Staff Reports | Community Updates
Dr. Marjorie Bessel, chief clinical officer at Banner Health, has been recognized as one of Modern Healthcare’s 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives for 2025.
It is the third time in five years she has won this prestigious industry honor for her efforts leading Banner’s clinical initiatives, according to a press release.
With daily teamwork, smart data, and strong collaboration across specialties, patients moved through the hospital and transitioned smoothly to the next step in their care — whether that’s rehabilitation, home, or another facility, the release states.
It’s part of an organizational-wide effort to improve care agility and focus on interdisciplinary learning. This approach freed up space equal to 100 new beds, allowing Banner to care for nearly 10,000 more patients in 2024, Banner Health officials tell the Digital Free Press.
“Banner Health is a name synonymous with quality, and that’s due in large part to the work of Dr. Bessel, whose 20-year career has been driven by a commitment to getting people home to their families safely and staying well in our communities,” said Banner Health President and CEO Amy Perry. “We are not surprised by this recognition given our amazing team and attention to detail that Dr. Bessel brings to work every day.”
Under her leadership, Banner Health achieved its lowest-ever clinician burnout rates in 2024, and the best in the nation according to the Maslach Burnout Inventory tool.
“Becoming a clinician doesn’t automatically prepare one for a leadership role, helping to guide an organization or an industry. The 50 clinicians chosen this year as the most influential, some newcomers and some we have recognized previously, are having an oversized impact,” said Mary Ellen Podmolik, editor-in-chief of Modern Healthcare. “Their work is benefiting their own teams in terms of clinical advancements and financial results and is leading to better patient outcomes.”
