Providence Engineering Executive Vice President, Mark Ritchie, P.E., Retires After 37 years in the A/E/C industry, trusted and admired Professional Engineer, Mark Ritchie is retiring as Executive Vice President of Providence Engineering. Mark has been around the A/E/C industry all his life. His father and grandfather both worked as bricklayers, so from an early age, Mark knew he wanted to be a part of the construction industry. But he also knew he did not like the strenuous physical work in the heat of the summer and cold of winter, so he decided to attend Penn State University and become an engineer. After graduating in 1984, Mark’s career took him to Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and finally, Central Pennsylvania where he started his own engineering firm in 2000. Based in Carlisle, Ritchie Engineering provided structural design services for thousands of projects throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio and the Mid-Atlantic region. In January 2017, Ritchie Engineering merged with Providence, and thus, Providence Engineering opened our sixth office in Pennsylvania. Mark would go on to help open and lead the establishment of Providence’s seventh office in his hometown of Pittsburgh. Mark’s retirement plans include playing more golf with his wife Lisa, spending time with his family, which now includes three grandsons, and remaining an active member of his church and the Carlisle community. Congratulations Mark!
Geisinger’s Karen Murphy Among ‘50 Most Influential Clinical Executives’ Karen Murphy, Ph.D., R.N., executive vice president, chief innovation officer and founding director of the Steele Institute for Health Innovation at Geisinger, has been selected as one of Modern Healthcare’s 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives for 2021, and has been named a 2021 Changemaker in Health by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). Modern Healthcare’s annual list of the 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives recognizes leaders who are paving the way to better health through innovation, community service and achievements inside and outside of their respective organizations. Murphy was recognized for the Steele Institute’s leading role in Geisinger’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including early contact tracing efforts, automation and vaccine distribution. Murphy and her team also used the pandemic as an opportunity to reimagine how care could and should be delivered in the future. This year’s class includes Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The inaugural HIMSS Changemaker in Health awards recognize 11 inspiring healthcare executives who challenge the status quo in their journeys to build a brighter health future. The awards celebrate innovative individuals as they lead change in their pursuit to improve care by harnessing the power of information and technology. Awardees were chosen by public online voting. “I am honored and humbled to be selected for these awards among my colleagues,” Dr. Murphy said. “Every day I’m fortunate to work with an incredible team of transformational and innovative people in an organization that inspires us to build a better future for our patients and communities.” Under Dr. Murphy’s direction, Geisinger’s Steele Institute is making health easier by developing leading-edge solutions that slow rising costs, improve quality and increase access to healthcare. Working with teams in digital transformation, robotic process automation, machine learning, behavioral economics and data enterprise, the Steele Institute builds solutions to improve overall health, patient experience, care delivery and affordability. Most recently, the Steele Institute launched ConnectedCare365, an innovative care delivery model for patients with chronic diseases like diabetes, heart failure and hypertension. Currently a pilot program, this first-of-its-kind virtual care delivery platform uses remote patient monitoring, artificial intelligence and powerful data analysis tools to improve patient outcomes. Throughout her career, Dr. Murphy has worked to improve and transform healthcare delivery in the public and private sectors. Before joining Geisinger, she served as Pennsylvania’s secretary of health, addressing the most significant health issues facing the state, including developing an innovative payment and delivery model for rural hospitals. Prior to her role as secretary, Dr. Murphy served as director of the State Innovation Models Initiative at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and as president and chief executive officer of Moses Taylor Health Care System. For more information about Geisinger’s Steele Institute for Health Innovation, visit geisinger.org/innovation-steele-institute.
