Leadership & Staff

Dorothy Beckwith

Co-Founder, The Beckwith Institute

G. Nicholas Beckwith III

Co-Founder, The Beckwith Institute
Chairman Emeritus, UPMC Board of Directors

Timothy Billiar, MD

Bruce Bowden

Deborah Brodine

Louise Brown

Jeanne Cunicelli

Eric Dueweke, MD

Jackie Dunbar-Jacob

Robert Edwards, MD

Toren Finkel, MD/PhD

Bartley P. Griffith, Jr. 

Dawndra Jones

Edward Karlovich

Louis Leff, MD, FACP

Amanda Lenhard, MD

Anne Marie Lennon, MD

Holly Lorenz

Jennifer March

Oscar Marroquin, MD

Ed McCallister

Maribeth McLaughlin

Suresh Mulukutla, MD

Sandra L. Rader

Fred Rubin, MD

Graham Snyder, MD

J.C. Stilley

John P. Surma

Elizabeth Surma

Becky Taylor

Jessica Trybus

V. Thomas Worrall, MD

Donald M. Yealy, MD

Sissi Zhu

Senior Board Member, Shady Side Academy

Sissi is a senior at Shady Side Academy who has a keen interest in healthcare stemming from her grandparents, who worked as nurse and doctor. With a strong belief that the best way to improve healthcare for patients is to directly interact with them, she is passionate about learning about innovative ideas in healthcare aimed at improving patient experience. She hopes that by learning more about the healthcare system, she could one day improve the system and contribute to her community.

After interning at WellGenetics to learn more about genome editing (using CRISPR on fruit flies) in the summer of 2023, Sissi spent her time collaborating with her teammates to do gene comparisons to find genes with significant levels of mutation in different cancer subtypes. She and her teammates aim to publish a paper on their findings in the summer of 2024 and continue delving into other areas concerning health and biology. Aside from academics, Sissi also does community service, whether it’s packaging books for the Prison Book Project or volunteering at PCS to mentor the children’s choir class.

At Shady Side Academy, Sissi serves on the Newspaper Editorial Board and the history department as the History Department Associate. She plans to continue promoting civic engagement at school by inviting speakers involved in government, along with delving into the chemistry of cosmetics and their effects. She enjoys being involved in the Pre-Med Club, the Quantum club, and the ASL club, which allowed her to see and learn about different perspectives. Sissi also participates in the Science Olympiad and loves reading Shakespeare, swimming on the swim team, participating in the Symphonic Band, and writing poetry in her free time.

Ahmed Elsayed

New Junior Board member, Shady Side Academy

Ahmed is a junior at Shady Side Academy with a growing passion for medicine and public policy, particularly how both influence the future of patient care. He hopes to follow in the footsteps of his mother and father, who immigrated from Sudan and built meaningful careers in pediatrics and radiology through a commitment to public service.

After extensive volunteering at UPMC Children’s Hospital, Ahmed gained firsthand insight into the patient experience, serving as both a Patient Transporter and a Patient Experience Ambassador. In these roles, he focused on building connections with patients and families, observing how simple kindness and attentiveness can make a meaningful difference. He is also set to intern through Shady Side’s Research Seminar class, where he will conduct independent scientific research under the guidance of a professional mentor and present his findings in the fall.

Outside the hospital, Ahmed is deeply engaged in public policy through competitive speech and debate. As the newly elected Co-President of Shady Side Academy’s team and a National Tournament qualifier in Congressional Debate, he regularly drafts and debates legislation on issues such as the environment, foreign policy, and healthcare.

At Shady Side Academy, Ahmed serves as Co-President of the Speech & Debate Team, an Admissions Ambassador, a Peer Leader, a member of the Boys’ Basketball Team, and, most importantly, Co-President of the Ping-Pong Club. On his brain breaks, Ahmed loves to play basketball, hang out with friends, visit family, and travel the world!

Tami Minnier, MSN, RN, FACHE, FAAN

Senior Vice President, Health Services Division
Chief Quality & Operational Excellence Officer, UPMC