2025 Regional Affiliate Symposium
Navigating Change and Uncertainty in Healthcare
Matt Ranen
Matt Ranen is a scenario planning consultant and leading speaker on innovation and growth strategy in the face of significant industry disruption and uncertainty. In his consulting work, Matt helps global corporations and high-impact non-profits to imagine potential new futures and navigate change over time using a highly engaging, workshop-based method. His clients include those within and outside of healthcare and life sciences. Matt also teaches strategic foresight for the Kellogg School of Management’s Executive Education program and the UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy.
Prior to this, he was a senior leader at Global Business Network (GBN), the world’s premier futures and scenario planning consultancy, a part of the Monitor Group strategy consulting firm. Before that, he spent many years developing new products in the media, advertising, and technology sectors. Matt holds an MBA from the Northwestern Kellogg School of Management and a BA in applied math from Harvard University.
University of Utah Health Leaders
Bob Carter, MD, PhD
Bob S. Carter, MD, PhD, serves as senior vice president for health sciences and CEO for University of Utah Health. In his roles leading the health system, Carter ensures the professional and educational success of more than 27,000 talented faculty, staff, and students who make U of U Health one of the nation’s premier academic health centers.
Academic & Clinical Expertise
Before joining the University of Utah in 2025, he served as the William and Elizabeth Sweet Endowed Professor in Neuroscience at Harvard Medical School and Neurosurgeon-In-Chief at Mass General Brigham, Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
A neurosurgical oncologist and prolific researcher, Carter was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2024. Carter received an MD and PhD in epidemiology from Johns Hopkins University and an undergraduate degree in chemistry from Brigham Young University.
Learn more about Dr. Carter. Read Leader Profile: Bob Carter Shares His Vision for the Future of Academic Health at the University of Utah.
Dan Lundergan, MHA
Dan Lundergan has worked for the University of Utah Health for over four decades and has held numerous positions within the organization. His past experience includes, but is not limited to the management of the surgical services and ambulatory clinics, six years in the Laser Institute, established a post-graduate educational program for physicians around the nation and participated in various research projects published in academic books and journals.
Dan continuously participates in innovative strategies to prepare for the ever changing health care industry. As a vital executive for hospital operations, Dan’s key roles are merging institutional strategies into operational accomplishments. In doing so, he is creating a successful data-driven environment under an umbrella of intuition and insight.
Dan is passionate about creating an atmosphere with positive working relationships, the flexibility to learn from mistakes, and an overall environment of trust, honesty, and mutual respect. Dan values teamwork and envisions a culture change within hospital operations for local and national health care policies.
Gina R. Hawley, DrPH, MHA
Gina Hawley is an experienced executive and servant leader with a demonstrated history of working in the health care delivery industry. Skilled in Operations Management, Strategy, Quality & Process Improvement, Clinical Service Lines, Business Planning & Analytics, Capacity Management, and Healthcare Consulting. Part time academic educator with a Doctorate of Public Health focused in Health Management & Leadership from Johns Hopkins University, and Masters and Bachelors in Healthcare Administration from the University of Minnesota and Creighton University respectively.
"One of my previous bosses told me that 90% of our roles are about people, and it is so true. Having a certain level of empathy and emotional intelligence has really helped me. You must know your business as you work through your career, but if you can truly understand where people are coming from, their differences, and what brings us together, it can set you up on a positive path."
Medical Innovation in Technology, Cancer, and Beyond
Brian Mitzman, MD, MSCI, FACS, FCCP
Dr. Brian Mitzman is a General Thoracic Surgeon at the University of Utah and Huntsman Cancer Institute, where he serves as the Medical Director of Robotic Surgery. His clinical interests concentrate on Thoracic Surgical Oncology, and specifically the application of robotics for complex tumors. In his medical director role, Dr. Mitzman has overseen two fleet expansions, a 40% increase in robotic trained surgeons, and a 30% increase in annual robotic case volume.
As a Huntsman Cancer Institute Investigator, Dr. Mitzman’s research interests focus on clinical outcomes and optimizing treatment approach for lung and esophageal cancer. He has specific expertise in cost-effectiveness, and determining the appropriate balance of cost and innovation in surgical technology. His research has been presented at both the Society for Thoracic Surgeons and American Association of Thoracic Surgery annual meetings. He has also been an invited author on numerous textbook chapters utilized by both trainees and practicing thoracic surgeons. Dr. Mitzman is currently the Associate Physician Lead for Thoracic Clinical Trials in the HCI Clinical Trials Research Group, bringing the most cutting edge treatments to patients with both early and advanced thoracic malignancies. He currently serves as a Senior Editor for the Annals of Thoracic Surgery and an editorial board member for the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, the two highest impact thoracic surgery publications.
