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  • Rothman Orthopaedics is refocused on Philly region, opening three new surgery centers

    Rothman Orthopaedics is refocused on Philly region, opening three new surgery centers

    Rothman Orthopaedics plans to open three new surgery centers over the next year and keep adding doctors in its Philadelphia-area market, as the large physician-owned group refocuses growth efforts on its original territory.

    “Our biggest priority in the near term is strengthening our core business here, in Southeastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey,” Rothman CEO Christian Ellison said. “We’re not gonna ignore opportunities. We’ll be opportunistic around things that make strategic sense.”

    The new approach comes after a now abandoned effort to break into the New York market, first in a partnership with Northwell Health in 2017 and then with NYU Langone Health. That foray ended last year with the sale of Rothman Orthopaedics of Greater New York and its three locations to NYU Langone.

    Rothman has seen more success after following the lure of fast population growth to Florida, where it opened offices in the Orlando area in 2020 in partnership with AdventHealth.

    “Florida has been a big success, because we’ve had the partnership down there with Advent Health that’s been kind of mutually beneficial,” said Ellison, who became Rothman’s CEO last fall.

    The Philadelphia draw

    The practice headquartered in Center City already has 24 locations in the Greater Philadelphia market. That number includes facilities that Rothman operates in partnership with Jefferson Health, Main Line Health, AtlantiCare, and RWJ Barnabas.

    Rothman located its newest office in West Chester, an area where Rothman had little market share, according to Ellison. He also sees opportunity in other parts of the Philadelphia region and contiguous markets.

    To make that growth possible, Rothman is partway through an effort to hire 41 physicians by the end of this year. That represents a 20% increase and will bring Rothman’s total to 214 physicians, the company said.

    The need for ambulatory surgery centers

    Rothman is a partner in nine surgery centers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and two surgical hospitals (Rothman Orthopaedic Specialty Hospital in Benslam and Physicians Care Surgical Hospital in Limerick).

    Those outpatient facilities account for nearly two-thirds of Rothman’s surgeries. Even the surgical hospitals function primarily as ambulatory centers, Ellison said. The remaining third of surgeries takes place in acute-care hospitals.

    “We are challenged for operating room capacity right now, both in the acute care hospitals, as well as in our ASCs, and so we feel like we need to bring more operating rooms online,” Ellison said.

    What’s more, Medicare and private insurers want more procedures done in lower-cost surgery centers. In the future, insurers will pay the same price for an outpatient knee replacement whether its done in a hospital of freestanding surgery center, Ellison predicted.

    Rothman hasn’t finalized locations for the new surgery centers, but Ellison said he expects two to be in Southeastern Pennsylvania and one in New Jersey. The centers will likely be in areas where Rothman has an established patient base.

    The physician group prefers to open the new centers independently, as opposed to going through partnerships like it has historically. “We think we’re uniquely positioned to manage that patient experience in the surgical environment,” Ellison said.

  • How much did Philly-area nonprofit health system CEOs make in 2024?

    How much did Philly-area nonprofit health system CEOs make in 2024?

    Jefferson’s Joseph G. Cacchione ranked as the highest-paid CEO at the Philadelphia region’s nonprofit health systems in 2024, with total compensation of $7 million, according to The Inquirer’s annual review of public tax forms.

    Madeline Bell at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia collected $5.5 million in 2024, giving her the number two spot.

    Both also were top earners in The Inquirer’s 2023 compensation analysis. Jefferson is the largest system based here, both by revenue and number of hospitals, with 33 stretching from South Jersey to near Scranton. CHOP is among the nation’s top-ranked children’s hospitals.

    Janice Nevin at ChristianaCare joined the ranks of the top five. She received $3.5 million, about the same pay as the region’s fourth highest earner, Al Maghezehe at Capital Health, which has a network of outpatient clinics in Bucks County and two hospitals in Mercer County. Maghezehe’s compensation stands out because Capital had by far the lowest revenue among the systems with the 10 highest-paid CEOs.

    A couple of CEOs who left their positions before 2024 continued collecting long-term compensation, as is common in the industry.

