CHICAGO, Jan. 22, 2026—The American College of Healthcare Executives announces the following 2026 award winners: John J. Lynch III, FACHE, and Richard J. Pollack are the recipients of the Gold Medal Award; Vamsee K. Potluri, FACHE, is the recipient of the Robert S. Hudgens Memorial Award for Young Healthcare Executive of the Year; and Samuel L. Soltis, PhD, LFACHE, is the recipient of the Lifetime Service and Achievement Award.
The Gold Medal Award is ACHE’s highest honor, bestowed on outstanding leaders who have made significant contributions to the healthcare profession. These leaders exemplify leadership at the organizational, local, state/provincial and national levels and continually contribute to the improvement of the delivery of healthcare services and community health.
Lynch is a former president and CEO of Main Line Health, Bryn Mawr, Pa., who retired in 2025. He championed some of the biggest initiatives in the system’s history, including restructuring it as a standalone organization and adding an acute care hospital and a drug and alcohol inpatient treatment center. He has served with ACHE in various capacities, including as a past Governor, as a Regent and on numerous councils and committees. Lynch has been awarded the ACHE Senior-Level Regent Award, the Service Award, the Distinguished Service Award and the Exemplary Service Award. He also has served on the Malcom Baldrige Quality Award Board of Overseers and the American Hospital Association Board of Trustees.
Pollack is president and CEO of the American Hospital Association, a role he has held since 2015. During a more than 40-year career, he advocated for expanded coverage through the Affordable Care Act and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, advanced patient safety and quality, and supported America’s hospitals and health systems during national healthcare crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Pollack also serves on the Board of Directors of the Coalition to Strengthen America’s Health Care, is a member of the steering committee for the National Academy of Medicine Action Collaborative on Clinician Well-Being and Resilience, and serves on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Committee of 100. He is the former chair and a current member of the International Hospital Federation’s Association Leadership Council, and he currently serves on the IHF Governing Council.
The Robert S. Hudgens Memorial Award for Young Healthcare Executive of the Year recognizes outstanding achievement in the field of healthcare management. The award is given to an exceptional healthcare executive who is younger than 40, is a Fellow of ACHE and holds a CEO or COO position in a healthcare organization.
Potluri is executive medical center director/CEO of the Washington Veterans Affairs Medical Center in the District of Columbia, a role he began in September 2025. Before that, he served as executive medical center director/CEO of the Wilmington VA Medical Center in Delaware. Potluri has served on multiple ACHE chapter boards and on the ACHE VA Regent Advisory Council. He is a graduate of numerous VA leadership programs, is a Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and has been recognized with the ACHE Early Careerist Healthcare Executive Regent Award.
The Lifetime Service and Achievement Award honors Life Fellows and Retired Fellows who have made outstanding, nationally recognized contributions to advance the profession of healthcare management and ACHE. The award is not necessarily bestowed every year.
Dr. Soltis served in healthcare administration for more than three decades and spent the last 16 years of his career in leadership roles in correctional healthcare. He is a Certified Correctional Health Professional and has served as the ACHE liaison to the National Commission on Correctional Healthcare Board of Representatives since 2015, including as chair from 2021–2022. As board chair, Dr. Soltis spearheaded initiatives to attract new talent to correctional healthcare by promoting outreach to academic institutions, creating student-focused webinars and championing the NCCHC Foundation’s scholarship programs.
All recipients will receive their award in March during ACHE’s Congress on Healthcare Leadership in Houston.
About the American College of Healthcare Executives
The American College of Healthcare Executives is an international professional society of 53,000 healthcare executives who lead hospitals, healthcare systems and other healthcare organizations. ACHE’s mission is to advance our members and healthcare management excellence. ACHE offers its prestigious FACHE® credential, signifying board certification in healthcare management. ACHE's established network of 75 chapters provides access to networking, education and career development at the local level. In addition, ACHE is known for its magazine, Healthcare Executive, and its career development and public policy programs. Through such efforts, ACHE works toward its vision of being the preeminent professional society for leaders dedicated to improving health. The Foundation of the American College of Healthcare Executives was established to further advance healthcare management excellence through education and research. The Foundation of ACHE is known for its educational programs—including the annual Congress on Healthcare Leadership, which draws more than 6,000 participants—and groundbreaking research. Its publishing division, ACHE Learn, is one of the largest publishers of books and journals on health services management, including textbooks for college and university courses.
Contact:
Randy Liss
Director of Communications
American College of Healthcare Executives
300 S. Riverside Plaza, Suite 1900
Chicago, IL 60606
(312) 424-9417
rliss@ache.org