2024 Anthem
Whole Health
Heroes Awards
New York City—like many big cities—faces wide disparities in public health, with residents of economically disadvantaged areas disproportionately affected by health problems such as asthma, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. Although the city has embarked on an initiative to raise the average lifespan from 80 to 83 years by 2030, there is a lot of work to be done to address the largest drivers of premature death, such as chronic- and diet-related diseases, screen-able cancers, overdose, suicide, maternal mortality, violence and Covid-19.1
Against this backdrop, the annual Anthem Whole Health Heroes Awards, for the fifth year in a row, is recognizing 25 professionals who are working to bring better health to New Yorkers. Through the awards, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is reaffirming its emphasis on holistic and preventative health. The program recognizes professionals who are addressing the physical, behavioral and social aspects of health. Much of people’s health is affected by social determinants, such as economic stability, access to education and quality healthcare, residence in a neighborhood that promotes health and safety and access to social and community support, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.2
The nominees include individuals and organizations in the New York Metro area that are innovating new drugs, treatments and medical procedures helping patients with asthma, diabetes, cancer, and heart health; implementing employee wellness strategies within their organizations and promote mental and overall health; advancing financial health in their communities and improving social health by using their influence in their organization and broader community. Individuals from all industries who are employed-full time and have worked in their fields for five years were eligible.
Representatives on a panel from Anthem and Crain’s Content Studio chose the honorees, a few of whom attended a Met’s game in August in recognition of their contributions. They were also celebrated at an October 17 luncheon. Crain’s Publisher and Executive Editor Frederick P. Gabriel and Victor DeStefano, president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield participated in the event.
“We are proud to highlight the individuals and organizations who are making a real difference in improving the health and well-being of all New Yorkers,” said DeStefano. “By working together, we can improve how we screen, prevent, and manage chronic conditions and address the physical, behavioral, and social drivers of health.”
Read more about the 2024 Anthem Whole Health Heroes Awards initiative.
Crain’s New York Business newsroom was not involved in the judging or the selecting of the honorees.
Employees of Elevance Health, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and Crain’s New York Business associated with these awards, and their respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, and advertising and promotion agencies as well as the immediate family (spouse, parents, siblings and children) and household members of each such employee are not eligible.
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is the trade name of Anthem HealthChoice HMO, Inc. and Anthem HealthChoice Assurance, Inc. Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield HP is the trade name of Anthem HP, LLC. Independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Anthem is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc.
Vinod
Balachandran, MD
Vinod Balachandran, MD
Surgeon-scientist
Vinod Balachandran, MD, is on the front lines of fighting pancreatic cancer through his work as a surgeon-scientist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) and director of The Olayan Center for Cancer Vaccines at MSK, an academic biohub pioneering the use of cancer vaccines. His research in a landmark clinical trial led to the discovery of a promising new therapy. His team showed that personalized RNA vaccines targeting ‘neoantigens’ – antigens unique to cancer cells – can spark an immune response associated with delayed pancreatic cancer recurrence. This work has led to both increased global interest in RNA vaccines to treat cancer and efforts to use successful vaccination to treat other cancers. He earned his MD at SUNY Stonybrook.
Christina
Byrd
Sonam
Choedon
James
Cohen
Elizabeth
Cohn, RN
Daniel Diaz
Eric
Feinstein
Michelle
Gall
Eric Haley and Viraj Puri
Nicole
Iannarone
Matt
Jozwiak
Robin
Kahan-Berman
Emily
Kingman
Azeem
Latib, MD
Deborah Marin, MD, and Jonathan DePierro, Ph.D.
Auja
McDougale, MD
Robert E.