Vivek K. Reddy, MD, MMM
Dr. Vivek Reddy, MD, MMM, is a University of Utah Associate Professor of Neurology and the Executive Vice Chair of the Department of Neurology. He oversees the operations and strategy for the Department of Neurology. He has served as the Department’s Chief Value Officer since 2022 and has helped drive the creation of the University of Utah Health’s Neuroscience Service Line Strategy. He joined the University of Utah in 2019 in the Vascular Division and currently serves as the Vascular Neurology Fellowship Director. He has been also actively involved in the growth of the TeleNeurology and TeleStroke Programs.
Dr. Reddy is the Interim Chief Medical Information Officer, since May 1, 2024. In collaboration with Donna Roach, Chief Information Officer, he has led digital enablement strategy, helped expand the use of Artificial Intelligence to reduced documentation burden for providers, and increased patient use of online scheduling tools.
Chakravarthy B. Reddy, MD
Chakravarthy Reddy, MD, is an Huntsman Cancer Institute investigator and assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Utah School of Medicine. He specializes in lung cancer, airway disorders, and malignant pleural effusion. He is interested in advancing non-surgical ways to diagnose and treat cancers that occur in the chest. He performs flexible and rigid bronchoscopy, pleuroscopy, endobronchial ultrasonography, and airway stent placements.
Thomas K. Varghese Jr. MD, MS, MBA, FACS, MAMSE
Dr. Thomas Varghese Jr. is the Chief, Section of General Thoracic Surgery at the University of Utah; Chief Value Officer (Ambulatory and Inpatient) at the Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI); Associate Chief Medical Quality Officer at Huntsman Cancer Hospital; and a Professor (Tenure-track) in the Department of Surgery at the University of Utah School of Medicine. Tom is a health services researcher whose clinical, research and operational experience span the fields of innovation science and implementation science. He is the Director of HCI-IMPACT (Innovative Medical Practices Advancing Care Transformation) Center, helped create the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Strong for Surgery program and is co-PI on the National Cancer Institute RO1-funded clinical trial on the role of Precision Exercise Prescription (PEP) for elective lung cancer surgical resection.
Mindy R. Gurley, APRN, CNMT
Mindy R. Gurley, APRN, CNMT, is a family practice provider with Utah Navajo Health Systems, where she has served since 2020. She helped launch a mobile health clinic to bring preventative care to remote areas of the Navajo Nation. With over 15 years of prior cardiology experience, Mindy now serves as provider champion for cardiac UDS measures and tobacco screenings. She is a co-recipient of the Live Fierce, Stand for All award from the American Heart Association and has participated with them in panel discussions on hypertension control. Her professional interests include cardiovascular health, women's health, rural medicine, and preventative care.
The Future of Workforce Stability
Kari Koehler, BSN, MS
Kari began her career as a nurse on the labor and delivery unit, helping to deliver nearly 1,000 babies. Koehler later transitioned to Cancer Care, where she founded the St. Peter’s Breast Nurse Navigation Program before serving as Director of Oncology. She received her Master’s in Nursing from Walden University with an emphasis in leadership and administration, and in 2018, she was promoted to Inpatient Senior Nursing Director and later to St. Peter's Health CNO.
Edward Kimball. MD
Dr. Ted Kimball is a health care provider with 29 years of experience practicing at the University of Utah Hospital and VA Hospital in Salt Lake City. As the Medical Director of the Office of Network Development and Telehealth and TeleICU, Dr. Kimball has practiced alongside many providers in the region.
Brent Klev, MBA, BSN, RN
Brent Klev is the senior director of cardiovascular services at University of Utah Health. He has had a long career leading nurses and clinical care teams. He believes investing in team culture is the cornerstone of his department’s patient experience. Brent Klev has said, “Our patients really notice the teamwork. They really love that one-on-one face time with the physicians and comment about our streamlined process. They know that our team works well together." Klev shared his beliefs and expectations with employees and the physicians clearly and in writing; he wants them to know him and his beliefs. This sharing results in a supportive and collaborative culture that delivers “incredibly competent, experienced and collaborative” care every day.
