Listen to this article

Perry Farhat
RWJBarnabas Health

Farhat serves as director of diversity and inclusion at RWJBarnabas Health, where he also leads the Babs Siperstein PROUD Center and the PROUD Gender Center of New Jersey. The PROUD Center is the first primary care facility in the state dedicated to serving the health care needs of the LGBTQIA+ community and has earned statewide and national recognition for its innovative, inclusive model of care.

Farhat’s work focuses on advancing health equity and fostering inclusive environments that support both patients and providers. He plays a key role in shaping organizational culture, emphasizing belonging, engagement and retention as drivers of stronger outcomes and overall system performance. He also served on Gov. Phil Murphy’s LGBTQ+ Taskforce and has been recognized on multiple statewide influence and leadership lists.

His career spans law, public policy and health care. Before joining RWJBarnabas Health, he served as an assistant U.S. attorney handling white-collar crime cases and as a prosecutor in Somerset County, where he also led community outreach efforts supporting vulnerable populations.

Regina Foley
Hackensack Meridian Health

Foley, a more than 35-year veteran of Hackensack Meridian Health, has held a wide range of leadership roles across the organization, spanning nursing, hospital operations and systemwide transformation. Her career reflects a steady progression from frontline clinical care into executive leadership, giving her a comprehensive understanding of both patient care delivery and organizational strategy.

In 2025, she was appointed president of specialty hospitals and clinical services, expanding her responsibilities beyond her previous role as chief nurse executive and chief transformation and integration officer. In this new role, Foley oversees the strategic direction, operational performance and clinical excellence of the system’s specialty hospitals and a broad range of clinical service lines, including rehabilitation, pharmacy, imaging and laboratory services, as well as systemwide integration and transformation efforts.

Her leadership has been central to advancing alignment across the network, improving efficiency and supporting high-quality, coordinated care throughout Hackensack Meridian Health’s operations.

Katherine Fowler
Vanova Health

Fowler is chief operating officer of Vanova Health, a Verona-based health care organization dedicated to empowering independent medical practices across New Jersey. With nearly 25 years in health care leadership, she provides strategic guidance to strengthen operational performance; foster collaboration between providers and patients; and support sustainable, high-quality care delivery.

Under her leadership, Vanova Health has expanded its reach as a clinically integrated network, helping independent physicians navigate a complex and consolidated health care landscape while maintaining their autonomy. Fowler is also deeply committed to mentoring health care professionals and advancing innovation in care delivery.

She actively engages with the community through long-standing service with the CARES Foundation and as president of the Chatham Township Board of Health. A recognized leader in health care administration, Fowler combines operational expertise with a focus on creating value for physicians, patients and the broader health care ecosystem in New Jersey.

Dr. Patrick Fox
Wellpoint New Jersey

Fox is plan president for Wellpoint New Jersey, one of the state’s largest managed care organizations. He brings extensive experience and a strong commitment to improving health outcomes across New Jersey.

Under his leadership, Wellpoint New Jersey has strengthened its role as a trusted health care partner by expanding access to care and addressing social and behavioral factors that influence overall health. Fox emphasizes integrated, person-centered care models that combine clinical excellence with community needs, particularly focusing on behavioral health. His initiatives have improved coordination, closed gaps in access and brought behavioral health resources to historically underserved populations.

Fox’s collaborative leadership style has strengthened partnerships with providers, community organizations and stakeholders throughout the state. By fostering innovation, operational strength and community impact, he continues to advance Wellpoint New Jersey’s mission to deliver high-quality, equitable and accessible health care.

John Gallucci Jr.
JAG Physical Therapy

As founder and president of JAG Physical Therapy, Gallucci leads one of the fastest growing comprehensive physical and occupational therapy practices in the Northeast. Across its 170-plus locations, JAG provides rehabilitative care to both patients and sports teams.

Gallucci founded the business in 2005 as a way to bring high-level, athlete-style rehabilitation care to everyday experience. Drawing on his experience working with professional sports teams, Gallucci wanted to replicate the quality, attention and outcomes seen in elite sports medicine and make them accessible in local communities.

