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 – Carl E. Adkins, III, MBA, FACHE

Carl Adkins, MBA, FACHE, has served as the Vice President of Ancillary Services at Chester County Hospital for over 16 years. In this capacity, he oversees Laboratory, Respiratory Care, Volunteer Services, Radiology, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy and the Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine Center.  Carl also serves as the HIPAA Privacy Officer for Chester County Hospital. Prior to this position, Carl was in several leadership positions, primarily in oncology at organizations such as Fox Chase Cancer Center, St. Francis Medical Center (Trenton, NJ), and Lankenau Medical Center.

Carl received his master’s in business administration from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina and his bachelor’s in business administration from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.  Carl is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives.

While Carl did not serve in the military, his father was a B-17 flight instructor in the Army Air Corps. in World War II and Carl’s service on this committee is in honor of his father’s memory.

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.