OUR PEOPLE
LEADERSHIP
The ApolloMD Leadership Team brings years of experience in both the clinical and business sides of multispecialty practice management services. Owned and operated by physicians and APCs, ApolloMD has a unique leadership structure that leads to direct benefits for both our client hospitals and clinical partners. Our leaders collaborate with hospitals to ensure the provision of top quality, efficient care and maintain a steady focus on patients.
Executive
Corporate
Regional
Specialty
Yogin Patel, MD, MBA, FACEP
President
Board Certified Emergency Medicine
As President of ApolloMD, Dr. Yogin Patel serves our health system partners and oversees practices in our collective mission to drive better patient care and higher quality outcomes. Dr. Patel joined ApolloMD in 2007 and has driven the success of several large-volume emergency departments by maximizing throughput, enhancing the patient experience, and improving clinical quality using strong, performance-based incentives to align providers with our health system partners. He combines his clinical and business acumen to bring creative solutions to our client’s toughest challenges. In addition to his leadership role, Dr. Patel is a practicing Emergency Physician proudly serving communities throughout the Carolinas.
Prior to joining ApolloMD, Dr. Patel received his BS with Concentration in Neuroscience from Duke University. He also completed his MD, and his MBA focused on Health Sector Management at Duke. He completed his residency in Emergency Medicine at Oregon Health Sciences University where he was inducted into AOA and served as Chief Resident in Emergency Medicine. He also concurrently served as Legislative Advisor for the Emergency Medicine Resident’s Association, and remains active within the American College of Emergency Physicians.
Michael Dolister, MD, CPE, FACEP
Chief Executive Officer, ApolloMD
Board Certified Emergency Medicine
Dr. Michael Dolister joined ApolloMD in 2003 and was named Chief Executive Officer in 2013. Prior to assuming the role of CEO, he held multiple positions within the company, including Chief Medical Officer and President. He has worked closely with the medical directors and administrative teams of partner hospitals to improve clinical operations, patient throughput, customer service and physician efficiency. Dr. Dolister also speaks on emergency department efficiency and excellence in patient satisfaction. From 1998-2012, he served as the Medical Director of Emergency Services at Baptist Hospital in Pensacola, Florida, where he was a member of the medical leadership team that helped Baptist Hospital, Inc. to become the recipient of the 2003 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.
Dr. Dolister received his medical degree from the University of Wisconsin and completed a residency in emergency medicine at Truman Medical Center in Kansas City, Missouri. He was a member of Baptist Hospital’s Performance Review Committee (1999-2012) and has served as Baptist Hospital’s department Chief of Emergency Medicine (2000-2001), vice chairman of the medical board (2001), chairman of the medical board (2002), Chairman of the Professional Functions Committee (2013), Chairman of the Performance Review Committee (2014), President of the Medical Staff (2015), and as the Associate Medical Director of Baptist Hospital, Inc. (2002-2006).
Michael Lipscomb, MD
Chief Quality and Patient Safety Officer,
Regional President
Board Certified Emergency Medicine
Dr. Michael Lipscomb began practicing Emergency Medicine in 1997 as a Clinical Instructor for the University of Michigan. In 2000, he joined ApolloMD at North Fulton Hospital, becoming Medical Director of the department in 2005. Dr. Lipscomb has served on multiple committees at the hospital and most recently completed terms of Secretary Treasurer and Chief of Staff, and continues to serve on the Medical Executive Committee. In 2013, ApolloMD was excited to welcome Dr. Lipscomb to the corporate team to oversee clinical operations of hospitals in the Southeast. With extensive experience in optimizing emergency department flow, EMR use, and patient satisfaction, Dr. Lipscomb became Chief Quality Officer for ApolloMD in 2016. Dr. Lipscomb received his medical degree from The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, then trained in Emergency Medicine at The University of Michigan Medical School.
William Le
General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer
William Le joined ApolloMD after spending his early career in private practice advising and defending healthcare providers ranging from privately held hospitals to Fortune 20 healthcare entities. While at Edwards Wildman Palmer LLP (now Locke Lord LLP), Mr. Le conducted investigations into alleged statutory violations, responded to regulatory agencies as necessary, and managed a portfolio of litigation and outside counsels in California, Arizona, Nevada, and Hawaii. As a member of EWP’s Labor and Employment and Litigation Management groups, Mr. Le also defended single plaintiff employment and malpractice lawsuits filed against Fortune 20 financial institutions and pharmaceutical chains in California, Oregon, and Washington.
