Steve Landers M.D., MPH Named Next President & Chief Executive Officer of Hebrew SeniorLife

Boston, MA - Hebrew SeniorLife, a Harvard Medical School-affiliated, integrated system of health care, senior living, research, and teaching that serves more than 3,000 Greater Boston seniors each day, announces the appointment of Steve Landers M.D., MPH as its new president & chief executive officer.

Dr. Landers comes to Hebrew SeniorLife from Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) Health Group, Inc., one of the oldest, largest, and most respected home health, hospice, and community health organizations in the country, where he has served since 2012 as president and chief executive officer. He is a practicing physician, certified in family medicine, geriatric medicine, and hospice and palliative medicine and also holds an appointment as clinical associate professor of family medicine and community health at the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Prior to joining VNA Health Group, he served as a staff physician and administrative leader at the world renowned Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Landers is a recognized leader and innovator in home health, primary care, and aging services, and has authored many articles and has been an outspoken advocate for nursing, the front-line workforce, and improving care for older Americans.

Dr. Landers will join Hebrew SeniorLife in July 2023, succeeding Louis J. Woolf, who is retiring after leading the prestigious organization for the past 14 years.

“We are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Steve Landers as the new president and CEO of Hebrew SeniorLife,” said Hebrew SeniorLife Board Chair Melissa Tearney. “The outstanding depth of his experiences and accomplishments as a leader within a variety of nonprofit and academic health care settings makes him the ideal person to lead Hebrew SeniorLife in its mission to empower seniors to live their best lives.”

“I treasure every day I had the chance to be a part of the compassionate and mission-driven team at VNA Health Group. It’s a tremendous organization and the future is bright. VNA Health Group’s board of trustees and management team are strong and committed to ensuring a successful transition,” said Dr. Landers. “Looking ahead, I am so excited and honored to join Hebrew SeniorLife, an innovative and caring organization that shares my own values of tikkun olam – to heal the world. For more than a century Hebrew SeniorLife has been a beacon of excellence, dedicated to supporting Greater Boston seniors in all facets of their lives.

“As a Harvard Medical School affiliate that houses the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research, Hebrew SeniorLife is also known around the globe as a leader in understanding and finding solutions for the most serious age-related health problems people face. I look forward to working with this special caring community to expand on the tremendous impact made during the tenure of Lou Woolf, current Hebrew SeniorLife president & CEO, and make a worldwide difference in research, education, and advocacy to ensure all people can age with independence, dignity, and health. 

“The United States and world populations are rapidly aging, and we are not fully prepared. We have unfortunately witnessed through the horrors of the pandemic how our families, communities, front-line workforce and health system have many vulnerabilities and have experienced troubling inequities. There is a tremendous need to bolster knowledge and skills around aging issues, and we must find creative new solutions, and expand evidence-based practice and policy. Hebrew SeniorLife is a bold leader and trusted partner in addressing these challenges.”

Former Hebrew SeniorLife Board Chair and current Governance Committee Chair Jeff Drucker led the Board Search Committee. “On behalf of the Search Committee I would like to congratulate Dr. Landers and welcome him to the Hebrew SeniorLife community,” said Drucker. “At the same time, I would like to thank everyone who worked with the committee during this process and for their assistance in bringing this search to a wonderful conclusion.”

Dr. Landers currently lives with his wife Allison Landers (a banking and financial services executive) and their three sons in Central New Jersey near VNA Health Group’s headquarters at the Jersey Shore. He grew up near Cleveland, OH, and is the son of Maxine Landers, a retired occupational therapist and accomplished hospital administrator, and Dr. Michael Landers, a retired family dentist, anatomist, and leader in medical education. Dr. Steve Landers is a graduate of Shaker Heights High School, Indiana University at Bloomington, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He completed a Family Medicine Residency at University Hospitals of Cleveland / Case Western Reserve University and completed a Geriatric Medicine Fellowship at Cleveland Clinic.

At VNA Health Group, Dr. Landers has led a multi-state organization that includes a wide range of home health, hospice, primary care, and public health services. The organization makes over one million home visits each year and includes many partnerships and ventures including home visiting physician services, palliative medicine physician services, federally qualified community health centers, LGBTQ+ health services, and a broad portfolio of additional health and human service programs designed around concepts in harm reduction and advancement of health equity. The organization has over 2,400 employees who care for an active daily census of approximately 12,000 patients. 

Key achievements that took place during Dr. Landers’ tenure include a more than doubling of the size of the organization’s revenues under management, implementation of a unique hospital joint-venture model, launching of a “connected health institute” focused on mobile and digital health, and obtaining CMS Innovation Center funding for four different initiatives. Dr. Landers focused the organization on employee health and safety, and community impact during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, and its lifesaving pandemic work was featured at the United States Senate Committee on Aging, ABC’s Good Morning America, and CBS Mornings with Gayle King.  

Before joining VNA Health Group, Dr. Landers served in several capacities at the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic, most recently as the director of the Center for Home Care and Community Rehabilitation and as director of post-acute operations. There he functioned as lead executive and clinical officer for home health, hospice, home infusion pharmacy, home respiratory therapy, home cardiac monitoring, home visiting physician program, and community skilled nursing facility relations. 

Dr. Landers has held a number of volunteer and industry board memberships including current positions with University Hospital in Newark; Parker Health Group in Piscataway, NJ; Partnership For Quality Home Health Care in Washington, D.C.; and New Jersey Alliance For Aging Well. His previous board memberships include Alliance for Home Health Quality and Innovation in Washington, D.C.; New Jersey Hospital Association Health Research and Educational Trust; Community Health Accreditation Partner in Washington, D.C.; Greater Newark Health Care Coalition; National Association for Home Care & Hospice; and the American Academy of Home Care Medicine. 

In addition to his current appointment as clinical associate professor of family medicine and community health at the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, he has held a number of prior academic positions including assistant professor of medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, and assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. He is the author or coauthor of numerous peer reviewed publications including essays about home health care published in the New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of the American Medical Association. He has an extensive list of writings and presentations such as editorials and commentary in newspapers, industry press, magazines, blogs, Congressional testimony, conference speaking, and media appearances. Dr. Landers intends to continue to contribute to research, education, and advocacy in his role at Hebrew SeniorLife.

About Hebrew SeniorLife
Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, is a national senior services leader uniquely dedicated to rethinking, researching, and redefining the possibilities of aging. Hebrew SeniorLife cares for more than 3,000 seniors a day across six campuses throughout Greater Boston. Locations include: Hebrew Rehabilitation Center-Boston and Hebrew Rehabilitation Center-NewBridge in Dedham; NewBridge on the Charles, Dedham; Orchard Cove, Canton; Simon C. Fireman Community, Randolph; Center Communities of Brookline; and Jack Satter House, Revere. Hebrew SeniorLife also conducts influential research into aging at the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research, which has a portfolio of more than $85 million, making it one of the largest gerontological research facilities in the U.S. in a clinical setting. It also trains more than 1,000 geriatric care providers each year. For more information about Hebrew SeniorLife, visit our website or follow us on our blog, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.