Christopher T. Olivia, M.D., assumed the role of President and Chief Executive Officer of West Penn Allegheny Health System on March 17.

Dr. Olivia previously served as President and CEO for The Cooper Health System (CHS) in Camden, New Jersey. During his tenure, CHS witnessed significant financial growth, with revenues more than doubling and discharges increasing by over 60 percent. He also led The Cooper University Hospital to the number one ranking in market share for hospitals in South Jersey.

His leadership was also instrumental in restoring CHS to an investment grade financial rating for the first time in eight years. Under his stewardship, the system increased its NIH/Federal grants 16-fold with total research funding that now exceeds $25 million. Under Dr. Olivia's direction, CHS also earned accolades for quality care and employee relations.

Dr. Olivia earned his undergraduate degree at the Pennsylvania State University and his medical degree with honors and academic distinction from Hahnemann Medical School. He served his internship at Colombia University's Morristown Memorial Hospital Program where he was Intern of the Year. Dr. Olivia also earned an M.B.A. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

After completing his residency in ophthalmology at The University at Buffalo, State University of New York, he joined a private practice and later served as a physician manager in a group practice in Buffalo, New York. He has continued to practice medicine throughout his career. 

Ms. Gideon brings 25 years of diverse experience in both single- and multi-hospital facility administration to West Penn Hospital and its Forbes Regional Campus in Monroeville.

For the last three years, Ms. Gideon was a Managing Director and Interim Management Group Practice Leader for the Huron Consulting Group, one of the nation's largest health-care performance improvement firms.

Among her many achievements with Huron, Ms. Gideon served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Restructuring Executive for Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Center in New York, a $1.7 billion teaching organization consisting of multiple hospitals, long-term care facilities, a behavioral health network and 300-plus residents in seven teaching programs.

Ms. Gideon began her career as a planning and marketing associate the former Forbes Health System (FHS). In a ten-year span, she rose rapidly through that system's ranks serving as Vice President for Planning and Marketing, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director for Forbes Metropolitan Hospital and lastly, as the Senior Vice President for Strategic Planning and Chief Operating Officer for FHS.

Ms. Gideon earned both her undergraduate degree and a Master of Public Health degree from The University of Pittsburgh.

The Mario Lemieux Foundation was created in 1993 by hockey legend Mario Lemieux.  In that year, Mario was enjoying the greatest season of his brilliant career and on pace to establish a new National Hockey League scoring record, then he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease. 

After a successful battle with Hodgkin's, Mario is now cancer free and his experience led him to focus on ways to assist those not so fortunate.  He devotes much of his time to the Foundation raising funds to help reach the ultimate goal:  a cure for cancer. 

The main objectives of the Mario Lemieux Foundation are to fund promising medical research projects in the areas of cancer and neonatal research and to create playrooms in medical facilities to benefit families and improve the quality of a child's hospital experience. 

Over $10 million has been raised for Foundation projects, including a five million dollar gift to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center to establish the Mario Lemieux Centers for Patient Care and Research in 2001.  As part of the gift, the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute established a Mario Lemieux Foundation laboratory in Hodgkin's disease research where remarkable advances have been made in finding a cure.  

The Mario Lemieux Foundation has established the Austin Lemieux Neonatal Research Project, in honor of Mario and Nathalie Lemieux's healthy son who was born prematurely. This grant supports research at Magee-Womens Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in their Division of Neonatology and Developmental Biology.  

In 2000, The Mario Lemieux Foundation created Austin's Playroom Project initiative following Nathalie and Mario's personal experience while caring for their profoundly premature infant son at Magee-Womens Hospital.  It was then that Nathalie devised the idea to someday raise funds for playrooms at area hospitals in western Pennsylvania. Austin's Playroom Project seeks to benefit families and improve the quality of a child's hospital experience whether as a visitor or patient.  Over 20 playrooms have been completed or scheduled for completion. 

Additionally, a two million dollar gift in 2005 established The Lemieux Family Center at the Children's Home of Pittsburgh.  This Foundation contribution signified the importance of family and is physically represented by the many family spaces throughout the building, including an enlarged family living area and an Austin's Playroom for siblings.  

The Western Pennsylvania Hospital is proud to be the recipient of the 16th area Austin's Playroom.  The playroom is in the process of being constructed on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and will provide access to patients and their families in the NICU as well as the Obstetrics, Labor and Delivery and Post-Partum units.  Each playroom is decorated in primary colors and includes child-size furniture, an aquarium, games, a computer, a television with a VCR/DVD player and toys.  Nathalie Lemieux is very involved in each playroom and instrumental in the design process.  She gives her opinions and recommendations regarding the layout, fabric, and overall "look" of the playroom.   

In just eight years, the Mario Lemieux Foundation and Austin's Playroom Project luncheon/auction has raised the needed funds to renovate and furnish Austin's Playrooms for the following institutions: 

Completed Playrooms: 

• Sewickley Hospital -  Emergency Department
• Latrobe Area Hospital
• Mercy Hospital Emergency Department
• St. Clair Hospital Emergency Department
• The Western Pennsylvania Hospital - Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Playroom
• The New Children's Hospital - Lemieux Sibling Center, Main Entrance
• The New Children's Hospital -Austin's Playroom, 6th Floor

For the past 15 years, The Mario Lemieux Foundation has been working to fund medical research in order to help find a cure for cancer.  In addition, the past eight years have also been devoted to creating positive experiences for families whose children are patients in area hospitals through Austin's Playroom Project.  The Foundation has donated millions of dollars to local organizations thereby displaying an exemplary record of civic responsibility and advancing philanthropy in western Pennsylvania.  Mario and Nathalie's personal experiences have helped to foster this caring environment and through their hard work, devotion and generosity, they have truly created an outstanding Foundation.  

For more information visit the Mario Lemieux Foundation website.

Battle of the Bands Supports Burn Camp

Aggie Brose Joins Foundation Board of Directors

Will you help fund research that could save the lives of individuals battling leukemia? Would you like to provide a deserving student with a scholarship to attend nursing school? What about supplying patients in need with life-saving medications? 

When you designate The Western Pennsylvania Hospital Foundation as a beneficiary in your will, you do all of these things and many more to improve the health of our community. 

A will lets you plan for the future by meeting the future needs of your family, supporting your favorite charitable organization(s), and allowing you to take full advantage of estate tax savings available to you. 

Planned giving can be as simple as stating:  

I give to The Western Pennsylvania Hospital Foundation, 4818 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, the sum of (dollar amount/or percentage of) residue of my estate to be used at the discretion of its governing board.  

This type of unrestricted gift is most useful as it allows the Foundation to direct your bequest toward the Hospital's most pressing needs at the time of receipt. However, donors can also specify how they would like their funds to be used. 

If you have included The Western Pennsylvania Hospital Foundation as a beneficiary in your will, please let us know. If not, let us show you how. For more information, please contact Beverly Beisgen at the Foundation at 412-578-4427.

The Golf Classic is a fun-filled day of golf, socializing, auction-raffles, a dinner reception, and most importantly people coming together to support The Western Pennsylvania Hospital.  The day starts with registration at 10 a.m., the tee-off at 11:45, all-day auctions & raffles, a cocktail reception at 6 p.m., and ending with a dinner program where team & skill and auction & raffle winners will be announced.

Over the years this has become a successful event for the Foundation, which has greatly benefited many programs at The Western Pennsylvania Hospital. The programs and services the Foundation is able to financially support from the Golf Classic and other events include medical research, and educational and community service programs. The Foundation's mission in raising funds for the Hospital is to guarantee superior care and service throughout the Hospital.