CHP Board of Visitors

Susan grew up in Connecticut and obtained her BA from the University of Connecticut. She began her MBA program at the University of Connecticut and then moved to San Francisco, where she completed her course work at the University of California, Berkeley's Haas School of Business.

Susan's professional career includes over 25 years of experience in all areas of accounting and finance, including five years as Director of Finance, for Gap, Inc. After returning to her roots in Connecticut, Susan accepted a position as CFO for OR&L, Inc. with offices in Branford, CT and Winter Park, FL. After overseeing a period of rapid growth at OR&L, Susan joined Connecticut Orthopaedics in 2011 as Chief Financial Officer.

During her time at COS, Susan has seen the practice grow to more than 60 physicians as well as more than 80 mid-level providers, including physical therapy. Susan leads a team at Connecticut Orthopaedics with over 500 employees and 20 locations in Fairfield, New Haven and Middlesex counties. Ancillary services at CO include multiple ambulatory surgical centers, MR imaging locations and urgent care clinics.  They also operate the only overnight recovery care center in the state of Connecticut to meet the evolving needs of patients undergoing surgery in an outpatient setting. Susan played a key role in the merger of five other orthopaedic groups into the CO practice including the integration and training of team members.

After 10 years in the CFO role, Susan was selected by the Board of Directors to be the company's Chief Executive Officer in January, 2022. She has articulated a five­ year strategic plan for the practice which focuses on the various initiatives that will allow this group to continue to thrive as an independent medical practice focused on exceptional patient care. A key component of that plan is expansion of CO's partnerships with the academic institutions in their communities to facilitate excellence in the next generation of health care providers.

Dante Brittis, MD, is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon at Orthopaedic Specialty Group, PC. He specializes in sports medicine and shoulder and knee surgery, with extensive experience treating a range of musculoskeletal conditions, including arthroscopic procedures, joint replacement, sports injuries and trauma care.

Brittis earned his medical degree from New York Medical College. He completed a general surgery internship at North Shore University Hospital–Cornell Medical Center and an orthopedic surgery residency at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center/New York Orthopaedic Hospital. He pursued advanced sports medicine training at Lenox Hill Hospital’s Nicholas Institute for Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma.

He is certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine. Brittis is affiliated with St. Vincent’s Medical Center and Bridgeport Hospital Milford Campus.

He has been recognized as a Castle Connolly Top Doctor, reflecting his longstanding commitment to patient care and orthopedic excellence.

Frederick A. Browne MD, MBA, FSHEA, FACP is Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Medical Affairs at Griffin Hospital, Derby CT.

Residency trained at Pennsylvania State University/Hershey Medical Center in Internal Medicine and Anatomic/Clinical Pathology. Fellowship trained at Yale University School of Medicine in Infectious Diseases, Medical Microbiology and Epidemiology. He has been awarded professional fellowships in the Society of Healthcare Epidemiology of America and American College of Physicians. 

Dr. Browne is also a graduate of the University of New Haven, West Haven, CT where he received a Masters of Business Administration and most recently attended Thomas Jefferson University, College of Population Health, Philadelphia, PA where he received a graduate certificate in Population Health.

After finishing his fellowship Dr. Browne started in private practice in Infectious Diseases at New Milford Hospital, New Milford, CT and was quickly promoted to Director of Medical Affairs and then Vice President of Medical Affairs/Chief Medical Officer. In 2011 he was named one of Modern HealthCare’s Up and Comers. He transitioned to South County Hospital, Wakefield, RI where he held a similar role as the Vice President of Medical affairs/ Chief Medical Officer. In 2014 he returned to Connecticut to join the executive team at Griffin Hospital where he became the President of Griffin Faculty Physicians and the Vice President of Medical Affairs/ Chief Medical Officer. Over his career he has become a well-rounded strategic healthcare executive with deep operational and clinical experience. Dr. Browne has lead institutions via strategic planning, staff development, quality management and cultural transformation to become top performing organization. 

