2024 Speakers

Mohamed Abdelaziz
Clinical Informatics Analyst III, Hackensack Meridian Health

Mohamed Abdelaziz is an Epic-certified network clinical informatics analyst III. I started working at HMH as a system coordinator trainer after completing my internship in the clinical informatics and operational projects department in 2021. I have a bachelor’s degree in dental surgery from Egypt and received my Master’s in Health care administration from the School of Health and Medical Sciences at Seton Hall University. I have also been inducted as a member of the PI chapter of the Upsilon Phi Delta Society. Mohamed is passionate about healthcare data and analytics and has completed his Epic Clinical Informatics Certification, Cogito Certification, and Google Data Analyst Certification.

Krista Arndt
Associate, CISO SLUHN

Krista Arndt is the Associate CISO SLUHN. As the Associate CISO, Krista is responsible for managing the security program’s day to day operational effectiveness. Krista has been working in information security in various capacities for over 15 years. In her previous roles, Krista assisted with developing and leading security programs in national healthcare, crypto, finance, the Department of Defense. She currently holds her CISM and CRISC certifications and NHRA competition driver’s license.

Krista is an active member of ISACA, serves as Infragard Philadelphia Chapter’s Healthcare Sector Chief, serves on Neumann University’s Business Advisory Council and is Marketing Committee chair for Women in Cybersecurity-Delaware Valley Affiliate. Through this service, Krista’s mission is to give back to her community by providing mentorship and support for aspiring cybersecurity professionals, especially for women who wish to enter the field.

When off the clock, Krista takes her affinity for overcoming challenges to the garage and the race track, where she enjoys building and improving her own race car, competing as a driver in national drag racing events with her family, and using her racing as a forum to advocate for neurodiversity awareness and inclusion.

Tom Balcavage
Senior Vice President, Information Services and Technology, Jefferson Health

Tom Balcavage is an experienced IT executive who has served in CIO, CISO, and CTO roles. He played an integral part in Epic rollouts at eight Jefferson Hospitals, and his team implemented a comprehensive customer satisfaction program that won the HDI Best Service & Support Organization in a tie with the Walt Disney Company. Leveraging Jefferson’s scale, he has implemented rigorous contract benchmarking and vendor standardization that delivered operational and financial efficiency across his portfolio. He led the IS&T integration of Jefferson Health Plans and is currently completing integration planning with the Lehigh Valley Health Network.

Tom has also developed an enterprise cloud strategy and is transitioning key workloads, including Enterprise Data Warehouse, Call Center, Epic, ERP, and student information systems, to the public cloud over a three-year period.

Previously, he served as Senior Vice President of Technology and Program Services at Kennedy in New Jersey, before the system merged with Jefferson. In that role he was responsible for operating areas, including Medical Imaging, Cancer Program, Dialysis, and Information Systems and Technology. Tom also served as Kennedy’s Chief Information Officer and previously as CTO.

Tom holds an MBA from Rutgers University, an MA from Rowan University, and a BS from Bucknell University. He is a member of the Project Management Institute, a Project Management Professional (PMP), and a Certified Information Security Services Professional (CISSP).

Outside of work, Tom is an avid traveler and hiker, having completed the Inca Trail, the W Trek in Patagonia, and Mt. Kilimanjaro. He is married and has two sons.

Sofia Bassett
Registered Nurse, Lehigh Valley Health Network

Sofia Bassett is a registered nurse at Lehigh Valley Health Network who has a background rooted in the high-stakes environment of labor and delivery. She has now transitioned into the dynamic field of clinical informatics working on many women and children projects.

