Newswise — West Orange, New Jersey, September 9, 2025 –Thomas A. Nahass, MD, MS, Vice President of Health Informatics of RWJBarnabas Health, has been named to Becker’s Hospital Review’s Rising Stars: 100 Healthcare Leaders Under 40 list for 2025. The annual list recognizes a new generation of forward-thinking professionals who are transforming health care to be more accessible, affordable, and seamless for patients across the U.S.
Becker’s selection process is based on nominations and editorial research, shining a spotlight on leaders under the age of 40 who demonstrate visionary leadership, innovation, and measurable impact across the industry. The individuals named are poised to drive lasting change within their organizations by refining care delivery, improving processes and embracing change with bold, proactive leadership.
As Vice President of Health Informatics, Dr. Nahass drives systemwide clinical technology, EHR optimization, and patient-safety initiatives across New Jersey’s largest academic health system. His portfolio spans informatics strategy, workflow redesign, and data-driven quality improvement.
Dr. Nahass has been responsible for the rollout of the deterioration index early warning system at RWJBarnabas Health, which has reduced mortality in decompensating patients by 22% and sepsis workflow updates that improved compliance and outcomes. During the 2024 Baxter IV-fluid shortage, he implemented barcode tracking and dashboard oversight to cut usage by 44% without increases in mortality or acute kidney injury. He also developed an Epic autoCDI tool and respiratory-virus dashboards that enabled masking policy changes nearly two weeks ahead of CDC guidance. Dr. Nahass leads the Epic Physician Builder program, helping RWJBarnabas Health achieve Epic Gold Stars Level 10 for three consecutive years (top 1% globally), while continuing to practice in the medical ICU and mentor trainees.
Previously, Dr. Nahass served as President and Co-Founder of Copernicus Health, Inc. He earned a Bachelor of Science from Wake Forest University and a Doctor of Medicine from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, where he now serves as Assistant Professor of Medicine. He also holds a Master of Science in Health and Clinical Informatics from Oregon Health & Science University.
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