In his dual role as ApolloMD’s General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, Mr. Le counsels the executive team regarding corporate governance, risk management and mitigation, provides regulatory guidance (Stark Law, Anti-Kickback, Medicare/Medicaid), contracting and is responsible for the continuing development of, and adherence to the company’s compliance program.
In addition to his California bar admission, Mr. Le is licensed to practice in the Central, Southern, Northern, and Eastern Districts of California.
Joan Catalano Parker, Esq.
Corporate Counsel
Joan Catalano Parker serves as Corporate Counsel and brings an extensive legal background to the ApolloMD team. She has previously served as legal counsel for health care entities and individual health care providers dealing with such issues as medical malpractice, board matters, and risk management advice and consultation. Ms. Parker has experience in the defense of professional liability, general tort liability, premises liability, product liability, toxic tort liability, bad faith litigation, and insurance coverage prior to ApolloMD.
Her responsibilities include risk management analysis and consultation, insurance assessment, compliance review, and negotiation of agreements with healthcare entities, providers, and managed care companies. Ms. Parker received her undergraduate degree from St. Mary’s College in South Bend, Indiana and her law degree from South Texas College of Law in Houston, Texas.
Jackie Olliff
Chief Talent Officer
With experience across multiple industries, Jackie Olliff joined ApolloMD in 2018, leading the Human Resources department. Ms. Olliff led many initiatives throughout her time in HR that resulted in expanding the department’s support and value to the executive team and employees within the organization, improving employee engagement and organizational culture.
As the company’s Chief Talent Officer, Ms. Olliff is championing many initiatives including planning and executing talent acquisition strategies for leadership roles in the organization; long term workforce planning, organizational design, and succession planning; spearheading employee and physician development programs; and developing the company’s employee and physician retention strategy, starting with improving onboarding and engagement strategies. She is an active member of SHRM and received her MBA with a concentration in Business Management and Human Resources from Rollins College.
Alex Dali
Chief Financial Officer
Alex Dali has been a member of the ApolloMD finance team since September 2010, working in various roles including Corporate Controller, VP of Finance and Chief Revenue Officer. Prior to ApolloMD, Mr. Dali worked as the Corporate Controller of a PE-backed, long-term acute care company, eventually leaving upon the successful purchase and sale of the company to a competitor. Mr. Dali began his accounting career working in the audit and advisory practice of Ernst & Young where his clients were primarily in the healthcare and technology sectors. He holds a BSBA in Finance from the University of Florida as well as a BBA in Accounting from Georgia State University.
Bobby Ryan, MBA, FACHE
Chief Growth Officer
Bobby Ryan joined ApolloMD in 2001 and runs all business development and marketing initiatives. On a day-to-day basis, Mr. Ryan oversees the strategic development, marketing and branding, along with financial projections. He has worked with ApolloMD’s clinical operations team at over 50 facilities to develop physician driven models in complex settings to ensure the highest quality service offering. With his extensive understanding of physician services and the healthcare marketplace, Mr. Ryan is distinctively qualified to run the business development for the company.
Bobby Ryan has a MBA and bachelor’s degree from the Coles College of Business at Kennesaw State University. He served active duty in the United States Marines Corps from 1993-1997 and is also a member of the Georgia Association of Health Care Executives and a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Brett Cannon, MD, MBA, FACEP
Divisional President
Board Certified Emergency Medicine
Dr. Brett Cannon earned his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, NC. He then trained at Emory University, where he served as Chief Resident. After completing his medical training, Dr. Cannon also earned an MBA from the University of Georgia.
Dr. Cannon joined ApolloMD in 2000 and has served as Medical Director within multiple facilities, bringing his expertise in emergency department flow and efficiency, healthcare economics, and health system logistics. He obtained a Lean certification from the University of Georgia and applies Lean techniques within each of the departments that he oversees. As Medical Director, Dr. Cannon led his emergency department to recognition by Press Ganey with the Compass Award recognizing outstanding patient satisfaction scores.
Currently, Dr. Cannon serves as President overseeing clinical operations within the WellStar Health System in Atlanta.
Evan C. Howell, MBA, M.M.Sc., PA-C
Chief Clinical Operations Officer & Chief Advanced Practice Clinician
As Chief Advanced Practice Clinician (APC) and Chief Clinical Operations Officer, Evan Howell works directly with ApolloMD’s operations teams and client facilities on all clinically-based process initiatives. He serves as an “internal consultant”, performing service line assessments, departmental throughput analysis, new process design/implementation, physical plant design/redesign, and patient experience initiatives. Mr. Howell holds overall responsibility for providing leadership, direction and administration of medical management for APC services at ApolloMD.