Kaitlan Baston, MD, MSC, DFASAM
Health Commissioner, State of New Jersey

Prior to becoming New Jersey’s Health Commissioner, Dr. Baston built and led the Cooper Center for Healing, an integrated pain, addiction, and behavioral health center and was an Associate Professor of Medicine at Cooper Medical school of Rowan University.
Dr. Baston began her career as a full spectrum family physician focused on underserved populations. Prior to coming to New Jersey, her work ranged from public health projects in Rwanda, to public maternity and trauma hospitals in the Dominican Republic, to providing full spectrum family planning services and working in a bilingual community health center in Seattle, Washington.
Her experiences in primary care highlighted that both patients and medical professionals suffer from the lack of addiction medicine training and integration into healthcare. Following her addiction medicine fellowship, she came to Camden in 2015 driven to improve community-centered health care delivery, population health, and behavioral health. In the following seven years she built an inpatient addiction consult service, multiple interdisciplinary outpatient clinics, a wrap-around perinatal substance use disorder program, a harm reduction based low-barrier walk-in clinic, and the first program for emergency medicine services (EMS) field initiation of medication for addiction treatment. She led both undergraduate and graduate addiction medical education and started a new addiction medicine fellowship. Her research team was responsible for bringing in and overseeing several million dollars in state and federal grant funding to support innovation, community-based care, and to address social determinants of health.
This work expanded to state and federal level health policy, and Dr. Baston became the Medical Director of Government Relations at Cooper University Health Care in 2019. She is nationally recognized for her work in perinatal substance use disorders and EMS delivery of addiction treatment. She has spoken to congress, the American Bar Association, and is a national educator for the organization Zero to Three. She has served on national level committees including the Infant Toddler Court Program Expert Advisory Group, the American Academy of Pediatrics Head Start National Expert Workgroup, the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives Opioid Task Force, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health Opioid Collaborative Workgroup. She has also served on the New Jersey DMHAS State Epidemiological Outcomes Workgroup, the New Jersey ATLAS State Advisory Committee, the Camden County Addiction Awareness Task Force, and the Camden County Opioid Settlement Funds Board. In 2011, she was awarded the Savacool Prize in Medical Ethics. She has been recognized as a New Jersey Top Doctor or Top Female Doctor every year from 2017 to 2023, won the Golden Apple Teaching Award in 2021, the New Jersey Healthcare Innovation Hero award in 2022, and the New Jersey Hospital Association Healthy New Jersey Award in 2023.
Currently, Dr. Baston is focused on decreasing health disparities, improving maternal child health outcomes, and enhancing integrated care for behavioral health and substance use disorders. In her role as Health Commissioner, she strives to ensure that all people have access to resources that can keep them healthy and to compassionate, evidence-based medical care when needed. Dr. Baston is proud to work with an interdisciplinary team of like-minded, driven individuals at the Department of Health who are dedicated to improving the equity and health of New Jersey.
Dr. Baston is dual boarded in Family Medicine and Addiction Medicine, obtained a master’s degree in Neuroscience from Kings College, London, and graduated from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, PA.

Malik Brown
President and CEO, Graduate Philadelphia

Malik Brown is a seasoned leader with a unique portfolio of cross-sector experiences. His work and impact span multiple industry sectors, including business, philanthropy, workforce development, and higher education. In his current role as president and CEO of Graduate Philadelphia, Malik is responsible for advancing the mission of adult degree completion, workforce credentialing, and community empowerment.

Over the course of his career, Malik has worked in finance, management consulting, and diversity equity and inclusion (DEI). His time with national organizations like Inroads, Accenture, and the United Way has provided him with a broad range of management insights and capabilities and workforce development credentials.

Malik is a passionate champion of social and economic mobility for vulnerable populations. He strongly believes in ongoing career development, sponsorship, and life coaching for those who are most disconnected from opportunity. He is a servant leader who is dedicated to the personal and professional development of others. Malik serves on the board of directors of Neumann University, the Economy League, Girard College, and City Year.

Malik attended Clark University in Worcester, MA where he earned his BA and MBA. Malik is also a graduate of the Harvard Business School Executive Education Program – Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management. Above any other personal or professional accomplishment, Malik is most proud of his two daughters, Aleena and Myka.

Phil Curran
Chief Information Assurance and Privacy Officer, Cooper University Health Care

Phil Curran has more than 25 years of experience in information security and privacy in the military, government and private sectors. As the Chief Information Assurance Officer and Chief Privacy Officer at Cooper University Health Care in Camden NJ, he is responsible for managing governance and regulatory compliance, risk assessment and management, threat intelligence and vulnerability assessment, privacy and security investigations, business continuity, and awareness and training. He has served on the Health Information Trust Alliance (HITRUST) task force to integrate privacy controls in the Common Security Framework and the development of the ISC2 Health Care Information Security and Privacy Practitioner. Phil serves on the Executive Committee for Secure World – Philadelphia and the Philadelphia and New Jersey Chapters of the CISO Executive Network. He has spoken on Information Security and Privacy issues at Secure World and HIMSS Privacy and Security.

