Armand H. Dorian, MD, FACEP, MMM CEO of USC Verdugo Hills Hospital
Armand H. Dorian, MD, MMM, FACEP, was named CEO of USC Verdugo Hills Hospital (USC-VHH) in October 2021. He had served as interim chief executive officer of USC Verdugo Hills Hospital since March 2021. As CEO, Dorian leads all aspects of the hospital in advancing the hospital’s mission of providing personalized, high-quality health care to the local community.
Dorian joined the USC-VHH executive team in July 2018 as the chief medical officer to help lead the physician medical staff. Previously, he served as the hospital’s director and vice-chair of the emergency department.
He is a clinical professor of emergency medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, former chair and current member of the Caduceus Society, foundation board member, community advisory board member and serves as the president of the governing board. Dorian brings nearly two decades of medical experience, as an emergency board certified physician and valued leader and administrator. Dorian has dedicated himself to USC-VHH and the community in which it serves.
Dorian is a compassionate physician executive, who has been able to inspire, motivate and lead by instilling a culture of honesty, integrity, collegiality, accountability and empathy. He is focused on channeling his passion and commitment through great communication and decision-making, allowing his team to express their creativity and innovation, creating an environment for success.
Consultant to many Fortune 500 companies, Dorian provides a highly sought-after combination of medical, media and business competency. He is a problem solver, with a solid track record of leading change and implementing programs to improve patient care, provider wellness and physician engagement, while reducing costs. He is data- and evidence-based driven, with the ability to build successful teams and foster positive and collaborative relationships.
Dorian has a successful, long-standing and deep relationship with all things media, vertically integrated with the entire industry. He is a medical expert and host of many television and news shows. He has been published in trusted and respected medical and scientific journals. He has also been featured in numerous magazines, newspapers and websites.
He received his medical degree from the John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawaii and completed his emergency medicine residency at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center. He received a Master of Medical Management at the USC Marshall School of Business.
Dorian and his wife have three beautiful children, which he truly regards as his biggest achievement.
Kenny Pawlek Chief Operating Officer
Kenny Pawlek joined USC Verdugo Hills Hospital (USC-VHH), a 158-bed community hospital in the Keck Medicine of USC health system, as chief operating officer in March 2016. In this role, Kenny leads the day-to-day operations in alignment with Keck Medicine of USC’s strategic priorities and service culture. Kenny oversees all ancillary clinical operations, facility maintenance, EVS and food services. He is responsible for all construction and equipment purchases and participates in strategic planning, business development and physician recruitment. He works closely with the CEO and other executive leaders to ensure that USC-VHH fulfills its commitment to exceptional, high-quality patient and family-centered care.
Prior to joining USC-VHH, Kenny spent 12 years at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), where he held positions in inpatient, outpatient and research operations. His focus at CHLA was on developing and enhancing clinical programs to improve patient care.
Kenny holds BS and MS degrees in engineering from Harvey Mudd College; an MBA from the University of Southern California; and is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE). He is an active member of ACHE and Healthcare Executives of Southern California and serves on the board of directors for Family Promise of the Verdugos, the Glendale Police Foundation and the Flintridge Preparatory School Father’s Club.
Jason Kell Chief Financial Officer
Jason Kell is the associate chief financial officer of USC Verdugo Hills Hospital. He works closely with executive, clinical and strategic leaders to help develop long-range strategic and capital plans. Before joining USC-VHH, he spent 13 years at Providence St. Joseph Health’s southern California region in a variety of roles, including financial planning and analysis, population health and managed care.
Tarina Kang, MD, MHA Chief Medical Officer, USC Verdugo Hills Hospital
Tarina Kang, MD, MHA serves as chief medical officer of USC Verdugo Hills Hospital (USC-VHH). In this role, she oversees patient care coordination, technology implementation, process improvement and regulatory compliance. She works closely with the USC-VHH executive leadership team to ensure the highest quality of service for patients and their caregivers.
Kang also serves as clinical associate professor of emergency medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC.
Prior to joining USC-VHH, Kang served as medical director of quality for Keck Medical Center of USC and medical director for the Evaluation and Treatment Clinic at Keck Hospital of USC. In these positions, she was actively engaged in efforts to patient outcomes and care delivery. During the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, she envisioned and developed the medical center’s outdoor COVID-19 evaluation tent and supervised physician staffing in the COVID-19 vaccine clinic.
Kang also served as the inaugural chief of the emergency ultrasound division within the Department of Emergency Medicine at Los Angeles County + USC Medical Center (LAC+USC). Prior to this she served as an attending physician and instructor of clinical emergency medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Kang received her medical degree from the George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences. She completed her emergency medicine residency at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center-Harvard Affiliated Residency and is fellowship-trained in emergency ultrasound. She has a Master of Health Administration from the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy.
An accomplished violinist, Kang completed her undergraduate degree with distinction in music performance at Stanford University.
Theresa Murphy, RN, MS, CENP, joined USC Verdugo Hills Hospital (USC-VHH) as the chief nursing officer in June 2015. She brings more than 25 years of experience in the health care industry, spending much of that time at Keck Medicine of USC in various roles at Keck Hospital of USC, USC Norris Cancer Hospital and USC Care. Theresa also spent a year as the assistant CNO at St. Vincent Medical Center prior to her return to USC-VHH.
In addition to clinical practice as a registered nurse, Theresa has served in several hospital and academic organizations. She currently serves as the chair of the Nurse Advisory Council for HASC, on the CNO Advisory Committee for the California Hospital Association, on the Board of Directors of the Chin Family Institute for Nursing at California State University, Los Angeles, the Advisory Board of the O’Rourke Institute for Advancement of Professional Practice and the advisory board of the Department of Healthcare Administration at California State University, Long Beach. Theresa also serves as an evaluator for the BETA HEART Event Review Panel.
Theresa graduated from LeMoyne College with a bachelor’s degree in religious studies; from California State University, Los Angeles with a bachelor’s degree in nursing; from California State University, Long Beach with a master’s degree in health care administration and has been certified in executive nursing practice from the American Organization of Nurse Leaders.
In addition to her duties at USC-VHH, Theresa occasionally lectures at Mount St. Mary’s University and volunteers with the Executive Service Corps, providing executive coaching to leaders serving community nonprofit organizations.