    Most notably, Jefferson’s former CEO Stephen K. Klasko collected just over $1 million in 2024. He retired at the end of 2021, but remained an adviser through June 2022. The 2024 payment brought his total through 2024 to $48.7 million for 8½ years as CEO.

    Lori Herndon left AtlantiCare in June 2023. Her compensation the following year was $1.3 million.

    Other CEOs left during 2024, making it possible they will be listed in the next round of 990s. Those executives include Donald Mueller at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, Michael Laign at Redeemer Health, and Ronald W. Johnson at Shore Medical.

    Here’s a look at the numbers from The Inquirer’s review of the latest 990 tax returns of 20 nonprofit health systems, covering 11 health systems with operations concentrated in Southeastern Pennsylvania, seven in South Jersey, and two in northern Delaware:

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  • NovaCare Rehabilitation’s parent, Select Medical, was sold in $3.9 billion private equity deal

    NovaCare Rehabilitation’s parent, Select Medical, was sold in $3.9 billion private equity deal

    NovaCare Rehabilitation’s parent company, Select Medical Holdings Corp., was taken private in $3.9 billion private equity deal this week.

    NovaCare has more than 100 physical therapy locations in the Philadelphia region, including some through a partnership with Rothman Orthopaedics.

    For 25 years, NovaCare sponsored the Philadelphia Eagles practice complex in South Philadelphia. Jefferson Health took over the sponsorship this year.

    Top management joined private-equity firm Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe in the acquisition of Select Medical, which is based in Mechanicsburg, Pa. The sale was completed Wednesday. The price per share was $16.50 per share, an 18% premium to the latest close before the deal was announced in November.

    In addition to outpatient physical therapy through NovaCare and other subsidiaries at 1,850 locations in 36 states, Select Medical operates 104 long-term acute-care hospitals in 28 states and 38 rehabilitation hospitals in 15 states. The company has more than 45,000 employees and had $5.5 billion in revenue last year.

    Select Medical acquired NovaCare in 1999. Publicly traded NovaCare fell on hard times because of Medicare reimbursement changes under the federal Budget Reconciliation Act in 1997. The law capped reimbursement for speech, physical, and occupational therapy in nursing homes.

    The company, then headquartered in King of Prussia, lost $700 million in annual revenue because of those changes, The Inquirer reported at the time.

  • Connolly Dermatology, a once fast-growing practice, faces N.J. lawsuit over unpaid wages

    Connolly Dermatology, a once fast-growing practice, faces N.J. lawsuit over unpaid wages

    A former Connolly Dermatology employee filed a lawsuit Thursday in Atlantic County, N.J., seeking unpaid wages for herself and other employees of the once fast-growing skin care practice.

    The plaintiff, Tracy Piccardo, worked in the Linwood office as a receptionist. More than 70 employees owed back pay had been identified, according to her lawsuit, filed in Superior Court by David R. Castellani. Piccardo did not immediately respond to a text seeking comment on the lawsuit.

    The practice’s owner, dermatologist Coyle S. Connolly, did not provide an on-the-record comment.. At its peak, Connolly had 30 locations, mostly in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. It’s not clear if any of them are open now.

    Connolly’s practice stood out as Medicare’s top biller three consecutive years for a skin cancer treatment that saw a 40% reimbursement cut this year under the government insurance program.

    The lawsuit alleges violations of the state’s Wage Payment Law/Wage Theft Act, breach of contract, and unjust enrichment.

    It seeks payment of back wages with interest, damages to be determined at trial, and attorney’s fees. The complaint had no estimate of how much money is at stake.

    Increasing financial pressure

    Piccardo told The Inquirer in May that the practice had been short on supplies, such as paper towels, toilet paper, paper toner for months.

    At that point, Piccardo and other employees hadn’t been paid for three weeks, she said at the time. That was the second payroll lapse this year, Piccardo and other employees told The Inquirer.

    The New Jersey Department of Labor said in May that it was investigating complaints about missed payrolls.

    At least two Connolly landlords have sued over unpaid rent since May.

    In early May, the owner of a Montgomeryville office sued to take possession of it after Connolly allegedly failed to pay rent in April.