Jennifer D’Angelo
Chief Operating Officer & Executive Vice President, Healthcare at New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII)

Sherri L Duarte, DNP, RN, NI-BC, CPHIMS, BRMP
Nursing Informatics Senior Project Manager, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Dr. Sherri Duarte is a Nursing Informatics Senior Project Manager at the Center for Pediatric Nursing Research & Evidence-Based Practice at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Here, she leads the development and management of CHOP’s Nursing and Clinical Care Services (NCCS) Platform, a novel digital platform that integrates unit-based and nursing workforce data in real-time. This platform supports nursing management and provides data to inform nursing practice and drive excellent patient outcomes.

Dr. Duarte earned a BSN from the University of Pennsylvania, an MS in Health Care Informatics from Grand Canyon University, and a DNP focusing on Health Care Informatics from the University of Arizona. While spent primarily in emergency department care, her clinical background includes cardio-thoracic and lung transplant, Pre-op/PACU nursing, critical care education, and air and ground ambulance transport. She transitioned to Health IT in 2012 and has worked in various roles, such as Application Analyst and Supervisor, Manager of IT Applications, and Director of Customer Relationship Management (for nurses and consumers), before transitioning to clinical/nursing informatics. She is an ANCC-certified Informatics Nurse, a Certified Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems, and a Business Relationship Management Professional. As an experienced clinical informaticist and health IT leader, Dr. Duarte has successfully streamlined nursing workflows, built strategic partnerships, promoted the adoption of various technology solutions, and utilized data-driven insights to improve nursing operations, patient care outcomes, and operational effectiveness.

Athena Fernandes, DNP, RN, NI-BC, FACHE
Director of Clinical Informatics and Provider Support Services, Penn Medicine, Chester County Hospital

Athena Fernandes, DNP, RN, NI-BC, FACHE is the Director of Clinical Informatics and Provider Support Services at Penn Medicine, Chester County Hospital. She leads a team of informaticists who support clinical informatics solutions that include software applications, mobile devices and apps, and smart technology, across all clinical disciplines. Dr. Fernandes is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and is board certified in Nursing Informatics. She has worked in a variety of informatics roles over the past 25 years, as well as served on committees at several professional nursing organizations.

Kennedy Ganti, MD, FAAFP, FHELA
Regional VP of Health Informatics- Southern Region, RWJBarnabas Health

Dr. Kennedy Ganti is a board-certified family physician and clinical informatician who is the Regional VP of Health Informatics- Southern Region at RWJBarnabas Health, New Jersey’s largest academic health system. Dr. Ganti was the inaugural Chair of the Health Information Technology Commission that synchronized with the federal Meaningful Use in New Jersey to set up the New Jersey Health Information Network (NJHIN). Dr. Ganti is also Chair of the Advisory CommiVee of OneHealth New Jersey, the only health information exchange directed by physicians from the Medical Society of New Jersey, the oldest medical society in the United States. Dr. Gani is a Past President of the Medical Society of New Jersey and New Jersey Health Information Management Systems Society. Dr. Ganti is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians and Healthcare Executive Leadership Academy from Seton Hall University.

Meaghan Harper, PT, DPT, GCS
EPIC certified Clinical Informaticist, Penn Medicine, Chester County Hospital

Meaghan Harper, PT, DPT, GCS is an EPIC certified Clinical Informaticist and EPIC credentialed educator. She has been working for Penn Medicine- Chester County Hospital Informatics for the past two years. Prior to working in informatics, Dr. Harper was an acute care physical therapist for nine years. She graduated from the University of Delaware with her Doctorate in Physical Therapy in 2012 and earned her board certification in Geriatrics in 2021.

Eric Jones, RN
Director of Clinical Informatics, Hackensack Meridian Health

Eric Jones has been working as a Registered Nurse for over ten years. He is currently the Director of Clinical Informatics for Hackensack Meridian Health and acts as a liaison between Digital Technology Services and Nursing. Eric received his Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Drexel University and a Master of Science in Healthcare Informatics and Analytics from the University of Arizona. In Eric’s 18 years at Hackensack Meridian Health, his roles have included ancillary support, Emergency Room nursing, nursing management, and clinical informatics leadership.