Mr. Howell is Lean/Six Sigma certified and has practiced as a Physician Assistant since 1999. He received his Masters of Medical Science and Physician Assistant degrees from the Emory University School of Medicine, where he graduated with highest honors. Mr. Howell received his MBA at the Mason School of Business of the College of William and Mary.
Amy Katnik
Chief Operating Officer
With over 32 years of experience, Amy Katnik brought her extensive healthcare knowledge to ApolloMD in 2009. Throughout her tenure with ApolloMD, she has been responsible for instituting a highly responsive reputation, as well as the restructure of management teams within the organization. Ms. Katnik has thoughtfully hired a well-versed and efficient team and has shifted the culture to reflect a more employee/physician-friendly environment.
As the group’s first non-clinical and female executive, she has tackled the revamp of each department to streamline processes and procedures thus creating an efficient and effective operation. As Chief Operating Officer, she manages all facets of ApolloMD’s service lines – emergency medicine, hospital medicine, anesthesia and now intensivist – including scheduling, recruiting, medical staff services, billing, and customer solutions.
Andrew Kassinove, MD, JD, ABEM, FAAEM
Regional President
Board Certified Emergency Medicine
Dr. Andrew Kassinove joined ApolloMD as Regional President, Hospital Based Services, to oversee Emergency Medicine, Adult and Pediatric Hospital Medicine, Anesthesia, Intensivists, Radiology and other developing service lines for the West Coast. His focus is the integration of services lines at hospitals to ensure quality of care and high level of service to the patients, physicians and administrators.
Dr. Kassinove received his Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1994. He then pursued a medical degree from Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California in 1999. Dr. Kassinove completed his residency in Emergency Medicine at LAC/USC Medical Center in Los Angeles, as well as an internship in the Department of Surgery at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, Calif. He was recognized for his outstanding customer service at Los Alamitos Medical Center when he received the Tenet GEM Award.
Dr. Kassinove was formerly faculty at USC Keck School of Medicine where he headed Risk Management for the Department of Emergency Medicine and lectured on Medical Malpractice and EMTALA. He has served as Chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at multiple Tenet facilities during his career including Lakewood Regional Medical Center (2006-2007) and JFK Memorial Medical Center (2014-present). At JFK, he led initiatives to increase flow and quality, as well as leading the integration of Emergency and Hospital Medicine. Dr. Kassinove chairs the Tenet California Emergency Medicine Council and sits on the Tenet National Emergency Medicine Council.
Ayaz Pathan, MD, MBA
Regional President
Board Certified Emergency Medicine
Dr. Ayaz Pathan joined ApolloMD in 2007. Since that time, he has held various leadership positions for the organization including Medical Director and currently, Regional President. As a life-long North Carolina resident, Dr. Pathan utilizes his knowledge and expertise in operations and flow management with ApolloMD’s North Carolina partner hospitals. In 2014, he was given the first annual ApolloMD “Medical Director of the Year” award.
Dr. Pathan earned his bachelor’s degree from North Carolina State University in Raleigh, N.C., as well as a master’s in business administration and medical degree from East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C. Dr. Pathan completed his emergency medicine residency at Emory University in Atlanta.
Dr. Pathan is also currently a North Carolina Medical Examiner and is an Adjunct Associate Professor at East Carolina University Division of Health Sciences.
Richard T. Benson, II, MD
Regional Vice President
Board Certified Emergency Medicine
Dr. Richard T. Benson II joined ApolloMD in 2017 and immediately proved to be a dynamic leader with an inspirational vision and a knack for developing unity amongst teams. His strengths in this capacity remained evident in his work as Emergency Medicine Medical Director for both Maria Parham Health in Henderson and Franklin, NC – earning the ApolloMD’s EM Medical Director of the year in 2020. He also brought that spirit onto the ApolloMD Strike Team as National Medical Director leading with unparalleled enthusiasm and determination. In addition to serving on the ApolloMD leadership team, Dr. Benson also leads Vance County’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and 911 call center, Vance-Granville Community College’s Paramedic program, and serves as the Chief of Staff for Maria Parham Health.