    Last month, a landlord sued Connolly for unpaid rent on a property in Middle Township, N.J., that the practice had occupied since 2007. The lawsuit says Connolly was delinquent on more than $39,000 of rent.

  • Goodwill opens new medical equipment store in South Jersey

    Goodwill opens new medical equipment store in South Jersey

    The young woman with muscular dystrophy wanted a motorized scooter, but her health insurance would only cover a wheelchair.

    So she went to Goodwill’s only medical equipment store in South Jersey, where she found a dozen scooters to choose from. She test drove one she liked and bought it at a steep discount.

    “She burst into tears and said, `You have no idea what a difference this is going to make in my life,’” recalled Mark Boyd, Goodwill’s president and CEO.

    Goodwill Home Medical Equipment on Wednesday opened the region’s second location. The new store is located in Gloucester County, while its flagship, 16,000-square-foot retail store and warehouse is in Camden County.

    Both sell sanitized and refurbished medical equipment, including power and manual wheelchairs, hospital beds, canes, walkers, and lift and shower chairs. The stores also offer unopened medical supplies, like adult diapers and colostomy bags.

    “When people go to a Goodwill store, they don’t really know what they are looking for — they’re on a treasure hunt,” Boyd said. “But when you get sick or somebody in your family gets sick, all of the sudden you need a specific piece of equipment, and it can be quite daunting.”

    The nonprofit thrift organization began offering used medical equipment at roughly one-third the retail price about 15 years ago, Boyd said.

    “Financially, it’s a break-even operation, but it’s such a great service to the community,” he said, adding they cater to people with no or limited insurance, or high deductibles.

    The new store on Mantua Pike in Woodbury Heights will be open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The location on Benigno Boulevard in Bellmawr is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

    The two South Jersey stores are the only Goodwill Home Medical Equipment retail locations in the country, according to spokesperson Juli Lundberg.

    “The savings are so great that people do travel to us from New York City, the Philly burbs, and Jersey Shore,” Lundberg said. “We have had many other Goodwills across the country inquire about the concept.”

    People can donate their medical equipment and unopened supplies at any Goodwill location in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Donation sites and regular thrift stores can be found at https://www.goodwillhomemedical.org/store-locator. Goodwill staff also will pick up home medical equipment that is too large for a car, according to Lundberg.

  • Two more Philly-area oral and maxillofacial surgery practices have joined a New Jersey group

    Two more Philly-area oral and maxillofacial surgery practices have joined a New Jersey group

    MAX Surgical Specialty Management, a private-equity backed company consolidating oral and maxillofacial surgery groups in the Northeastern U.S., has acquired two more practices in the Philadelphia area.

    The latest deal, announced Friday, gives the Hackensack, N.J., firm 12 surgeons at 12 locations in Pennsylvania. Surgeon Jason M. Auerbach founded MAX in 2022 with private-equity backing and entered Pennsylvania two years later.

    The two newly acquired practices have six offices in Bucks and Chester Counties.

    Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons P.C. has three surgeons, and offices in Doylestown, Quakertown, Warminster, and Chalfont. Oral Associates of the Main Line has two surgeons and offices in Exton and Paoli.

    MAX did not disclose financial terms of the transactions.

    In addition to New Jersey and Pennsylvania, MAX has practices in Connecticut, New York, and Vermont. The company — a management services organization — is majority-owned by its physicians, Auerbach said.

    Oral and maxillofacial surgeons work at the crossroads of dentistry and medicine. Most have dental degrees, but some also have medical degrees. They remove wisdom teeth, install dental implants, repair facial traumas, and treat jaw injuries, among other services.

    North Jersey origins

    Auerbach founded Riverside Oral Surgery in Bergen County in 2007 and grew it to 12 locations before founding MAX with private equity partners. Part of his motivation was to create a home for independent physicians, Auerbach said in a May interview.

    The Philadelphia region still has a high concentration of independents, with strong patient demand. “It’s hard nowadays to be an independent oral-maxillofacial surgeon, in terms of the complexities in running a healthcare business,” Auerbach said.