Since then, the Bridgewater-based company has scaled rapidly through both acquisitions and new clinic openings. As a result, JAG has earned repeat recognition on Inc.’s fastest-growing company rankings.

JAG also boasts several notable partnerships, including serving as the official provider of physical therapy for organizations such as the New Jersey Devils, Columbia University Athletics, Princeton University Athletics and Seton Hall University.

Last fall, the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce named Gallucci as a board member. At the time, NJCC said that his decades of background in health care and business operations would be beneficial in its efforts to advance education and economic development.

Robert Garrett
Hackensack Meridian Health

Garrett is CEO of Hackensack Meridian Health, New Jersey’s largest health network, composed of 18 hospitals, the Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation and the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, both created during his tenure, and more than 500 patient care locations. He drives HMH partnership strategy and expands access to care, improving quality and convenience. Offering uniquely placed convenience for patients, HMH is about to open a one-of-a-kind health and wellness center, located at a transit hub – Metropark.

Additional initiatives include: One Medical, an Amazon company that resulted in two of several new facilities opening; K-Health, integrating 24/7 virtual care with AI-driven solutions, reaching 14,000 patients this year; Apollo Health, India’s largest private health system which will provide virtual nursing and ultimately new nursing staff as the partnership progresses.

Under Garrett’s leadership, Hackensack University Medical Center has been ranked among the 20 top hospitals nationwide by U.S. News & World Report (a first for a New Jersey hospital) and HMH was among Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For in 2025. He is regularly recognized among Modern Healthcare’s Most Influential People in Healthcare and, the past two years, chaired the World Economic Forum’s Health and Healthcare Governor’s Community.

Warren Geller
Englewood Health

As CEO of Englewood Health, Geller has overseen substantial growth and expanded reach for the organization beyond its main hospital campus to better serve local communities. The system now spans over 100 locations across five counties in North Jersey.

Geller has focused on significantly enhancing patient care services, leading to the delivery of tertiary-level care and better quality and safety outcomes. He has also driven initiatives to expand outpatient services, build an integrated physician network, bolster community relations, modernize the hospital’s campus, upgrade facilities and technology, foster health equity – and focus on population health.

These efforts have led to a variety of awards and recognition for Geller and the health system, such as Englewood Hospital, including being named as a Top Teaching Hospital by The Leapfrog Group.

“Achieving national recognition as a top teaching hospital, again ranking our hospital among the best in the country for safe and effective care, is an honor that belongs to our entire team,” Geller said of the recognition. In January, RWJBarnabas Health and Englewood signed a definitive agreement under which Englewood will become part of RWJBH.

Fabian Gerlinghaus
Cellares

Fabian Gerlinghaus is co-founder and CEO of Cellares, the first Integrated Development and Manufacturing Organization, dedicated to clinical and commercial-scale cell therapy manufacturing. The company’s approach accelerates access to life-saving cell therapies, enabling academic medical centers, biotechnology companies, and pharmaceutical companies to quicken the pace of development, lower process failure rates, reduce manufacturing costs and meet growing global patient demand. An aerospace engineer by training, Gerlinghaus channeled a strong sense of purpose into building the future of cell therapy manufacturing. With more than 10 years of experience as an innovator and leader, he has established a track record of successfully assembling top-performing teams to drive novel bioprocessing technologies from ideation to commercial readiness.

Before Cellares, he served as chief innovation officer at Synthego, where he co-invented the company’s proprietary RNA synthesizer technology and brought the device from whiteboard sketch to a production-ready instrument within two years. That enabled Synthego to be the first to market with its CRISPR/Cas9 product portfolio. In 2019, Gerlinghaus co-founded Cellares alongside Omar Kurdi. Since then, the company has raised more than $600 million and partnered with major pharmaceutical companies, such as Bristol Myers Squibb, as well as emerging biotechs.

Dr. Naser Gharaibeh
Valley Medical Group

Gharaibeh serves as medical director, Metabolic Medicine and Weight Loss Program, at Valley Medical Group. He is a board-certified endocrinologist and obesity medicine specialist who leads Valley LifeStart: The Center for Weight and Wellness. Under his leadership, Valley LifeStart has grown into a comprehensive, multidisciplinary program and a vital resource for the northern New Jersey community, combating obesity and metabolic disease.

