Kevin B. Mahoney: Chief Executive Officer, University of Pennsylvania Health System
Kevin B. Mahoney will become the next CEO of the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS), University of Pennsylvania President Amy Gutmann and J. Larry Jameson, executive vice president of the University of Pennsylvania for the Health System and dean of the Perelman School of Medicine, announced. Mr. Mahoney will assume his post on July 1, succeeding Ralph W. Muller, who has served as the health system’s CEO since 2003.
Mr. Mahoney is a 23-year veteran of leadership roles at Penn Medicine, currently serving as the executive vice president and chief administrative officer for UPHS, as well as the executive vice dean for Integrative Services for the Perelman School of Medicine.
“Kevin has an unrivaled breadth of experience and depth of knowledge of health care in an integrated academic medical center, combined with a profound personal commitment to Penn’s ambitious vision to build the academic health system of the future,” said President Gutmann. “We are confident that Kevin will successfully lead the team-based effort to propel UPHS to even greater heights, building on its unparalleled successes and enormous momentum.”
Reporting to Dr. Jameson, Mr. Mahoney will lead a health system which has grown over the past six years from three Philadelphia-based academic medical centers to encompass a broad footprint across the region, including the addition of three nationally recognized hospitals stretching from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to Princeton, New Jersey, and an expansive outpatient network which provides more than 5.7 million visits per year. UPHS joins with the Perelman School of Medicine—which this month was ranked #3 in the annual US News list of the nation’s top medical schools (Almanac March 17, 2019)—to form Penn Medicine, a $7.8 billion organization.
Among his marquee leadership achievements at Penn Medicine, Mr. Mahoney developed the master plan concept for the former Philadelphia Civic Center site, known today as the Ruth and Raymond Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine and the Roberts Proton Therapy Center. These facilities, together with the Smilow Center for Translational Research and the Jordan Medical Education Center, became the nation’s first single building to fully integrate biomedical research, clinical care and medical education. Building on this tremendous success, he planned and now leads the project for the Pavilion on Penn’s University City campus, adjacent to HUP. The Pavilion, set to open in 2021, is the largest building project in Penn’s history and will be the most advanced inpatient hospital facility in the nation.
“Kevin was a chief architect behind so many of the efforts for which Penn Medicine has become nationally renowned. He was an early and strong contributor to our campus-wide efforts to make innovation part of Penn’s and Penn Medicine’s DNA,” Dr. Jameson said. “Those efforts are saving lives across the world, spurring Penn Medicine’s role in the development and commercialization of six FDA-approved therapies within just the past 18 months. Kevin is a champion for the ideas that will become tomorrow’s cures, supporting everything from small-scale start-up efforts to larger commercialization agreements and industry partnerships that are mapping what the future of health care will look like.”
Mr. Mahoney joined UPHS in 1996 and during his tenure has held additional positions including executive director of Penn’s primary care physician network and CEO of Phoenixville Hospital. He has served as a crucial strategist for Penn Medicine’s growth across the Delaware Valley, from the integration of Chester County Hospital into UPHS, to the move of Penn Medicine’s Level 1 trauma center to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, to the construction of five multispecialty ambulatory facilities across the region. Most recently, he oversaw the implementation of a common electronic health record platform across Penn’s hospitals, numerous outpatient clinics and home care—making it the only comprehensive system of its kind in the region.
“Penn Medicine is a truly unique place where a collaborative spirit and teamwork builds on our rich history to lead the way forward in academic medicine,” Mr. Mahoney said. “My appointment as the next CEO of UPHS is humbling, and I am truly excited by this opportunity. Having worked at Penn Medicine for 23 years, I have seen first-hand the miracles performed by our faculty, physicians and staff. I know our best days are ahead with even more breakthrough treatments and the continued evolution of patient-centered care. I am grateful to President Gutmann and Dr. Jameson for giving me this unparalleled opportunity to continue serving Penn, Penn Medicine and our patients.”