Kevin Cox is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Co-Founder of Polaris Corporate Risk Management, working out of Hartford, CT with company headquarters in New York City. As COO, my expertise in Enterprise Risk Management is called upon to guide and lead the POLARIS RISK team and its consultants to deliver exceptional client services. Kevin plays an integral role in the strategic direction of the business and assumed ownership of the operations function as we continue rapid expansion throughout the US market. In this role, Kevin collaborates closely with various business leaders on mission critical initiatives across functions and lead operational strategy pertaining to expansion into new markets, process and workflow optimization, logistics, people operations and more with the goal of continuously improving efficiency and scaling POLARIS RISK’S operations. Kevin’s leadership is instrumental in the evolution of our global security response services line in addition to physical and cyber risk assessment consulting services.

Prior to joining Polaris Corporate Risk Management, Kevin served in an executive leadership role as a Senior Managing Director at Pinkerton Corporate Risk Management. Kevin served as a trusted risk advisor and security subject matter expert with international, national, state and local security service officials, corporate executives, healthcare facilities and heads of universities. Kevin developed, implemented and led enterprise-wide converged security operations involving physical security, impenetrable IT and cyber systems, high value asset protection, complex business continuity measures, crisis and emergency management and executive protection. Ensured the safety and security of thousands of people on four continents. Kevin established framework and functionality of corporate protective intelligence services and crisis management processes. Provided leadership on investigations involving operations, conduct, fraud and misuse of funds.

Kevin received his BS in Criminal Justice and a Certificate in Arson Investigation from the University of New Haven, in addition to a Harvard Cybersecurity: Managing Risk in the information age short course certificate in 2018.

Dr. Anne Davila Casas Diamond is the President of Bridgeport Hospital and Executive Vice President for Yale New Haven Health Services. Bridgeport Hospital is a 501-bed trauma center, a two-campus acute care hospital with two emergency departments, urgent care, critical care units, medical/surgical units, the state’s only burn center and robust ambulatory operations.

Anne has been in health care for over 30 years, starting as a nuclear medicine technologist, radiation safety officer and researcher moving through the leadership ranks of hospitals until arriving at the C-suite. Anne is a visionary chief executive, passionate about patient-centered care with strong clinical operations, strategic, business development, legal and marketing expertise, enjoying a career highlighted by continual leadership advancement and successes in organizations across the health care continuum, including academic, international research, development and translational sciences.

The American Hospital Association recognized Anne in 2020 when she received the Grassroots Champion Award for her work in addressing asthma within the State. Anne has also been recognized by honor societies including, Delta Mu Delta, the National Honor Society of Leadership and Success, Sigma Beta Delta, Omega Nu Lambda, Phi Chapter and the Order of the Sword & Shield National Honor Society, Omicron Sigma. Most recently, Anne has been recognized by Becker’s Healthcare as 63 Hispanic and Latino Healthcare Leaders to Know, 196 Women Hospital Presidents and CEOs to Know, included in the 2025 Great Leaders in Healthcare and the 2025 Women of Distinction by the Fairfield Chamber of Commerce.

Anne holds a BS degree in Nuclear Medicine Technology from Cedar Crest College, is a graduate of Purdue University, Concord School of Law. She received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the University of Bridgeport for her work during the COVID 19 pandemic, a Doctorate in Business Administration with a concentration in Homeland Security, Leadership and Policy from National University and an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Sacred Heart University.

Jeff Gold, DHSc, MBA, MSHA, CSSBB, PMP, is a health care executive and strategist with more than 30 years of experience leading organizational growth and operational transformation. As former chairman and CEO of the Blackmaple Group, a national consulting, management and procurement firm acquired in 2025, he built a company recognized for its results-driven approach to health care performance.

Throughout his career, Gold has guided hospitals, medical billing firms and physician group practices through expansion, restructuring and innovation. His expertise includes growth strategy, mergers and acquisitions, health policy, finance and operational improvement. He has a strong record of increasing efficiency and long-term value.

He has held senior leadership roles including chief administrative officer at OBGYN Specialists of the Palm Beaches, senior vice president of medical and network management at Vista Health Plans, an Aetna company, and president and chief operating officer at SunLife OBGYN Services. Earlier, he served as a senior consultant at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu in Montreal.