During his tenure, Gharaibeh has cultivated strong collaborations across primary care, cardiology, sleep medicine, and other specialties to deliver coordinated, evidence-based weight management services. Recognizing obesity as a chronic disease that impacts nearly every specialty, he has implemented structured interventions that significantly improve patients’ co-morbidities.

Beyond clinical care, Gharaibeh provides obesity education to the North Jersey community, and to fellow physicians. He has also mentored and inspired Valley physicians to pursue certification through the American Board of Obesity Medicine, expanding system-wide expertise in metabolic care.

Andre Goy
Hackensack Meridian Health

Goy leads Hackensack Meridian Health’s John Theurer Cancer Center, the Garden State’s largest cancer care program. An expert in oncology, Goy specializes in lymphoma treatment and research programs. He has been the lead investigator of three FDA-approved treatments for mantle cell lymphoma – bortezomib, lenalidomide and ibrutinib.

Under his leadership, the John Theurer Cancer Center launched a cancer risk and early cancer detection program, designed to better identify the risk of cancer in individuals and enable earlier diagnosis. HMH is the first in New Jersey to offer this comprehensive, early detection and cancer risk management.

Last fall, HMH forged a partnership with Englewood-based SpotitEarly, a startup that uses artificial intelligence to harness the olfactory prowess of dogs in detecting cancer. “Almost two-thirds of cancer diagnoses have no screening test. At Hackensack Meridian John Theurer Cancer Center, we are deeply committed to early cancer detection – the ultimate way to improve patient outcomes,” Goy said when the collaboration was announced.

“Partnering with SpotitEarly on this innovative breath test technology offers a potentially groundbreaking approach to screening and aligns perfectly with our mission to transform cancer care through proactive prevention.”

Dr. Vicente Gracias
Rutgers, RWJBarnabas Health

In addition to being a professor of surgery and senior vice chancellor for clinical affairs at Rutgers Health and vice president of health affairs at Rutgers University, Gracias holds leadership responsibilities within RWJBarnabas Health.

Through his roles, he provides strategic oversight across one of New Jersey’s largest academic health systems, working closely with deans, faculty leaders and clinical partners to advance integration, quality and excellence across patient care, education and research.

A nationally recognized surgeon and health system leader, Gracias played a pivotal role in coordinating Rutgers’ clinical response during the pandemic. He previously served as the inaugural president of Rutgers Health Group, an integrated faculty practice organization representing more than 1,000 clinical faculty members.

Fellowship-trained in trauma and surgical critical care, he has held leadership roles at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. Additionally, Gracias is certified as a global instructor in mindfulness-based emotional intelligence and continues to champion initiatives that strengthen workforce resilience and culture. As an advocate for clinician well-being, Gracias established Rutgers Health’s Office for the Promotion of Well-Being in 2024.

Perry Halkitis
Rutgers

Halkitis is an infectious disease epidemiologist, applied statistician and public health psychologist. He conducts this work through his research, teaching and activism. He currently serves as  dean, Hunterdon Professor of Public Health & Health Equity, and distinguished professor of Biostatistics & Epidemiology at the Rutgers School of Public Health. He is also the founder and director of the Center for Health, Identity, Behavior & Prevention Studies.

Halkitis has written six books and 300 peer-reviewed academic articles and has been the editor in chief of Behavioral Medicine since 2013 and is the founding editor in chief of Annals of LGBTQ Public and Population Health. He also actively disseminates knowledge to mainstream media, appearing frequently on television, radio, print and podcasts.

In 2023, in recognition of his contributions to scholarship, education, community engagement and activism, the Perry N. Halkitis Endowed Chair in LGBTQ+ Public Health was established with a $5 million gift. The Halkitis Chair will ensure that LGBTQ+ health remains central to the work of the Rutgers School of Public Health for years to come. In his latest book, Humanizing Public Health: How Disease-Centered Approaches Have Failed Us, Halkitis examines lessons from the HIV and COVID-19 pandemics and calls for a fundamental shift in the approach to public health.

