Illinois health system leader to receive AHA Justin Ford Kimball Innovators Award 

The AHA May 5 will award Jim Leonard, M.D., president and CEO of Carle Health in Urbana, Ill., the 2025 Justin Ford Kimball Innovators Award during the AHA Annual Membership Meeting in Washington, D.C. During his 25 years as president and CEO of Carle Health, Leonard grew the organization into an integrated health care system that includes eight award-winning hospitals, numerous outpatient clinics and other sites of care, a multispecialty physician group, a research institute and the first engineering-based medical school — the Carle Illinois College of Medicine. He also opened the Mills Breast Cancer Institute and the Digestive Health Institute at Carle Foundation Hospital. Leonard also established the Carle Illinois Advanced Imaging Center with its 7 Tesla MRI scanner for both clinical and research use. 
 
“Known as a grounded and visionary leader with a deep commitment to innovation, community service and patient-centered care, Jim brings his background as a family physician to his leadership at Carle Health,” said Rick Pollack, AHA president and CEO. “Under Jim’s leadership, Carle created the world’s first engineering-based medical school, weaving innovation and entrepreneurship into its medical training curriculum and helping graduates build the unique skillsets needed to address the health care challenges of the future.”