WellSpan is proud to share that its president and CEO, Roxanna Gapstur, Ph.D., R.N., has again been recognized in the 100 Most Influential People list presented by Modern Healthcare, a national industry leader in the healthcare news and information community. The list honors individuals in healthcare who are deemed by their peers and the senior editors of Modern Healthcare to be the most influential individuals in the industry in terms of leadership and impact. This is the second year in a row Gapstur has received this recognition.

Gapstur is known for building partnerships that incorporate groundbreaking technology with organizations such as Hippocratic AI, a company developing safety-focused large language models for healthcare applications; applying artificial intelligence to help detect breast cancer; and incorporating advanced robotic technology to aid in lung cancer detection.

Under her leadership, WellSpan is driving patient outcomes and satisfaction to lead the region in value – while yielding strong financial performance as well as guiding the system toward a second year of high-performance and savings for its accountable care organization, according to a recent recognition from the Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services. 

In 2024, WellSpan was honored with the American Hospital Association Quest for Quality Prize, underscoring Gapstur’s leadership in health equity, safety and outcomes. From top 5% rankings in hypertension and kidney health to life-saving cancer screenings, these achievements improve lives across WellSpan’s communities. She also oversaw WellSpan’s 2024 launch of the Jersey College School of Nursing and a new regional campus for Temple University’s School of Medicine, creating new pathways for skilled talent and a bolstered workforce to meet rising care demands. 

“Roxanna is an industry visionary and a values-first leader and we’re proud to have her leadership guiding our health system,” said Hilda Shirk, chair of the WellSpan Board of Directors. “She truly stands out among her peers on so many fronts, starting with 22 years’ experience as an oncology nurse. Roxanna brings a clinical voice to healthcare leadership and an intimate knowledge of the care team and patient relationship. Her leadership and commitment to championing efforts to improve processes to address care gaps, while sustaining a workplace culture and integrating systems that deliver improved performance and outcomes differentiate her as a leader.” 

WellSpan, a mission-focused nonprofit health system encompassing nine hospitals, and more than 250 care locations has provided more than $400 million in community benefit in fiscal year 2024, as is detailed in WellSpan Community Impact Report.