Vision & Excellence in Healthcare Leadership Award Past Honorees

Arthur M. Southam, MD was honored as Executive Vice President Health Plan Operations and Chief Growth Officer of Kaiser Permanente. Dr. Southam is dedicated to delivering high-quality, affordable health care and coverage to more Americans. Dr. Southam joined Kaiser Permanente in 2001 and had national responsibility for Health Plan marketing, sales, service, and administrative activities that support growth and care.

Paul S. Viviano was honored as President and CEO of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Mr. Viviano is recognized as both a major health care leader and prominent advocate of child health. For over three decades, he has directed academic, nonprofit, and for-profit health care organizations delivering excellence in clinical care. Mr. Viviano joined Children’s Hospital Los Angeles as President and CEO in 2015 and serves as a member of its Board of Directors and Board of Trustees.

In Memoriam

Professor Emeritus of Health Policy and Management and Founder of the Paul Torrens Health Forum at UCLA

Paul Torrens, MD, was honored for over 40 years at the Fielding School, patiently guiding, mentoring and advising generations of students, helping shape many distinguished careers in public health. Equally important has been his long career in both healthcare management and policy development. As a healthcare executive, Dr. Torrens held numerous executive positions in hospitals and health care organizations and served on the governing boards of Blue Shield of California and PacifiCare Behavioral Health of California.

In the health policy arena, he served in a wide variety of advisory and consulting capacities to governmental and nongovernmental organizations both in the United States and additionally in 18 foreign countries. Thanks to his vision and leadership, the Paul Torrens Health Forum is a premier source of discovery and conversation about the prevailing public health issues of the day.

Elaine Batchlor, MD, MPH, was honored as the CEO of Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital, a state-of-the-art, community-oriented safety net hospital that provides compassionate, quality care to the South Los Angeles Community. Throughout her career, Dr. Batchlor’s number one priority has been to improve access and quality of care for underserved communities utilizing innovative and collaborative approaches. Her work to increase access for underserved populations has been recognized as an example of leading best practices and adopted throughout California.

Diana S. Dooley was honored as the Secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency by Governor Jerry Brown at the beginning of his term in 2011. She used federal law, together with state legislative and administrative actions, to make improvements in the quality of healthcare delivery, increase transparency and consumer engagement, and promote the integration and coordination of medical, behavioral, and social services in the furtherance of whole-person care.

Rod Hochman, MD, was honored as President and CEO of Providence St. Joseph Health. With his leadership and health system expertise, Dr. Hochman oversees Providence Health & Services across five states. He is transforming health care through digital innovation, genomics and scientific wellness, population health, and outreach to the poor and vulnerable.

Don Crane was honored as President and CEO of America’s Physician Groups, the nation’s only professional association exclusively representing capitated, coordinated care organizations. He was honored for his role at the forefront of national public policy advocacy on behalf of accountable care organizations across the country as they transitioned from volume to value and moved into risk-based alternative payment models.

Robert Margolis, MD, was honored as Co-Chairman of the Board, DaVita HealthCare Partners and CEO Emeritus of HealthCare Partners, LLC. He is a much sought-after spokesperson because of his vast experience in integrated delivery systems and physician practice management.

Leeba Lessin was honored for her role as Senior Vice President of WellPoint and President of its affiliated Medicare businesses, serving more than two million members through Medicare Advantage (MA), Medicare Supplement, and Prescription Drug Plans.

Partners honored Barry Arbuckle, Ph.D. as President and CEO of MemorialCare Health System, a leading not-for-profit integrated health care delivery system with almost $2 billion in annual revenues .

As President of UCLA Health System, Dr. David Feinberg oversaw all aspects of the prestigious operation, including Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA, and UCLA Medical, Santa Monica.

Howard Kahn was honored as the CEO of L.A. Care Health Plan, the largest public health plan in America. Mr. Kahn has served in leadership positions creating initiatives, coalitions, and policies.

Co-founder of Hooper, Lundy and Bookman, P.C., Lloyd Bookman represents health care providers in complex regulatory, reimbursement, and transactional matters.

Partners honored Robert Lundy as co-founder and managing partner of Hooper, Lundy and Bookman, P.C., the largest law firm in the country dedicated solely to the representation of health care providers and suppliers.

2009

Partners honored Richard Norling because of his work as a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.

As Chairman and CEO of Kaiser Permanente, George C. Halvorson headed the nation’s largest non-profit health plan and hospital system, serving more than 9 million members and generating about $50 billion in annual revenue.

2007

Lloyd H. Dean was honored for his work as President/CEO of CommonSpirit Health (formerly known as Dignity Health and Catholic Healthcare West), an integrated not-for-profit health care system in three western states.

Partners honored Francine Kaufman, MD, as a Distinguished Professor Emerita of Pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine and the Annenberg School of Communications at USC.

Thomas Priselac was honored as President and CEO of Cedars-Sinai Health System. Mr. Priselac is an author and invited speaker on a variety of contemporary issues facing the health care field today.

In Memoriam

C. Duane Dauner was honored as President and CEO of the California Hospital Association. A nationally known leader on health issues, he was a popular lecturer and authored numerous articles.

In Memoriam

Dr. Tranquada’s leadership initiated and shaped many health care organizations. He served on many local and national health care charitable, higher education, and civic boards, and authored numerous medical and policy articles.

In Memoriam

Mr. Ludlam was recognized as one of the founders of healthcare law who helped shape California’s healthcare environment.

Mr. Honkawa served for many years as Vice President, Government and Industry Relations, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, following a long and distinguished career in health care administration.

The Mathies Award was named in honor of this couple’s distinguished careers and Dr. Mathies’ remarkable leadership of the Visiting Nurse Association of Los Angeles (VNA-LA) and the founding Board of Partners in Care Foundation.