Highly regarded expert in the state — and around the country — she is a strong advocate and thought leader on all aspects of the industry, working with providers and elected officials to ensure everyone has access to affordable coverage.
###
The NJHA provides leadership in advocacy, policy analysis, quality and financial data, education and community outreach — and does it for more than just hospitals. The nonprofit has grown in numbers and diversity, with close to 400 health care organizations including hospitals, health systems, nursing homes, home health agencies, hospice providers and health care-related business and educational institutions in its ranks.
###
The state has more than 3,000 life sciences companies and the largest concentration of scientists and engineers per square mile in the country. The highly regarded Buteas heads the trade association that represents some of the world’s largest and most influential players — as well as many promising smaller companies.
###
Highly regarded executive leader is approaching two milestones — two decades with UnitedHealthcare and one year as the leader of the New Jersey market, a position he advanced to last fall.
###
The Danish company recently cut the ribbon on a new state-of-the-art facility at the Princeton Forrestal Innovation Center in Plainsboro. It was needed: Genmab, which specializes in innovative antibody medicines to transform treatments for cancer and other serious diseases, has grown from approximately 150 employees in 2020 to more than 1,000 today.
###
The company recently reported strong revenue growth (approximately 12% in the first quarter), reaffirmed its positive outlook for 2025 and expanded its use of automation, robotics and artificial intelligence to improve quality, experiences and productivity. It was the first independent national lab to be selected to the Optum Health Preferred Lab Network, enhancing its reputation and partnerships.
###
Well-respected among policymakers in Trenton and Washington, D.C., he has long been a key player among the senior leadership team at the state’s largest insurer. His influence extends to numerous community groups as well, as he serves on the board of the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey.
###
He assumed the top spot with the highly regarded insurer at the start of the year, but he has made his mark with the company for some time. He joined Delta Dental in 2016 before advancing to chief administrative officer in 2022, leading all aspects of the legal, compliance, human resources, audit and the special investigations departments.
###
He has overseen multiple high-profile acquisitions to expand the company’s pipeline of products, but he is equally concerned with milestones tied to employee diversity, health equity and climate-conscious initiatives. Duato advocates for better global access to medicine and diagnostics — and often addresses the social impact of health care disparities, especially in underresourced regions.
###
He has more than 40 years of experience in health and hospital law, with an emphasis on corporate, transactional and regulatory matters for physicians and health care institutions. The chair of the firm’s Healthcare Law practice, he is known for providing strategic advice and transactional legal guidance in corporate mergers & acquisitions and regulatory matters.
###
In two decades, JAG Physical Therapy has grown from a single facility in West Orange to more than 150 across the region, making it one of the fastest-growing businesses in the state. JAG’s depth of service stretches deep into the community, as it has partnerships with many colleges (Rutgers University and Seton Hall University among them) and sports teams (the New Jersey Devils).
###
Since working alongside the state’s biotechnology industry leaders to establish BioNJ more than three decades ago, she has worked tirelessly to promote and advocate for the sector with numerous events and initiatives, including its annual biopartnering event, which brings together all elements of the ecosystem (founders, researchers and investors).
###
These two longtime New Jersey attorneys have long been among the best of the best. Earlier this year, they led a team of two dozen all-star health care lawyers that helped nationally heralded and Memphis-based Baker Donelson expand its footprint into the region with its first-ever New Jersey offices: In Iselin and Princeton.
###
Hudson said the company never wavered in its desire to maintain its longstanding presence in the Garden State. Its newly opened 260,000-square-foot office in Morristown represents Sanofi’s vision for a science-driven, best-in-class workplace — one thoughtfully designed with flexible workspaces, digitally enabled smart design and best-in-class amenities, including the largest outdoor terrace space in the state.
###
He leads the Institute in its mission to better understand human health and disease, as well as serve as a trusted supplier of high-quality biomaterials. Issa is an expert in the study of epigenetics — how the turning on and off of genes affects our health — and to better understand epigenetic changes in aging and cancerous cells.
