Leadership Team 2019

Beth Davis, SPHR
Franklyn Cladis, MD
Paula Davis, MA
Doris Rubio, PhD
Ann Thompson, MD, MHCPM
Jennifer Woodward, PhD

Academy Leader

Beth Davis, SPHR is a senior organizational and leadership development consultant with ThirdRiver Partners. Beth is known professionally for her ability to creatively align business strategy to people practices while keeping a passionate focus on workplace culture and values. Her experience spans the globe - from working in several technology start-ups to multi-billion dollar integrated healthcare delivery systems, financial services, higher education, and multi-faceted engineering, construction, and power industries.

Beth's passion is working with organizations and teams to create workplace cultures that focus on the retention and development of talent at all levels of the organization. Learning what matters most to those she serves and working to find creative and entrepreneurial ways to accomplish desired outcomes.

Typical projects have included:

  • Change Leadership & Serving Leader Development

  • Senior Leader Coaching & Creating Coaching Capability in Managers

  • Full cycle talent management (recruit, develop, performance management, compensation and rewards, retention, global mobility, and engagement)

  • Strategic planning and enterprise business performance management

  • Scrum implementation and coaching for product delivery & project success

  • Enterprise systems implementation and process improvement

Prior to ThirdRiver, Beth has held leadership roles in Human Resources and People Development in large complex, global organizations as well as entrepreneurial, start-up environments. She has served companies and clients in a wide variety of industries and settings: UPMC, Fresenius Medical Care, SCIO Health Analytics, Robomatter, Inc., Lucas Systems, ERIKS, PNC Bank, Highmark Health, The Shaw Group, Carnegie Mellon University, Ariba, and FreeMarkets.

She holds certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), is a Professional Certified Scrum Master, and she graduated from Westminster College with a BA in Sociology. She has also actively contributed as an advisory board member to several businesses.

Beth is a native of Pittsburgh, PA and enjoys spending time with her family exploring the world together. Learn More


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Instructors

Franklyn Cladis, MD is an anesthesiologist in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area, including Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC and UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside. In addition to his medical appointments, Franklyn is an associate professor in the Department of Anesthesiology and Preoperative Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Medicine, where he is also the director of the Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellowship Program. Franklyn received his BA from the University of Pennsylvania and his MD from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, and has since been in practice for more than 20 years.


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Paula Davis, MA is the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences Diversity at the University of Pittsburgh. Paula leads the Office of Health Sciences Diversity in promoting a diverse and inclusive environment throughout the schools of the health sciences. At the School of Medicine, she has served as assistant dean for admissions and financial aid, for student affairs, and director of diversity programs. Paula has worked in a variety of student-support fields over the past 20 years, including academic advising, admissions, alumni relations, and financial aid and has worked with pre-college, undergraduate, graduate, and medical students.

Paula received her BA in English and MA in communications from the University of Pittsburgh. She was director of admissions for Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz School of Public Policy and Management before joining Pitt's School of Medicine in 1994. Her professional activities included a term as director of the northeast region of the National Association of Medical Minority Educators, a position on the board of the LGBT Health, Education, and Research Trust, and advocacy for autism research and education. She received the 2003 Chancellor's Affirmative Action Award.


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Doris Rubio, PhD is currently Associate Vice Provost for Faculty and a professor of Medicine, Biostatistics, Nursing, and Clinical and Translational Science at the University of Pittsburgh. She has 20 years of experience as a researcher, educator, mentor, and administrator. She directs the Center for Research on Health Care (CRHC) Data Center, which provides data management, statistical expertise, and qualitative expertise to health services research investigators across the schools of the health sciences. Doris directs the Evaluation Core in the Clinical and Translational Science Institute and co-directs the Education Core. Additionally, she is the co-director of the Institute for Clinical Research Education (ICRE), which provides training in clinical and translational research and offers multiple programs for career development. She is director of the Center for Research on Health Care Data Center, which provides data management and analysis services across the University and Medical Center. Nationally, Doris serves multiple leadership roles. She is the past president for the Association for Clinical Research Training (ACRT) and is the past chair for the Evaluation Key Function Committee for the Clinical and Translational Science Awards. Notably, Doris was recently awarded the Educator of the Year Award by the Association for Clinical and Translational Science. This competitive national award recognizes a leader in the field of clinical research education and mentoring. Her recent funding is focused on diversifying the workforce.


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Ann Thompson, MD, MHCPM is Vice Dean of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and Professor of Critical Care Medicine and Pediatrics. Ann was previously vice chair (professional development) of the Department of Critical Care Medicine and medical director for clinical resource management at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC. She served as chief of pediatric critical care from 1981 to 2009 and was interim chair of the Department of Critical Care Medicine from 2006 to 2008. She is a past president of the Society of Critical Care Medicine — only the second woman to hold that position — and she is a senior editor of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine.

Ann received her BA in biology from the University of Chicago in 1969 and her MD from Boston’s Tufts University School of Medicine in 1974. After completing her pediatric residency training at the Tufts New England Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), she trained in anesthesiology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and did a fellowship in pediatric critical care and research at CHOP, which is where she held her first faculty position. In 2003, she received a master’s degree in health care policy and management from Carnegie Mellon University.

In 1981, Ann became the director of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. She continued in that position until October 2015, building and maintaining a successful clinical and academic program, with one of the country’s most distinguished records in clinical outcome, research productivity, and fellowship training. She is chair of the Pediatric Acute Lung Injury and Sepsis Investigators Network, former chair of the subboard of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine of the American Board of Pediatrics and a past member of the RRC for Pediatrics of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and the Board of Directors of the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies. She has lectured widely on a broad range of clinical issues in pediatric critical care at international critical care congresses in North America, South America, Asia and Europe. In the past several years, Ann has become particularly interested in institutional administration and public policy affecting the delivery of health care services, especially those for children, and those related to critical care in general.


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Jennifer Woodward, PhD is currently Vice Chancellor for Research Operations directing the Office of Sponsored Programs, which is charged with assisting faculty, staff, and students in their efforts to promote and secure sponsored research funding. The office reviews, negotiates, endorses, and provides administrative oversight related to proposals and awards in accordance with all applicable laws, policies and regulations. The Vice Chancellor for Research Operations serves as the designated university officer empowered for all sponsored research activities. 

Jennifer is Professor of Surgery and Immunology, and has served as Associate Vice Provost for Research Operations at Pitt, Assistant Dean for Faculty Affairs in the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and Executive Director for Research and Academic Affairs at the Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute. 

Jennifer’s academic career began in physiology-based orthopaedic research and evolved to the field of transplantation immunology where she explored the models and mechanisms of transplantation tolerance. Her teaching and mentoring have been multifaceted. From her breadth of experiences, Jennifer has a strong understanding of the academic landscape and a long history and commitment to the professional development of faculty, staff, and students. She frequently is invited to present lectures and workshops for faculty and trainees on academic success, networking, and negotiation.

Jennifer earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Presbyterian College, a Master of Science degree in biology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and a PhD in microbiology and immunology from the Medical University of South Carolina.


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