St. Elizabeth Healthcare and St. Elizabeth Physicians are proud to honor our own who were right here for our patients and community. Keep reading to be inspired by our Cincinnati Business Courier Health Care Heroes Award winners and finalists.
2023
Stephanie Bonfilio, MSN, RN, OCN, ONN-CG
Oncology Navigation Manager
Health Care Heroes Finalist,
Patient Experience Category
What are the key attributes necessary to be successful in that role? Implementing change is hard, so being tactful and collaborative is key. However, one of the most important attributes is my push to always think about what is best for the patient. I start there and figure out how to get as close to that as possible. Our goal is to improve patient outcomes and experiences, so always putting the patient at the forefront of our decisions is essential. – Credit: Cincinnati Business Courier
2022
Dr. Doug Flora
Executive Medical Director of Oncology Services
Health Care Heroes Winner,
Manager Category
On September 29, 2020, a dream was fulfilled in the Northern Kentucky region as the St. Elizabeth Cancer Center opened its doors. To Dr. Doug Flora, Executive Medical Director of Oncology Services at St. Elizabeth Healthcare, it was a triumphant day and one he had been visualizing and planning for years. A cancer survivor himself, he had dedicated his career to cancer as a medical oncologist and hematologist and no one played a bigger role in shaping the Center’s goal to be patient-centered first and foremost. He knows what it means to be a patient and physician and he made sure whatever patients needed would be provided here — elite options for prevention, genetic screening, precision medicine, clinical research and treatment — all under one roof.
Dr. Dora Savani
Medical Director of Infectious Disease Response Team
Health Care Heroes Winner,
Provider Category
Dr. Dora Savani, along with nurse manager Lee Ann Ernst, has led the infectious disease response team since its inception in 2014 following the Ebola outbreak. The all-volunteer team within the clinical staff has trained for situations such as the current global coronavirus pandemic. Dr. Savani coordinates an integrated group of pulmonologists, respiratory therapists, nurses, and other clinicians that have treated more than 20,000 patients since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. – Credit: Cincinnati Business Courier
2021
Dr. Doug Flora
Executive Medical Director of Oncology Services
Health Care Heroes Winner,
Manager Category
On September 29, 2020, a dream was fulfilled in the Northern Kentucky region as the St. Elizabeth Cancer Center opened its doors. To Dr. Doug Flora, Executive Medical Director of Oncology Services at St. Elizabeth Healthcare, it was a triumphant day and one he had been visualizing and planning for years. A cancer survivor himself, he had dedicated his career to cancer as a medical oncologist and hematologist and no one played a bigger role in shaping the Center’s goal to be patient-centered first and foremost. He knows what it means to be a patient and physician and he made sure whatever patients needed would be provided here — elite options for prevention, genetic screening, precision medicine, clinical research and treatment — all under one roof.
Dr. Doug Flora
Executive Medical Director of Oncology Services
Health Care Heroes Winner,
Manager Category
On September 29, 2020, a dream was fulfilled in the Northern Kentucky region as the St. Elizabeth Cancer Center opened its doors. To Dr. Doug Flora, Executive Medical Director of Oncology Services at St. Elizabeth Healthcare, it was a triumphant day and one he had been visualizing and planning for years. A cancer survivor himself, he had dedicated his career to cancer as a medical oncologist and hematologist and no one played a bigger role in shaping the Center’s goal to be patient-centered first and foremost. He knows what it means to be a patient and physician and he made sure whatever patients needed would be provided here — elite options for prevention, genetic screening, precision medicine, clinical research and treatment — all under one roof.
Medical Director of Chronic Lung Diseases
Health Care Heroes Finalist,
Innovator Category
Dr. Chaitanya Mandapakala, a St. Elizabeth Physicians pulmonologist and Medical Director of Chronic Lung Diseases at St. Elizabeth Healthcare, treats patients with various types of lung disorder, and his skills and expertise were crucial in the response to COVID-19. He worked on the front lines closely with the multi-disciplinary Infectious Disease Response Team at St. Elizabeth Ft. Thomas, treating his first patient in March and hundreds since. In May 2020, he acted as principal investigator as St. Elizabeth became the first hospital site in the world to start dosing patients with a new COVID-19 treatment from Pulmotect, a bio-pharmaceutical company out of Houston. His efforts both within St. Elizabeth with treatment protocols and interactive lectures, and in the community partnering with Hoxworth to promote the need for convalescent plasma were extraordinary in a time of great need.
Dr. Chaitanya Mandapakala
Medical Director of Chronic Lung Diseases
Health Care Heroes Finalist,
Innovator Category
Dr. Chaitanya Mandapakala, a St. Elizabeth Physicians pulmonologist and Medical Director of Chronic Lung Diseases at St. Elizabeth Healthcare, treats patients with various types of lung disorder, and his skills and expertise were crucial in the response to COVID-19. He worked on the front lines closely with the multi-disciplinary Infectious Disease Response Team at St. Elizabeth Ft. Thomas, treating his first patient in March and hundreds since. In May 2020, he acted as principal investigator as St. Elizabeth became the first hospital site in the world to start dosing patients with a new COVID-19 treatment from Pulmotect, a bio-pharmaceutical company out of Houston. His efforts both within St. Elizabeth with treatment protocols and interactive lectures, and in the community partnering with Hoxworth to promote the need for convalescent plasma were extraordinary in a time of great need.
Dr. Chaitanya Mandapakala
Medical Director of Chronic Lung Diseases
Health Care Heroes Finalist,
Innovator Category
Dr. Chaitanya Mandapakala, St. Elizabeth Physicians pulmonologist and Medical Director of Chronic Lung Diseases at St. Elizabeth Healthcare, treats patients with various types of lung disorder, and his skills and expertise were crucial in the response to COVID-19. He worked on the front lines closely with the multi-disciplinary Infectious Disease Response Team at St. Elizabeth Ft. Thomas, treating his first patient in March and hundreds since. In May 2020, he acted as principal investigator as St. Elizabeth became the first hospital site in the world to start dosing patients with a new COVID-19 treatment from Pulmotect, a bio-pharmaceutical company out of Houston. His efforts both within St. Elizabeth with treatment protocols and interactive lectures, and in the community partnering with Hoxworth to promote the need for convalescent plasma were extraordinary in a time of great need.