Gold holds a Doctor of Health Science, an MBA and an MS in healthcare administration from the University of New Haven and a BA from McGill University.

Paul J. Hesketh, MD,FASCO is Director of the Lahey Health Cancer Institute, Director of the Sophia Gordon Cancer Center and Director of Thoracic Oncology at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center in Burlington, Massachusetts. He is also Professor of Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine.  Dr. Hesketh has a broad interest in investigational antineoplastic therapeutics, with a particular focus in defining effective new treatment approaches for lung cancer and the supportive management of the patient with cancer.  He serves as a member of the Executive Leadership Group of the Lung Committee of SWOG, a National Cancer Institute sponsored nationwide clinical trials group. He also chairs the SWOG Lung Community Engagement Sub-Committee and Professional Review Committee and is the Principal Investigator for SWOG at Lahey Hospital Medical Center.

Dr. Hesketh is a past President of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC). He is a member of the antiemetic guideline committees for the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (co-chair) and MASCC. He is also a member of the ASCO Stage IV Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Guideline Committee. He also serves on the Board of Visitors for the College of Health Professions, Sacred Heart University. He has received multiple academic and teaching awards. They include:   Alumni Achievement Award in Science (Boston College), Best of Boston – Medical Oncology (Boston Magazine), Champion of Healthcare (Boston Business Journal), Distinguished Service Award (Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer), Massachusetts Oncologist of the Year (Massachusetts Society of Clinical Oncology), Fellow, American Society of Clinical Oncology. He serves as a reviewer and editorial board member for a number of scientific journals and is a former Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Oncology:  Index & Reviews.  He is an author of more than 250 scientific manuscripts, abstracts and book chapters.

Mike Papale is the President & Founder of In A Heartbeat, a CT based nonprofit organization with the mission to prevent death from sudden cardiac arrest. In A Heartbeat donates AEDS, provides CPR/AED training, raises money for research, supports heart disease patients and provides free electrocardiograms to children, teens and young adults. Mike suffered sudden cardiac arrest and was lucky to survive when he was 17 years old. He was later diagnosed with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. Prior to founding In A Heartbeat, Mike spent 6 years coaching college basketball at UMass Lowell, Quinnipiac University and Southern CT State University. Mike also serves as the Manager of Community Relations at Defibtech, an AED manufacturer based in Guilford and is the Head Boys’ Basketball Coach at Fairfield Prep. He recently published a memoir titled A Big Heart about his journey living with heart disease.

Paul Possenti, MS, PA-C, is the Director of Trauma Services, Emergency Management, EMS, at Yale New Haven Health’s Bridgeport Hospital. 

A native of Yorktown Heights, NY, Paul attended the State University of New York at Cortland, graduating in 1987 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Science and a minor in Biology. He completed the Physician Assistant (PA) Program at Hahnemann University Medical College of Pennsylvania and his Master of Science at Touro College of Health Sciences. 

Paul began his career in the Department of Surgery and Connecticut Burn Center at Bridgeport Hospital (then known as the Dr. Andrew Panettieri Burn Center). In 1991, he became Clinical Coordinator of Trauma, Burns and Surgical Critical Care. A short time later, he was instrumental in helping the hospital obtain recognition as a Level I Trauma Center from the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Committee on Trauma. The hospital has maintained its ACS Trauma Center recognition ever since. 

Paul took on the additional role of Trauma Coordinator in 2004 and assumed his current position as Director of Trauma Services in 2010.  He served as Chief Surgical PA from 2003 -2015. 

Paul has actively participated in training new PAs since he joined Bridgeport Hospital.  He holds faculty appointments at a number of colleges, including the University of Bridgeport Physician Assistant Institute (PAI), Yale University School of Medicine, Yale University School of Nursing, Quinnipiac University, King’s College and Sacred Heart University. He is also a certified instructor in several categories of life support, including advanced burn, advanced cardiac, advanced trauma and advanced pediatric life support.

Paul is a member of PRN International Relief and has participated in over 15 missions to underserved areas such as Kingston, Jamaica.  This group provides free surgeries and primary care to poor communities.   

