Cedars-Sinai
ANDY ORTIZ
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES AND ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING
ANDY ORTIZ is a talent and change management expert dedicated to building organizational strength by fostering a high-performing, talent-driven culture. He is responsible for the strategy and implementation of systemwide human resources policies and programs at Cedars-Sinai. As a trusted adviser to colleagues on the executive team, Ortiz is relied on to ensure that policies and programs align with Cedars-Sinai’s mission, vision and goals.
Ortiz has held leadership roles in a variety of fields, including healthcare, entertainment and financial services. Before joining Cedars-Sinai in 2016, he served as Health Net’s senior vice president and chief people officer, responsible for strategy, policy development and administration of all aspects of human resources — including compensation, benefits, performance evaluation and rewards, staffing, equal employment and diversity, leadership and talent development, organization effectiveness and change management. Prior to that, he was senior vice president of Organization Effectiveness at Warner Bros. Entertainment Group.
His community activities include serving on the board of directors of The Point Foundation and on the Southern California Advisory Board of The Hispanic Scholarship Fund. Ortiz earned a bachelor’s degree in speech communication from California State University, Fullerton, and a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Woodbury University. He is a certified executive coach from the Hudson Institute of Coaching and a member of the International Coaching Federation.
ARTHUR J. OCHOA, JD
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR ADVANCEMENT AND CHIEF ADVANCEMENT OFFICER
ARTHUR J. OCHOA is a lawyer, healthcare executive and community leader who has dedicated his life to serving others. Ochoa graduated from the University of Southern California (cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa) and Yale Law School. In between, he served as an advocate and policy analyst at Youth Service America in Washington during the formative years of the national and community service movement.
Ochoa, who joined Cedars-Sinai in 2001, leads the organization’s external relations, including development, community engagement and marketing/communications. Cedars-Sinai has raised more than $1 billion in philanthropic support since 2004, when Ochoa was appointed chief development officer. Prior to joining Cedars-Sinai, Ochoa practiced corporate and tax law at the Los Angeles offices of O'Melveny & Myers LLP and Irell & Manella LLP. He is a past chairman of the Los Angeles County Bar Association Tax Exempt Organization Committee. Ochoa’s civic leadership has focused principally on the fields of education and healthcare.
Ochoa now serves as board chair of Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science and also is a board member of the Pacific Council on International Policy, a member of the Yale Law School Association’s Executive Board and an honorary trustee of the Mexican American Bar Foundation. He is vice president of the board of Marlborough School in Los Angeles. He has been board chair of Planned Parenthood Los Angeles and is a past president of the board of the Center for Early Education. Additionally, he is a former adjunct faculty member at American Jewish University and lectures frequently on legal, fundraising management and governance issues.
EDUARDO MARBÁN, MD, PHD
DIRECTOR OF THE SMIDT HEART INSTITUTE
BORN IN CUBA, Eduardo Marbán, MD, PhD, was just sixyears old when his family fled the country in 1961 as political refugees. The Marbán family initially landed in Miami but followed the path of opportunity up the east coast, eventually settling in Pennsylvania. Although Marbán’s parents held important teaching positions in Cuba, once the family immigrated to the U.S., they had to start over again. In the beginning, Marbán’s mother worked as a hotel maid and his father delivered newspapers. Her mother went on to complete her PhD at the University of Virginia, later becoming a tenured professor at Wilkes College in Pennsylvania.
To save money, Marbán attended Wilkes College (for free) to study mathematics, graduating at the age of just 19. He received both his MD and PhD from Yale Medical School and, in 1981, started residency training at Johns Hopkins University. He eventually worked his way up to directing the Johns Hopkins cardiology programs before coming to Cedars-Sinai in 2007. Marbán is perhaps best known for his work in developing cell-based treatments for regenerating heart muscle after it is damaged by a heart attack. Today, Marbán oversees Cedars-Sinai’s Smidt Heart Institute, ranked third among heart programs on the U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals list.
“Adversity, my parents’ uncompromising commitment to education, and curiosity led me to where I am today,” said Marbán. “I couldn’t be prouder of my upbringing and the numerous experiences I encountered to get here.”
EUGENIO CINGOLANI, MD
DIRECTOR OF THE CARDIOGENETICS PROGRAM AT THE SMIDT HEART INSTITUTE
EUGENIO CINGOLANI, MD, was born and raised in Argentina, where he also completed medical school and served as a medical resident. His passion for science and medicine started early on during his childhood as both of his parents were scientists and professors at the School of Medicine in Argentina. Cingolani’s father, Horacio, regularly traveled to America during sabbaticals to work with Eduardo Marbán, MD, PhD in Marbán’s laboratory at Johns Hopkins. Years later, in 2002, Horacio’s son, Eugenio, went to work for Marbán as a cardiology research fellow at Johns Hopkins University. Eugenio Cingolani then went on to complete his clinical training in Cardiology and Cardiac electrophysiology at Cedars Sinai. Following his training, he accepted a faculty position at the Smidt Heart Institute.
During his time in Argentina and through his medical training both in Argentina and in the U.S., Cingolani became acutely aware of the disproportionate medical care offered to residents of third world countries. His mission in all he does is to serve not only his immediate, surrounding community, but also to improve outcomes and fill the gaps for those without healthcare and readily available medical advances.
Cingolani currently serves as director of the Cardiogenetics Program at the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai, where he focuses on heart rhythm disorders and electrophysiology. His current project involves creating a “biological pacemaker” – specialized cells engineered to keep the heart beating in perfect rhythm.