Aultman Hippocrates Society inductees include Alliance doctor
CANTON – A longtime physician in Alliance was one of three doctors to recently be inducted to the Hippocrates Honor Society of Aultman Hospital.
The award, created by Aultman’s medical staff, is considered a lifetime achievement award, and recognizes physicians “who exemplify the qualities of excellence, compassion, integrity and leadership.” The 2023 inductees were:
Dr. Debra Lehrer
Aultman Alliance Community Hospital, hospice and palliative care
Lehrer joined the medical staff of Aultman Alliance Community Hospital in July 1993. She has served in different roles – emergency medicine physician; volunteer medical director of The Good Samaritan Medical Care Clinic in Alliance; founding partner of Premier Health Associates; and, most recently, rejoined Aultman Alliance in 2018 as senior vice president of Planetree, Shared Leadership of Physicians in Administration and director of Palliative Care and Hospice, where she continues to serve as a provider of Palliative Care/Hospice at Aultman Alliance.
Lehrer has been involved with Alliance Area Domestic Violence Shelter, currently serving her second term as president. She also has served as a trustee for Alliance Neighborhood Center, Aultman Alliance Community Hospital Board of Trustees and the Alliance Community Health Foundation Board of Trustees.
Lehrer has received the ACH Spirit of Planetree Award in 2009 and 2013. In 2011, she was named Planetree Hospital Physician Champion, and has received the Athena Award from the Alliance Area Chamber of Commerce.
Lehrer currently serves on the Medical Executive Committee, Patient Care Peer Review Committee, Patient Advisory Council for Excellence and is a past chair of the Department of Medicine.
Dr. Ross Campensa
Aultman Orville Hospital, emergency medicine
Born and raised in Euclid, Campensa earned his medical degree from Northeast Ohio Medical University and completed his residency in emergency medicine from Akron General Medical Center.
In 2007, Dr. Campensa joined the medical staff of Dunlap Memorial Hospital, which now is Aultman Orrville Hospital, and Aultman Hospital. He was named medical director of Aultman Orrville’s Emergency Department in 2012 and remains in that post. He also serves as the Aultman Healthcare Delivery System EMS medical director.
Campensa has been a leader in medical staff governance and hospital functions, including serving as a member on the Medical Executive Committee since 2013 and as medical staff president in 2015, along with roles as chair or vice chair in the Department of Medicine. He has served as chairman of the Aultman Orrville Multidisciplinary Quality Management Committee, Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee and on the Healthcare Delivery System Quality Committee.
Campensa has also been highly involved with local EMS throughout his career, serving as medical director for all seven dispatch centers in Stark County, as well as serving as medical director for the Green, Orrville and Kidron fire departments.
Most recently, Campensa was named 2023 EMS Medical Director of the Year by the state of Ohio.
Dr. James Johns
Aultman Hospital, family medicine
Johns, a Canton native, earned his medical degree from University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, then completed a family practice residency in 1985 at Akron City Hospital.
He joined the Aultman Hospital staff in 1985, and practices just four blocks from where he grew up.
Johns is medical director of Sports Medicine and Therapy. For more than 35 years, he has served as team physician for Canton McKinley High School, which includes injury evaluation, treatment, follow-up care and athletic physicals. Additionally, he has provided coverage as the team physician or site physician for the Canton Charge, NFL Alumni Academy, Pro Football Hall of Fame game, enshrinement and activities and OHSAA Football State Championships. He became the Malone University student health physician in recent years.
Johns also worked with the Aultman Sports Medicine team to implement a concussion management program to create guidelines and procedures aimed at helping athletes safely return to play after suffering a concussion.
Johns was instrumental in development and ongoing growth of Integrated Health Collaborative. He was among 20 physicians on the Physician Steering Committee during 2013. He continues to serve as the chairman of the IHC Performance Improvement & Quality Committee. Johns also serves on the Canton City Board of Health.
This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: Dr. Debra Lehrer among 2023 Aultman Hippocrates Honor Society inductees
