News Releases

The Center for Health Affairs Welcomes New Board Members

This month, The Center for Health Affairs introduced four new members of its parent Board of Directors, which is comprised of local health leaders in Northeast Ohio.

The Center for Health Affairs is pleased to announce the appointment of four new members to its Board of Directors. The Center for Health Affairs' Board of Directors aims to serve communities as a catalyst by aligning and collaborating with members and constituents to incubate, pilot, and launch programs and services that benefit the healthcare community. The Board of Directors consists of administrators of hospitals and healthcare systems as well as community leaders in Northeast Ohio.

Serving on The Center for Health Affairs’ parent board through Sept. 30, 2024, are:

• Teresa Dews, MD, president, Cleveland Clinic Euclid Hospital.
• Melissa Kline, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, senior vice president, system chief nurse executive, The MetroHealth System.
• Mark Malloy, chief financial officer of Ohio regional hospitals, Cleveland Clinic.
• Sandeep Palakodeti, MD, MPH, co-founder, chief medical officer, Hopscotch Health.

“I am both delighted and honored to welcome this group of experts to The Center for Health Affairs’ Board of Directors,” said Craig Richmond, chair of The Center’s Board of Directors and executive vice president, chief financial & system services officer at MetroHealth. “They each add an incredible breadth and depth of experience that will bring valuable insights and leadership to the organization’s regional healthcare initiatives.”

The Center’s Board of Directors is responsible for all business of the organization and has the authority to adopt policy for the association. These elected directors also help guide its subsidiaries, CHAMPS Group Purchasing and The Essentials Group, as well as member programming, including Community Health, Emergency Preparedness, Finance & Reimbursement, the Northeast Ohio Hospital Opioid Consortium, and Data & Volume Statistics.

“On behalf of the entire team at The Center for Health Affairs, I would like to thank these new directors for stepping forward and volunteering to serve our organization and community,” said Brian Lane, president & CEO of The Center for Health Affairs. “Teresa, Melissa, Mark and Sandeep are esteemed leaders within their respective fields, and their expertise will greatly aid in our board’s efforts. The Center for Health Affairs and its 36 member hospitals, and in turn the communities we serve, benefit from the dedication and engagement of our talented Board of Directors.”

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

TWEETABLE: The Center for Health Affairs Names Leaders to its Parent Board of Directors

About the Newly Appointed Directors:

Teresa Dews, MD serves as the president of Cleveland Clinic Euclid Hospital, and leads a medical practice specializing in pain management within the Cleveland Clinic health system. She is a graduate of the University of Toledo and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. She completed her residency in Anesthesiology and a Pain Management fellowship at Cleveland Clinic before joining the staff in 1993.

Melissa Kline, DNP, RN, NEA-BC is senior vice president, system chief nurse executive at The MetroHealth System. Kline received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from The University of Akron and her Master of Science in Nursing from Walden University. She completed the Doctor of Nursing Practice program at Chamberlain College of Nursing and is board certified as a nurse executive. She joined MetroHealth in 1998.

Mark Malloy is the chief financial officer for Ohio regional hospitals at Cleveland Clinic. Mark earned his bachelor’s degree from Baldwin Wallace University and his master’s degree from Case Western Reserve University. Malloy has been with Cleveland Clinic for over 20 years, gaining experience in areas such as revenue cycle, operations and corporate finance.

Sandeep Palakodeti, MD, MPH is the co-founder and chief medical officer at Hopscotch Health, a value-based primary care platform serving vulnerable rural and marginalized senior populations. Previously, he was the chief medical officer of population health at University Hospitals, where he led an interdisciplinary team of physicians, navigators, data scientists and analysts, quality and regulatory specialists, wellness coordinators and others to deliver on value-based outcomes. Palakodeti received his medical degree and master’s in public health from Wright State University in his hometown of Dayton, Ohio.