David L. Cohen, chair of the Board of Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, and Andrew R. Heyer, chair of the Penn Medicine Board, provided key counsel during the national search process for the CEO role, which began after Mr. Muller announced plans to step down last June.
Mr. Mahoney received his bachelor of arts degree in economics from Millersville University and an MBA and doctorate in business administration from Temple University. He serves on numerous boards for non-profit organizations in the Delaware Valley, including Puentes de Salud and Community Volunteers in Medicine. He has been recognized for his dedication to community and volunteer work, most recently as the recipient of the 2018 Heart of Philadelphia Award by the American Heart Association.
Ivan Dmochowski, professor of chemistry, has been named the Alan MacDiarmid Term Professor of Chemistry. Dr. Dmochowski’s laboratory develops chemical and biophysical tools to study complex biological systems, including new technologies for biomolecular imaging, identifying proteins and RNA molecules important in brain function, and fabricating functional bio-nanomaterials. He has collaborations with many researchers at Penn and throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. 
Asif Agha, professor of anthropology, has been named the Francis E. Johnston Term Professor. Dr. Agha is a leading linguistic anthropologist whose research examines the structure and organization of human language and its use in human affairs, as well as the role of language use and communication in giving rise to forms of social organization. His book Language and Social Relations received the Edward Sapir Prize for best book in linguistic anthropology.
Edward M. Behrens is the Joseph Hollander Chair in Pediatric Rheumatology, associate professor of pediatrics and chief of the division of rheumatology at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He teaches first-year medical students in the immunology course, graduate students within the immunology and cell and molecular biology graduate groups and medical students, residents and fellows on the inpatient wards and outpatient clinics. In all of these settings, he strives to bring the basic tenets of fundamental immunology to connections with conditions that affect patients. He founded and teaches an intensive 12-week Immunology Boot Camp course for clinical fellows across the Perelman School of Medicine campus to reintroduce immunology fundamentals with clinical connections for trainees interested in updating their knowledge base. Over the past 10 years, Dr. Behrens has trained multiple MD/PhD students and clinical fellows in his laboratory. His passion for basic science and its potential for enhancing clinical patient care is matched by his passion for passing on this knowledge to the next generation of students. This enthusiasm has been noted by trainees at all levels, who recognize him as a role model as a physician-scientist-educator. A former trainee stated, “I consider having Dr. Behrens’ mentorship to be among the most important factors in my commitment to and success as a physician-scientist. He is consistently generous, insightful, strategic and kind.”
Meryl S. Cohen completed her cardiology fellowship at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). She is currently professor of pediatrics at PSOM. Dr. Cohen was the medical director of the echocardiography laboratory at CHOP for 14 years. She is currently the program director for the cardiology fellowship, which trains six fellows a year along with multiple advanced cardiology fellows. She is an associate chief of the division of cardiology. She has mentored over 40 medical students, residents and fellows. She is the recipient of the 2018 American Society of Echocardiography Excellence in Teaching in Pediatrics Award and the 2018 Joanne Decker Mentoring Award at CHOP. She sits on the CHOP Committee for Academic Promotions and the Perelman School of Medicine Committee for Academic Promotions. One of her former fellows stated, “…what is particularly remarkable about Dr. Cohen is that her teaching is excellent in every aspect that we interact with her. She is of course nationally-recognized as an authority on echocardiography and her lectures on morphology and imaging are a highlight of the schedule.”
Sharon Lewis is an assistant professor of neurology who specializes in general neurology and neuromuscular medicine. She completed her neurology residency and neuromuscular fellowship at Penn in 2010 and stayed on as a faculty member. Dr. Lewis enjoys teaching in both the pre-clinical and clinical years and has a strong interest in mentoring trainees. She organizes the neurology faculty lecture series and coordinates the medical student outpatient neurology rotations at Pennsylvania Hospital. In addition, Dr. Lewis is the program director for the Penn Pipeline Program, which is a multi-tiered mentorship and education initiative that teaches health-care concepts to local West Philadelphia high school students and serves students who are underrepresented in medicine. Two former medical students stated that “she has dedicated her time to our education as medical students in the classroom and helped us develop our leadership skills all with passion and enthusiasm, which makes it a pleasure to work with and learn from her.”
