President, Allegheny Health Network
Jim Benedict, JD, CPA, MAFIS, FACHE, serves as President of Allegheny Health Network. As AHN's president, he leads the planning, direction, and coordination of the network's day-to-day operations and long-range clinical strategy, across AHN's entire Western Pennsylvania service footprint.
Previously, he served as AHN's Chief Operating Officer, responsible for the strategic and operational management of all of AHN’s hospitals, as well as its acute-care and ambulatory-care facilities. In that role, Mr. Benedict was one of the chief architects of the network’s successful operational turnaround and its nearly $2 billion capital investment and market expansion strategy. He also was a key leader of the organization’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Over his more than 30 years in health care, Mr. Benedict has extensive experience in physician practice management, ambulatory operations, and hospital operations, serving in executive leadership roles in the nonprofit, public, academic, and international medical settings.
Mr. Benedict came to AHN in 2016 from TeamHealth, where he served as the Executive Vice President of Anesthesia for U.S. operations. From 2020 to 2022, he served as Highmark Health's executive vice president, Living Health Partnerships and Operations. He returned to his AHN COO role in 2022, and was named AHN president in 2023.
He received his undergraduate degree from Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, Ohio, a Master’s in Accountancy from Cleveland State University, and his law degree from The Cleveland Marshall College of Law.
He is also a non-practicing certified public accountant in Ohio, is admitted to the Ohio Bar and is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Chief Medical Officer, Allegheny Clinic President
As Allegheny Health Network’s Chief Medical Officer, Donald Whiting, MD, is AHN’s senior-most clinical executive and the leader of AHN’s medical staff. He is also president of Allegheny Health Network’s physician organization, the Allegheny Clinic, one of the state’s largest physician groups, employing more than 1,400 physicians.
Dr. Whiting is a respected physician-leader who is passionate about changing the way health care is delivered. Regarded as one of the nation’s foremost experts in the use of deep-brain stimulation to control the debilitating motor symptoms of patients with Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders, Dr. Whiting has established Allegheny General Hospital as one of the top centers in the world for DBS treatment.
Dr. Whiting has served in numerous physician leadership roles over his two-decade affiliation with AHN. He continues to serve as Chair of the AHN Neuroscience Institute, and he had also served vice-chair of AGH’s Department of Neurosurgery, and co-director of AGH’s Division of Functional Neurosurgery and Neurosurgery Spine Bio-Mechanics Lab.
Dr. Whiting received his undergraduate education at Grinnell College in Iowa, earned an MS in Physiology at Georgetown University, and was awarded his medical degree in 1985 after training at Thomas Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. Dr. Whiting completed a neurosurgical residency at The Cleveland Clinic and a neurotrauma fellowship at Allegheny General Hospital.
A professor of Neurosurgery at Drexel University College of Medicine and Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, Dr. Whiting has been an active member of many of his field’s leading professional and scientific organizations, including the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, and the American Society of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery.
He has been active with the Parkinson Foundation of Western PA and The Cahouet Center for Parkinsons Disease.
Chief Financial Officer
Brian Devine serves as Chief Financial Officer for Allegheny Health Network. As CFO, Mr. Devine is responsible for overseeing and sustaining AHN’s strong financial performance, including direction of the network’s accounting and revenue cycle operations, budget planning, and capital investments.
Previously, he served as CFO of enGen, formerly known as HM Health Solutions, a Pittsburgh-based health technologies company and Highmark Health subsidiary.
Additionally, he has served as senior vice president of finance and commercialization for enGen, and as vice president of finance for AHN from 2016 to 2018, serving as chief of staff to the then-CFO. His career spans more than 20 years, most of it spent at Highmark Health and its subsidiaries.
Mr. Devine is a graduate of Penn State University Education (BS, accounting) and holds an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh's Katz Graduate School of Business.
Chief Nurse Executive
Angela Costa (RN, BSN, MPM) is Chief Nurse Executive for AHN. Ms. Costa began her nursing career at Allegheny General Hospital over 30 years ago and has served as interim Chief Nurse Executive for AHN since early 2023.