Vikas Khosla
CEO and Strategic Advisor, Digital Health Strategies, LLC

For the past 20 years, Vikas has been driven to transform our healthcare delivery system through innovation and empowering technology solutions. Currently, serving as CEO and Strategic Advisor at Digital Health Strategies, LLC, Vikas provides deep industry expertise and differentiated business strategies to health systems, payers, digital health startups and growth-stage health tech companies. The focus for a majority of his work is on AI and ML Roadmap, AI Governance and Data Commercialization strategies with health systems as they “spin out” companies and seek innovative ways to monetize their data assets.

Previously, Vikas served as Chief Strategy and Digital Health Officer at Intraprise Health. Intraprise Health was formed through the acquisition of BluePrint Healthcare IT, a healthcare cybersecurity and digital health company, founded by Vikas where he also served as President & CEO.

Prior to BluePrint, Vikas founded another digital health company and served several other C-suite and Board of Director roles including on the Board of NJHIMSS from 2009 thru 2015 and the AEIHIS/CHIME Board from 2021 thru 2023. He is currently a member of the Coalition for Health AI (CHAI).

Liz Kwo
Chief Commercial Officer, Everly Health

Dr. Liz Kwo is the Chief Commercial Officer of Everly Health, a digital health company at the forefront of the $300 billion virtual diagnostics-driven care industry. Dr. Kwo authored “DIGITAL MD: Revolutionizing the Future of Care” and served as Deputy Chief Clinical Officer for Elevance (NYSE: ELV) modernizing care for 43 million Americans in Medicare, Medicaid, and Commercial populations. Prior to Elevance, Dr. Kwo started several venture backed companies as the CEO and co-founder of InfiniteMD (acquired by Consumer Medical), and President and co-founder of New Pathway Education and Technology Group (acquired by EIC Education). Dr. Kwo is on the Board of Directors of Asensus Surgical (NYSE AMERICAN: ASXC), Walmart Mexico and Central America (Mexican Stock Exchange/BMV: WALMEX), BlueWind Medical and ChroniSense. Dr. Kwo continues to see patients in urgent care at Cambridge Health Alliance Hospital, teach residents as a faculty lecturer at Harvard Medical School, and is board certified in Preventive Care and Occupational Medicine. She earned a BA in Human Biology from Stanford University, MD from Harvard Medical School, MBA from Harvard Business School, and an MPH from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Mohammed A. Mahyoub
Data Scientist Manager, Virtua Health

Mohammed A. Mahyoub is a Data Scientist Manager at Virtua Health, where he leads the development and deployment of advanced AI solutions to enhance healthcare delivery. With a strong foundation in Biomedical Engineering and Industrial Systems, Mohammed combines his expertise in data science, decision science, and computational thinking to drive impactful innovations. He holds a BSc from Jordan University of Science and Technology and an MS from Binghamton University, where he is also a Ph.D. candidate specializing in Generative AI in healthcare.

Patti Montella, BSN, RN-BC
EPIC-Certified Clinical Informaticist, Penn Medicine, Chester County Hospital

Patti Montella, BSN, RN-BC, is an EPIC-certified clinical informaticist who has been a member of the Clinical Informatics Team at Penn Medicine, Chester County Hospital for over five years. Patti’s experience spans two decades in nursing informatics. Patti has played a vital role in implementing and nurturing technology-driven initiatives across multiple departments. Her expertise in clinical workflows is complemented by a foundation in frontline patient care, with 20 years dedicated to Emergency Department and Operating Room nursing.

Krystyna Monticello
Partner, Attorneys at Oscislawski LLC

Krystyna Monticello is a partner of Attorneys at Oscislawski LLC (Oscislawski LLC), a nationally-recognized boutique health law firm based in Princeton, New Jersey, with an office in Scottsdale, Arizona. Every year since 2018, Oscislawski LLC has been included among the ’Best Law Firms’ in healthcare law in Princeton, New Jersey (issued by Best Lawyers®), and for 2024 & 2025, included among the Best Law Firms both nationally as well as for healthcare law in New Jersey. Krystyna was recently recognized as one of the Best Lawyers® for 2025. Krystyna has extensive experience in the privacy and health information technology space, representing some of the most sophisticated health care clients in New Jersey and nationally. She counsels several leading health information exchange organizations (HIOs), hospitals and health care systems, and works extensively with health care clients in the areas of HIPAA and other privacy and security laws, health information technology and electronic health information exchange, fraud and abuse, state licensing requirements and other federal and state standards governing health care entities and the exchange of health information.