Greg Mayro is an associate professor of clinical medicine. He is part of the Section of Hospital Medicine, and while he serves as the medical director for Hospital Medicine Service at Good Shepherd Penn Partners, his primary teaching site since he joined the Section in 2012 has been the VA, where, with great humility and appreciation, he oversees trainees taking care of those who have “borne the battle.” Dr. Mayro thoroughly enjoys teaching at the bedside and inspires critical thinking. A former student stated, “Dr. Mayro was an outstanding attending to work with. He set a strong tone of respect, empathy and curiosity, which made learning and working as a team incredibly rewarding. I very much appreciated the time he took to check in with all members of the team and intersperse teaching points throughout. Moreover, he modeled excellent patient communication and bedside manner while also encouraging our team to be cognizant of all the potential medical, psychological and social factors at hand contributing to a patient’s illness.”
Jon B. Morris is the Ernest F. Rosato-William Maul Measey Professor in Surgical Education, vice chair of education for the department of surgery and the associate dean for student affairs. Graduate medical education has played a central role in his professional career; he has led the General Surgical Residency for 15 years (2003-2018). In addition to being the past president of the Association of Program Directors in Surgery (2014-2015), Dr. Morris has received a number of teaching accolades for his efforts in surgical education, including the Faculty Teaching Award (5), the Ernest F. Rosato Faculty Teaching Award (3), the Penn Pearls Award for outstanding clinical teaching (3) and the Christian R. and Mary Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award. Former trainees note that “as great as Dr. Morris’ contribution as an instructor of surgery and medicine has been, arguably his greater impact has been as the guardian of the surgical residency program; a program he has cultivated and elevated to an undeniably elite status” ... “he has touched and mentored hundreds of surgery residents in his time at Penn” ... “a fierce resident advocate and master educator ... beloved by the housestaff” ... “Dr. Morris has created an environment in the Penn Surgery Residency that fosters growth of the individual in clinical care, leadership, teaching and administration, and builds a healthy community of diverse, collaborative and respectful surgeons in training.”
Lisa B. Zaoutis is an associate professor of clinical pediatrics and recently stepped down as the director of the pediatrics residency program at CHOP. She is a general pediatric hospitalist and a pioneer in helping to establish the field of pediatric hospital medicine at CHOP and nationally. She is the co-editor of Comprehensive Pediatric Hospital Medicine, a field-defining textbook now in its second edition. Practicing and teaching medicine has been a passion for Dr. Zaoutis throughout her career, especially teaching learners to think independently and logically. Comments from medical students liken her to a sports coach who is “tough and no-nonsense while at the same time kind and encouraging. She actively works to promote the individual performance of each member of the team, while keeping the team working together to deliver the best possible care to the patients on the service. She sees it as her mission to teach us as much as possible and have fun doing it.” One resident wrote, “Perhaps the most impressive teachers are those who do not just display their knowledge, but rather pull that knowledge out of his/her learners. Dr. Z is just that kind of teacher. Without a shred of ego, Dr. Z remains one of our most effective and dynamic teachers.” Another resident wrote, “Dr. Z is a phenomenal physician and teacher. Energetic, passionate and fun, she exudes a profound sense of curiosity and wonder about the human body and the disease processes that affect it. This inspires those working with her to view medicine with a similar sense of wonder and awe.”