During her interim tenure as CNE, Ms. Costa has worked with the chief nursing officers at each of AHN’s affiliated hospitals to innovate and improve the quality of nursing practice across the organization as well as provide exceptional care to patients and their families. She serves as the voice of the organization’s 6,000 nurses as a member of AHN’s executive leadership team and has led the implementation of best practices in nursing that has made AHN a preferred destination for nursing professionals.
Over the last year, Ms. Costa has helped to implement and expand several nursing workforce programs meant to recruit and retain nurses and create new roles and schedules that meet nurses’ personal and professional expectations. Those programs, part of AHN’s “Work Your Way” lifestyle initiative, include the creation of a mobile internal nursing team that allows nurses to float between different AHN hospitals; the creation of new “night owl” and “weekend warrior” shifts that allow nurses to build work schedules that are a better fit with their personal needs; and the creation of a new digital nursing team, which allows nurses to perform certain nursing duties remotely, from their own homes.
Throughout her career with AHN, Ms. Costa has served in roles of increasing responsibility, including most recently as the Chief Nursing Officer of AHN West Penn Hospital, Vice President of Clinical Nursing Operations, and CNO/COO of Canonsburg Hospital. At West Penn, Ms. Costa also led the nursing team’s successful recent Magnet journey, helping the hospital become Southwest Pennsylvania’s only four-time Magnet-recognized facility – which is the industry’s gold standard for nursing quality.
Ms. Costa’s areas of clinical expertise include trauma, critical care, and neurology/stroke. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Duquesne University and later received a Master of Public Policy and Management degree from Carnegie Mellon University.
She serves on the Allegheny Credit Union board and is a member of the Hospital and Health System Association of Pennsylvania’s Nurse Ambassador Advocacy Initiative. Ms. Costa also is active in the American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL) and Partner for Work, and she is a member of Palladium’s board of directors.
Chief Clinical Diversity Officer
Margaret Larkins-Pettigrew, MD, MEd, MPPM, FACOG, is a Senior Vice President and the Chief Clinical Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer for Allegheny Health Network.
As Chief Clinical DEI Officer, Dr. Larkins-Pettigrew’s role is to advance diversity and inclusion among the clinical and caregiving staff at AHN, and to advocate for equitable health outcomes among all patient populations by developing programs that target disparities in medical care. An internationally respected expert in cultural humility within the health care field, Dr. Larkins-Pettigrew has spent her career engaging marginalized communities and building programs that focus on promoting outcomes equity for vulnerable patients and mitigating socio-political barriers to care. She has a special interest in educating and empowering women, especially those pursuing careers in medicine.
Although Dr. Larkins-Pettigrew cares for women in her general OB/GYN practice, she also focuses on providing care to women living in low- to middle-resource communities, with a clinical focus in the care of women living with HIV.
A native Pittsburgher, Dr. Larkins-Pettigrew recently returned from Cleveland, Ohio where she led the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs for University Hospitals of Cleveland. There, she served as Chair & Director of the Center for Clinical Excellence and Diversity at University Hospitals as well as Dean of Students for Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Larkins-Pettigrew is the founder and current CEO and President of JUSTWONDOOR (Women and Newborns, Diversity, Outreach, Opportunity and Research), a program that aims to educate global medical providers through local and international health care collaborations.
Prior to receiving her medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh, she practiced as a critical care nurse, receiving her baccalaureate degree in nursing from the University of Pittsburgh, a master’s degree in education from California State University Los Angeles, an Adult Nurse Practitioner certification from California State University, Long Beach, and a master’s degree in public policy and management (International Affairs) from the University of Pittsburgh. She is also a veteran of the United States Navy, where she cared for active duty members, veterans and their families.
Dr. Larkins-Pettigrew lectures frequently, regionally and internationally, on health issues relating to the wellness of women and strategies that advance diversity, equity and inclusion in healthcare. She is also the author of “The Colors of My Heart: Embracing My Blackness with History, Family, Fear and Faith,” a recently published autobiography.
Chief Experience Officer
Eugene Scioscia, Jr., MD, is Allegheny Health Network’s Chief Experience Officer.
