Meet the VCEP Team
Executive Leader – Lisa M. Bellini, MD
Dr. Bellini obtained her medical degree from the University of Alabama prior to coming to Penn to complete her Internal Medicine residency, a chief residency and pulmonary fellowship.
She currently serves as the Executive Vice Dean for Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine with oversight for policies, procedures, development, faculty professionalism and wellbeing, the Penn-VA academic partnership, executive leadership searches, departmental academic reviews processes, and the development of GME Programs in Vietnam through Penn’s global initiatives. She also serves as Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs for the University of Pennsylvania Health System with oversight for Penn Medicine GME.
Nationally, Dr. Bellini currently serves on the NBME Council and the ACGME-International Committee. Previously, she served as inaugural Chair of the Board for the Alliance of Academic Internal Medicine following her role as Treasurer and President of the Association for Program Directors in Internal Medicine. Additionally, she has served on several key committees for the ACGME, chaired the Committee on Faculty Identity for the AAMC, and was a member of the IOM’s committee on Conflict of Interest.
Her research focuses on medical education, including the health and well-being of residents and faculty, and the effects of fatigue and sleep deprivation on patient outcomes and the learning environment.
She is a highly accomplished educator who has won numerous teaching awards including the AOA Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teacher Award and a lifetime achievement award from the Alliance of Academic Internal Medicine.
Assistant Dean for Veteran Affairs – Jeremy Cannon, MD, SM, FACS
Col (Ret.), USAF Reserve, MC
Jeremy W. Cannon, MD, SM, FACS, is the Perelman School of Medicine’s Assistant Dean for Veteran Affairs. As Assistant Dean, Dr. Cannon is responsible for overseeing the Veteran’s Care Excellence Program, Penn’s academic partnership with our VA, and the Navy Trauma Training Partnership. He also serves as a key advisor on matters related to veteran engagement, programming, and community-building.
Dr. Cannon is Professor of Surgery in the Division of Trauma, Surgical Critical Care, and Emergency General Surgery. Since joining Penn Medicine in 2015, he has served in a variety of leadership roles, including Trauma Program Medical Director at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, section chief of Trauma Surgery, and clinical champion for the resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) program. He also co-directs the Penn Acute Research Collaboration and serves as the Surgeon Champion for the Penn Medicine–US Navy Trauma Training Partnership.
Dr. Cannon served on active duty in the U.S. Air Force from 2006 to 2015, with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan as a trauma surgeon. He retired in 2023 as a Colonel from the U.S. Air Force Reserve, concluding his service as an Augmentee to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Readiness Policy and Oversight—a role in which he was awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal.
A 1994 distinguished graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, Dr. Cannon earned his medical degree from Harvard Medical School through the Health Professions Scholarship Program. During his surgical residency, he also completed a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, supported by an NIH F-32 award. He received the Paul W. Myers Award in 2011 for outstanding contributions to Air Force Medicine. In 2024, he was named a Bochnowski Family Veteran Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, where he is addressing the “peacetime effect” in military medicine through military-civilian trauma training partnerships.
Council Member – First Sergeant Shawn Clark
Shawn Clark brings more than 23 years of experience in talent acquisition, including a deep commitment to workforce development and veteran engagement. He joined Penn Medicine in November 2020 as a Recruiter and now serves as the Regional Director of Ambulatory and Corporate Talent Acquisition. In addition to his recruiting responsibilities, Shawn plays an active role in health system-wide initiatives that expand promotional opportunities for staff.
He is a key contributor to the Pathway to Penn Medicine High School Feeder Program, which aims to create a pipeline for recent high school graduates to access entry-level positions across the health system. A dedicated advocate for veterans, Shawn leads Penn Medicine’s Veteran Recruiting Program and was instrumental in launching the organization’s Veteran Employee Resource Group. He also serves on the board of the Greater Philadelphia Veterans Network.
Shawn served 25 years in the United States Army, retiring in 2018. The final 17 years of his military career were spent in the Army Recruiting Department, where he held various roles in healthcare recruiting, training, and leadership. He holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Grand Canyon University.
Council Member – Mark-Alan Pizzini, MD, FACHE
Mark-Alan Pizzini, MD, FACHE, is the Vice President for Perioperative Services and the Chief of Anesthesiology at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, and a Professor of Clinical Anesthesiology at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. He completed his undergraduate studies at Villanova University, followed by medical school at Penn State and a residency at the University of Pennsylvania. While in residency, Dr. Pizzini joined the United States Air Force and was stationed at McGuire AFB where he attained the rank of major (06) before separation. His interests outside of medicine include fiction writing, fishing, travel, and food/wine.
CAPT Paula E. Crawford, NC, USN, (RET)
CAPT Crawford is a native of Philadelphia, PA. She received her BSN from Sonoma State University in 1978 and her MSN from University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing in 1985. She earned her Post Masters in Nursing in 1993. She completed Flight Nursing at the School of Aerospace Medicine, Brooks Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas in 1996.
CAPT Crawford was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the United States Navy Nurse Corps in May 1990. She began her career as a Nurse Corps Officer at Fleet Hospital 20, Philadelphia, where she served as a Triage Officer. In November 1990 during Operation Desert Shield/Storm, CAPT Crawford was recalled to serve with Fleet Hospital 15, Al Jubail, and Saudi Arabia as a triage and flight nurse. She then served with Fleet Hospital 22 and Fleet Hospital Ft Dix in a variety of positions including Assistant Training Officer, Assistant Officer in Charge and Officer in Charge. She also served with 4th MAW as Administrative Officer and Executive Officer. She served as Executive Officer of 2004 Cobra Gold. In addition, was selected as the first Operational Specialty Leader and EnRoute Care Coordinator for the Reserve Navy Nurse Corps ad served as a SNE on the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73). CAPT Paula E. Crawford assumed her duty as Commanding Officer of Operational Health Support Unit Portsmouth in December 2008. Prior to this duty, she was the Executive Officer of OHSU Portsmouth from December 2006 to December 2008.
CAPT Crawford has been an adult nurse practitioner since 1993. Her professional experience includes Hospital University of Pennsylvania, Cardiothoracic Clinical Associated 1993-1998, Orthoapedic, Sports Medicine Phoenixville Hospital 1998-2000, St Lukes Director of Perioperative Services, Operating Room Nurse Manager, and Nursing Faculty,2000-2005, served as Director of the Reading Hospital and Medical Center Perioperative Division and School of Surgical Technology from 2005-2010, 2011 served on the Lancaster General Hospital Trauma team and transitioned into the Director of Advance Practice and Veteran Service Officer from 2011-2017. Presently Crawford-Gamble serves as the Penn Medicine Veteran Care of Excellence Liaison
CAPT Paula E. Crawford was recently honored by the Shapiro Administration as an Outstanding Women Veteran 2024. Crawford-Gamble is the recipient of the 2008 Pennsylvania Florence Nightingale Award for Advance Practice. In 2005, she received the Air and Surface Transport Nurses Association Katz Mason International Flight Nurse Award, promoting global change in flight nursing.