Kyle Kampman is a professor of psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine and a staff physician at the Addiction Recovery Unit of the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VAMC. He has extensive experience in the conduct of clinical trials evaluating medications for the treatment of cocaine, alcohol and opioid use disorder. He is the principal investigator of a NIDA-funded Cocaine Medication Development Center. He is the director of the Penn/Philadelphia VAMC (PVAMC) Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship Program. Dr. Kampman has mentored more than 20 clinical or research trainees. He supervises psychiatry residents in the treatment of addictions at the Addiction Recovery Unit. He is a course director of the addiction psychiatry elective for medical students. He lectures monthly to third-year medical students during their outpatient psychiatry rotation and teaches first-year medical students in the Brain and Behavior course. He has previously received the Scott Mackler Award for Excellence in Substance Abuse Teaching, the Martin P. Szuba Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching and Research and The Dean’s Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching at an Affiliated Hospital. One former fellow stated, “I cannot overstate the effect that Dr. Kampman has had on my life. Few outside of our field realize just how unique his knowledge and abilities are.”
Joel A. Fein is a professor of pediatrics and emergency medicine at PSOM and an attending physician in the emergency department at CHOP. He is co-director of the CHOP Violence Prevention Initiative and the research co-director for the National Network of Hospital-based Violence Intervention Programs (NNHVIP). Dr. Fein is a member of the leadership team for The Center for Pediatric Traumatic Stress, within the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. At CHOP he is the director of advocacy and health policy for the emergency department. A former medical student stated, “The clinical pearls he taught through these encounters I now teach to medical students, residents and fellows. He has always had an ability to distill his teaching points, aimed appropriately at the level of his learners, with short and memorable delivery, honed by years of teaching in the fast-paced environment of the emergency department.”
Noam Cohen is the Ralph Butler Professor of Otorhinolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery and director of rhinology research at The Perelman School of Medicine. Additionally, he is an adjunct member of The Monell Chemical Senses Center and a staff surgeon at the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center. He obtained his medical and doctorate degrees from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1998 and completed his general surgery internship as well as his otorhinolaryngology residency (2003) and rhinology and skull base surgery fellowship (2004) at Penn. His research interests include host-microbe interactions in the upper airway in the context of upper respiratory infections and chronic rhinosinusitis. To that end, his laboratory investigates sinonasal innate defenses focusing on airway taste receptors, mucociliary clearance and solitary chemosensory cells, as well as the development of novel sinonasal topical therapies. In one of the letters of support for his nomination, a medical student who worked with him stated, “Dr. Cohen is one of the most intellectually curious, energetic and thoughtful teachers/mentors that I have ever had. He is a wonderful role model in the lab, the clinic and the OR. He encourages creative thinking backed by a solid knowledge of a subject, which leads to innovation and scientific curiosity.”
John T. Seykora is an associate professor of dermatology and pathology, having been appointed to the faculty in 2001. Dr. Seykora is recognized nationally and internationally as an outstanding clinical dermatopathologist and is one of a handful of RO1-funded academic dermatopathologists in the US. His laboratory studies cellular mechanisms regulating keratinocyte differentiation and UV-induced skin cancer. Dr. Seykora’s teaching style has been described as the “epitome of fusing basic science and clinical medicine” and he is noted for his “passion and never-ending enthusiasm” and “having an enormous impact on those that have worked with him.” Dr. Seykora’s teaching repertoire engages a broad range of learners, including high school students, undergraduates, medical students, graduate students, residents and faculty. A former MD/PhD student stated, “I have found that his mentorship has become even more valuable over time in his capacity as one of my senior faculty mentors. Dr. Seykora’s enthusiasm for teaching is absolutely infectious and his cheerful demeanor and irrepressible spirit in addition to his sharp intellect make him the best sort of teacher.”
Stephen Prouty is a senior research investigator in the department of dermatology at PSOM, where he manages a core histology lab. Dr. Prouty is committed to the education of students, as demonstrated by his involvement in multiple teaching activities. He is a lab instructor for the gross anatomy course, where a first-year medical student commented, “His enthusiasm and commitment to the students is unparalleled. Anatomy would not have been the same without Dr. Prouty.” Dr. Prouty provides mentorship to students seeking research experience, where he teaches them tissue-based lab techniques, including laser capture microdissection. He also plays an active role in programs for high school students at Penn, including the Penn Academy for Skin Health (a community outreach program offered by the department of dermatology), the Julian Krinsky Camps and the Penn Medicine Educational Pipeline Program.