Michler, MD
Chris
Norwood
Denise
Nuñez, MD
Micheline
Nunez
Sean Prendergast, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, MBA
Michael
Riordan
Elliot
Sabbagh, DDS
Jada
Shapiro
The Institute for Family Health
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Christina Byrd
Head of Total Rewards
Headway
Christina Byrd has made her mark at Headway—a company whose mission is to build a new mental healthcare system that everyone can access—by transforming employee benefits. She has led the organization’s transition from using a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) to a tailored benefits suite with a new insurance carrier, driving substantial improvements in family insurance plans, parental leave, and access to mental healthcare. Headway has its family leave policy from 13 to 16 weeks, introduced fertility and family forming benefits, increased the employer contribution to family healthcare premiums, and rolled out employer-paid life insurance and disability insurance. The company now reimburses out-of-pocket therapy costs for employees (up to IRS limits) and actively supports employees blocking therapy sessions on their work calendars. Byrd has a BA from University of California at Berkeley and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Sonam Choedon
Director of Community and Member Engagement
Hot Bread Kitchen
As director of community and member engagement at the nonprofit Hot Bread Kitchen, Sonam Choedon has helped legions of New Yorkers—including women, immigrants, people of color and gender-expansive people—find a path to financial health through culinary-job-skills training and high-quality job placement. Known for her advocacy of immigrant New Yorkers, Choedon— who was raised in a Tibetan family that moved to Queens—has helped many newly arrived immigrants access resources from local nonprofits and government agencies. During her tenure at Hot Bread Kitchen, Sonam’s team has helped more than 800 members work toward economic mobility and disbursed over $510k in emergency funds to members for COVID-19 support, rental and utility arrears, and food assistance. She holds a master’s degree in social work from Columbia University.
James Cohen
Co-founder and CEO
Nevvon
As an owner of a home-care agency, James Cohen saw the need for an effective, user-centric compliance platform for caregiver certification and continuing education. Based on his belief in “better training, better care,” Cohen launched Nevvon in 2018 -- a mobile app-based Learning Management System that addresses this gap in the marketplace. The company has quickly grown from a start-up into an up-start: by mid-2023, the platform had trained over 263,000 caregivers across more than 300 client agencies, and Nevvon has grown to more than 70 employees on five continents. Cohen, now a board member for the New York State Association of Health Care Providers, is a graduate of York University.
Elizabeth Cohn, RN
Vice President for Health Equity Research and Iris and Saul Katz Chair of Women’s Health Research
Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research at Northwell Health
Elizabeth Cohn has devoted much of her career to women in New York’s most underserved communities. Leading research at the Iris and Saul Katz Institute for Women’s Health at Northwell Health, she and her team have studied menopause, maternal health, and mental health for women. She has led innovative health and business partnerships through the New York Stock Exchange and New York State’s Empire State Development. She is also an assistant professor/research scientist at Columbia University in the City of New York, where she earned her doctoral degree at Columbia University; The Rudin Professor Emeritus of Community Health Nursing at the City University of New York and a White House Champion of Change in Precision Medicine and Health Equity. She is author of The Principles of Community Engagement 3rd Edition, now in its 30th year, the seminal text on how research can improve our nation’s health, published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health.
Daniel Diaz
Executive Director
East Side House Settlement
At East Side House Settlement, Executive Director Daniel Diaz has transformed the lives of New Yorkers, primarily in the South Bronx. Under his leadership, the nonprofit has established the Post-Secondary Pathways Program, which provides certification and workforce opportunities, and the group’s healthcare workforce training programs have formed critical partnerships with employers. His next initiative: Haven Charter High School, slated to open in 2025, which will train local high school students to become healthcare professionals. Meanwhile, the Harvest to Haven program, which includes a food pantry and community teaching kitchen, has not only fed more than 250,000 people but also provides youth training. He holds an MSW in social work from Fordham University and BA in psychology from Baruch College.
Eric Feinstein
President & CEO
Clarapath
Eric Feinstein is the President & CEO of Clarapath, a groundbreaking medical robotics company. Eric has channeled his passions in healthcare, engineering and enterprise building into Clarapath’s innovative systems and solutions that improve outcomes, reduce costs, and increase efficiency in histopathology. He brings a variety of experience as both as an operator and investor in medical devices, healthcare services, software and CPG / luxury goods. Eric was named one of the 40 under 40 Rising Stars by The Business Council of Westchester and has previously served on the boards of several medical device and healthcare service businesses. He holds a degree in from Trinity College and an MBA from Cornell University.
Michelle Gall
Executive director and founder
Digital Girl, Inc.
Michelle Gall, executive director and founder of Digital Girl, Inc.discovered her love of technology late in her career—and is determined to make sure girls and youth from the inner city have a chance to learn STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) subjects earlier than she did. Her nonprofit, which empowers young people to pursue STEM careers, has provided instruction to more than 10,000 participants since she founded it in 2014. Gall has won numerous awards including the Special Recognition Award from New York State Assembly Member Tremaine Wright, the SLICE Award for a STEM Trailblazer and one of Barclay Center’s Essential Together Honorees in 2021 for Digital Girl’s contributions during the pandemic.