As Regional Vice President, Dr. Benson approaches this role with that same enthusiasm and continues his mission in service, now on a systems level. With a focus always on positive patient outcomes, Dr. Benson values the opportunity to grow high-functioning teams, particularly in under-resourced environments.
Raised in Southern California, Dr. Benson attended the prestigious Morehouse College and Meharry Medical College, where he earned his Doctor of Medicine. He then completed an Emergency Medicine residency at the University of Chicago, followed by an EMS fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
He is board-certified in Emergency Medicine, a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Medicine, and is a proud advocate and living donor with the National Kidney Foundation.
James Patrick Capes, MD
Regional Vice President
Board Certified Emergency Medicine
Dr. Pat Capes joined the Erlanger Health System in 2018, practicing Emergency Medicine in Tennessee and Western North Carolina. Prior to associating with this practice, he knew many esteemed colleagues who worked with ApolloMD and respected the way the company valued high quality care and supported clinical teams in pursuit of excellence.
As Regional Vice President, Dr. Capes recognizes the many challenges currently facing the health care industry and views this role as an opportunity to seek solutions. He believes that integrating the priorities of medical staff leadership and emergency medicine leadership can prove to be a vital element of success.
Dr. Capes completed his education in his home state of Georgia, earning a Bachelor of Science in Biology at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta and his Doctor of Medicine from the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. His post-graduate training took him to Charlotte, North Carolina for an internship and residency in Emergency Medicine at Carolinas Medical Center.
As an associate professor of Emergency Medicine at University of Tennessee School of Medicine, Dr. Capes instructs and inspires the next generation of physicians as part of the clinical faculty and director of administrative rotation. He holds certification with the American Board of Emergency Medicine, the North Carolina Board of Medical Examiners, and the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners.
Daniel Minior, MD, MBA, FACEP
Regional Vice President
Board Certified Emergency Medicine
Since 2013, Dr. Daniel Minior has served as the Medical Director and Chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine of UNC Lenoir. Practicing with ApolloMD gives him an enormous amount of professional fulfillment as he enjoys the collaborative climate that allows him autonomy in his work while also supporting him fully as part of the larger group.
Dr. Minior draws on his experience as chairman and medical director to inform his approach as Regional Vice President. He continually feels drawn to the positions that present an opportunity to function as a servant leader, giving him the chance to fix a problem and aid his team. From this vantage point, he sees the direct correlation between helping an emergency department run at the optimum level by championing the needs of his clinical colleagues and enhancing the patient experience.
After earning his Doctor of Medicine degree from Tufts University in Boston, Dr. Minior moved on to New York City for an Emergency Medicine residency at Lincoln Hospital, the 3rd busiest emergency department in the United States. Upon completion of his training, he moved to North Carolina to practice Emergency Medicine while his wife also practices as a neonatologist. Once settled in North Carolina, Dr. Minior also continued his education at Duke University Fuqua School of Business, earning his MBA in 2015.
Jeffrey Mullins, MD
Regional Vice President
Board Certified Emergency Medicine
Practicing at Atrium Health Union with ApolloMD since 2013, Dr. Jeffrey Mullins continually leads by example, modeling the leadership principles he gleaned from his own mentor during medical training and understanding the inherent value of serving alongside teammates. His attitude and acumen earned him the ApolloMD Rookie Physician of the Year Award in 2013, then moved him into position first as Assistant ED Medical Director and then as Medical Director within his two years of practice. Dr. Mullins became the Regional Medical Director for the Charlotte area in 2018 and has served as Atrium Health System Medical Director for ApolloMD since 2020.
Dr. Mullins views his role as Regional Vice President as an extension of his commitment to collaboration. He looks forward to working with the entire EM service line across partner facilities, seeking out the input and observations that will reinforce best practices and shape new perspectives for continuing excellence in patient care.
A native of Ohio, Dr. Mullins attended Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia where he earned an undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences and a Doctor of Medicine from the Marshall University School of Medicine. He then relocated to Columbia, South Carolina for his Emergency Medicine Residency at University of South Carolina’s Palmetto Health serving as Chief Resident in his third year.
Dr. Mullins holds certification with the American Board of Emergency Medicine and is also a member of the South Carolina Medical Association, as well as the South Carolina Chapter of the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society.
John Sullivan, MD, SFHM
Chief Medical Officer,
Hospitalist Medicine
Dr. John Sullivan joined ApolloMD in early 2021 and assumed leadership as a Chief Medical Officer of Hospitalist Medicine in 2022. A graduate of LSU-Shreveport School of Medicine, Dr. Sullivan also completed both an internship and residency in internal medicine in Shreveport before beginning his career in hospital medicine with the Oschner Health System. His career began at the genesis of the formal hospitalist movement, and he has been a member of The Society of Hospital Medicine since its inception.
