Governance

Dr Risto Miettunen

Honorary Member

Dr Risto Miettunen was the President of the International Hospital Federation from November 2019 to November 2021. He has retired as Emeritus Chief Executive Officer of Kuopio University Hospital District in Finland where he was in charge of the preparation and implementation of board approved strategies, and ensuring quality care and service delivery, education, and research. He has been granted the honorary title of Sairaalaneuvos by the President of Finland.

Dr Miettunen started his career as a medical doctor and radiologist with a doctorate in medical physics before moving into high level international roles in the global medical engineering and pharmaceutical industries, later transitioning to healthcare leadership.

He is a well-known international speaker and lecturer on healthcare, and a senior technical advisor in quality standards development. He is currently acting as a Visiting Adjunct Professor for the University of Colorado Denver on international health, and as an affiliated scholar at the University of Eastern Finland.

Dr Miettunen joined the IHF Governing Council in 2013 and became Treasurer and a member of the Executive Committee in 2015. He was then elected President of the IHF in 2019, representing the Finnish Association of Local and Regional Authorities. As the Chairman of the Executive Committee and of the Governing Council, he played an essential role in IHF’s governance.

Dr Francisco Balestrin

Honorary Member

Dr Balestrin is a board member of the Brazilian National Association of Private Hospitals (ANAHP) and Executive Vice President and Corporate Chief Medical Officer of the VITA’s Hospital Group.

He served as IHF President from 2017 to 2019, and was the Past President in 2020.

Dr Balestrin has a degree in Medicine and completed his medical residency in Health Administration at the Hospital das Clínicas of the Medical School of the University of São Paulo (USP). He specialized in Public Health at the School of Public Health of the University of São Paulo (USP) and specialized in Health Administration at the Business School of Fundação Getúlio Vargas, (FGV) of São Paulo.

Dr Balestrin holds the title of Specialist in Health Administration from the Brazilian Medical Association (AMB).

Dr Juan Carlos Linares

Honorary Member

Dr Linares is the President of the Latin America Hospital Federation. He is also the Vice President of the Argentine Chamber of Healthcare Companies and President of the Hospital and Clinics Federation of Buenos Aires.

He served on the IHF Governing Council for six years and was elected Treasurer before becoming an IHF Honorary Member.

Dr Linares previously served as Vice President of the Argentinian Hospital and Clinics Confederation, where he led working groups on education and accreditation programs aiming to improve the quality of healthcare services. In 2017 he became Vice President of CENAS (Specialized National Center for Regulation and Accreditation in Health).

Dr Linares trained as a Medical Doctor and later completed a Master in Business Management. He has published a variety of scientific and research papers and has lectured at several national and international congresses and scientific meetings. He also leads a teaching programme aimed at improving the training of hospital staff in the Province of Buenos Aires.

Dr José Carlos de Souza Abrahão

Chairman

Dr Abrahão is President of the Brazilian National Health Agency (ANS).

Dr Abrahão served as President of the IHF from 2009 to 2011. He is now Chairman of the Honorary Members Circle.

He has also served as Chairman of the National Health Confederation (CNS) and President of the Hospitals Federation of the Rio de Janeiro State (FEHERJ).

Dr Abrahão is a pediatrician and has a specialization in Hospital Management and an Executive MBA in Management from Coppead (UFRJ).

Dr Abrahão holds the Medal of Legal Merit, granted by the Board of Deputies of the National Congress, the Tiradentes Medal from the Legal Assembly of Rio the Janeiro (Alerj) and the Merit Medal of Judicial Law Court of Rio de Janeiro.

Mr Gerard Vincent

Honorary Member

Dr Lawrence Lai

Honorary Member

Dr Lawrence Lai was an IHF Governing Council Member for six years before becoming an Honorary IHF Member in 2015.

