Notable Heroes in Health Care 2020

TCB’s Notable Heroes in Health Care are doctors, nurses, directors, CEOs, diversity officers, and medical advisors, among others. They represent large hospital systems, private practices, insurance and pharmacy care companies, and more. They serve on the front lines and behind the scenes, fighting Covid-19 and working to keep Minnesotans as healthy as possible.

METHODOLOGY: The individuals featured did not pay to be included. Their profiles were drawn from nomination materials. This list is not comprehensive. It includes only people who were nominated and accepted after editorial review. To qualify for this list, individuals must be serving in a C-suite or senior-level administrative or clinical role in Minnesota, have at least five years experience in health care, and have shown the ability to create significant, positive, and measurable results in their field.

To nominate and see the complete list of upcoming categories, click here.

Notable Heroes in Health Care 2020 Logo

Christine Bent

Christine Bent

Senior vice president/COO, Prime Therapeutics
At Eagan-based Prime Therapeutics, Christine Bent leads an organization of 3,300 employees who manage pharmacy benefits for 30 million members. Thanks to Bent’s foresight, Prime was one of the first
Leslie Bodell

Leslie Bodell

Senior vice president, client services, OptumRx
Leslie Bodell is responsible for ensuring a high-quality end-to-end client experience for OptumRx, the pharmacy care business within Optum, the $100 billion health services and innovations company. As the leader
Marek Ciolko

Marek Ciolko

Co-founder/CEO, Gravie
Marek Ciolko is a serial health care entrepreneur with a goal to upend the way traditional health benefits services are offered; in 2013, he co-founded Minneapolis-based Gravie, a health benefits
Connie Delaney

Connie Delaney

Dean/professor, University of Minnesota School of Nursing
Along with her positions at the University of Minnesota nursing school, Connie Delaney is the knowledge generation lead for the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education. She also serves
Dr. Timothy Feyma

Dr. Timothy Feyma

Associate medical director of neurology, Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare
Dr. Tim Feyma has fostered an environment of teamwork among medical specialists, nurses, and families at Gillette, all with the singular goal of helping young patients overcome difficult neurological challenges.
Dr. Madeleine Gagnon

Dr. Madeleine Gagnon

Associate medical director of pediatrics, Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare
Dr. Madeleine Gagnon works to incorporate all aspects of her patients’ lives into her complex-care clinic model, including coordinating care from specialists, primary care physicians, home care, and food and
Susan Gehlsen

Susan Gehlsen

Executive director, St. Mary’s Health Clinics
Sue Gehlsen believes that health care should be available to all, regardless of a patient’s ability to pay. She leads St. Mary’s Health Clinics’ seven neighborhood clinics in St. Paul,
Christopher George

Christopher George

Senior administrative director for primary care, Hennepin Healthcare
Christopher George is responsible for the operations of Hennepin Healthcare’s community clinics, which see more than 180,000 patient visits annually. In 2019, he co-led a team to develop and implement
Dr. Glen Hansen

Dr. Glen Hansen

Director, Clinical Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics Laboratories, Hennepin Healthcare
Under the leadership of Dr. Glen Hansen, Hennepin Healthcare has rapidly implemented molecular (PCR) testing for Covid-19. The Clinical Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory was awarded $3.8 million by the
Jodi Hubler

Jodi Hubler

President, Bind
Jodi Hubler has spent the past year overseeing significant company growth for her personalized Minneapolis health insurance company, Bind. Under her leadership, Bind has hired more than 150 new employees,
Dr. Annie Ideker

Dr. Annie Ideker

Senior medical advisor for clinician experience/family medicine physician, HealthPartners
Dr. Annie Ideker understands how important relationships are in family medicine, making her the perfect candidate to be Bloomington-based HealthPartners’ senior medical advisor for clinician experience. Her first major task
Rochelle Johnson

Rochelle Johnson

Director of nursing, Regions Hospital Family Birth Center
Rochelle Johnson has a passion for addressing the disparities that exist for people of color, especially maternal and fetal health outcomes. Largely thanks to Johnson’s efforts, the three-story Regions Hospital
Michelle Jones

Michelle Jones

Child life specialist, Shriners Children’s Twin Cities
When Covid-19 restrictions began in March 2020, Shriners Children’s Twin Cities child life specialist Michelle Jones took it upon herself to find ways to continue to provide support during a
Sylvester “Syl” Jones

Sylvester “Syl” Jones

Director, equity and inclusion, Hennepin Healthcare
Syl Jones uses unique methods to encourage health equity. He recently produced a play encouraging staff to confront racial and cultural biases. Because Hennepin Healthcare is an essential medical organization
Tom Lindquist

Tom Lindquist

CEO, Allina Health | Aetna
Under Tom Lindquist’s leadership, Allina Health | Aetna quickly became the largest Medicare Advantage health plan provider in its service area after just two years of operations. Lindquist’s goal with
Tony Miller

Tony Miller

CEO, Bind
Tony Miller believes the health insurance industry should deliver a marketplace-like experience—one where consumers can see and compare costs in advance of care so they can make informed treatment choices.
Susan Morgan

Susan Morgan

Chief program officer, Accra
At Minnetonka-based nonprofit Accra, which provides home-care services, Susan Morgan is dedicated to improving the lives of Minnesota’s elderly and disabled populations, groups with the highest risks for being severely
Sarah Peterson

Sarah Peterson

Pediatric clinical manager, Recover Health
Sarah Peterson serves in a variety of roles at Minnetonka-based Recover Health, including as a clinical manager in Recover’s complex skilled hourly nursing program and a CPR instructor. She also
Alvin Roath

Alvin Roath

Corporate facilities director, Ecumen
Some Health Care Heroes don’t wear scrubs or lab coats; instead, they’re working behind the scenes to create a safe environment for those on the front lines and the people
Dr. Jane Rudd

Dr. Jane Rudd

Primary care division chair, Essentia Health; primary care section chair, Essentia Health-West Duluth Clinic
Dr. Jane Rudd is a family medicine physician at Essentia Health-West Duluth who led the successful launch of Essentia Health’s telemedicine platform in under three weeks at the start of