The New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute added three new members to its board of directors, each with expertise and a strong commitment to advancing health care safety, quality and affordability for everyone.
Dr. Ashish Parikh, Andrea Martinez-Mejia and John Leyman are all well-known and respected throughout the state. They join a board that includes newer and longtime members. The collective talent and experience of the Quality Institute’s board drives the Quality Institute’s mission and long-term goals to improve the quality, safety and affordability of health care for everyone.
Linda Schwimmer, CEO and president of the Quality Institute, said the diverse experiences of the new board members will help guide the Quality Institute for years to come.
Parikh is the chief population health officer at VillageMD-Summit Health, where he helps shape population health strategies and has extensive experience in alternative payment models and care coordination. Parikh is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and is board certified in internal medicine. He has been an invaluable resource to the Quality Institute in its initiatives to improve primary care in New Jersey and, especially, in the creation of “Primary Care in New Jersey: Findings and Recommendations to Support Advanced Primary Care.” Parikh’s background also includes leadership positions at IBM, RWJBarnabas Health and Southern California Permanente Medical Group.
Martinez-Mejia serves as the executive director of the Greater Newark Health Care Coalition. She brings an impressive range of experience in government, public health and crisis management as well as licensing, regulations and oversight. As the chief of staff at the New Jersey Department of Health during the pandemic, Martinez-Mejia played a pivotal role in outreach efforts related to COVID-19 vaccines and equitable resource distribution. She now leads the Greater Newark Health Care Coalition, a Regional Health Hub, a longtime partner and member of the Quality Institute. Martinez-Mejia also serves on the inaugural board of the Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Authority.
Leyman serves as the director of state government affairs for DaVita Kidney Care, where he oversees state public policy, legislative and regulatory activities in the 13 northeastern states and the District of Columbia. He is a longtime member of the Quality Institute and state Sen. Joseph Vitale’s Health Reform Work Group, which for over 15 years has addressed payment and market reforms to increase coverage and access. Leyman’s background in state government, legislative and regulatory affairs, and his deep expertise in policy, as well as his experience in the insurance industry, will provide a critical multistakeholder perspective to the Quality Institute board.
Board Chair Suzanne Miller noted the range of expertise and backgrounds of the new members of the volunteer board.
“All of us on the board are excited to welcome Andrea, Ashish and John to the board,” Miller said. “We know they bring tremendous talent on quality and payment reforms that we will tap into for improving health care in New Jersey.”
