ACHE to honor five executives for their leadership, service in advancing healthcare

The American College of Healthcare Executives is honoring five individuals who have contributed substantially to the healthcare field by serving their communities and exemplifying leadership.

The organization's 2022 award winners are Michael Fosina, former senior vice president of NewYork-Presbyterian; John Bluford III, president and founder of the Bluford Healthcare Leadership Institute; Callie Andrews, senior vice president of Wellstar Health System in Georgia; Zeff Ross, former executive vice president of Memorial Healthcare System in Florida; and Steven Saxe, former executive director of the Washington State Department of Health.

As the recipient of the Gold Medal Award, Fosina will be accepting ACHE's highest honor, which recognizes outstanding leaders who provide guidance at local, state and national levels, reaching beyond their own organization to enhance healthcare services and improve community health.

Fosina worked at NewYork-Presbyterian for more than 20 years, most recently as system senior vice president and president of NewYork-Presbyterian Lawrence Hospital in Bronxville. He is the immediate past chair of ACHE, having served from 2019 to 2020.

He is an active fellow with the New York Academy of Medicine as well as an advisory board member for the University of Delaware College of Health Sciences and a member of the board of trustees for the Silvercrest Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation.

For the first time since 2015, ACHE President and CEO Deborah Bowen is choosing to bestow a President's Award, which will be given to Bluford for his contributions to the field and exemplary service.

He established the Bluford Healthcare Leadership Institute in 2012 as a way to introduce undergraduate scholars from underrepresented groups to healthcare administration. As part of his career spanning four decades, Bluford was president and CEO of Truman Medical Centers in Kansas City, Missouri, for 15 years and served as chairman of the American Hospital Association in 2011.

He has received many awards in his lifetime, including the American Hospital Association's Award of Honor in 2019, the National Minority Quality Forum's Booker T. Washington Award in 2017, and the National Center for Healthcare Leadership's Gail L. Warden Leadership Excellence Award in 2013.

With more than 15 years in executive leadership roles, Andrews is receiving the Robert S. Hudgens Memorial Award for Young Healthcare Executive of the Year. The award is given to an executive and ACHE fellow younger than 40 who has made significant achievements in healthcare management.

Andrews is senior vice president and hospital chief operating officer of Wellstar Health System's Kennestone and Windy City Hospitals in Marietta, Georgia. Previously, she served as chief operating officer of Eastside Medical Center, where she oversaw the organization's clinical ancillary and support departments, outpatient services, behavioral health services and inpatient rehabilitation.

Ross and Saxe are receiving ACHE Lifetime Service awards. The designation was established in 2000 to honor life fellows or retired fellows who have benefited ACHE through their position in an elected office, service on ACHE committees or participation in ACHE activities or chapters.

Before retiring in 2019, Ross worked for 28 years at Memorial Healthcare System in Hollywood, Florida, most recently serving as the system's executive vice president as well as CEO Memorial Regional Hospital. He first joined ACHE as a student in 1978, later assuming the role of Regent from 2003 to 2006 and volunteering on the Regents Advisory Council and Ethics Committee.

Saxe, trained as a pharmacist, began his career in inpatient and outpatient healthcare settings, moving to public health in 2006, when he joined the Washington State Department of Health. He first joined ACHE in 1986 and later helped found the Washington State Healthcare Executive Forum, ACHE's official chapter for the state. He retired from the state health department as executive director in 2019.

Last year, Saxe joined the Washington State Medical Reserve Corps to offer clinical support at COVID-19 vaccination and testing clinics. He has received the Distinguished Leadership Award from the Washington State Pharmacy Association, the Regents Award from the ACHE Regent for Washington and several chapter service awards.

The recipients will officially receive their awards during ACHE's 65th Congress on Healthcare Leadership, March 28-31 in Chicago.

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