Gene therapy is transforming what’s possible in modern medicine—reshaping patient outcomes, workforce health, and the long-term cost curve for employers.
Yet these breakthroughs sit against the backdrop of rising health care costs. Join us for a forward-looking conversation with Madeline Bell, CEO of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), whose leadership sits at the center of both dynamics. She will share a candid view on how a leading hospital navigates the real drivers of health care costs while pioneering some of the most significant clinical advances of the decade in pediatric medicine and gene therapy.
As part of our CEO in Health Care Series, presented in partnership with the Health Transformation Alliance, this session will give HR leaders unparalleled insight into how hospital innovation and hospital economics intersect—and what this means for the employer community.
Under Madeline Bell’s leadership, CHOP has emerged as a global leader in gene therapy discovery, development, and delivery, bringing life-changing treatments to children and accelerating the future of precision medicine. Her perspective on the rapidly advancing gene therapy landscape is uniquely valuable for HR leaders seeking to understand the implications for workforce health, benefits design, and long-term cost strategy. This session will offer participants a rare opportunity to learn directly from one of the field’s most influential and visionary leaders.
Ms. Bell will share a candid view on how a leading hospital navigates the real drivers of health care costs while pioneering some of the most significant clinical advances of the decade in pediatric medicine and gene therapy.
Topics Covered
In our discussion, we will explore:
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01
Breakthrough Progress in Gene Therapy
- How CHOP’s pioneering work is reshaping treatment pathways for rare and complex diseases — and what this means for the future of care.
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02
Implications for Employers and HR Leaders
- What HR leaders need to understand about emerging gene therapies, their cost trajectory, and what they need to prepare for:
- Major shifts coming over the next 3–5 years:
- Ultra targeted therapies with high upfront costs but potentially curative outcomes
- Increasing access and equity considerations
- How to evaluate the value equation in a gene therapy world
- How employers can engage with health systems innovating at the genetic level
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03
The Evolving Health Care Landscape
- How these transformative therapies will influence employee expectations, affordability challenges, and the role of employers in supporting access to high-value care.
Hosted jointly by the CHRO Association and the Health Transformation Alliance.
HTA Members who are not CHRO members, please reach out to Alexandria (atrujillo@chro.org) to register.
Speakers
Madeline Bell
CEO, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)
Madeline Bell is the CEO of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), which is one of the top-ranked children’s hospitals in the United States and was ranked No. 1 on Forbes’ 2022 list of America’s Best Large Employers. A bold and visionary leader, Ms. Bell champions change with empathy and integrity, inspiring the more than 31,000 employees and other workforce members in the hospital’s $5-billion-a-year health system and research institute to create breakthroughs that have worldwide impact.
Ms. Bell began her career as a pediatric nurse at CHOP in 1983, later leaving the organization to move into hospital administration. She returned to CHOP in 1995, and has since held a number of leadership positions, advancing from Vice President to Senior Vice President to Executive Vice President to Chief Operating Officer to President. She became CEO in 2015.
Ms. Bell has made numerous contributions to CHOP, including the development of one of the largest pediatric ambulatory care networks in the country; the expansion of the Philadelphia Campus; the creation of the Middleman Family Pavilion, an inpatient hospital on CHOP’s King of Prussia Campus; and the development of the Center for Advanced Behavioral Healthcare and the Behavioral Health & Crisis Center in West Philadelphia and Roberts Children’s Health, a new inpatient complex that will open in 2028. She has also led the development of many nationally recognized clinical care programs and has secured many philanthropic gifts to help further the organization’s mission.
Ms. Bell serves on the boards of Comcast-NBCUniversal and the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics. She is also on the Executive Committee of the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia and is Chair of the Chamber’s CEO Council for Growth. She is the honorary consul of Spain, a fellow of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, and the former Chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia’s Board of Directors. She is an adviser to numerous international hospitals and frequently lectures on the topics of children’s healthcare and women in leadership.
Ms. Bell has received many awards and accolades, including the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia’s William Penn Award, Press Ganey’s CEO of the Year Award, The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Industry Icon Award, and the Philadelphia Business Journal’s Most Admired CEO Award. She has been named one of Modern Healthcare’s 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare and one of its 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives and was included on Forbes’ 50 Over 50: Vision list, Philadelphia Business Journal’s Power 100 2025 list, Metro Philadelphia’s list of Power Players in Health Care, and Philadelphia Magazine’s list of 150 Most Influential Philadelphians.
Ms. Bell is the host of Breaking Through with Madeline Bell, a podcast that features interviews with CHOP patients, doctors and scientists, as well as with philanthropists and innovators who support CHOP’s mission. She holds a bachelor of science in Nursing from Villanova University and a master of science in Organizational Dynamics from the University of Pennsylvania.
Robert E. Andrews
CEO, Health Transformation Alliance
Robert E. Andrews currently serves as the CEO of the Health Transformation Alliance (HTA). As CEO of the HTA, Andrews oversees the strategic direction of approximately 60+ major corporations that have come together in an alliance to do one thing: fix our broken healthcare system. Formed by four founding members in September 2015, the HTA member companies collectively are responsible for more than 8 million employees, dependents, and retirees with an annual healthcare spend of $30+ billion. Through Andrews’ leadership, the HTA has launched value-driven solutions specifically designed to improve patient care and economic value through world-class data and analytics, pathbreaking pharmaceutical solutions, high-quality medical networks, and robust consumer engagement initiatives. To date, the cooperative has saved its member companies well over $2 billion in healthcare costs. Andrew’s leadership has been equally important in the HTA developing programs addressing racial and ethnic disparities in health care, mental health issues, and safe return-to-work programs following the pandemic.
Andrews led the Government Affairs practice at Dilworth Paxson law firm for two years before joining the HTA. Prior to private practice, Andrews served as a Member of the United States House of Representatives for nearly 24 years. Upon his departure from Congress, President Barack Obama praised Andrews’ service as “an original author of the Affordable Care Act…and a vital partner in its passage and implementation,” and cited his “tenacity and skill” in representing the people of New Jersey. Andrews is married to Camille Spinello Andrews, an Associate Dean at Rutgers Law School and former Dilworth partner, and they have two daughters, Jacquelyn and Josie.
Platform & Access
Platform
Zoom Webinar
Camera optional. Closed captions available.
How to Join
Link sent 24 hours prior
Registered attendees will receive the Zoom link via email the day before the session, with a calendar invite. Test your audio in advance.
Save your spot
Open to CHRO Association members and Health Transformation Alliance members