Eric Haley and Viraj Puri
Co-founders
Gotham Greens
Eric Haley and Viraj Puri are pioneers in indoor agriculture, leading the fresh-food company Gotham Greens and growing it to more than 700 employees at 13 high-tech greenhouse facilities in nine states. The Certified B Corp. grows and delivers leafy greens, herbs, salad kits and other products to retail, restaurant and foodservice customers. Previously CEO Puri led startups in the U.S., India and Malawi and was recognized as Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur Of The Year® New York, one of the “100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs of 2020” by Goldman Sachs a Crain’s NY Business “40 under 40.” CFO Haley began his career in finance at JPMorgan Chase and then M&A, capital raising and strategic consulting at Corporate Fuel Partners.
Nicole Iannarone
President
Cornerstone Behavioral Services
As founder and president of Cornerstone Behavioral Services, Board Certified Behavioral Analyst Nicole Iannarone leads 60 employees who work with more than 100 learners with disabilities from all over Long Island, helping their families navigate challenges within the education system and advocating for their children’s rights. Founded in 2019, Cornerstone offers services including 1:1 instruction, social skills groups, parent counseling and education, advocacy, staff education and development and consultation. In August 2024, Cornerstone was slated to open its first clinical space, located in Seaford, NY. The award-winning practice has been recognized for the 4th year in a row as ‘Best of Long Island — ABA Provider for both Best of Nassau County and a Long Island Choice Award for two consecutive years.
Matt Jozwiak
Founder and CEO
Rethink Food
Aiming to create a more sustainable and equitable food system, Matt Jozwiak founded Rethink Food in 2017. Under his leadership as CEO, the nonprofit has battled food insecurity by rescuing excess food from restaurants and delivering it to communities in need and enlisting restaurants to prepare meals for their local communities—delivering more than 40,000 meals a week. Jozwiak, who went to culinary school at Pierre Orsi in Lyon, France, has been part of the culinary teams at Auberge de L’ile Barbe in Lyon, Noma in Copenhagen, The NoMad in New York, and Eleven Madison Park, where he served as chef de partie at age 27. He is a member of the board of Rethink Food and also serves on the advisory board of The Foundation for New York’s Strongest.
Robin Kahan-Berman
Vice President of Occupational Therapy
Project Renewal
An occupational therapist with more than 25 years of experience in mental health, Robin Kahan-Berman joined the nonprofit Project Renewal, focused on ending the cycle of homelessness, in 2009, launching its pioneering Occupational Therapy Department. She also designed the group’s award-winning occupational-therapy program Helping Older People Engage (HOPE) program for seniors in supportive housing—a foundation of the group’s programming. Known as a thought leader in her field, she is a clinical Instructor at Columbia University in its occupational therapy program and previously worked at Brookdale Hospital and New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center. She graduated with an EdM at Harvard University and earned her BS in occupational therapy at Tufts University.
Emily Kingman
Vice president
Whole Health Strategic Initiatives, Institute for Community Living (ICL)
The Institute for Community Living, a nonprofit behavioral health organization, supports 13,000 people annually with 140 community-based programs, serving clients with serious mental illnesses, homelessness and developmental disabilities. Emily Kingman leads ICL’s Hope Center, which connects clients with specially trained staff who can link them to appropriate resources. She was instrumental in establishing ICL’s East New York Health Hub, one of the most comprehensive whole health centers in the country. She led the Hub’s operational partnership with Community Healthcare Network to enhance communication between providers of physical, behavioral health, and social services. She also coordinated the integration of primary care into ICL’s Assertive Community Treatment mobile treatment programs. She earned a BA in psychology from Rutgers University and an MSW at New York University.
Azeem Latib, MD
Montefiore Einstein System Director for Interventional Cardiology and Structural Heart Section; Head, Interventional Cardiology, Director of Structural Heart
Montefiore Medical Center
Azeem Latib, MB BCh, is a renowned expert in interventional cardiology, with a clinical focus on complex coronary interventions and transcatheter aortic, mitral and tricuspid interventions. He has extensive clinical experience in TAVR and MitraClip and in novel devices to treat mitral and tricuspid valve disease minimally invasively. Global Principal Investigator for multiple international clinical trials, he has published his findings in more than 850 peer-reviewed publications and serves on the editorial board of many journals. In 1995, Dr. Latib received his Bachelor of Medicine at the University of Witwatersrand, completed a fellowship with the College of Physicians of South Africa in 2002 and in 2008 earned a master’s in interventional cardiology at San Raffaele Scientific Institute and University Vita Salute.