Debbie Hart
BioNJ

Under the leadership of president and CEO Hart, BioNJ has become the trusted voice of the life sciences industry in New Jersey. The organization bills itself as the state’s largest and most influential life sciences trade association championing patients and the New Jersey ecosystem.

Founded 33 years ago, BioNJ has represented more than 400 research-based life sciences organizations across the health care spectrum, from the largest biopharmaceutical companies to early-stage startups. “Because Patients Can’t Wait,” BioNJ is dedicated to ensuring a vibrant ecosystem where science is supported, companies are created, drugs are developed and patient access to lifesaving medicines is protected.

Recognized as a respected thought leader, an influential advocate and a sought-after convener of the life sciences industry, BioNJ works with policymakers in Trenton and Washington to advance the life sciences industry, foster medical innovation and ensure health care affordability. With innovation as the driving force behind medical breakthroughs, BioNJ’s mission is to help our members help patients by providing transformative resources, including access to government and industry leaders.

Leslie Hirsch
Saint Peter’s Healthcare System

Hirsch is a seasoned health care executive whose career spans over 45 years. He has served as president and CEO of Saint Peter’s Healthcare System in New Brunswick since 2017, having initially joined the organization as president in 2015.

Before Saint Peter’s, he served for seven years as president and CEO of Saint Clare’s Health  System in Denville; as president and CEO of Touro Infirmary in New Orleans, starting in August 2005, just one week before New Orleans took a direct hit from Hurricane Katrina – the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history; and as president and CEO of Exempla-Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver. He also served 14 years in Camden, with what is now Cooper University Health Care, beginning in 1988 as executive vice president and chief operating officer and becoming president and CEO in 1999.

A leader in the hospital field nationally and active community leader throughout his career, Hirsch is the recipient of numerous awards and recognition. He was elected to a three-year term on the board of trustees of the American Hospital Association beginning in January 2025; has served several terms on AHA’s Regional Policy Board 2 for New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania; and is presently serving a three-year term as RPB 2 Chair.

Hirsch has been a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives for over 30 years and was honored with the Distinguished Service and Lifetime Achievement Awards from the ACHE New Jersey chapter.

Pavita Howe
Sanofi

Howe leads industry partnerships for U.S. Vaccines at Sanofi, a position she began in May 2025. In this role, Howe formulates strategy and execution for collaborations affecting health systems and large organized customers.

Previously, Howe served as vice president, Innovation and Enterpreneurship, at life sciences trade group BioNJ. In that role, she engaged and supported the life sciences entrepreneurial community and innovation, expanding the organization’s outreach and collaborations with investor, academic and industry partners to increase successful entrepreneurship.

Howe’s experience as an entrepreneurial leader spans business development, marketing, strategy, program management, new products, launches, business planning and building ecosystems at startups, academic institutions and large organizations. Before joining BioNJ, Howe served as director of entrepreneurship partnerships at Rutgers University. At RU, she worked with internal and external partners to grow Rutgers’ entrepreneurial ecosystem, bringing visibility to Rutgers affiliated startups across multiple industries, and connecting them to valuable resources at the university and across the broader New Jersey entrepreneurial network.

Sho Islam
Middlesex County Office of Business Engagement

Islam is director of the Middlesex County Office of Business Engagement and a leading figure in New Jersey’s innovation ecosystem, especially within the life sciences and food & beverage verticals. He is sought-after among the startup, growth-stage, and the entrepreneurship community for providing actionable guidance and connections to build runway and accelerate growth.

He works in close partnership with leadership of New Jersey, such as those at NJEDA; the Commission on Science, Innovation and Technology; BioNJ; Healthcare Institute of New Jersey, to name a few, to ensure programs, products, and policies reflect current market needs and be conducive to retaining, attracting and growing these key industries in the Garden State. In addition, with nearly two decades of experience selling the state’s economy, Islam also has a proven track record of helping companies expand within New Jersey, as well as attracting innovative companies from domestics and international hotspots to the state.

