News Releases

The Center for Health Affairs Names Leaders to Boards of Directors

Nine Hospital, Health Care Leaders to Join the Boards of The Center for Health Affairs and its Affiliates, HealthComp, Inc. and Community Health Affairs

The Center for Health Affairs is pleased to announce the appointment of a combined nine new members to its Board of Directors along with the boards of its affiliates, HealthComp, Inc. and Community Health Affairs. Drawn from the region’s hospital leadership and the business community, these individuals will provide the organization with guidance in pursuit of its mission to bring together hospitals and health care organizations to positively impact health in the communities it serves.

Serving on The Center for Health Affairs’ parent board through Dec. 31, 2023, are:

• Valda Clark Christian, JD, chief compliance officer, University Hospitals.
• Jill Dietrich, JD, CEO & executive director, VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System.
• Jerry Kelsheimer, president, Medic Management Group, LLC.
• Janice G. Murphy, president & CEO, St. Vincent Charity Medical Center.
• Adam Myers, MD, chief of population health for Cleveland Clinic and chair of Cleveland Clinic Community Care.

Serving on the board of The Center for Health Affairs’ affiliate, HealthComp, Inc., through March 30, 2023, are:

• Susan deCathelineau, senior vice president, chief customer success officer, Hyland Software.
• Kirsten Park, senior vice president of Treasury, Eaton.
• Justin Gallo, vice president of Supply Chain, The MetroHealth System.

The HealthComp Board of Directors oversees The Center’s business affiliates: CHAMPS Group Purchasing, CHAMPS Oncology and The Essentials Group.

Named to The Center for Health Affairs’ affiliate Community Health Affairs Board of Directors and serving through March 30, 2023, is:

• Teresa Dews, MD, president, Cleveland Clinic Euclid Hospital.

The Community Health Affairs board seeks to improve the health of the community by providing expertise, resources and solutions to address the challenges faced by health care providers.

“I am pleased and honored to welcome these individuals to the boards,” said Craig Richmond, executive vice president & CFO at MetroHealth and chair of The Center for Health Affairs’ Board of Directors. “This incredibly strong slate of directors brings a breadth and depth of expertise to the governance of this organization that is invaluable and will help lead us to new heights.”

“On behalf of the entire team at The Center for Health Affairs and its affiliates, I would like to thank our new directors for stepping forward and volunteering to serve the organization. We are grateful for the service of each of our board members. The Center for Health Affairs and its 36 member hospitals, and in turn the greater community, benefit from the dedication and engagement of these talented leaders,” said Brian Lane, president & CEO of The Center for Health Affairs and CHAMPS Healthcare.

About The Center for Health Affairs:

As the nation's first regional hospital association, The Center for Health Affairs has served as the collective voice of Northeast Ohio hospitals for more than 100 years. Together with its business affiliates, CHAMPS Group Purchasing, CHAMPS Oncology and The Essentials Group, The Center continues the legacy of its founders, working collaboratively to increase the efficiency of healthcare delivery, providing insightful healthcare information to the public and undertaking initiatives aimed at improving the health of the community.

About the Newly Appointed Directors:

Valda Clark Christian, JD, serving as chief compliance officer since early 2019, is responsible for leading a best-in-class compliance and ethics program and for promoting a culture of integrity and transparency at University Hospitals. Ms. Clark Christian is an experienced health care leader having served for 20 years cumulatively as legal counsel to health systems and health care payers, and as a health facility regulator.

Susan deCathelineau brings to Hyland Software more than 20 years of experience in healthcare technology and operations, as well as expertise strategic product development, campaign management, and solution design and implementation. As senior vice president, chief customer success officer, her focus is on helping customers gain long-term competitive advantages by leveraging the breadth and depth of their technology investment.

Teresa Dews, MD, serves as president of Cleveland Clinic Euclid Hospital and enjoys a thriving medical practice specializing in pain management within the Cleveland Clinic Health System. Dr. Dews has held several leadership positions, including as chief medical officer of Cleveland Clinic Hillcrest Hospital and vice chair of the Cleveland Clinic Pain Management Department. She is also a clinical associate professor of anesthesiology in the Case Western Reserve University Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine.

Jill Dietrich, JD, since 2019 has served as executive director / CEO of the VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System, one of the largest VA healthcare systems, with an operating budget of more than $1 billion. The system’s more than 5,000 employees care for more than 112,000 veterans annually at 18 locations across a 21-county catchment area. Ms. Dietrich previously led the Dayton VA Medical Center and has a wealth of VA experience, having served in progressively higher leadership roles throughout the Veterans Health Administration.

Justin Gallo brings more than 20 years of experience as an engineer and executive consultant to his role as vice president of Supply Chain Management for The MetroHealth System. Mr. Gallo came to MetroHealth from the Cleveland Clinic Health System, where he was responsible for Middle Eastern programs and directives, supply chain management, international medical services, clinical readiness, and government and security relations. In addition to his civilian career, Mr. Gallo actively serves in the United States Navy Reserve Force. 

Jerry Kelsheimer is responsible for strategic planning, corporate growth and development, and supporting clientele in achieving their business objectives in his role as president of Medic Management Group, LLC. He leverages his expertise to help increase clients’ financial returns, enhance revenue cycle efficiency, mitigate and manage risks and improve patient outcomes and satisfaction. He presently serves on the boards of University Hospitals Health System, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cuyahoga Community College, and Rudolph Libbe Group.

Janice Murphy, who began her career as an oncology nurse, has a deep history of hospital leadership in Northeast Ohio. Prior to embarking on her role at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center, she held several other leadership positions in hospitals in Cleveland including at Cleveland Clinic Fairview Hospital. After 40 years of service, she retired from Cleveland Clinic 2018; but her mission to help others has continued on in her roles first as senior vice president at Sisters of Charity Health System and now as president and CEO of St. Vincent Charity Medical Center.

Adam Myers, MD, has been with Cleveland Clinic since 2018. As Cleveland Clinic’s chief of population health and chair of Cleveland Clinic Community Care, he leads a wide range of programs, from ambulatory practices and family medicine to three residency programs, its clinically integrated network, and the Center for Value-Based Care Research. A physician board certified in family medicine, Dr. Myers also serves as chair of the American Hospital Association’s Committee for Clinical Leadership and previously held the positions of chief medical officer and chief operations officer for the 1,000-member multispecialty Texas Health Physicians Group.

Kirsten Park serves as senior vice president of Treasury at Eaton, where she is responsible for the company’s cash management, capital market activities, hedging programs, retirement asset management, insurance programs, and global real estate strategies. Previously, Ms. Park, who came to Eaton in 2008, held several roles in Treasury including vice president and assistant treasurer and North America treasury center manager with responsibility for cash management, global foreign exchange and commodity hedging.

For more information on The Center's governing boards, contact us.