Dr. Scioscia has been a part of AHN and its family of hospitals for nearly 30 years, working in leadership roles at both Allegheny General Hospital, where he served as chairman and residency training program director for the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and West Penn Hospital, where he is past president of the medical staff. At the network leadership level, he continues to serve as AHN’s vice chairman, Clinical Operations, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He also continues to maintain his gynecology practice.
Under his leadership, AHN’s Patient Experience Office is building a system-wide culture of service excellence and superior patient communication, working closely with clinicians, hospital and institute leadership, and front-line staff across the network to meet and exceed patient and employee expectations.
Dr. Scioscia received his undergraduate degree from Duke University and his medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Medicine. His post-graduate training comprises four years of residency at Yale-New Haven Medical Center, including two years as the center’s chief OBGYN resident. Today, he is an adjunct clinical associate professor in obstetrics and gynecology at Temple University School of Medicine’s Pittsburgh Clinical Campus at AHN, and an assistant professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology Drexel University College of Medicine.
His professional affiliations include membership in the Pittsburgh Obstetrics/Gynecology Society (past president), and service as a fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He also has served as an examiner for the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Medical Director, Clinically Integrated Network
William Johnjulio, MD, is the Medical Director of AHN’s clinically integrated network, Physician Partners of Western Pennsylvania LLC. He is also chair of Allegheny Health Network’s Primary Care Institute, as well as the system chair of the Department of Family Medicine at AHN.
Previously, Dr. Johnjulio served as the program director of Forbes Family Medicine Residency at AHN, and he is also a member of the Medical Staff Executive Committee at AHN. He joined AHN in 2010 and maintains his clinical practice with Forbes Family Medicine.
Dr. Johnjulio graduated from the University of Iowa College of Medicine and completed postgraduate training with a family medicine internship at the University of Rochester/Highland Hospital and a residency and chief year in family medicine at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. He also completed a Faculty Development program at Duke University and an Executive Business Program at the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Business.
He has held academic appointments in the Departments of Family Medicine at Forbes Hospital, Temple University and Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, as well as at the University of Pittsburgh College of Pharmacy.
Dr. Johnjulio is certified by the American Board of Family Medicine, and he is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians and the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine. He has served on the board of directors of the Allegheny County Medical Society since 2013.
General Counsel, Chief Administrative Officer, Corporate Secretary
Jacqueline M. Bauer is General Counsel, Chief Administrative Officer and Corporate Secretary of Allegheny Health Network.
Ms. Bauer serves as the chief legal counsel for the provider network and works closely with the AHN executive management team on strategic matters, including transactions and corporate initiatives. Additionally, she oversees regulatory and government affairs for AHN. She also serves as secretary of the Board of Directors of AHN and of the hospital and foundation boards within the network.
Previously, Ms. Bauer served as counsel in the Highmark Health law department and worked for the law firm of Kirkpatrick & Lockhart (now known as K&L Gates). She has a law degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and received her undergraduate degree from Washington and Jefferson College, where she currently serves on the Board of Trustees.
Ms. Bauer also serves on the Board of Directors of Family House, Inc.
Chief Development Officer, Highmark Health and Allegheny Health Network
Mitch Beckman is Highmark Health’s Chief Development Officer, an SVP-level position that leads all fund-raising activities for Highmark Health and its subsidiary organizations, including AHN.
Mr. Beckman joined Highmark Health in 2023 from the Medical College of Wisconsin and its affiliate, Froedtert Hospital, a 700-bed academic medical center near Milwaukee. He has served as MCW’s vice president and chief development officer since 2019, and in that role, his development team raised $90 million annually and recently completed an ambitious, $300 million comprehensive capital campaign.
Throughout his career, Mr. Beckman has delivered transformational results when it comes to cultivating potential high-impact donors and building relationships with grateful patients. He also has a deep understanding of what it takes to establish and sustain donor-supported academic endowments, which provide vital financial resources for health care innovation and medical education.
A Wisconsin native, Mr. Beckman has spent three decades in university and health care fund development, much of that at the University of Iowa. Before joining MCW, he was the assistant VP for Iowa’s Center for Advancement, as well as the university’s Carver College of Medicine.