Sujatha M. Prabhakar
Senior Subject Matter Expert, Lehigh Valley Health Network

Sujatha Prabhakar is a Senior Subject Matter Expert at Lehigh Valley Health Network who is an Experienced Specialist & Leader driving innovation and collaboration to architect, engineer and deliver software solutions by brining great minds together to solve consumer problems.

Ajit Shukla
AVP of Advanced Analytics and Solutions, Virtua Health

Ajit is a results-driven professional with 17 years of experience across Healthcare, Logistics, Banking, and Fund-Raising industries. He specializes in developing and delivering analytics solutions, particularly in healthcare data, including risk stratification, claims data, actuarial analysis, and predictive modeling. As AVP of Advanced Analytics and Solutions at Virtua Health, Ajit leads the implementation of data strategies that drive organizational objectives, including patient flow management, COVID-19 projections, and population health initiatives.

Ajit holds an MBA and multiple certifications, including PMP and SAS Advanced Programmer. His technical expertise spans SQL, Python, and a range of data visualization tools. Throughout his career, Ajit has achieved significant cost savings, improved patient engagement, and enhanced operational efficiency.

Selvin Soby, PharmD
Director, Informatics Data Analytics & Head of Product, Clinical Research Informatics, Einstein and Montefiore Information Technology

My career is focused on developing and applying health data methods to improve patient care and operational efficiency. With over a decade of experience in clinical informatics and data analytics, I have consistently leveraged health data to enhance healthcare workflows, integrating cutting-edge AI and machine learning (ML) techniques to enhance various healthcare workflows. As the Director of Informatics Data Analytics and Head of Product at Montefiore-Einstein, I lead initiatives that merge multiple tools for health-data research and push the envelope in advanced analytics technology. A key priority for me is optimizing workflows and building strong teams to meet strategic goals for our department and institution.

I currently oversee the implementation of AI/ML/LLM driven data analytics products that enhance clinical decision-making and operational processes. My goal is to ensure our advanced analytics capabilities not only improve efficiency but also positively impact patient outcomes while always maintaining the highest level of transparency. By fostering collaboration and innovation, I aim to advance our institution’s capabilities in health informatics, keeping pace with the healthcare sector’s evolving demands and contributing significantly to our mission of providing excellent patient care.

Monique St. John
CISO & ACIO, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Monique St. John is the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and Associate Chief Information Officer (ACIO) at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). In this role, Monique supports the organization’s mission and strategic plan with responsibility for the enterprise Information Security program. With over 25 years of experience in technology, security, and service delivery, Monique relies on a collaborative leadership approach to ensure solutions protect CHOP, provide value, and enable the business. She is a trusted advisor, partners with colleagues to manage risk, and strives to balance security with technology innovation. Throughout her career, Monique has maintained a commitment to give back by serving on non-profit organization boards and supporting community organizations.

Monique earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology from Saint Joseph’s University, is a Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), an active member of the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) and Health Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS). Monique completed the FBI CISO Academy in 2024, CHIME CIO and CISO Boot Camps, and received a certificate from the Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Leadership Strategies for Information Technology in Health Care.

Aaron Weismann
CISO, Main Line Health

Aaron Weismann currently serves as the CISO of Main Line Health, a hospital system based in the Philadelphia area and leads a visionary team of experts in developing a world-class security program, implementing cutting-edge solutions, and fostering a culture of cybersecurity thought leadership. Our mission is not just about defending against threats but also about empowering our clinical operations to thrive in the new dynamic reality posed by increasingly sophisticated cybercriminals. Aaron is a seasoned cybersecurity professional with over a decade of security program leadership whose journey began as an attorney with a foundational interest in technology, which evolved into a passionate career dedicated to protecting organizations from the ever-evolving threats of the cyber world.