and input from senior editors of Modern Healthcare. The nominees were judged against the following criteria:

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• Actions the nominee took over the past year that helped their organization meets its financial, operational, and clinical goals
• Steps the nominee took to help their organization respond to the Covid-19 pandemic, including work that encouraged a culture of innovation
• Examples of ways the nominee addressed the quadruple aim of improving community health, patient experience, and clinician burnout while lowering costs

As in Modern Healthcare's 2020 list, the honorees on this year's list were not ranked. 

Who made the list

Hospital and health system leaders—listed in alphabetical order—who made the list include:

• Alex Arroliga, CMO at Baylor Scott & White Health
• Marjorie Bessel, chief clinical officer of Banner Health
• Akram Boutros, president and CEO of MetroHealth System
• Susan Brown, SVP of patient care services and CNO at City of Hope
• Joseph Cacchione, EVP of clinical and network services at Ascension
• Elissa Charbonneau, CMO of Encompass Health
• Tammy Daniel, SVP and CNO of Baptist Health
• Roxanna Gapstur, president and CEO of WellSpan Health
• Susan Grant, EVP and CNO of Beaumont Health
• Marc Harrison, president and CEO of Intermountain Healthcare
• Rod Hochman, president and CEO of Providence
• Jill Hoggard Green, president and CEO of The Queen's Health Systems
• Richard Isaacs, CEO and executive director of Permanente Medical Group
• Mary Beth Kingston, CNO at Advocate Aurora Health
• Wilhelmina Manzano, SVP, CNO and COO for perioperative services at New York-Presbyterian
• Stephen Markovich, president and CEO of OhioHealth
• Lawrence Moss, president and CEO of Nemours Children's Health System
• Karen Murphy, EVP and chief innovation officer at Geisinger Health
• Janice Nevin, president and CEO of ChristianaCare
• April Novotny, VP of clinical services and chief nurse executive at Lakeland (Fla.) Regional Health
• Mary Ann Osborn, SVP and chief nursing executive at UnityPoint Health
• Philip Ozuah, president and CEO of Montefiore Medicine
• Hal Paz, EVP and chancellor for health affairs at Ohio State University and CEO of Wexner Medical Center
• Jonathan Perlin, president of clinical operations and CMO of HCA Healthcare
• Scott Rissmiller, EVP and chief physician executive at Atrium Health
• Mary Robinson, EVP and CNO, Reliable Health at Texas Health Resources
• Rishi Sikka, president of system enterprises at Sutter Health
• Anthony Slonim, president and CEO of Renown Health
• Johnese Spisso, president of UCLA Health and CEO of UCLA Hospital System
• Susan Turney, CEO of Marshfield Clinic Health System
• Janice Walker, EVP and CNO at Baylor Scott & White Health
• Eric Wei, SVP and chief quality officer at NYC Health + Hospitals
• Donald Whiting, CMO of Allegheny Health Network
• Amy Wilson, SVP of clinical operations at Ascension
• Fran Witt, president and CEO at Effingham Health System

Federal government officials—listed in alphabetical order—who made the list include:

• Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
• Vivek Murthy, U.S. surgeon general at HHS
• Marcella Nunez-Smith, chair of the Covid-19 Health Equity Task Force and associate dean of Yale School of Medicine
• Rochelle Walensky, director of CDC

(Modern Healthcare list, accessed 7/12; Modern Healthcare's methodology, accessed 7/12)