Dr Lai is currently Special Advisor to the Hong Kong University-Shenzhen Hospital, Honorary Professor of the Medical Faculty, University of Hong Kong, Consultant to the Macau Health Bureau and ISQua expert.

Dr Lai has also been actively involved in the work of the Asian Hospital Federation (AHF). He was elected President for two terms and is currently member of the AHF Trust Fund.

Dr Lai received various awards during his career, including the 40th Anniversary Gold Medal by the Australian Council of Healthcare Standards (ACHS) and the Bronze Bauhinia Star by the Hong Kong Government in 2009.

Dr Kwang Tae Kim

Honorary Member

During his IHF presidency (2013–2015), Dr Kim initiated the IHF Awards Programme to promote the IHF’s visibility and its role as a knowledge hub.

Dr Kim trained as a general surgeon before moving into healthcare administration. He was elected President of the Asian Hospital Federation (2008–2009) and President of the Korean Hospital Association (2003–2004). Since 1969, he has served as Chairman of Daerim Saint Mary’s Hospital, Republic of Korea.

Alongside his healthcare roles, Dr Kim demonstrates his dedication to the community through over 40 years of Rotary Club membership. He served on Rotary International’s Board of Directors from 2005 to 2007.

Dr Kim enjoys wide recognition from the Korean government for his services to healthcare.

Dr Guillermo Fajardo-Ortiz

Honorary Member

Dr Guillermo Fajardo-Ortiz is a professor of health services management at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). He served as IHF President in 1985.

Dr Fajardo-Ortiz trained as a medical surgeon (UNAM) and holds a Master in Hospital Administration (University of Minnesota). He is also a Doctor in Medicine History (Autonomous University of Puebla).

Dr Fajardo-Ortiz has been president of the Mexican Hospital Association and was the first director of the Latin-American Hospital Association (Buenos Aires, Argentina). He has written more than 300 articles and 10 books about health management, and has won several awards from Mexican and Latin-American institutions.

Dr Fajardo-Ortiz served as a short-term consultant of the Pan-American Health Organization and the World Health Organization in Argentina, Chile, Cuba, Bolivia and Venezuela. He has also been a professor and acting director of the Inter-American Center of Social Security Studies.

Dr Fajardo-Ortiz has dedicated himself to healthcare services in Mexico alongside his extensive research. He has received many honours and awards for his contributions, including having a hospital in Mexico City named after him.

Dr René Peters

Honorary Member

Dr Peters served on the IHF Governing Council between 2003 and 2009, before being appointed an Honorary Member.

After completing simultaneous degrees in Medicine and Law, Dr Peters served a stint as a conscript military physician in the Royal Netherlands Army. He later pursued a managerial career in healthcare.

He spent almost two decades in managerial and (chief) executive positions at a number of general hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

Dr Peters served as vice-chairman of the board of the Netherlands Hospital Association (NVZ). He was also actively involved in the foundation and subsequent governance of the Netherlands Institute for Accreditation in Healthcare (NIAZ) and the Netherlands Institute for IT in Healthcare (NICTIZ).

Internationally, he served on the Executive Committee of the European Hospital and Healthcare Federation (HOPE).

After a sabbatical in 2004, he started a private practice as a consultant on governance, strategic issues and executive interim management.

Dr Peters’ charitable work includes board membership of Amnesty International NL and the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights and Medical Assessment (iMMO).

Leke Pitan

Honorary Member

In 2005, Dr Pitan (MBBS, MPH) became the first African Member of the IHF Governing Council, representing Nigeria. During this period, Dr Pitan served two consecutive terms as Treasurer.

Dr Pitan has served in various capacities. He is a member of the Forum on Evidence-based Health Policy-making of the Nigerian Academy of Science and  is Chairman of the Project Advisory Committee of the Ford Foundation’s Health Journalists’ Immersion Program Maternal, Child and Newborn Health. He is also Executive Director of the Pitman-UK training Centre in Nigeria.

