2024 Power Players in Health Care

Anne Williams-Isom is NYC deputy mayor for health and human services overseeing numerous agencies and offices with an annual budget of ~$20B+. She has decades of executive and leadership experience including serving as CEO of the Harlem Children’s Zone, serving as a leader at the NYC Administration for Children’s Services, and serving as a professor at Fordham University. She holds a bachelor’s degree, a law degree, and a doctorate in divinity. 

Do you have advice for those interested in joining the health care field?
Yes, come join the effort. Whether you’re interested in primary care, specialty care, issue areas such as severe mental illness or maternal health, we need you. Your fellow New Yorkers need your care, kindness, intelligence, and expertise. Health care is a field rooted in service to others, and it has great rewards for both you and those you’ll serve.

How can policymakers support New York’s health care system?
By continuing to fight for equity, access, and affordability for all. Health care is a human right and we must continue to build and resource systems that advance care for all across the lifespan from quality maternal care to care during later stages of life and everything in between.  In NYC, we have longevity goals for 2030 under our HealthyNYC initiative that drive us toward better health and wellbeing for all.   

What is the most important lesson you’ve learned in your career so far?
When tackling systemic challenges and working to make change, taking a long-term view is critical. For example the decades of work that have gone into HIV/AIDS initiatives, the prevention and treatment of certain types of cancers, and locally, our HealthyNYC longevity goals for 2030 and beyond. Ultimately, understanding that I’m contributing to a larger movement toward progress that will often culminate months or years down the road.

Doug Wirth is the president and CEO at Amida Care, New York’s largest Medicaid Special Needs Health Plan (SNP) that specializes in providing comprehensive health coverage and coordinated care to New Yorkers affected by HIV. Under Doug’s leadership, Amida Care’s expert HIV and gender-affirming care and innovative model of care has yielded impressive health outcomes that have improved the quality of health care delivery, helped members get and stay healthy, and produced significant Medicaid cost savings.

Do you have advice for those interested in joining the health care field?
First, I think it’s very important to ground in self-awareness, acknowledging who you are and how you’ve been socialized to think and behave. Expand your awareness of and experiences with people who bring other worldviews and different lived experiences. It’s also important to build your capacity to tolerate discomfort and increase your curiosity and willingness to lean into relationships with other human beings.

How can policymakers support New York’s health care system?
Policymakers must ensure that Medicaid is adequately funded, so underserved communities get the care they need and deserve. They must also address health-related social needs to reduce inequities amongst people of color and LGBTQ+ communities. NY should also support initiatives like the Lorena Borjas TGNC Wellness/Equity Fund to ensure that TGNC-led organizations can thrive. Finally, once available, we must make game-changing longer-acting HIV treatment and prevention accessible, to finally end the HIV epidemic.

What is the most important lesson you’ve learned in your career so far?
Over the years, I’ve learned that curiosity allows us to learn, grow, and be playful, even in our work. It requires not only noticing, but actively seeking out solutions. Curiosity facilitates a deeper connection to ourselves, others, and the world around us. It is a necessary skill in both developing relationships and finding creative solutions, both of which are crucial in our work and our lives in general.