Hartford Business Journal

22 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | NOVEMBER 17, 2025 POWE R 25 | HE ALTH CARE Health Collaborative, which focuses on regional planning for vaccine access, data sharing and disease management. Juthani is the first Indian American to serve as a commissioner in Connecticut. Before entering government, Juthani was an infectious-disease specialist at Yale School of Medicine, where her re- search centered on infection prevention and antibiotic use in older adults. turing at Cigna, which employs more than 73,000 people worldwide and recorded $247 billion in revenue in 2024. In March, Cordani appointed Brian Evanko as president and chief operating officer, consolidating oversight of both Cigna Healthcare and Evernorth Health Services under a single executive. At the same time, Ann Dennison stepped into the role of executive vice president and chief financial officer, while Evernorth leader Eric Palmer departed following 25 years with the company. Earlier in 2025, Cordani announced Cig- na's initiative to reduce prescription costs through Express Scripts, emphasizing low- er negotiated prices — particularly for high- cost GLP-1 medications commonly used in diabetes and weight-loss treatment. Cordani, a fit marathon runner, has also been outspoken about individual health. In a Bloomberg interview this summer, Cordani said that lifestyle and behavior ac- count for roughly 80% of healthcare costs, emphasizing the importance of cardiovas- cular fitness, balanced nutrition and overall lifestyle in extending longevity. He highlighted the role of physical activ- ity — at least 30 minutes of brisk exercise five times a week — and healthy, moderate eating, while noting that long-term well-be- ing also relies on broader factors such as a sense of community, purpose, belonging and spiritual health. Cordani, who earned an MBA from the University of Hartford, continues to serve on the executive committee of America's Health Insurance Plans and previously chaired its board. SONJA LABARBERA S onja LaBarbera, president and CEO of Gaylord Specialty Healthcare since January 2019, leads Connecticut's largest nonprofit rehabilitation system and became its first female CEO. She began her career at Gaylord in 2005 as director of inpatient therapy and later served as chief operating officer before assuming her current role. Her academic background includes a master's degree in organizational leadership from Quinnipiac University and a master's in speech-lan- guage pathology from SUNY Fredonia. She is a speech-language pathologist by training. In February 2024, LaBarbera oversaw the unveiling of the Institute for Advanced Rehabilitation on Gaylord's Wallingford campus — a 10,000-square-foot, $4.4 million facility housing five program hubs: an education and training center, the Milne Institute for Healthcare Innovation, a physical medicine and rehabilitation resi- dency, an integrative medicine office, and a sanctuary chapel. In mid-2025, Gaylord received "Great Place to Work" certification for the fifth straight year; more than 88% of its employ- ees rated the organization favorably, well above the national benchmark. LaBarbera also joined the board of trustees of the Legacy Theatre in Branford in early 2024, and holds leadership roles in several professional associations, includ- ing the National Association of Long-Term Hospitals and the American College of Healthcare Executives. In fiscal 2024, Gaylord Hospital reported $99.7 million in revenue and a $2.3 million surplus, according to its consolidated financial statement. and care delivery under the broader CVS ecosystem. So far, the results have been positive. While CVS Health reported an overall loss in the third quarter of 2025, its Aetna division reported a $314 million operating profit, reversing a $924 million loss in the year-ago period. DR. ANDREW AGWUNOBI D r. Andrew Agwunobi's 2024 return to UConn Health as CEO and executive vice president of health affairs came at a critical inflection point for the state's public academic medical center. A pediatrician with an MBA from Stanford, Agwunobi previously led UCo- nn Health for eight years before depart- ing in 2022 to join Humana. Less than two years later, he was recruited back to oversee John Dempsey Hospital, the UConn School of Medicine and Dental School, and a $1 billion health system with more than 6,000 employees. Now, Agwunobi is at the center of high-level negotiations that could reshape Connecticut's healthcare landscape. UConn Health is in talks to acquire or affiliate with Bristol, Day Kimball and Waterbury hospitals. Some state leaders say the move could stabilize UConn Health's finances and preserve community access to care, while critics question how the state will pay for the acquisitions. Financial stabilization has been a top priority under Agwunobi's leadership. After years of steep deficits, UConn Health reported an operating gain of $15.2 million for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2025, but that included $193.8 million in state support com- pared to $1.6 billion in total revenue. Agwunobi has said his long-term goal is to reduce UConn Health's reliance on state appropriations by forging pub- lic-private partnerships and expanding patient care. The deal to acquire or affiliate with three other Connecticut hospitals could go a long way in achiev- ing that aim. "We're on the right trajectory," he told HBJ in January, "but it's going to take a lot of work." DAVID CORDANI D avid Cordani, chairman and CEO of Bloomfield-based Cigna Group since 2009, continues to guide one of Connecti- cut's most prominent health insurers. He remains a vocal supporter of private insurance as a mechanism to expand access to affordable health care. This year, he led a leadership restruc- DR. JUTHANI Continued from page 21 STEVE NELSON S teve Nelson brings decades of health insurance and managed care leadership to his relatively new role as president of Hartford health insurer Aetna, a subsidiary of CVS Health. He officially took the reins in early No- vember 2024. Nelson's career is marked by senior lead- ership roles across several major health- care and insurance organizations. He for- merly served as CEO of UnitedHealthcare, and later led ChenMed, a provider group focused on value-based primary care. Earlier in his career, he held leadership positions at the Henry Ford Health System. His appointment comes at a pivotal time for Aetna: the insurer last year faced mounting cost pressures, especially in its Medicare business, and its parent compa- ny, CVS Health, has shuffled top leadership amid an ongoing turnaround effort. Nelson is expected to leverage his operational and strategic experience to restore profitability, tighten cost controls, and deepen integration between insurance CRISTA DURAND C rista Durand in March was appointed president and CEO of New Britain's Hospital for Special Care. Founded in 1941, Hospital for Special Care is an independent, not-for-profit healthcare facility. With 246 beds, it's the fourth-largest long-term care hospital among the 330 that operate in the U.S., and is one of just two nationwide that provides long-term acute care for children. HFSC also is one of just three long-term, acute-care hospitals in the state; the others are Gaylord Hospital in Wallingford and the new Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Danbury, which opened in September. Durand was born and raised in Putnam. She came to HFSC from Newport Hospital in Rhode Island, where she served as CEO for 10 years. Before that, she was vice president of strategic planning, marketing and business development at Lawrence + Memorial Hos- pital in New London. She has a bachelor's degree in finance and financial management services from Salve Regina University and an MBA from Nicholls College. HFSC, which has facilities in New Britain and Hartford, has a staff of about 1,300 that cares for patients that range in age from infants to the elderly. KURT BARWIS K urt Barwis has long been at the center of efforts to secure Bristol Health's future, and 2025 may prove pivotal. UConn Health is in talks to acquire or af- filiate with Bristol Hospital, a potential end to Barwis' years-long search for a partner that could stabilize one of Connecticut's

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