    Robert Mogyoros, whose Greater Philadelphia Oral Surgery is in Elkins Park, said he valued his independence above all, but decided to look for a group to join after the business side had gotten too challenging.

    Physician groups get better prices from vendors, better deals with insurers, and have an upper hand in physician and employee recruitment, said Mogyoros, who became part of MAX last July.

    “What attracted me to MAX was that it’s doctor-driven and doctor-run,” he said in a May interview.

    Rothman and Kim Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, with offices in Northeast Philadelphia and Cinnaminson, was MAX’s first acquisition in Southeastern Pennsylvania. That deal also happened last year when MAX announced that it had borrowed $77 million to support growth.

    When doctors sell their practices to MAX, they typically invest about 30% of the value into MAX, Auerbach said. MAX’s outside investors are MedEquity Capital near Boston, RF Investment Partners in New York, and Kian Capital in Charlotte, N.C.

    Editor’s note: This article was update to correct the year when MAX made its first Pennsylvania acquisition.

  • Merakey USA, a large Montco-based human services provider, is expanding with Ohio acquisition

    Merakey USA, a large Montco-based human services provider, is expanding with Ohio acquisition

    Merakey USA, based in Lafayette Hill, is acquiring Boundless, an Ohio nonprofit that provides services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and behavioral health needs, in a deal that leaders of both organizations described this week as a model for their industry.

    “It’s the marriage of two financially stable organizations” that are preparing for turbulence in the human services sector, said Merakey CEO Joseph S. Martz. More typically human services deals happen because one nonprofit needs a financial rescue, as happened with Philadelphia’s Resources for Human Development in 2024.

    Merakey and Boundless planned to announce the news Thursday.

    Martz and the CEO of Boundless, Patrick Maynard, both said the size of the combined organization — more than $1 billion in revenue — would enable it to invest in the systems, technology, training, and workforce development needed to be financially sustainable.

    The deal, expected to close in July, will create an organization that supports 50,000 individuals and families annually in 12 states and employs 11,000 people.

    Joseph S. Martz is CEO of Merakey USA, which is acquiring Boundless, a human services provider based in Columbus, Ohio.

    The executives cited pressures from an expected change in how their organizations get paid. A shift is underway to payment for results rather than for straight volumes of services. Looming cuts to Medicaid over the next decade are also forcing human services providers to rethink how they operate.

    “We’re entering a time when resources are going to be a lot tighter, and I think organizations need to be thinking differently about how they approach that. We’re seeing some other pretty large consolidations,” said Chuck Ingoglia, CEO of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, a Washington nonprofit advocacy group.

    Origins of the Merakey-Boundless deal

    Stacy DiStefano, CEO of Consulting for Human Services, a Philadelphia-based adviser firm, introduced Martz and Maynard to each other in July 2024.

    That led to a series of conversations about issues the two organizations were spending money to solve and the realization: “Why don’t we just come together and use the combined resources of our organizations to solve that problem,” Martz said.

    Merakey and Boundless had already been growing through acquisitions, though Boundless has grown more dramatically. In the last seven years, the nonprofit made five acquisitions that helped increase its annual revenue to an expected $200 million this year from $20 million, Maynard said.

    “My goal was to create sustainability in a broken system where most of us are living off of Medicaid, which comes nowhere close to providing the resources that cover the costs,” Maynard said.

    Patrick Maynard is CEO of Boundless, a Ohio human services provider that is merging into Merakey USA, of Lafayette Hill.

    The added scale enabled Boundless to add healthcare and dentistry for its clients, but the Medicaid shortfall for those dental services is $75,000 a month, Maynard said. That kept Maynard looking for even bigger partners, like Merakey.

    Maynard cited Merakey’s expenditure of $18 million for Workday software, a system for human resources and financial management as an example of something Boundless could never afford. At $200 million in annual revenue, Boundless struggled to spend $2 million on a system for electronic health records, he said.

    A new structure

    Merakey, which started as the Northwest Center in the Mount Airy section of Philadelphia in 1969, remains firmly rooted in Pennsylvania. The state is expected to account for more than half its $850 million in revenue for the fiscal year that ends this month, Martz said.

