HERSHEY, Pa. — Michael E. Kupferman has been appointed by Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi and the Penn State Health Board of Directors to serve as Penn State Health’s next chief executive officer (CEO). Kupferman is an experienced healthcare leader and physician executive with over a decade of experience driving transformational change across integrated health systems, academic medical centers and community healthcare enterprises.
“I am thrilled to welcome Dr. Michael Kupferman to lead Penn State Health. Michael is an innovative and accomplished academic physician leader who is deeply aligned with our health system’s tripartite mission to train the next generation of health care providers, conduct life-changing health science research and provide patient care of the highest quality,” said Bendapudi. “Working together with Penn State College of Medicine, I have great confidence in his ability to elevate our integrated academic health system to benefit the people of our commonwealth and beyond.”
Kupferman joins Penn State Health after serving as president of the Banner University Medicine Division and senior vice president of the physician enterprise for Phoenix-based Banner Health, one of the largest health systems in the United States. His responsibilities at Banner included academic medicine, system and service line strategy, hospital and medical group operations, patient access and health network performance. He also served as a board member on the CVS-Aetna payer joint venture with Banner, and as a board member of the wholly owned Medicare Advantage plan and Banner Health Plans corporate boards.
“I’m honored and grateful for the opportunity to serve as the CEO of Penn State Health,” Kupferman said. “I look forward to working shoulder to shoulder with my talented and dedicated colleagues at Penn State Health and the College of Medicine to deliver on our promise to provide unparalleled and innovative care to the people of Central Pennsylvania and the commonwealth. Together we will foster an environment that enables us to train the best physicians and health care providers, advance research and expand our role as the region’s only locally based, academic health system.”
Kupferman previously served as senior vice president of clinical and academic network development at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, where he served from 2006 to 2022. He led the development, management and growth of clinical oncology and research programs across MD Anderson Cancer Network, inclusive of all domestic and international relationships. In this role, he led the development of oncology partnerships with some of the largest health systems in the United States. He was also responsible for global population health initiatives and public policy platforms with international governmental agencies and non-governmental organizations. While at MD Anderson, he was a professor in the Department of Head and Neck Surgery.
Kupferman is a fellowship trained head and neck cancer surgeon and researcher who completed his clinical and research fellowships at MD Anderson. He earned his bachelor’s in political science and biology from Yeshiva University, and received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He completed his surgery internship and otolaryngology–head and neck surgery residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He also holds an MBA from Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management. He is board-certified in otolaryngology–head and neck surgery.
Kupferman has been previously funded by the National Institutes of Health, and his research interests include the mechanisms of metastasis in head and neck cancer, salivary gland tumor biology, affordability and access in patient care, and emerging robotic technologies for cancer treatment.
In his role as CEO of Penn State’s $4.2 billion health system, Kupferman will also work closely with Penn State College of Medicine Dean Karen Kim and other leaders of the College of Medicine and University to foster increased collaboration across the clinical and academic enterprises.
“I look forward to partnering with Michael to advance our shared missions of patient care, research, education and service,” said Kim, who also serves as physician-in-chief for Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck professor and chair in rural health research. “His wealth of experience in integrated, university health systems will be a tremendous asset in helping our health system deliver on our shared vision to improve health, advance discovery and prepare the future health care workforce.”
Kupferman was selected following a national search led by a 12-member committee, chaired by Penn State Health Board member and Siemens healthcare market executive Steve Wagman, with assistance from the search firm Russell Reynolds. The committee included Kim, representatives of the Penn State Health Board of Directors, department chairs of Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and the College of Medicine, as well as senior executives of Penn State Health.
“Dr. Kupferman is an experienced clinician, educator, researcher and administrator with a deep appreciation for the many complex forces shaping the future of health care,” said Keith Masser, chair of the Penn State Health Board of Directors. “He sees opportunity where others see challenges. Penn State Health will be well-positioned to meet the evolving health care needs of our community under his capable leadership.”
In addition to his administrative duties as CEO, Kupferman intends to continue caring for head and neck cancer patients, as well as teaching medical students, residents and fellows. He will hold a College of Medicine faculty appointment as a professor of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery.
Kupferman will assume his duties as Penn State Health CEO effective Monday, June 23.