Philadelphia Area Executive Joseph Sebastianelli Honored By University of Scranton

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Sebastian Univ of Scranton President Business Council Award

SCRANTON, PA (11/11/2010)(readMedia)-- Joseph T. Sebastianelli, Esq., of Berwyn, president and CEO of Jefferson Health System Inc., was honored with The University of Scranton's President's Medal at the President's Business Council Ninth Annual Award Dinner held in October at The Pierre in New York City.

Proceeds from the annual dinner, which raised $1.1 million, go directly to the Presidential Scholarship Endowment Fund in support of Presidential Scholarships. Presidential Scholarships are four-year, full-tuition, merit-based scholarships awarded to the top students entering The University of Scranton's incoming class each year.

A native of Jessup, Pa., and a trustee of The University of Scranton, Sebastianelli remembered his parents in his remarks.

"The driving force in their lives was to educate their children," said Sebastianelli of his parents who emigrated from Italy to the United States. He graduated from The University of Scranton in 1968 and from Villanova Law School with highest honors in 1971.

Sebastianelli has served as the president and CEO of Jefferson Health System since 2002. Jefferson Health System is the largest health system in southeastern Pennsylvania, and has the greatest geographic coverage and market share in the region. It is the second-largest health-care provider in Pennsylvania, and was ranked by Modern Healthcare as 42nd in the country, based on 2009 figures.

Prior to that appointment at Jefferson, Sebastianelli had already established a distinguished career in healthcare. His career highlights include: president of Aetna, Inc.; chairman and CEO of RealMed Corp.; co-president of U.S. Healthcare, Inc.; CEO of Scripps Care and executive vice president of Scripps Health, San Diego. He has held positions at Blue Cross of Greater Philadelphia (now Independence Blue Cross) and is a past chairman of The Hospital & Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania.

Sebastianelli began his career at the office of Morgan Lewis and Bockius in Philadelphia, working in the area of health insurance litigation.

Sebastianelli resides in Berwyn with his wife, Leanne, and their daughter, Julia. He also has three sons and three grandchildren.

Arthur J. Kania, Esq., of Scranton's class of 1953, senior partner of Kania, Lindner, Lasak, & Feeney and the 2005 President's Medal recipient, and Thomas G. Hogan Jr. of Scranton's class of 1979, senior vice president of MetLife Inc., were co-chairs of the annual dinner. Timothy J. Pryle is The University of Scranton's director of the President's Business Council.

Digital image:

Mary Beth Farrell, chair of the President's Business Council (left) and University of Scranton President Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., (right) with Joseph T. Sebastianelli, Esq., '68, President and CEO of Jefferson Health System Inc., at the university's President's Business Council Annual Award Dinner held in October at The Pierre in New York City. A 1968 graduate of The University of Scranton, Sebastianelli received the Jesuit university's President's Medal at the dinner, which raised $1.1 million in support of Scranton's Presidential Scholarship Endowment Fund.