Dr Pitan studied medicine at the University of Ibadan (Oyo state, Nigeria) and holds a Master in Public Health from the Lagos State University.

Dr Pitan has had a varied career in administrative, clinical and political roles, including serving as the Honorable Commissioner for Health (Lagos State, Nigeria). He was previously Chief Medical Director of the Mayowa Hospital in Lagos. 

Dr Pitan is a winner of the National Merit Awards of the Nigerian Medical Association and the Association of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria, respectively.

Amb Dr Abdulsalam Al Madani

Honorary Member

Amb. Dr Abdulsalam Al Madani is the Chairman of INDEX Holding, a leading global healthcare business management company. INDEX was one of the host organisations for the 45th World Hospital Congress to take place in Dubai.

Amb. Dr. Al Madani holds a Doctorate of Philosophy in Health Care Management and a Masters in Hospital Management. He also holds Ph.D. and Honorary Degree in Humanities. He is leading several organisations as a Chairman such as; International Congress for Health Specialties (ICHS) established in United Kingdom, DIHAD Sustainable Humanitarian Foundation, DIHAD Humanitarian College , Anti- Smoking International Alliance, and an Executive Chairman of the Global Scientific Dental Alliance (GSDA) and Global Family Medicine Scientific Alliance (GFMSA).
In his pursuit of encouraging awareness of various healthcare domains and in a bid to connect the global healthcare fraternity for a larger community welfare goal, Amb. Dr. Al Madani initiated and is the founder of world-renowned events such as AEEDC Dubai , Dubai Derma and DUPHAT. Amb. Dr. Al Madani lead the formation of the Waterfalls Initiative for Continuous Education from UAE to the World, a global not-for-profit initiative that aims to deliver continuous education to 1 million specialists through free online webinars that was supported and announced by the UAE Government.

In addition to his professional role, Amb. Dr. Al Madani holds the position as the (Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean) PAM Roving Ambassador for the GCC Region, and was the First Emirati to receive the PAM Personality Award. He is the author of the book “Life in 20 pages” a book that summarizes the years of leadership, experience and success that encourages positivity and happiness.

Being actively committed to Corporate Social Responsibility, Amb. Dr Al Madani’s philanthropic achievements have led to wide recognition within the UAE and internationally. Amb. Dr Al Madani has received appreciation and acknowledgment from HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Ruler of Dubai (Dubai Appreciation Award for Community Service in the corporate category and for organizing the first successful meeting of the IMF Board of Governors), He was Awarded with Community Service Medal by H.H. Lieutenant General Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior for unique contribution and great effort in supporting the local initiative which strengthens the position of the United Arab Emirates on an International level and for the contribution to the success of AQDAR World Summit Moscow, Further, he received an award from the State of New York, Office of the Governor, Mr George Pataki for distinguished contribution to the Dental Community through organizing the specialized AEEDC Dubai annually.

Dr Thomas C. Dolan

Honorary Member

Thomas C. Dolan, PhD, FACHE, FASAE, is President Emeritus of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE).

Before his appointment as President and CEO, he served as ACHE’s Executive Vice President. Prior to joining ACHE, he held a variety of teaching, research and administrative positions at various universities.

Dr Nolan served as President of the IHF from 2011 to 2013.

Dr Nolan has chaired or been president of a wide range of healthcare management boards, including the American Society of Association Executives and the Institute for Diversity in Health Management. He is a board member of Volunteers of America.

He is board certified in healthcare management and a Fellow of both the American College of Healthcare Executives and the American Society of Association Executives. Dr Dolan is also a Certified Association Executive. He received his doctorate in hospital and health administration from the University of Iowa and his bachelor’s degree from Loyola University Chicago.

International Health Services Group, United States

Charles R. Evans, FACHE

President & CEO

As a Senior Advisor for Jackson Healthcare (JH), I have been involved with a JH company called VirtualMed Staff since its founding in 2011. This is a full-service telemedicine company specializing in psychiatry, neurology and hospital medicine at hospitals, clinics and medical groups across the United States. It combines clinical, technology and telemedicine expertise to provide partners with a full-service telemedicine solution.