###
Kim, who assumed the role a year ago, brings more than 26 years of extensive clinical and administrative experience to the state’s premier infectious disease private practice group. Board certified in infectious disease by the American Board of Internal Medicine, her impressive résumé includes numerous leadership positions at the Cleveland Clinic.
###
He has long established himself as a go-to attorney in the sector. For more than 40 years, he has participated in New Jersey’s largest and most complex health care transactions, focusing on mergers & acquisitions and capital financings, representing lenders and acute, subacute and specialized lay and faith-based providers.
###
He provides corporate representation for both the acquisition and disposition of commercial real estate and advisory services for strategic planning and site development with an expertise in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. Better said: He’s the go-to pro in the sector.
###
AmeriHealth has a longstanding commitment to the communities it serves by providing access to whole-person, equitable health. Under Munoz’s leadership, AmeriHealth embraces philanthropic efforts through volunteerism, including days of service focused on community health and well-being. His mission is to provide support, both hands-on and financial, because he believes in strengthening the communities AmeriHealth serves.
###
Nurture NJ, the first lady’s eight-year effort to help make New Jersey the safest and most equitable place in the nation to deliver and raise a baby, had a milestone moment last month when the N.J. Maternal and Infant Health Authority broke ground on a Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Center — and announced the facility would become the state’s 12th Strategic Innovation Center.
###
Upon completion, the $2 billion, 1.5 million-square-foot Health + Life Science Exchange in New Brunswick, better known as the HELIX, will include a medical school, startups and the greatest collection of scientists conducting transformational life science research, further cementing the state’s global reputation as a center for the bio and life science sectors.
###
A highly accomplished biomedical researcher and chief executive, he is widely recognized for his innovative and entrepreneurial leadership in the biomedical sciences. Under his leadership, CDI has grown in less than five years to 33 laboratories with more than 200 scientists and support staff funded by 126 grants and contracts, including 65 National Institutes of Health grants.
###
Driven by an unrelenting passion to advance the cause of health equity for all and the belief that societal prosperity and business success are intrinsically linked, Saadi has tirelessly strived to pave the way for a new era in the industry, one in which access to life-saving medications is more evenly distributed through a sustainable biopharma model.
###
He leads the state trade association that represents the major health plans in New Jersey, including all five Medicaid managed-care organizations. Prior to coming to the NJAHP in 2006, he served for 15 years in New Jersey government positions, first as a deputy attorney general, then running the state’s early health care exchanges.
###
A leading voice in health care quality, safety and affordability, she regularly advises leaders in the legislative and executive branches on health care policy. She also is a noted national advocate for patient safety while advancing the institute’s vision of creating a world where everyone receives safe, equitable and affordable health care.
###
Clinical research and drug development professional has more than 20 years of experience spanning clinical operations, research administration, regulatory affairs and financial and strategic management. Here’s a better stat: He currently has more than 40 trials going on at Holy Name that undoubtedly will lead to transformative results.
###
While insurance generally is known as the most stable of sectors, he is five years into a role as CEO that has seen him help the company navigate dramatic upheaval in society (the COVID pandemic) and the insurer itself (corporate restructuring). St. Hilaire prides himself on stressing corporate citizenship while driving innovation.
###
Widely acknowledged as one of the most knowledgeable advocates for health care — and best-connected in Trenton — Stearns has been a force for the NJHA in her role as an experienced adviser on government and public affairs issues and key thought leader who is able to forge successful partnerships.
###
She is a deeply experienced community health executive whose previous work has focused on improving the societal and economic issues that impact vulnerable communities in New Jersey and around the country. Velez has top-level experience in government (she was a longtime commissioner under Gov. Chris Christie), with health systems (RJWBarnabas Health) and private companies (Shatterproof).
###
Recently took over top role at highly regarded organization that operates 24/7/365 to not only recover and place donated organs and tissue, but to support donor families, honoring the legacy of every family that makes the courageous decision to donate at the time of a loved one’s passing.
