City & State Pennsylvania has released its 2026 Trailblazers in Healthcare list, honoring the physicians, researchers, advocates, and executives keeping Pennsylvania’s healthcare sector on the cutting edge. Published September 28, 2026, the list spans the full range of the commonwealth’s health economy, from rural care access to research powerhouses whose breakthroughs draw global attention to Philadelphia.
Where Research Meets Care
Greater Philadelphia’s strength in life sciences comes from the overlap of world-class academic medicine, cancer research, biotech incubation, and industry. This year’s Trailblazers include leaders advancing AI-driven diagnostics, building the region’s biotech infrastructure, running global clinical trials, and expanding research at the region’s medical schools. Here are the honorees shaping that ecosystem.
1. Zhi Huang, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine
Assistant Professor, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Huang develops AI technologies for disease diagnosis, computational pathology, and precision medicine. He founded the TissueLab at Penn, an agentic AI system for medical image analysis, and his research has appeared in Nature, Nature Medicine, and Nature Biomedical Engineering.
2. Louis P. Kassa III, Hepatitis B Foundation, Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center, and Blumberg Institute
CEO and President
Kassa leads all three organizations. In partnership with Brandywine Realty Trust, he led the 2022 launch of Philadelphia incubator B+labs and opened a $20 million laboratory facility in Doylestown. He also founded the Biotechnology Center’s $50 million regional venture fund and established its Academic Innovation Zone with a $5 million state grant.
3. Jennifer Sheller, Merck
Senior Vice President, Head of Global Clinical Trial Operations
Sheller leads Merck’s multinational clinical trial operations and, since taking on the role in 2024, has advanced digital and AI-enabled capabilities to improve trial speed and quality. She has also led R&D efforts for major acquisitions including VelosBio, Peloton Therapeutics, and Acceleron Pharma.
4. Camille Ragin, Fox Chase Cancer Center
Associate Director, Cancer Disparities Research and Research Integration
Ragin leads Fox Chase’s research into cancer disparities and serves as principal investigator for the African Caribbean Cancer Consortium. She has received multiple NIH grants for her work on the genomic basis of cancer and racial disparities in the disease.
5. Said Ibrahim, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University
Anthony F. and Gertrude M. DePalma Dean; President, Jefferson University Physicians
Ibrahim is leading Sidney Kimmel Medical College’s expansion into the Lehigh Valley and Delaware with two new regional campuses, and he established the college’s Clinical and Translational Science Center. A scholar of racial disparities in joint replacement, he is a member of the National Academy of Medicine.
6. Kevin Mahoney, Penn Medicine
CEO, University of Pennsylvania Health System
Mahoney is driving Penn Medicine’s regional expansion, with new facilities in Doylestown, Montgomeryville, Princeton, and Philadelphia, alongside technology-driven innovations for its 8.5 million annual patient visits. He also co-founded the Fund for Health with the Wharton School, which invests in startups addressing the social determinants of health.
7. Robin Ward, Penn Medicine
Associate Vice President, Digital Products
Ward led the development of Penn Medicine’s “digital front door,” unifying the health system’s websites for easier navigation, online scheduling, and faster access to care. She has also spearheaded AI-enabled service models to improve the patient experience.
8. Baligh Yehia, Jefferson Health
President
Yehia oversees a 33-hospital academic health system with an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center. His initiatives include virtual primary care and a program connecting newly diagnosed patients with an oncologist within 48 hours, and his AI initiative has returned 10 million hours to clinicians.
9. Jay S. Feldstein, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
President and CEO
Over 12 years, Feldstein has led PCOM’s expansion to three campuses with annual revenues exceeding $200 million. His tenure has brought record philanthropy, including a $62 million campaign, and a major increase in research funding from the NIH and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
10. Amid Ibrahim Ismail, Temple University Kornberg School of Dentistry
Dean; Laura H. Carnell Professor
Ismail spearheaded oral health research that took Temple’s dental school from no NIH funding to 24th in federal research grants in about a decade. He has also expanded dental services for low-income residents across the region.
11. Heidi Beilis, MD, FACR, WellSpan Health
Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Diagnostic Service Line
Beilis is a nationally recognized radiologist with additional certification in interventional radiology and a fellow of the American College of Radiology. She has championed multiple AI-enabled care pathways at WellSpan that have improved early diagnosis and patient outcomes.
12. Terry Gilliland, Geisinger
President and CEO
Since 2024, Gilliland has led Geisinger, a 10-hospital academic health system serving Central and Northeastern Pennsylvania with $10 billion in annual revenue and about 5,000 students at its College of Health Sciences. A surgeon by training, he most recently served as medical and science chief at Cogitativo, a health-focused AI company.
