Vice President of Innovation
America's Essential Hospitals
Dr. Kalpana Ramiah is a distinguished health service and public health professional and executive leader with over two decades of experience in healthcare strategy, systems transformation, and advancing health equity. She currently serves as the Vice President of Innovation at America's Essential Hospitals (AEH), where she directs initiatives to improve healthcare access and quality for vulnerable and underserved populations.
Dr. Ramiah holds a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) and a Master of Public Health (MPH) from George Washington University, a Master of Science (MS) in Food Science and Nutrition from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, and an MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. Her multidisciplinary education combines public health expertise with business acumen, enabling her to develop innovative solutions to complex healthcare challenges.
Dr. Ramiah leads the research, education, dissemination, and leadership development portfolio at America's Essential Hospitals and directs the 501C(3) arm of the association - the Essential Hospitals Institute. Ramiah has extensive experience conducting research and managing federally and privately funded technical assistance projects and research programs. She is highly skilled in population health, social and political determinants of health, climate mitigation and resilience, patient and family engagement, health care workforce, and disparity.
Dr. Ramiah excels in building consensus among diverse stakeholders, including hospital executives, policymakers, and industry partners. She facilitates collaboration to break down silos and drive systemic change. Her strategic vision has been pivotal in deploying innovative tactics that enhance healthcare delivery and accessibility. Recognizing the significant impact of opioid use on vulnerable populations, Dr. Ramiah has led research projects and initiatives focused on understanding the factors contributing to opioid abuse and developing effective interventions. Through collaborations with member hospitals and funding from organizations such as the CVS Health Foundation, she spearheaded studies on opioid prescribing practices, patient education, and community-based prevention strategies. Her work emphasizes the importance of holistic approaches that consider social determinants of health and aim to reduce stigma associated with substance use disorders.
Before joining America’s Essential Hospitals, Ramiah was a principal researcher at the American Institutes for Research and an assistant research professor at George Washington University. Before her academic research work, Ramiah held leadership roles with the Association of Schools of Public Health and West Virginia Smoking Cessation and Reduction in Pregnancy Treatment Dissemination, serving as a manager and deputy director, respectively. Ramiah is part of a number of technical expert panels and advisory committees nationally on healthcare access and the impact of upstream factors on health.
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Integrating Social Medicine to Health Care: Essential Hospital Leaders Driving Transformation (161H)
Tuesday, March 25, 2025
2:00pm – 3:00pm CT