Women in Health Administration (WHA), a leading nonprofit supporting women in healthcare leadership, will celebrate its 45th anniversary on May 16, 2025, with a tribute event at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills. The event will honor eight distinguished executives, feature a keynote panel, and present two prestigious awards to healthcare leaders- W. June Simmons and Dr. Rhoda Weiss.
LOS ANGELES, May 14, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Women in Health Administration (WHA), a premier nonprofit professional association for women in leadership and those pursuing advancement in health care careers, marks its 45th anniversary with a tribute event honoring eight distinguished executives Friday, May 16 at SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills. The prestigious gathering highlights WHA 2025 Woman of the Year Award, Legacy Award for Lifetime Achievement, keynote panel of past Woman of the Year recipients and Chief Executive of one of California's largest health systems. Together, they will share leadership lessons and what's new and next in health care delivery.
June Simmons, Founding President and CEO of Partners in Care Foundation, will be presented the Women in Health Administration 2025 Woman of the Year Award. Since founding Partners in Care Foundation in 1997, Simmons has been a highly recognized pioneering force in health care innovation. She has led the industry in developing evidence-based interventions that improve medication management, advancing teaching of self-management of chronic conditions, promoting coordinated care to enhance health outcomes, and ensuring safe transitions among care settings. Throughout her distinguished career, she continues to innovate sustainable, patient-centered care integration programs across the health care landscape.
"June's visionary leadership continues to transform the delivery of health care by bridging the gaps between clinical and community-based care," said Tricia Gray, President of Women in Health Administration and Chief Operating Officer of CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center. "June's commitment to improving patient outcomes while addressing health care system challenges exemplifies the leadership we celebrate at Women in Health Administration."
Legacy Award honoree Dr. Rhoda Weiss is a nationally known executive, consultant, educator and author who leads major national health organizations, including Health Market Leaders whose executives represent the vast majority of U.S. hospitals. A sought-after mentor to CEOs and other leaders, she consults at major health systems. She also chairs bettertogether.health, which unites health systems to improve community health, and leads the largest C-Suite conferences. She has earned several national lifetime achievement awards, is often listed among the nation's Top Healthcare Leaders, serves as a U.S. Air Force and Space Force Chief of Staff Civic Leader, is an Airman in the
California State Guard Air Readiness Command, and chairs the City of Santa Monica's We Are Santa Monica Fund
"If you've spent even a moment in health care, you likely know Dr. Weiss simply as 'Rhoda,'" says Gray. "Her influence spans hundreds of speeches, countless health systems she has helped shape, and standing-room-only keynote interviews at Becker's. With 125 health system executives tuning into her weekly conference calls, her leadership as chair of PRSA and the Society for Healthcare Strategy & Market Development, founding WHA, and uniting competitors across the U.S. to advance health care, she is a force of nature—her impact nothing short of legendary."
Leading the keynote panel of prominent health systems executives is Laureen Driscoll, Chief Executive of Providence South Division with 17 hospitals and hundreds of care sites across California served by 45,000 caregivers and medical staff members. As top executive of one of the state's largest health systems, her leadership experience spans healthcare roles in California and the Northwest.
Driscoll will lead a discussion with influential executives from prestigious organizations—all past WHA Woman of the Year recipients:]
- Johnese Spisso, UCLA Health President, UCLA Hospital System CEO and UCLA Health Sciences Associate Vice Chancellor, is an academic leader with 40 years of experience. She oversees several hospitals, 280 clinics and faculty practices and is continually listed among the most influential CEOs by Modern Healthcare and Becker's Hospital Review.
- Lara Khouri is President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Children's Hospital Los Angeles. She oversees operational performance, strategy, transformation and other areas. With over 20 years of leadership at children's hospitals and university teaching positions, she was named among the nation's top COOs by Becker's Hospital Review.
- Shawn Sheffield is the Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) for Keck Medicine of USC, the University of Southern California's medical enterprise with an academic medical center, NCI-designated cancer center and community hospitals. She has 25 years in leadership, co-chairs the Vizient CSO Network and is listed among the nation's top CSOs by Becker's Hospital Review.
- Jill Martin is Executive Vice President of Cedars Sinai Medical Network. The Network includes the Cedars-Sinai Medical Group and Cedars-Sinai Health Associates. Its 800 physicians and 1,500 staff serve more than 220,000 patients at many locations that include physician practices and surgery, imaging, physical therapy and urgent care centers.
- Dr. Margaret Peterson is Principal and Executive Vice President of COPE Health Solutions, which is focused on system transformation and care coordination. She has extensive experience as a hospital Chief Executive Officer and Chief Nursing Officer and spent many years in academia as a professor and chairman of a baccalaureate nursing program.
"We are thrilled to recognize these eight phenomenal executives, repeatedly honored for their outstanding efforts in transforming health care and improving the health of the expansive number of communities they serve," says Gray. "Their excellence is reflected in their ability to face every opportunity and challenge with innovation, courage, compassion, and resilience."
About Women in Health Administration
Women in Health Administration (WHA) is a nonprofit professional association dedicated to the advancement of women leading and pursuing careers in health care leadership. WHA seeks to continually be the premier professional association for women in all stages of leadership and management, as well as future leaders in colleges and universities studying for careers in health administration. Through education, professional development, mentorship, networking and advocacy, WHA empowers women to achieve their full potential in leadership roles in all sectors of the health care industry.
Media Contact
Diane Martin, Women in Health Administration, 951-217-6011, [email protected], https://whasocal.org/
SOURCE Women in Health Administration
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