    In 2023, Merakey and Elwyn, a similar nonprofit based in Delaware County, announced a preliminary merger agreement, but a final deal did not happen.

    States where Merakey operates include Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin. A new division called Boundless Midwest, led by Maynard, will assume responsibility for Merakey’s operations in that region when the deal is done.

    Both boards have approved the transaction, which remains under review by the Ohio Attorney General.

    Martz said he expect Boundless to continue growing though acquisitions and the development of new programs with the support of Merakey.

    “We are going to be a big organization, but it’s really about being a better organization, about the quality of care that we provide,” Martz said. “If you’re not culturally aligned, bigger for bigger sake, just doesn’t make any sense to me.”

  • Main Line Health and UnitedHealthcare have an ‘agreement in principle’ on new contract

    Main Line Health and UnitedHealthcare have an ‘agreement in principle’ on new contract

    Main Line Health and UnitedHealthcare have an “agreement in principle” on new contract and will extend the current contract until the new deal is completed, Main Line Health said Wednesday.

    Main Line’s contract with United was set to expire Tuesday, potentially disrupting care for 32,000 people who rely on Main Line doctors and have health insurance through United. The negotiations covered employer-sponsored plans and Medicare Advantage plans.

    “For nearly a year, Main Line Health worked diligently and in good faith to reach a responsible agreement — one that reflects the true cost and complexity of the high-quality care we deliver to this community every day. We are pleased to have reached this milestone, and our patients will experience no disruption to their care,“ Main Line said in an email.

    Main Line said the preliminary agreement relieves some of the administrative burden for doctors and patients. They include prior authorization delays, claim denials, and excessive audit activity, Main Line said.

    United, the nation’s largest health insurer, did not immediately provide a comment.

    The company based in Eden Prairie, Minn., this year failed to reach a new agreement with Jefferson Health’s Lehigh Valley Health Network for Medicare Advantage and employer plans. That outcome added to the worry for some patients that the same thing would happen in Philadelphia’s western suburbs, where Main Line is the leading provider of healthcare services.

  • CHOP names Joseph Mitchell to succeed Madeline Bell as CEO

    CHOP names Joseph Mitchell to succeed Madeline Bell as CEO

    The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia announced Tuesday that Joseph Mitchell will succeed Madeline Bell as CEO, when Bell retires Oct. 1 after a nearly 40-year career at the University City nonprofit.

    Bell, 65, became CHOP’s CEO in July 2015 following eight years as chief operating officer. During Bell’s tenure as CEO, CHOP more than doubled its annual revenue to more than $5 billion, added a hospital in King of Prussia, and started building a $2.6 billion patient tower on its main campus.

    Mitchell, 51, joined CHOP as president in April 2025 following a national search by CHOP’s board for Bell’s successor. In 2024, Bell had notified the board of her intention to retire, CHOP said.

    Before coming to Philadelphia, Mitchell was an executive vice president at Boston Children’s Hospital and president of Franciscan Children’s, a specialty hospital that Boston Children’s acquired in 2023.

    “The opportunity to lead an institution that is so iconic, impactful, and relevant, and has the opportunity to impact pediatrics and have an indelible imprint on kids and families was just irresistible,” Mitchell said in an interview this week. “It was an easy decision to move my family from Boston to Philadelphia.”

    CHOP is financially strong as Mitchell assumes the top job, but like other health systems it will face financial pressure from Medicaid cuts starting next year. The nonprofit has also been under fire from the Trump administration for its program that serves transgender youth.

    Mitchell trained as a urologist and worked at McKinsey & Co. as a consultant for 14 years before becoming CEO of Franciscan Children’s in 2021. He led a financial turnaround effort there and planned for a dramatic expansion of its campus in Boston’s Brighton neighborhood.

    “Joe brings a fresh perspective, a patient-first approach, and a strong strategic mindset,” Greg Davis, CHOP’s board chair, said in a news release. “We are confident he will guide CHOP into its next chapter with continued excellence and impact.”