Deborah Marin, MD, and Jonathan DePierro, Ph.D.
Director and Associate Director, respectively
Mount Sinai Center for Stress, Resilience and Personal Growth
The Mount Sinai Center for Stress, Resilience and Personal Growth was launched during the early days of the pandemic to address the emotional impact of on the system’s health care providers. In leading the center, Drs. Deborah Marin, MD, and Jonathan DePierro, Ph.D., now oversee an array of efforts to support their resilience and mental health. They developed an evidence-based behavioral health treatment service for healthcare workers and a digital toolkit to build resilience. Dr. Marin is also the George and Marion Blumenthal Professor of Psychiatry, and Dr. DePierro is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Their work has led to the recent book Resilience: The Science of Mastering Life’s Greatest Challenges. Dr. Marin received her MD at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; DePierro did his fellowship at New York University School of Medicine.
Auja McDougale, MD
Obstetrician Gynecologist Weill Cornell Medicine; Medical Director, Community and Population Health
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
Determined to tackle systemic health disparities, board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist Auja McDougale, MD, has negotiated an expansion of community peer supports as part of an integrated Maternal Child Health 4th trimester programing at New York-Presbyterian. She works with her interdisciplinary team to identify at risk patients with a focus on high-risk maternal condition, homelessness and teen pregnancy. Teaming up with North Manhattan Perinatal Partnership, her group is training dozens of doulas and community health workers to help 300 families. At the Mom and Baby March of Dime Mobile Health Center, Dr. McDougale brings prenatal care to the front doors of thousands of uninsured individuals in a 40-foot medically equipped RV. She received her medical degree at New Jersey Medical School-Rutgers University and a BS from University of Maryland.
Robert E. Michler, MD
Surgeon-in-Chief
Montefiore Einstein Health System
Internationally acclaimed heart surgeon Robert E. Michler, MD specializes in complex heart surgery, aortic and mitral valve repair, and management of the failing heart. He has been named a Mitral Valve Repair Reference Surgeon by the American Heart Association and the Mitral Foundation. At the Montefiore Einstein Health System, he has led transformation initiatives to reduce expenses across 11 hospitals. In 2017, he spearheaded the establishment of the lung transplantation and end-stage pulmonary failure program. He is also responsible for establishing the Montefiore Einstein Cardiac Surgery Program at White Plains Hospital. A Harvard University graduate, he earned his MD at Dartmouth Medical School. He is Founder and Chairman of the not-for-profit foundation Heart Care International, which performs pediatric heart surgery in underserved regions.
Chris Norwood
Founder and executive director
Heath People
Chris Norwood leads a team that is educating and empowering low-income communities to fight the mass chronic illness that has overwhelmed them. The group this year brought a comprehensive health building and health coaching project to a Bronx public housing complex with six buildings and 4,200 people. Its model, which trains local residents to lead and implement health programs, quickly trained 12 people from the community to become community health workers, who enrolled residents with chronic disease in health coaching and established an array of health activities, from shopping and nutrition seminars to improving sleep. Health People’s well evaluated, peer educator-delivered Diabetes Self-Management program has engaged more than 2,000 Medicaid patients at community sites ranging from homeless shelters to churches. The group has assisted more than 200 residents in three months. Norwood, who attended Wellesley College, has been recognized nationally for her work in HIV/AIDS and peer-delivered health education.
Denise Nuñez, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Montefiore Health System
Pediatric critical care medicine specialist Denise Nuñez, MD, is paving the way to better access to healthcare among the Latino immigrant community and other underserved residents of the Bronx through three endeavors on East Fordham Road: A pediatric medical office called DIVINO Niño Pediatrics, which offers specialized care to children with complex diseases; a clinic for adults called Dr Urgent Medical Care and the not-for-profit Niño de la Caridad foundation,” which provides mentoring and education. Describing herself as “a proud Latina board certified general pediatrician,” she uses social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok to educate the public on current health issues. She earned her MD at Universidad Nacional Pedro Henriquez Urena and a postgraduate degree at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
Micheline Nuñez
HR Benefit and Wellness Manager
RiseBoro Community Partnership
A dedicated HR professional with more than 10 years of experience in recruitment and managing employee benefits and wellness programs, Micheline Nuñez has been a key member of the HR team at RiseBoro Community Partnership, an organization that supports holistic community revitalization through initiatives such as development of affordable housing. With a strong background in recruitment, program management, employee relations, compliance, and benefits administration, Nuñez has created tailored solutions and innovative initiatives to meet the organization’s needs while boosting workplace morale and productivity. Committed to fostering a positive company culture, Micheline she works to continuously improve the organization’s programs and support staff well-being. Outside of work, she is an active traveler, creative writer and animal rescue volunteer.