By 2006, Dr. Sullivan and his family relocated to Pensacola, Florida, where he joined the Baptist Health Care team, becoming the Hospitalist Medical Director in 2010 and earning multiple Outstanding Physician and Leadership Awards within the Baptist Health Care system. He is also board certified in hospice and palliative care and has participated in the creation and growth of both inpatient and outpatient hospice and palliative care programs.
As a director, Dr. Sullivan embraces the guiding principle of putting providers in a position to practice great medicine. Known for his effective communication style and focus on patient experience, he takes great pride in seeing hospital medicine done well.
Christopher Durham, Esq.
Chairman
Bringing extensive experience in healthcare contracting and human resource management, ApolloMD co-founder Christopher Durham oversees operations as Chairman of the group.
A graduate of Cumberland School of Law at Samford University, Mr. Durham has been a licensed attorney since 1994 and has previously served as legal counsel for corporations and individual physicians, dealing with such issues as compliance, risk management, contracts and collections.
Mr. Durham co-founded ApolloMD with Gerald Bortolazzo, MD to support the clinical operations of a rapidly growing clinician group. After several successful ventures, ValorBridge Partners was formed in 2012 to diversify with the same guiding principles that drove the early success of ApolloMD. He serves in strategic leadership roles and on the Board of Directors of affiliated companies including Crown Asset Management, Guardian Fueling Technologies, and FINE Parking. In 2009, Mr. Durham received the coveted Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for his role in developing ApolloMD’s innovative business model which aligns provider incentives to optimize patient care and efficiency.
Josh Hargraves, MD, FACEP
Regional President
Board Certified Emergency Medicine
Dr. Josh Hargraves joined the ApolloMD leadership team in 2017. His experience in improving patient flow, enhancing the patient experience and ED operations has greatly impacted several ApolloMD partnerships. In addition to serving on the ApolloMD leadership team, Dr. Hargraves is active amongst several committees in the hospitals where he works clinically, such as Medical Executive Committee, ED Operations, Credentialing and Sepsis.
Dr. Hargraves received his medical degree from Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC. He then completed an internship with the Department of Internal Medicine at Boston Medical Center, and later served as Chief Resident during his Emergency Medicine residency.
After post-graduate training, Dr. Hargraves relocated to Atlanta and joined the Emory University faculty. While at Emory University he served as an Assistant Professor for the Department of Emergency Medicine and later became the Assistant Medical Director at Emory University Hospital. As Assistant Medical Director, Dr. Hargraves focused on ED operations, patient flow initiatives and improving operational metrics for the Department of Emergency Medicine.
He is a board certified in emergency medicine, a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Medicine and a member of the American College of Emergency Physicians.
Jeremy Ferris, MD
Chief of Radiology
Board Certified Radiology
Jeremy Ferris, MD joined the ApolloMD team in 2011. Dr. Ferris received his medical degree from University of Mississippi School of Medicine and continued his education in Radiology at Baptist Health System in Birmingham, AL where he served as Chief Resident. He continued on to Emory University and did a fellowship in Interventional Radiology. Dr. Ferris is Board Certified by the American Board of Radiology. In his spare time, Dr. Ferris coaches Little League and enjoys being with his children.
Vincent Hoellerich, MD
Chief Clinical Officer
Board Certified Anesthesiology
Dr. Vincent Hoellerich was named Chief Clinical Officer, Anesthesia in August 2020. In this role he supports efforts to develop physicians and medical directors as leaders through the use of formal programs, coaching and mentoring. Dr. Hoellerich brings with him a tremendous amount of leadership experience. He spearheads quality improvement, including working closely with medical directors across the country to implement and evaluate quality improvement efforts. He also works with client sites to evaluate current programs and provide recommendations on how improvements to service delivery can be made.
Dr. Hoellerich earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Iowa State University in Ames, IA, and a Medical Degree from the University of Nebraska College of Medicine in Omaha, NE. He completed his Surgery internship and Anesthesiology residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD. Additionally, Dr. Hoellerich completed a Critical Care fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, MA. Dr. Hoellerich is board certified in Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine. He is currently Chief of Staff and Chief of Anesthesia at Central Carolina Hospital in Sanford, NC.