In his role with Middlesex County, Islan continues to sell Jersey and leads a dedicated team that supports homegrown startups, expanding businesses and attracting global enterprises to New Jersey. He and the county are also working closely with stakeholders on the HELIX-NJ project in New Brunswick.

Dr. Jessica Israel
Complete Care Management

Israel is chief medical and innovation officer at Toms River-based Complete Care Management, a senior health care provider with 90 locations in several states. The company offers residential care; assisted living; post-acute rehabilitation and skilled nursing; and long-term care.

Previously, Israel served as senior vice president of Geriatrics and Palliative Care at RWJBarnabas Health and founder and corporate director of the James and Sharon Maida Geriatrics Institute at RWJBarnabas. She also led the RWJBarnabas Health Geriatrics Collaborative and the RWJBarnabas Health Palliative Care Collaborative.

In January, Israel was named chair of the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women initiative which attempts to raise awareness and prompt action to improve women’s heart health around the world. According to Complete Care,  she suffered a cardiovascular event several months ago. The incident showed that she had high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

“As women, we often put others first. I have devoted my life to caring for literally everyone—my family, friends, colleagues, patients and even strangers—except for myself,” Israel is quoted as saying on the company’s website.

Brigitte Johnson
Care Plus New Jersey

As president and CEO of Care Plus New Jersey, Johnson leads a company that provides mental health, addiction and primary care services and is one of New Jersey’s first original Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic awardees. She joined the Care Plus in 1998, and before taking the top job was executive senior vice president, corporate affairs and in-house counsel.

According to Care Plus, the company serves more than 12,000 people each year through more than 80 specialized programs for adults and children. Its reach includes 11 counties and the company recently expanded its Open Access Behavioral Health Walk-In Centers in Bergen and Essex. These centers provide treatment for adults, children, and families experiencing worsening behavioral health or addiction-related symptoms.

Johnson and Care Plus have received numerous honors in recent years, including the Transformational Leadership Award for Johnson from the New Jersey Association of Behavioral Health & Addiction Agencies. The company was named a Healthcare Hero by NJBIZ and Johnson was named last year as one of the NJBIZ Leading Women in Business.

Johnson is a graduate of Howard University School of Law and is a cum laude graduate of Virginia State University.

Carole Johnson
University Hospital

Former commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Human Services, Johnson was named CEO of University Hospital in Newark last September. She replaced Dr. Kaitlan Baston, served as interim CEO  after former CEO Ed Jimenez left the hospital to lead Main Line Health in Philadelphia.

Johnson joined University Hospital from her position as federal administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In that role, Johnson led federal efforts to address the maternal mortality crisis, advance health equity and access to care, and recruit and train the next generation of the health care workers. When she was hired, University Hospitals also said she spearheaded the first major restructuring of the national organ transplant network in 40 years. Serving in the Obama and Biden administrations, Johnson focused on health care and public health issues, including the Affordable Care Act; the maternal mortality crisis; the national responses to COVID, Ebola and Zika; and the opioid epidemic.

As commissioner of the Department of Human Services, Johnson worked to improve and expand the state’s Medicaid program and to increase access to social service programs.

Dr. Robert Johnson
Rutgers

Johnson is the Sharon and Joseph L. Muscarelle Endowed Dean of Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, a professor of pediatrics, director of the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine and interim chancellor of Rutgers Health. He is the longest-serving medical school dean in the nation and has spent 50-plus years serving Newark and New Jersey.

In 1976, he returned to Rutgers to start DAYAM and created programs focused on adolescent health as well as community programs for sexual health education and HIV prevention. In 2018, Johnson became the interim dean of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School while continuing as dean of Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.

He led efforts in HIV/AIDS prevention, testing and public education, helping shape how communities responded to the epidemic. Johnson has also served as president of the New Jersey Board of Medical Examiners and chair of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Council on Graduate Medical Education, along with service on national advisory boards focused on public health and medical education.

Johnson He was ranked No. 1 on the NJBIZ Health Care Power 50 and has been named multiple times to NJBIZ’s Health Care Power List and received a Healthcare Heroes Lifetime Achievement Award.

2026 NJBIZ Health Care Power List Index:

Intro  |  A – E  |  F – J  |  K – P  |  Q – Z