Rebekah Villarreal is currently completing her final year of psychiatry residency at Penn. Since facilitating the “Doctoring” Course during her fourth year of medical school, she has sought out opportunities to engage with students from the clinic to the classroom. Friday afternoon you might find her giving a lecture on personality disorders to clerkship students, then trekking to the psych emergency room to demonstrate one-on-one interviewing techniques during a night shift. She has participated in the preclinical courses of Doctor-Patient, Brain and Behavior and Art, Observation and Mental Illness. Her primary goal in teaching is to help medical students acclimate to the clinical world in a positive and supportive manner, so that they learn to offer the same to their future patients. Two medical students commented that “Dr. Villarreal ... is both patient and encouraging and is not afraid to challenge us to push ourselves outside of our comfort zone. She creates a safe environment where we’re willing to try new things because we know she has our back even when we stumble.”
Stanley Goldfarb, professor of medicine and associate dean for the curriculum, joined the faculty in 1975 after receiving a BA from Princeton University and an MD from the University of Rochester. He has served the School in a number of administrative roles, including his current position as associate dean for curriculum and many years as vice chair and interim chair of the department of medicine and chair of the PSOM Teaching Award Selection Committee. He has had extensive roles in medical education both at Perelman and nationally, including editorship of an educational journal of the American Society of Nephrology and current education editor of the American Journal of Kidney Diseases. In addition to his administrative duties, he has a reputation for careful teaching and accessibility to his students. One of his former residents stated, “I really enjoyed working with Dr. Goldfarb very much. His deep understanding of the physiology of electrolyte balance has brought great insight for me. His experience in the field also brought much invaluable pearls when we rounded with him.”
Terri Laufer received her MD from College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University in 1987 and is currently an associate professor of medicine in the department of medicine. Her dedication is evident in statements from her student mentees: “She dispenses tough love, constructive criticism, sound scientific feedback, encouragement and advice, in just the right dosages, to make us better students and scientists.” “Moreover, she is an important leader and mentor to me as a woman, and inspires me to strive to be the best scientist and mentor that I can be.”
This year the award is presented to Greg Bashaw, professor of neuroscience, who joined Penn in 2001. His students highlight his teaching efforts in the lab, in the classroom and beyond: “In his own lab, as a thesis advisor, Greg is an unparalleled educator.” “His commitment to teaching is evident in his extensive involvement in programs here at Penn, along with those he has developed outside of the University.” “In the classroom, Greg has a unique ability to distill complex processes.” His commitment to educating and training the next generation of scientists exemplifies the type of scientist and educator that Jane Glick represented.
Prithvi Sankar, medical student director for the department of ophthalmology, teaches a wide variety of medical students in every year of their education. During the preclinical years, he coordinates the bovine eye dissection (the neuroscience course) and the ophthalmology clinical skills course. He also interacts with medical students during the ophthalmology clerkship and the OP300 month elective. He acts as the advisor for those students interested in and applying for ophthalmology.
James White is an adjunct associate professor of cell and developmental biology in the School of Medicine, where he teaches a number of introductory courses, including Gross Anatomy. He received his PhD from The Pennsylvania State University in anatomy and his BA from Lynchburg College. In addition to anatomy, Dr. White also teaches neuroscience and histology. Dr. White is universally praised as a great teacher whose excellent skills span the lecture room and the laboratory.
Liang Feng, assistant professor in the departments of materials science and engineering and electrical and systems engineering in Penn Engineering, has been selected to receive a 2019 NSF CAREER Award. This award is the NSF’s most prestigious award in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations.
Deep Jariwala, assistant professor in the department of electrical and systems engineering in Penn Engineering, has been awarded funding through the Army Research Office’s Young Investigator Program (YIP).