From Pieces to Progress: Crafting a Culture of Innovation with Mr. Potato Head and Lessons Learned from Wile E. Coyote
Whitney Matson, MHA, RN
Whitney Matson is the Quality Director at St. John’s Health in Jackson, WY, with 18 years of experience in Healthcare Quality Improvement. Shortly after joining St. John’s, she facilitated the organization's transition to DNV accreditation and ISO-9001 certification. Over the past nine years, she has enhanced data accessibility and utilization for quality initiatives, contributing to St. John’s Health achieving a 5-star CMS rating in seven of nine years.
Before St. John’s, Whitney was a Continuous Improvement Coach at St. Luke’s Medical System in Idaho. In this role, she supported operational improvement projects using Lean principles and provided Lean tools and methodology training to leaders and frontline staff. Whitney holds a Master's in Health Administration from the University of North Carolina, a Master's in Economics from George Mason University, and an Associate's in Nursing from Central Wyoming College.
Cindy Spangler, MEMS, ASQ LSSBB
Cindy Spangler is a Quality and Operational Excellence Manager for the Office of Network Development and Telehealth, at U of U Health. She specializes in process improvement, reliability, and lean methodologies. As an ASQ-certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, she helps teams simplify complex challenges, working in both high and low-resource environments to drive meaningful change.
As a teacher and facilitator, Cindy loves breaking down complex concepts in a way that’s engaging and practical. She’s led healthcare improvement initiatives for over 10 years, always focusing on sustainable, high-quality, people-centered change that empowers teams to work smarter.
Outside of work, you’ll find her embracing challenges differently - through canyoneering, rafting, and cooking.
Joleen J. Perez, MSN, RN
Joleen Perez is the Quality Director for Mountain West Medical Center. She has a BS and MS in Nursing. Her responsibilities include ensuring her facility meets compliance with accreditation standards and supports quality, infection control, risk management, and medical staff. She serves on the St. Marguerite Catholic School Board and the Tooele Opioid Response Network. She enjoys spending time with her family and loves to cook and bake for them.
Capacity and Access Management
Dan Lundergan, MHA
Dan continuously participates in innovative strategies to prepare for the ever changing health care industry. As a vital executive for hospital operations, Dan’s key roles are merging institutional strategies into operational accomplishments. In doing so, he is creating a successful data-driven environment under an umbrella of intuition and insight. Dan values teamwork and envisions a culture change within hospital operations for local and national health care policies.
Edward Kimball. MD
Dr. Ted Kimball is a health care provider with 29 years of experience practicing at the University of Utah Hospital and VA Hospital in Salt Lake City. As the Medical Director of the Office of Network Development and Telehealth and TeleICU, Dr. Kimball has practiced alongside many providers in the region.
Navigating Complexity: Unlocking Strategic Insight Through Problem Finding
Ruchi M. Watson
Ruchi M. Watson serves as Managing Director and CEO of the Goff Strategic Leadership Institute at the University of Utah. Under her leadership, the Center has seen a remarkable 700% increase in programming demand, engaging over 2,800 students through more than 5,000 experiential engagements representing nearly 80 majors across 13 colleges.
In addition to her role at Goff, Dr. Watson is a Professor (Lecturer) in the Department of Entrepreneurship & Strategy at the David Eccles School of Business. Over the past decade, she has held several leadership positions within the Eccles School, notably leading a successful five-year AACSB accreditation review, developing the Hope Corps—a pioneering program designed to assist small businesses and nonprofits affected by the COVID-19 pandemic—and establishing the Marketing + Communications and Business Intelligence teams.
In recognition of her contributions, Dr. Watson was named one of Utah Business magazine’s "30 Women to Watch" in 2021.
Before joining the University of Utah, Dr. Watson was a Senior Marketing Manager and Enterprise Strategy Lead at Target Corporation in Minneapolis. She also worked as a consultant at Bain & Company in New York City and in Research and Development at General Mills in Minneapolis. Dr. Watson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. She holds a doctoral degree in Higher Education Management from the University of Pennsylvania.
Leadership Communication: Key to Collaborative Solutions
Georgi Rausch, PhD
Dr. Georgi A. Rausch is a Professor, Lecturer in the Department of Management at the David Eccles School of Business, University of Utah. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Utah, she received a B.A. degree in Communication Studies and English Literature from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an M.A. in Organizational Communication from the University of Montana, and a Ph.D. in Organizational Communication from the University of Utah. Before graduate school, she worked in advertising and media planning at J. Walter Thompson in San Francisco and in nonprofit development at the California Academy of Sciences. Dr. Rausch loves to incorporate mindfulness practices in communication and ethics instruction. She teaches topics such as public speaking, business ethics, and emotional intelligence to a broad variety of audiences, and enjoys making these topics practical, relevant, and engaging.