50 Most Influential Clinical Executives - 2022

Benjamin has focused on disease prevention and access to care over the course of his 20 years as executive director, using his experiences as an emergency physician and public health leader. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he has led a multidisciplinary coalition to coordinate a complex emergency response, including working with the National Academies of Medicine to create informational webinars and with YouTube to develop a public health series. Benjamin pushed to bring vaccination efforts to the community level by engaging physician practices. He also focused on efforts promoting caregiver mental health. He began his career in 1978 as a physician in the Army and served as secretary of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene from 1999 to 2002. He has been executive director of APHA since 2002.