CELEBRATING LEADERSHIP

Why recognizing exceptional healthcare leaders strengthens the profession

To better understand the leadership qualities that will define the future of healthcare, we spoke with members of Healthcare Leaders of New York (HLNY), an organization dedicated to advancing healthcare leadership through education, mentorship, professional development, and recognition. In this conversation, they shared their perspectives on the importance of celebrating leadership excellence, preparing the next generation of healthcare executives, and the enduring qualities that distinguish truly exceptional leaders. They also reflect on why this year’s Healthcare Executive Award recipient, Dr. Mitchell Katz, exemplifies the mission and values that continue to shape the future of healthcare leadership.

Why is it important to recognize and celebrate healthcare leaders, and what role does HLNY play in elevating the profession?

DARREN DEORAJ, MHA, FNYAM – HLNY Chapter Immediate Past President:

Healthcare Leadership is the key differentiating factor to the success of an organization and progress of a strategy to support the care provided to communities. Healthcare as a profession is the business of people; therefore to yield excellence out of our workforce, meet the needs of our community, leadership is needed to support people towards better outcomes.

Recognizing and celebrating healthcare leaders is important because their contributions often occur behind the scenes. By highlighting leadership excellence, the industry reinforces the values, skills, and vision needed to advance healthcare for future generations.

Organizations such as HLNY play a vital role in elevating the profession. They provide a platform to recognize outstanding leaders, foster professional development, encourage collaboration across healthcare sectors, and showcase best practices that can be replicated throughout the industry. By bringing together executives, emerging leaders, clinicians, policymakers, and innovators, HLNY helps strengthen the leadership pipeline and promotes the exchange of ideas that improve healthcare delivery across the region.

Why is investing in leadership development so critical to the future of healthcare, particularly during a period of unprecedented change and complexity?

JEENA VELZEN, PhD, FACHE – HLNY Chapter President-Elect:

The challenges confronting healthcare organizations require thoughtful, capable, and adaptable leadership at every level. The future of healthcare will depend not only on clinical and technological innovation, but also on leaders who can inspire teams, navigate uncertainty, foster collaboration, and drive meaningful change in service of patients and communities.

HLNY is proud to support healthcare professionals throughout every stage of their leadership journey—from students exploring careers in healthcare, to early-career professionals building foundational skills, to experienced executives seeking to expand their impact. Through education, mentorship, networking, and service, HLNY is committed to developing the next generation of healthcare leaders and fostering a community where all professionals can learn, grow, and lead with purpose.

The Healthcare Executive Award recognizes individuals whose leadership has made a meaningful impact. What qualities distinguish truly exceptional healthcare leaders and make them so critical?

HALIM KAYGISIZ, MHA – HLNY Chapter President:

Purpose-driven leadership is perhaps the most important. Exceptional leaders understand that healthcare is fundamentally a service profession and remain focused on improving the lives of patients, supporting caregivers, and strengthening communities.

Integrity and accountability are equally essential. Healthcare leaders are entrusted with decisions that affect people at their most vulnerable moments. The ability to lead ethically, make difficult decisions, and accept responsibility builds trust across organizations and communities.

Emotional intelligence and empathy distinguish leaders who can inspire others. By listening, understanding diverse perspectives, and fostering psychological safety, they create environments where individuals and teams can perform at their highest potential.

Resilience and adaptability have become increasingly critical in today’s healthcare landscape as well. Exceptional leaders can navigate uncertainty, respond to disruption, and guide organizations through complex challenges while maintaining focus on their mission.

Vision and strategic thinking allow leaders to look beyond immediate challenges and prepare organizations for the future. They anticipate change, embrace innovation, and align people and resources around a common purpose.

Finally, a commitment to developing others is what transforms good leaders into truly exceptional ones. Their success is measured not only by organizational outcomes, but by the leaders they mentor, the opportunities they create, and the legacy they leave behind.

Dr. Mitchell Katz was honored with the Healthcare Executive Award. What makes him such a deserving recipient, and how has his leadership exemplified the values and mission that HLNY seeks to promote throughout the healthcare community?

ARTHUR GIANELLI, MA, MBA, MPH, FACHE – ACHE Regent New York:

Dr. Mitchell Katz leads NYC Health + Hospitals, the largest municipal health system in the country—11 hospitals, more than 40,000 employees, over a million New Yorkers served each year regardless of their ability to pay. He has spent an entire career in public health systems, leading San Francisco’s, then Los Angeles County’s, and now New York’s. That résumé alone would justify this award.

Yet what distinguishes Dr. Katz is something simpler. He still practices. Most executives at his level gave up clinical work decades ago; Dr. Katz continues to see primary care patients at Gotham Health, Gouverneur. He has said he entered administration only to make it easier for his patients to get care. Everything he has built flows from that premise—NYC Care, which extends care to more than 100,000 uninsured New Yorkers; the financial turnaround of a system many had written off; the tripling of ICU capacity when COVID crested over the city in unrelenting waves.

Those of us who lead safety-net institutions in Brooklyn—where Dr. Katz was born, incidentally—understand what his example means. He has demonstrated that a public system can be excellent, that mission and margin are not adversaries, and that the patients at society’s margin deserve leaders of the first rank. HLNY exists to elevate exactly this kind of leadership: principled, skilled, and anchored in service. Dr. Katz embodies it. We are honored to honor him.