At Highmark Heath, Mr. Beckman collaborates with the Highmark Health and AHN senior leadership, creating a unified strategy for current and future philanthropic campaigns. He also oversees operations of AHN’s existing foundations and trusts (Alle-Kiski Medical Center Trust, Forbes Health Foundation, Saint Vincent Hospital Foundation for Health and Human Services, Suburban Health Foundation, and the Western Pennsylvania Hospital Foundation).
He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a communications degree.
Senior Vice President, Virtual Health and Access
Deborah (Deb) Duffy, MPA, FACHE, is AHN’s senior vice president of virtual health and clinical access. In this role, Ms. Duffy leads all virtual and clinical access initiatives at AHN, helping to expand AHN’s service capacity in high-demand specialties by developing and implementing strategies to improve care access and the experience of AHN patients overall. She has oversight of the AHN call center, capacity and optimization, and all of AHN’s mission-critical initiatives related to clinician appointments.
Ms. Duffy has over 25 years of administrative health care experience across many disciplines, including access to care, clinical compliance, space planning, managed care contracting, business and program development, practice management, medical staff development, recruitment and education at several hospital systems in northeast Ohio.
Prior to coming to AHN, Ms. Duffy served as in a variety of leadership roles at Cleveland Clinic. In 2012, she was named Executive Director for the Office of Clinical Compliance where she implemented and managed a program to measure appropriateness of care for procedures, surgeries and tests. At the same time, Ms. Duffy led the strategy and action planning to improve patient access. Prior to Clinical Compliance and access, she held roles where she was responsible strategic space planning and business development, as well as contracting with payors for tertiary care and centers of excellence, including employer-direct contracts.
Ms. Duffy has a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master of Public Administration degree with a focus on Healthcare Administration, both from Cleveland State University. She is a credentialed Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE) and has previously served on the Board of Directors for the local ACHE chapter, Northeast Ohio American College of Healthcare Executives (NEOACHE).
Senior Vice President, Care Continuum and Transitions
Vicenta Gaspar-Yoo (MD, MBA, CHCQM-PA) is AHN’s senior vice president, Care Continuum and Transitions. In this position, Dr. Gaspar-Yoo oversees care transitions inside and outside of the health network, ensuring accountability between facilities and institutes, and improving coordination across the care continuum and with AHN’s post-acute care partners.
Previously, Dr. Gaspar-Yoo had served as president of AHN Allegheny Valley Hospital, a position she held from 2019 to 2023. As AVH president, she succeeded in expanding the hospital’s outpatient footprint and improving the hospital’s patient safety scores. She also introduced a scholarship helping diverse populations pay for nursing school tuition.
She came to AHN from University Hospitals Health System (UH) in Cleveland, where she served in a variety of clinical and executive leadership roles.
Dr. Gaspar-Yoo earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of the Philippines and her medical degree from the University of the East College of Medicine in Manila. She completed an internship at Crozer-Chester Medical Center near Philadelphia and began her career with a residency at UPMC Presbyterian.
She later earned an MBA from Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management.
Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications, Allegheny Health Network and Highmark Health
Dan Laurent is Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications and Chief Communications Officer for Highmark Health and AHN. A seasoned, award-winning communications professional with more than 30 years of experience leading high-performing media relations, internal and executive communications teams, Mr. Laurent is responsible for overseeing all facets of corporate communications, media relations and reputation management for Highmark Health, Highmark Inc. and AHN, including strategic planning and messaging related to workforce developments, board and executive leadership transitions, financial news, operations, legal matters, quality/safety issues, philanthropy, community relations, real estate transactions, mergers, acquisitions and affiliations, and crisis communications.
For AHN, he also leads all clinical-, research- and academic-related regional and national media relations, work that has earned local and national recognition for its excellence from the Public Relations Society of America and the International Association of Business Communicators. Mr. Laurent's organization also includes Highmark Health's social media, internal communications, web, digital and multimedia operations, and he serves as the senior liaison to Highmark Health’s community affairs and government relations teams.
A lifelong resident of western Pennsylvania, Mr. Laurent previously served as Vice President of Communications for Highmark Health and AHN, and as Director of Corporate Communications for the former West Penn Allegheny Health System. He holds a bachelor’s degree in communication arts from Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa., and has completed the Wharton executive leadership program at the University of Pennsylvania.