My interest in joining the Telehealth SIG Committee is to participate with a “community” of experts in advancing the role of virtual healthcare globally.

Mr Alexander S. Preker

Honorary Member

Mr Preker is President and CEO of the Health Investment & Financing Corporation and a Founding Member of the New York Chapter of the Keiretsu Forum and LLP with Keiretsu Capital. He is a Commissioner with the Global Commission on Pollution, Health and Development. Mr Preker is also a Member of the Board of the USA HealthCare Alliance and several healthcare companies.

Up until 2019, he was Chair of the Editorial Advisory Board for the IHF Journal.

Mr Preker has had a distinguished career, working at different times for International Bank of Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), International Development Association (IDA), International Finance Corporation (IFC) and World Health Organization (WHO).

He is an Executive Scholar at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, an Adjunct Associate Professor of public policy at New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Policy and an Adjunct Associate Professor for Health Care Management at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University in New York. In the past he has taught at the Berkeley/Cambridge and McGill University in Montreal. He was previously on the External Advisory Board for the Health Group at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Mr Preker has published extensively, having written many scientific articles and authored of over fifteen books.

Mr Rulon Stacey

Honorary Member

Dr Rulon Stacey is the Program Director for Graduate Programs in Health Administration at the University of Colorado Denver Business School. Dr Stacey is currently supporting the IHF’s Young Executive Leadership Programme.

During his career, Dr Stacey has served as CEO of several different health systems, including Fairview Health System in Minneapolis and the Poudre Valley Health System (PVHS) in Fort Collins, Colorado. Under Dr Stacey’s leadership, PVHS became one of the first healthcare companies to receive the United States’ most prestigious quality award, The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.

Additionally, Dr Stacey has served as the Chair of the Board of Governors for the American College of Healthcare Executives, and was appointed by three different United States Secretaries of Commerce to multiple terms as the Chair of the Board of Overseers of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Dr Stacey was twice selected by Modern Healthcare as one of the top 100 most influential people in US healthcare.

Dr Erik Kreyberg Normann

Honorary Member

Dr Erik Kreyberg Normann has served as Treasurer, President Designate, President and Immediate Past President of the IHF. He is the President of The Norwegian Hospital and Health Service Association (NSH). Dr Normann now runs his own consultancy company, working with different healthcare institutions and municipalities in Norway.

Dr Normann trained as a Pediatrician but for the last 20 years he has mostly been employed in different management positions. He has been the CEO of several hospitals in Norway. He was also the CEO of The Oslo Municipal Child and Family Services; the child protection service, child and adolescent psychiatry and family services in Oslo.

Dr Normann has been the Director of the Department of Hospital Services in the Norwegian Directorate of Health, the Secretary-General of the Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation and CEO of the largest private diagnostic imaging provider in Norway. He also ran a private emergency clinic for children.

Dr Normann also served as the President of both the UNICEF Norway and the Nordic Society on Child Abuse and Neglect.

Dr Juan Pablo Uribe

Honorary Member

Dr Juan Pablo Uribe is the Global Director for Health Nutrition and Population at the World Bank and Director of the Global Financing Facility for Women Children and Adolescents (GFF).

Previously, Dr Uribe was the CEO of Healthcare Providers for United Healthcare/Banmédica for Chile and Peru and served from 2018 to 2019 as Minister of Health and Social Protection of Colombia. Prior to that, he was the Director General of the Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá, a leading organization in Colombia working in healthcare, health education and public health. Between 2009 and 2011, he was the World Bank’s Health Sector Manager for East Asia and the Pacific.

In his career, first as a medical doctor specializing in public health and public administration, and later in both public and private sector organizations, Dr Uribe has contributed significantly to the development of public health, health systems and public policies.