Paul has been recognized for his contributions to clinical care and teaching with several honors and awards, including the Connecticut Hospital Association Healthcare Hero Award, Bulldogs Care Foundation Humanitarian Award, Jack Cole Society Award from Yale University (three times), Clinical Excellence Award from Quinnipiac University, Excellence in Teaching Award from the University of Bridgeport PAI and a member of Pi Alpha Honor Society. He has recently received the 2019 Community Partner Award from Sacred Heart University Health Professions. Paul also earned Bridgeport Hospital Employee of the Month, Quality Award and Employee of the Year awards. 

Paul is a fellow of the American Academy of Physician Assistants, American Academy of Surgical Physician Assistants and American Burn Society and is a member of the American Trauma Society, Connecticut Academy of Physician Assistants, American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma, the Society of Critical Care Medicine, Eastern Association of the Surgery of Trauma and the World Congress of Abdominal Compartment Syndrome. He has participated in numerous scholarly presentations on both the national and international level and co-authored over twenty research articles and textbook chapters.  He recently co-authored a children’s activity book on burn and fire prevention. 

In addition to his duties at Bridgeport Hospital, Paul also has a distinguished record of military and volunteer service.  He attended U.S. Army Intelligence School in 1988 and served in the Army and Active Reserve from 1987 to 2004 as a Military Intelligence Officer. Paul has been a volunteer firefighter since 2002 and held the rank of Captain with the Great Hill Hose Company in Seymour, CT, where he resides with his wife Dina and their two children, Philip and Sarah. 

Elizabeth Rivera-Rodriguez, DNP, MSN, MPH, RN, has dedicated over 30 years of her professional career to nursing and public health within the nonprofit and profit sectors. In her current role as director of public health for Bridgeport, Rivera-Rodriguez leads municipal public health strategies focused on advancing health equity, population health, and community resilience. She is also responsible for all financial, programmatic and managerial aspects of a large urban health department. Previously, she served as chief operations officer and the first chief nursing officer at Optimus Healthcare, overseeing clinical operations and systemwide initiatives across community health settings.

Rivera-Rodriguez holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice from Walden University, a Master of Science in nursing education from the University of Phoenix and a Master of Public Health from Southern Connecticut State University.

Glynn Stanton, MS, is chief information officer and chief information security officer for Yale New Haven Health System and Yale Medicine. He has nearly 30 years of experience in information technology and cybersecurity. He began his career at British Telecom Labs, where he deployed the first internet firewalls across the United Kingdom’s National Health Service hospitals.

Stanton has held leadership roles at IBM, AT&T and Unilever, managing teams across multiple industries. At Yale New Haven Health, he oversees information technology, cybersecurity, clinical and financial applications, biomedical technology and clinical engineering.

He serves on the Connecticut State Health Information Technology Advisory Council, the Connecticut Hospital Association DNS Board and several technology advisory committees.

Stanton holds a Bachelor of Engineering in electrical and electronic engineering and a Master of Science in telecommunications from Aston University in the United Kingdom. He previously served as an adjunct professor at Sacred Heart University and has lectured at Sacred Heart, Yale University and the University of New Haven.

Peter Yoo, MD, is a practicing surgeon and the chief academic officer of Hartford HealthCare, where he leads systemwide initiatives in education, research and innovation across seven hospitals and more than 500 care sites. He is focused on advancing academic partnerships, expanding simulation and training programs and developing workforce pathways that connect learners to meaningful careers in health care. Clinically, he has performed abdominal organ transplants in patients from infancy to late adulthood and has led complex clinical initiatives including a record-setting 18-way kidney exchange. His scholarly contributions include landmark national studies on surgical training, wellbeing and professional culture that continue to shape the field. He holds professorships in surgery at the University of Connecticut and Quinnipiac University.

Yoo has been inducted into the American College of Surgeons Academy of Master Surgeon Educators and serves as a councilor of the American Board of Surgery and director of the General Surgery Board. He has held leadership positions with the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, the Association of Program Directors in Surgery and the New England Surgical Society.