Philadelphia, PA, March 19, 2025 – Gift of Life Donor Program, the non-profit, federally designated organ procurement organization serving the eastern half of Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and Delaware, has announced that two new members were elected to its Governing Board.
“We are proud to welcome these two dynamic healthcare professionals to our Governing Board, bringing decades of leadership experience in complex health system management, critical care and strategy,” said Rick Hasz, Gift of Life Donor Program President and CEO. “We look forward to drawing upon their support and expertise as we continue our 50-year legacy of innovation in donation and transplantation and pursue our relentless mission to end the organ transplant waitlist.”
Gift of Life Governing Board
Two new members of the Governing Board were elected:
Kenneth Wood, DO, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Penn State Health System, Vice Dean for Clinical Affairs, College of Medicine Penn State University
- A veteran health care administrator, educator and researcher, Dr. Wood has three decades of clinical experience ranging from community hospitals to large and integrated academic medical centers.
- As executive vice president and chief medical officer for Penn State Health, Dr. Wood provides oversight of critical care standards, scope of practice, medical staff credentialing and overall quality, safety and value of care across the health system.
- Most recently, he served as chief clinical officer for Lifespan, a comprehensive, integrated, academic health system with the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University in Providence, R.I.
- Board certified in internal medicine and critical care medicine, Dr. Wood earned a bachelor’s degree in biology at Lehigh University before completing his medical degree at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed an internal medicine residency at Jefferson Abington Hospital in Abington, Pa. and a fellowship in critical care medicine at Cooper University Medical Center UMDNJ in Camden, N.J.
Kristi Caldararo, MHA, FACHE, Chief Operating Officer, Jefferson Abington Hospital and Lansdale Hospital
- Ms. Caldararo leads operations and strategy for Jefferson Abington Hospital and Lansdale Hospital, both part of the Jefferson Health System in Pennsylvania.
- She oversees a 667-bed regional referral center and a 140-bed acute care hospital, managing 3,500 employees and $1 billion in revenue.
- Her leadership has driven significant improvements, including a $70 million profitability initiative and a successful vaccine rollout during the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Prior to coming to Jefferson Abington, Ms. Caldararo most recently served a dual role as Vice President of Operations at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and Enterprise Vice President for Jefferson Health’s Transplant Service Line.
- Ms. Caldararo was honored in Becker’s Healthcare 2024 “Rising Stars: 42 Healthcare Leaders Under 40.” She is also a dedicated mentor, fostering the development of future healthcare leaders and actively participating in community service through organizations like Hosts for Hospitals, which provides lodging and caring support to patients and their families traveling to greater Philadelphia area for medical care.
The Governing Board will continue its oversight and direction of the strategic and operational initiatives of the organization. Gift of Life board members have expertise in hospital administration, transplant surgery, critical care medicine, business, science and community health. The Board’s focus is to advance the life-saving mission of Gift of Life.
Governing Board Officers
- Chair: Linda Barrasse, MD, Donor Mom, Cardiologist with Lankenau Heart Group, Main Line Health
- Vice Chair: Lynn Fallon, Retired, Co-Founder, CTI Clinical Trial & Consulting Services, former member of Medical Advisory & Policy Board
- Immediate Past Chair: Warren Maley, MD, Nicoletti Family Professor of Transplantation Surgery, Live Donor Liver Transplant Program
- Treasurer and Secretary: Timmy Nelson, Kidney Recipient and Gift of Life Ambassador, Senior Vice President, Managing Director of State Government Affairs, Retired, United Parcel Service (UPS), former member of Medical Advisory & Policy Board
- Honorary Chairman and Co-Founder: Clyde F. Barker, MD, Chairman Emeritus, Department of Surgery and Transplant Surgeon, Professor of Surgery, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Co-Founder, Greater Delaware Valley Society of Transplant Surgeons
Gift of Life Donor Program
Gift of Life Donor Program, founded in 1974 and headquartered in Philadelphia, is the federally designated organ procurement organization (OPO) for the eastern half of Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and Delaware serving 11.3 million people. It works with 124 acute care hospitals and 12 transplant centers in its region, as well as hundreds of transplant centers throughout the country, to provide the most comprehensive array of services available in the U.S. to the donation and transplantation community. Thanks to the generosity of its community, Gift of Life has coordinated 14,860 donors and 41,140 organs for transplant, the most of any OPO in the country since the inception of our national donation system in 1988. Overall, Gift of Life has coordinated more than 62,000 organs and more than two million tissue transplants since its founding. One organ donor can save the lives of up to eight people and a tissue donor can improve the lives of 100 others. In honor of its 50 years of saving lives, Gift of Life is rallying the community to sign up 50,000 more organ donors and provide hope to the thousands waiting for a transplant. Learn more and sign up at donors1.org.