Steve Landers M.D., MPH, has been named president and chief executive officer of Hebrew SeniorLife. Hebrew SeniorLife, a Harvard Medical School-affiliated, integrated system of health care, senior living, research, and teaching serves more than 3,000 Greater Boston seniors each day.
Dr. Landers comes to Hebrew SeniorLife from Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) Health Group, where he has served since 2012 as president and chief executive officer. He is a practicing physician, certified in family medicine, geriatric medicine, and hospice and palliative medicine and also holds an appointment as clinical associate professor of family medicine and community health at the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Prior to joining VNA Health Group, he served as a staff physician and administrative leader at the Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Landers is a recognized leader and innovator in home health, primary care, and aging services, and has authored many articles and has been an outspoken advocate for nursing, the front-line workforce, and improving care for older Americans.
Dr. Landers will join Hebrew SeniorLife in July. He will succeed Louis J. Woolf, who is retiring after leading the organization for the past 14 years.
“We are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Steve Landers as the new president and CEO of Hebrew SeniorLife,” said Hebrew SeniorLife Board Chair Melissa Tearney. “The outstanding depth of his experiences and accomplishments as a leader within a variety of nonprofit and academic health care settings makes him the ideal person to lead Hebrew SeniorLife in its mission to empower seniors to live their best lives.”
“Looking ahead, I am so excited and honored to join Hebrew SeniorLife, an innovative and caring organization that shares my own values of tikkun olam – to heal the world. For more than a century Hebrew SeniorLife has been a beacon of excellence, dedicated to supporting Greater Boston seniors in all facets of their lives.
“As a Harvard Medical School affiliate that houses the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research, Hebrew SeniorLife is also known around the globe as a leader in understanding and finding solutions for the most serious age-related health problems people face. I look forward to working with this special caring community to expand on the tremendous impact made during the tenure of Lou Woolf, current Hebrew SeniorLife president & CEO, and make a worldwide difference in research, education, and advocacy to ensure all people can age with independence, dignity, and health.
Former Hebrew SeniorLife Board Chair and current Governance Committee Chair Jeff Drucker led the Board Search Committee. “On behalf of the Search Committee I would like to congratulate Dr. Landers and welcome him to the Hebrew SeniorLife community,” said Drucker. “At the same time, I would like to thank everyone who worked with the committee during this process and for their assistance in bringing this search to a wonderful conclusion.”
Dr. Landers currently lives with his wife Allison Landers (a banking and financial services executive) and their three sons in Central New Jersey near VNA Health Group’s headquarters at the Jersey Shore. He grew up near Cleveland, OH, and is the son of Maxine Landers, a retired occupational therapist and accomplished hospital administrator, and Dr. Michael Landers, a retired family dentist, anatomist, and leader in medical education. Dr. Steve Landers is a graduate of Shaker Heights High School, Indiana University at Bloomington, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He completed a Family Medicine Residency at University Hospitals of Cleveland / Case Western Reserve University and completed a Geriatric Medicine Fellowship at Cleveland Clinic.
Before joining VNA Health Group, Dr. Landers served in several capacities at the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic, most recently as the director of the Center for Home Care and Community Rehabilitation and as director of post-acute operations. There he functioned as lead executive and clinical officer for home health, hospice, home infusion pharmacy, home respiratory therapy, home cardiac monitoring, home visiting physician program, and community skilled nursing facility relations.
Dr. Landers has held a number of volunteer and industry board memberships including current positions with University Hospital in Newark; Parker Health Group in Piscataway, NJ; Partnership For Quality Home Health Care in Washington, D.C.; and New Jersey Alliance For Aging Well. His previous board memberships include Alliance for Home Health Quality and Innovation in Washington, D.C.; New Jersey Hospital Association Health Research and Educational Trust; Community Health Accreditation Partner in Washington, D.C.; Greater Newark Health Care Coalition; National Association for Home Care & Hospice; and the American Academy of Home Care Medicine. Θ