2025 Power Players in Health Care

Christopher D. Hillyer, M.D., is president and CEO, New York Blood Center Enterprises (NYBCe); general partner, NYBC Ventures; distinguished investigator, Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute; and professor, Weill Cornell College of Medicine. An internationally recognized leader in hematology, transfusion medicine, and cellular therapies, Dr. Hillyer has transformed NYBCe into a $600M life sciences organization serving 400+ hospitals, research organizations, and biomedical companies. He’s authored 200+ publications and is renowned for his scientific and humanitarian contributions.

Danielle Holahan was appointed executive director of the NY State of Health Marketplace in September 2021 after serving as deputy director from 2011. Her extensive background in health care includes roles at the United Hospital Fund of New York, and AARP’s Public Policy Institute in Washington, D.C. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Franklin & Marshall College and a Master of Public Health from Columbia University’s Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health.

Paloma Izquierdo-Hernandez is president and CEO of Urban Health Plan (UHP), one of NYS’s largest community health networks, and chair of the National Association of Community Health Centers.  A visionary advocate for underserved communities, she has expanded UHP from one site to 12 health centers, 12 school-based sites, and two mental health facilities serving the Bronx, Queens, and Manhattan. Paloma champions programs that address social needs, education, and economic opportunity to build healthier, stronger communities.

Patricia Kane, RN, CNORe, is NYSNA’s executive director. From 2007 to 2013, Pat played a pivotal leadership role in the staff nurse movement that transformed NYSNA into a strong, democratic, and member-led labor union. She was appointed to the role of executive director in December 2019. Prior to this, she served as NYSNA treasurer. She worked as a staff nurse in the cardiothoracic operating room at Northwell/Staten Island University Hospital for most of her career.

What piece of health care related legislation would you like to see passed in the near future?
We would like state legislation that fills in the gaps in hospital funding created by federal health care cuts and ensures fair hospital funding, so our public, safety net and rural critical access hospitals have enough support. New York has a budget of over $239 billion, and we need just a small part directed toward further investment in safe patient care.

How do you expect the health care field to change in the next five years?
We are at a crossroads in health care with impending federal health care cuts. Hospitals can either choose to squeeze patients further by raising prices to make up losses elsewhere, or we can have a serious reckoning with hospital pricing. Administrators can either choose to skimp on nurse staffing and patient care, or address outrageous executive compensation and outsized investments in real estate and risky technologies like artificial intelligence. We need elected officials to hold hospitals accountable.

As this year comes to an end, what are your goals for 2026?
Nurses always put our patients first. Our goals are to continue advocating for access to quality care for every patient – regardless of zip code, insurance status, immigration status, gender identity and expression – simply regardless.

Mitchell Katz, M.D., is president and CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals. He has overseen the adoption of a modern electronic health record system, launched a program that placed over 1,200 patients into permanent housing, launched the health system’s humanitarian response to the asylum seeker crisis, increased the number of nurse positions, developed a modern ambulance transport system, led the health system through the COVID-19 crisis, and turned around the financial health of the system.

William Keefer is a well-recognized health care attorney and co-leader of Phillips Lytle’s Health Care and Life Sciences Industry Team. He is vice-chair of the Health Law Section, and the chair of the Payment, Enforcement and Compliance Committee of the New York State Bar Association. He is also a member of the American Health Lawyers Association, where he participates in the Fraud and Abuse and the Regulation, Accreditation and Payment Practice Groups.

Bryan T. Kelly, M.D., MBA, is president, CEO, and surgeon-in-chief emeritus at HSS, the academic medical center specializing in orthopedics, rheumatology and related disciplines. A world-renowned surgeon, scientist and educator specializing  in sports medicine and hip preservation, Dr. Kelly has authored over 200 scientific publications, chapters, review articles and books, and has been head team doctor and medical director for the New York Rangers and an associate team doctor for the New York Giants.

Dr. Kurth leads New York Academy of Medicine to advance healthier, longer lives for everyone, across life stages. A former professor at Yale, NYU, and the University of Washington, she is a global health researcher and an author currently writing a climate-resilient health systems book. She co-chairs NYC’s Age-Friendly Commission and is on Governor Hochul’s Future of Health Care Commission. Kurth’s most treasured designation is as a New Yorker, this city that contains the world.

How do you expect the health care field to change in the next five years?
Health care lives in a ‘polycrisis’ space, with accelerating pressures on finances, workforce, aging populations, and a warming world. Potential ‘polysolutions’ include appropriate use of AI and telehealth; real investment in prevention, integration with public health and shifts in delivery models outside of hospital walls and into communities; and supporting social determinants that actually account for the majority of health impact. Show someone your zip code and that has more impact than your genetic code.

As this year comes to an end, what are your goals for 2026?
At NYAM, we’re doubling down on what it takes for all people to live healthier, longer lives: standing for evidence-based tools like vaccines, supporting ‘next generation’ health leadership through our 2,000 Fellows program, research for impact, and capacity-building with partners to push forward even in turbulent times. We recently did a ‘3-year plan, 30-year vision’ for what New York, our nation, and the world can be, and how we can contribute to it.

Council Member Linda Lee represents the 23rd Council District in Eastern Queens. She was elected in 2021, becoming the first Korean-American elected to the City Council and the first woman to hold the seat. Before taking office, Linda was the president/CEO of Korean Community Services (KCS) of Metropolitan New York, Inc. Council Member Lee serves as the chair of the Committee on Mental Health, Disabilities, and Addiction.

What piece of health care related legislation would you like to see passed in the near future?
I would like to see the expansion of the NYC Council’s Mental Health Roadmap. With the support of Speaker Adams, I am proud to have led in the creation of the Council’s continuous plan to create better mental health outcomes for New Yorkers. There have been stops to address the mental health needs of our youth, new mothers, veterans, and how our City can provide preventative care and supportive housing for those in need.

How do you expect the health care field to change in the next five years?
I expect the health care field to incorporate more measures to provide preventative care for individuals in mental health crises. This includes appropriate housing and services to ensure that those are connected to appropriate support, especially at a young age. Additionally, I expect language access to expand to incorporate the diversity of our city.

As this year comes to an end, what are your goals for 2026?
I will continue to advocate for resources to promote positive mental health outcomes for New Yorkers as chair of the Committee on Mental Health, Disabilities, and Addiction.

Michelle Lewis developed state-of-the-art ambulatory sites in Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn, with an upcoming one in Far Rockaway, which offer specialty and primary care services, expanding access to health care in under-resourced areas. She has also introduced essential clinical services across the enterprise, including dermatology and advanced radiology offerings such as MRI, CT scans, and 3D mammography, significantly improving access to early detection, screening, and specialized care in under-resourced communities.