    Bell’s tenure as CEO

    Bell, who started at CHOP as a nurse, oversaw substantial growth of CHOP’s footprint in West Philadelphia and on the eastern side of the Schuylkill with two research towers on Schuylkill Avenue near the South Street Bridge. CHOP also expanded its specialty-care network in the suburbs.

    CHOP became the pediatric partner for Main Line Health, Lehigh Valley Health Network, and ChristianaCare under Bell’s leadership. Such relationships with systems focused on adults help steer patients needing advanced specialties to CHOP. CHOP has long been Penn Medicine’s pediatric partner.

    Madeline Bell sat next to Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie last year during a ceremonial signing of documents for the Lurie family’s $50 million donation to create the Lurie Autism Institute at the University of Pennsylvania and CHOP.

    In a prerecorded statement for staff and others viewed by The Inquirer in advance of the transitional announcement, Bell highlighted medical breakthroughs in cell and gene therapy during the past decade, as well as an expansion of behavioral health services. The Lurie Autism Institute, a partnership between the University of Pennsylvania and CHOP, launched last year thanks to a $50 million gift from Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie and his family.

    Also last year, CHOP received its largest gift ever, $125 million from Comcast CEO Brian Roberts and his wife, Aileen. The new patient tower expected to open in 2028 will bear their name. In 2024, real estate investor Mitchell L. Morgan and his family donated $50 million toward the cost of one of the two research towers near the South Street Bridge.

    After retiring, Bell plans to continue as honorary consul of Spain for the Philadelphia region, a position she started last July, and hopes to remain on the board of Comcast-NBCUniversal, she said. Also, she will continue to support CHOP philanthropically and will remain a resource for Mitchell.

    CHOP is among the nation’s largest pediatric systems. It has 774 licensed hospital beds and employs 31,000 people. In the nine months that ended March 31, CHOP had 27,643 inpatient admissions and 1.3 million outpatient visits.

    Joe Mitchell’s priorities

    Since arriving in Philadelphia, Mitchell has immersed himself in getting to know CHOP, visiting primary care and specialty sites, as well as the hospitals, he said. The next step was broadening his responsibilities to the point where most of CHOP’s senior executives are now reporting to him.

    He said it’s too soon for him to address specific strategic moves, but emphasized that his priority is expanding access to care for children and families.

    Joseph Mitchell will succeed Madeline Bell as CHOP’s CEO this fall.

    That could get harder with Medicaid cuts looming next year. Nearly 50% of CHOP’s patients have the insurance for low-income families.

    “We’re doing everything we can to preserve access for families, to advocate for funding and resources at the state and federal level,” said Mitchell, who grew up in St. Louis in a family “that was deep into healthcare.”

    He moved to Boston for a residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. That’s where he met his wife, Vivian. They have two children, 17 and 14, and the entire family has fallen in love with Philadelphia, he said.

    “CHOP has embraced me, but Philadelphia as a community has really embraced us,” he said.

  • Edna B. Foa, celebrated pioneering psychologist and longtime Penn professor, has died at 88

    Edna B. Foa, celebrated pioneering psychologist and longtime Penn professor, has died at 88

    Edna B. Foa, 88, of Philadelphia, renowned clinical psychologist, pioneering mental health researcher, creator of the celebrated prolonged exposure therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder, longtime professor of clinical psychology in psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania, lecturer, mentor, and volunteer, died Tuesday, March 24, of complications from pneumonia at Pennsylvania Hospital.

    Dr. Foa was among the first psychologists in the 1970s and ‘80s to infuse empirical case study research into existing behavior protocols to create more effective mental health treatments for victims of rape, combat trauma, childhood sexual abuse, and other ordeals. She became an expert in PTSD, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and social phobia, and her prolonged exposure therapy for PTSD and exposure and response prevention treatments for OCD are still hailed as breakthrough innovations.

    From 1971 to 1997, she was a fellow, professor, and clinical researcher in the psychiatry departments at Temple University and the old Medical College of Pennsylvania, now part of Drexel University. She joined Penn’s Department of Psychiatry in 1998 and, over more than 50 years, evaluated thousands of mental health cases to determine which behavior therapy was best for each condition.

