Here are 25 notable leadership appointments and awards across five medical specialties since March 1, as reported by Becker’s:
Anesthesiology
1. The Association of University Anesthesiologists selected Harriet Hopf, MD, as the 2026 recipient of its Leadership Advisory Board Mentoring Award.
2. The University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine in Aurora named Paul Picton, MD, chair of the department of anesthesiology.
3. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia anesthesiologist Susan Nicolson, MD, received the 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Congenital Cardiac Anesthesia Society March 12.
Cardiology
1. Roxana Mehran, MD, assumed the role of president of the American College of Cardiology March 30. Dr. Mehran, an interventional cardiologist, will serve a one-year term leading the organization, which represents an almost 60,000-member global cardiovascular community.
2. Chicago-based University of Illinois College of Medicine appointed Adhir Shroff, MD, as interim chief of the division of cardiology.
3. San Francisco-based Braveheart Bio, a clinical-stage biotech company, appointed Emil deGoma, MD, as its chief medical officer.
4. Field Medical, a medtech company improving care for complex cardiac arrhythmias, appointed Mark Turco, MD, as CEO.
5. Los Angeles -based Cedars Sinai appointed Susan Cheng, MD, as chair of the department of cardiology in the Smidt Heart Institute.
6. New York City-based NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst appointed Jonathan Marmur, MD, as chair of cardiology.
Oncology
1. Madison, Wis.-based UW Health and the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health named Christian Capitini, MD, director of the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center.
2. Seattle-based Fred Hutch launched a division of surgical oncology and appointed John Gore, MD, as the inaugural division director.
3. Jacksonville, Fla.-based Nemours Children’s Health appointed David Dickens, MD, as division chief of hematology/oncology for Nemours Children’s Hospital Florida.
4. Lebanon, N.H.-based Dartmouth Health and Hanover, N.H.-based Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine named Roy Herbst, MD, PhD, director of the Dartmouth Cancer Center.
5. New York City-based NYU Langone appointed Lisa Roth, MD, as director of the division of pediatric hematology-oncology at Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital, also in New York City.
Orthopedics
1. Coral Gables, Fla.-based Baptist Health appointed Carlos Hernandez as executive leader of Baptist Health Orthopedics.
2. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeon honored three surgeons for their work, including the first woman recipient of the Dr. William Tipton Leadership Award.
- Erica Taylor, MD, earned the 2026 AAOS Impact Award for her work to expand access to orthopedic care in the U.S. Throughout her career she’s mentored hundreds of students and early-career surgeons.
- Gregory Mundis, Jr., MD, earned the AAOS 2026 Humanitarian Award for his work in the U.S. and abroad.
- Kristy Weber, MD, earned the 2026 William W. Tipton, Jr., MD, Leadership Award and is the first woman to receive the honor.
3. Wilford Gibson, MD, was named as the 94th president of The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
Spine and neurology
1. Neurosurgeon Thomas Lee, MD, was named vice president of strategy at SynerFuse. Dr. Lee is a neurosurgeon and assistant professor at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City
2. The University of California, San Francisco Health’s department of orthopedic surgery appointed Rajiv Sethi, MD, PhD, as chief of orthopedic spine surgery, co-director of the UCSF Spine Center and UCSF system medical director of value-based musculoskeletal initiatives, effective April 1.
3. Stavropoula Tjoumakaris, MD, appointed chair of the neurosurgery department at Jefferson Neurosurgery, part of Philadelphia-based Jefferson Health.
4. Forbes’ annual World’s Billionaires list for 2026 includes a retired spine surgeon among several healthcare leaders. Gary Michelson, MD, was ranked 2,274 of all 3,428 billionaires on the list. His net worth remained the same as in 2024 at $1.8 billion. His net worth remained the same as in 2025 at $1.8 billion.
5. Ali Ravanpay, MD, PhD, was named program director of Seattle-based University of Washington’s neurological surgery residency program
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