Three women at Glendale hospitals were recognized this week by the Los Angeles Business Journal as being among its “Women of Influence” in health care.
The publication named Alice Issai, president of Adventist Health Glendale, Theresa Murphy, chief nursing officer at USC Verdugo Hills Hospital, and Mary Virgallito, associate administrator of quality and patient safety at USC-VHH, among the 40 total honorees.
For its list, the Business Journal said it identified “particularly stellar health industry stewards” in the L.A. region, whose leadership shined throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The health care leaders were chosen by the Los Angeles Business Journal to be recognized for exceptional stewardship and achievement across the full spectrum of responsibility, exemplary leadership as evidenced by the highest professional and ethical standards, and for contributions to the health and wellbeing of the Los Angeles community at large,” the Business Journal wrote.
Issai was recognized for leading Adventist Health through numerous advancements throughout the past several years, including the development of a structural heart program, growth of a number of surgical sub-specialties and the expansion of primary care physicians and specialists at the institution. The Business Journal also noted that the hospital was named among California’s top 5% by the U.S. News & World Report and was among five South California hospitals awarded a five-star rating by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Murphy was lauded for her continued advocacy for improvements to nurse working culture, having helped implement updated work practices for the pandemic and also support services to combat burnout among USC-VHH’s nursing staff. She is chair of the Hospital Association of Southern California’s Nursing Advisory Committee, where she has also developed and led sessions addressing staff burnout and crisis response.
Virgallito was heralded for her quick response at the start of the pandemic to establish new infection prevention protocols that helped reserve the limited supply of personal protective equipment by making use of remote technology and no-touch cleaning. She was the statewide representative for California chapters of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology to the state Department of Public Health’s Healthcare Acquired Infections Advisory Committee.