    “Her work truly changed the field,” colleagues at the Ardmore-based Center for Hope and Health said on Instagram. They said she “spent her career doing what she believed mattered most: studying what actually helps people get better, and making those treatments more accessible.”

    She created the Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety at Temple in 1979 and directed it later at Penn. Colleagues at the center said on Facebook: “Through her brilliance, determination, and unwavering belief in the power of evidence-based care, she transformed the understanding and treatment of anxiety-related disorders and changed the lives of countless individuals and families around the world.”

    Other colleagues and friends called her “brilliant,” “amazing,” and “extremely influential” in online tributes. One said she was “a giant who taught the world how to conquer fear and reclaim life.”

    Dr. Foa earned grants for research and education, and taught her therapy techniques to veterans counselors in the United States and Israel, to therapists for the U.S. Army and the City of Philadelphia, and to clinicians at Women Against Rape and other groups around the world. In 2010, she was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world.

    To share her innovations and encourage peer review, Dr. Foa edited Failures in Behavior Therapy in 1983 and cowrote Emotional Process of Fear in 1986 and Emotional Processing of Traumatic Experiences in 2007. The hundreds of books, manuals, articles, and papers she wrote, cowrote, or edited about memory, stress, anger, depression, and guilt have been cited more than 13,000 times by other authors.

    The Daily News published this story and photos of Dr. Foa in 1993.

    She also volunteered as a consultant and supervisor at clinics and medical centers. She lectured and organized clinical workshops in the United States, Israel, and elsewhere. In 2010, she told Time magazine: “If you develop a wonderful protocol, it’s useless if nobody uses it.”

    She was affiliated with many mental health societies and associations, and earned lifetime achievement awards from the American Psychological Association, the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, and other groups. She was featured often in The Inquirer and the Daily News, and told the Daily News in 1993 that “everyone has little fears.” She said her little fears were of heights and swimming underwater.

    In 1970, Dr. Foa earned both a doctorate in clinical psychology and personality from the University of Missouri, and a master’s degree in clinical psychology at the University of Illinois. In 1962, she earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and literature at Bar-Ilan University in Israel.

    She stopped working full-time at Penn in 2023 but never really retired. In April, she was scheduled to lead a workshop in prolonged exposure therapy. In 2011, she told The Inquirer: “If I die tomorrow, I think that what I have achieved is fine. If I don’t die, I don’t need to stop.”

    Edna Ben Jacob was born Dec. 28, 1937, in what is now Haifa, Israel. She became fascinated by the work of psychologist Sigmund Freud, she told the Encyclopedia of Behavior Modification and Cognitive Behavior Therapy, and she worked briefly with juvenile offenders near Tel Aviv after high school.

    In 2011, she told The Inquirer she was shattered by her own trauma in 1948 when her brother, Uri, was killed in the war and her father, Abraham, died four years later.

    Survivors give advice about mourning their loved ones, as told to The Inquirer’s obit writer

    She married and divorced when she was young, and met Professor Uriel Foa at Bar-Ilan. They married when she was 24, had daughter Dora, and moved to the United States in 1966. They had daughters Yael and Michelle, and lived in Illinois and Missouri before moving to Glenside and then Penn Valley. She moved to Philadelphia a few years ago.

    After a divorce, she married Penn professor Charles Kahn. Her husband and former husband died earlier.

    This photo of Dr. Foa (center) appeared in the Times Recorder in Ohio in 1978.

    Away from work, Dr. Foa enjoyed traveling, gardening, and hosting family and friends at holidays. She collected art and antiques.

    She told an interviewer she had a bad habit of deleting emails before reading them. She managed lung cancer years ago.

    Dr. Foa finds healing in having patients relive their pain over and over

    “She was full of energy, vivacious, a force of nature,” said her daughter Yael. Her daughter Michelle said: “She was an extraordinary figure who lived a very rich life.”

    In addition to her daughters, Dr. Foa is survived by five grandchildren, a great-granddaughter, and other relatives.

    Dr. Foa laughs with her husband, Charles Kahn.

    Private services are to be held later.

    Donations in her name may be made to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, Pa. 19130; and the Philadelphia Orchestra, 300 S. Broad St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19102.