Sean Prendergast, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, MBA
Executive vice president, chief human resources and compliance officer
Volunteers of America-Greater New York (VOA-GNY)
Sean Prendergast is on the front lines of combating poverty at Volunteers of America-Greater New York (VOA-GNY), through his role as EVP and chief human resources and compliance officer. He plays a key role in steering the 128-year-old nonprofit, which operates more than 70 programs and employs over 1,000 staff members who deliver essential housing, healthcare, and wealth-building services to about 12,000 people annually. Since joining VOA-GNY in 2015, Sean has overseen all human resources, compliance, risk management, learning and performance, and quality assurance functions. Under his leadership, VOA-GNY has achieved one of the lowest turnover rates among social service employers in New York City, in part because of the organization’s increased emphasis on health and financial wellness. He earned his MBA from Touro University International.
Michael Riordan
Co-owner
FIT Tours
As co-founder of City Fit Tours, native New Yorker Michael Riordan, a certified Fitness Trainer and Licensed NYC Sightseeing Guide, has helped to establish New York City as a wellness destination. Delivering active ways for people to explore the city’s most iconic attractions, including Yoga Walks in Central Park, Morning Walkabouts in Times Square, and guided running tours across the Brooklyn Bridge, Riordan and his team have led thousands of visitors through their immersive wellness experiences. Many companies have now discovered City Fit Tours and are opting for their offerings as networking and team building activities in place of alcohol fueled happy hours. City Fit Tours also now operates in Chicago, San Diego, Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington DC. Riordan got his start in hospitality as a professional bartender and majored in Communications at Fordham University.
Elliot Sabbagh, DDS
Owner
Pura Dental Center
Dr. Elliot Sabbagh, DDS, owns ten family dental practices in Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Upper Manhattan, providing access to quality dental care to lower-income communities. United around the purpose of eliminating the dread patients feel about their dental visits, the clinics aim to deliver a painless experience built on two pillars: good vibes and transparency. The clinics have collectively treated more than100,000 patients, offering dental services including implants, crowns and children’s dentistry. The clinics received the QARR Dental Center of Excellence award from Dentaquest a subsidiary of Sun Life Financial Inc. Sabbagh graduated with honors from the accelerated DDS program at New York University.
Jada Shapiro
CEO and founder
Boober
Maternal health expert and reproductive health advocate Jada Shapiro is the visionary founder of Boober, a platform dedicated to transforming the pregnancy, birth, and postpartum experiences of expectant and new parents through on-demand expert care and high-quality education. Since launching Boober in 2017, she has empowered over 20,000+ families by facilitating easy access to top-tier maternal healthcare providers, including doulas, lactation consultants, mental health therapists, and more, tapping her experience as a birth and postpartum doula, childbirth educator, lactation counselor, birth photographer, mother and stepmother. She also founded Birth Day Presence, a childbirth education and doula training center in New York City in 2002. She earned her BA from Wesleyan University.
The Institute for Family Health
Team recognition
The Institute for Family Health, a nonprofit community health organization based in New York City, develops and operates community health care centers that provide primary care, behavioral health care, dental care and social services. Its mission is providing high-quality, patient-centered primary care in communities historically underserved because of racism and poverty, regardless of patients’ ability to pay. The institute offers training to healthcare professionals, advocates for health equity and justice, leverages health IT to improve patient care and coordination, develops and sustains partnerships with community-based and governmental organizations to address the needs of the communities it serves, engages in health services research and formulates policy in areas such as primary care and behavioral health care.
Medical Director
Mom and Baby March of Dime Mobile Health Center
Chairman, Department of Surgery; Chairman, Department of Cardiothoracic & Vascular Surgery; and the Samuel I. Belkin Professor
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Founder, executive director
Divino Niño
CEO/President
Doctor Urgent Medical Care
CEO
DN Medical Services
Founder
Birth Day Presence
Montefiore Einstein System Director for Interventional Cardiology and Structural Heart Section; Head, Interventional Cardiology
Montefiore Medical Center
Montefiore Medical Center
Montefiore Medical Center & White Plains Hospital
Director of Structural Heart
Founding director
The Olayan Center for Cancer Vaccines at MSK