CANTON, Ohio (Sept. 21, 2023) – Aultman recently honored three local physicians with induction into the Hippocrates Honor Society. This “lifetime achievement” award, created by the Aultman Medical Staff, recognizes physicians who exemplify the qualities of excellence, compassion, integrity and leadership. To learn more about the 2023 inductees and view videos from their patients, colleagues and family members, go to aultman.org/hippocrates.

Congratulations to the 2023 Hippocrates Honor Society inductees:

Ross Campensa, M.D., Emergency Medicine
Born and raised in the Cleveland suburb of Euclid, Ross Campensa earned his medical degree from Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) and completed his residency in emergency medicine from Akron General Medical Center.

In 2007, Dr. Campensa joined the Medical Staff of Dunlap Memorial Hospital (now Aultman Orrville Hospital) and Aultman Hospital. His service as the medical director of Aultman Orrville’s Emergency Department began in 2012 and continues to this day. He also serves as the Aultman Healthcare Delivery System EMS medical director.

Throughout his years at Aultman Orrville, Dr. Campensa has been a leader in medical staff governance and hospital functions, including serving as a member on the Medical Executive Committee since 2013 and as Medical Staff President in 2015, along with roles as chair or vice chair in the Department of Medicine. He has served as chairman of the Aultman Orrville Multidisciplinary Quality Management Committee, Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee and on the Healthcare Delivery System Quality Committee.

Dr. Campensa has also been highly involved with local EMS throughout his career. Widely respected in the EMS community, he has provided leadership and support to local EMS through his oversight and guidance. He serves as the medical director for all seven dispatch centers in Stark County, as well as serving as medical director for the Green, Orrville and Kidron fire departments.

Most recently, Dr. Campensa received the honor of being named the 2023 EMS Medical Director of the Year from the state of Ohio. 

James Johns, M.D., Family Medicine
A Canton, Ohio, native, James Johns earned his medical degree from University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, then completed a family practice residency at Akron City Hospital in 1985.

In fact, the only time he briefly lived outside of Northeast Ohio was while completing his education, afterwards returning to Canton to open his own practice just four blocks away from where he grew up. He joined Aultman’s staff in 1985.

Dr. Johns is the medical director of Sports Medicine and Therapy. For more than 35 years, he has served as team physician for Canton McKinley High School, which included injury evaluation, treatment, follow-up care and athletic physicals. Additionally, in this role he has provided coverage as the team physician or site physician for the Canton Charge, NFL Alumni Academy, Pro Football Hall of Fame game, enshrinement and activities and OHSAA Football State Championships. He became the Malone University student health physician in recent years.

Dr. Johns also worked with the Aultman Sports Medicine team to implement a Concussion Management Program to create guidelines and procedures aimed at helping athletes safely return to play after undergoing a concussion. He has been committed to educating therapists on best practice management of musculoskeletal conditions and helped develop better communication between community physicians and therapists in inpatient care to promote efficient and accurate discharge planning. He has served as a valued advisor on the development of new therapy service lines, including pelvic floor physical therapy, dry needling and direct access to outpatient therapy services. 

Dr. Johns was also instrumental in the development and ongoing growth and success of Integrated Health Collaborative (IHC). He participated as one of 20 physician leaders serving on the Physician Steering Committee during 2013. In that capacity, he assisted with the design and build of IHC and served as the inaugural director of the IHC Board of Directors. He continues to serve as the chairman of the IHC Performance Improvement & Quality Committee.  

He has received many recognitions in his career, including:

• Ohio Outstanding Team Physician Award in 2008.
• Induction into the Canton McKinley Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
• Appointment to the Board of Health of Canton City by Mayor Thomas Barnabei in 2018.
• Awarded the Outstanding Physician Leadership Award given by the Medical Staff president of Aultman Hospital in 2020.

Debra Lehrer, M.D., Hospice and Palliative Care
Debra Lehrer joined the Medical Staff of Aultman Alliance Community Hospital in July 1993. Since then, she has continued her service at Aultman Alliance Community Hospital in different roles – she worked as an emergency medicine physician and was the volunteer medical director of The Good Samaritan Medical Care Clinic in Alliance, then became a founding partner of Premier Health Associates. She most recently rejoined Aultman Alliance in 2018 as senior vice president of Planetree, Shared Leadership of Physicians in Administration and director of Palliative Care and Hospice, where she continues to serve as a provider of Palliative Care/Hospice at Aultman Alliance.

Known for her compassion and devotion, she adheres to the Planetree culture of Aultman Alliance and is dedicated to improving patient and family engagement. She strives to achieve better clinical outcomes through person-centered care, empathy and generosity.

Dr. Lehrer has also been highly involved with the Alliance Area Domestic Violence Shelter and is currently serving her second term as president. Her dedication and kindness has helped to improve the lives of many families in desperate need of support. She has also served as a trustee for the Alliance Neighborhood Center, Aultman Alliance Community Hospital Board of Trustees and the Alliance Community Health Foundation Board of Trustees.

Over the years, Dr. Lehrer has been recognized for her countless hours of service by winning the ACH Spirit of Planetree Award in 2009 and 2013. In 2011, she was the winner of the Planetree Hospital Physician Champion, as well as the Athena Award from the Alliance Chamber of Commerce for women’s community leadership.

Dr. Lehrer currently serves on the Medical Executive Committee, Patient Care Peer Review Committee, Patient Advisory Council for Excellence and is a past chair of the Department of Medicine.

About the Hippocrates Honor Society
Patients, Aultman employees and medical staff members nominated physicians for the Hippocrates Honor Society award. Nomination guidelines for the award include 10 years of practice as a physician, 10 years of service at Aultman Hospital, civic and community involvement, local or national medical society involvement and professional accomplishments.

About Aultman Health Foundation
The Aultman Health Foundation is a nonprofit healthcare organization serving Stark and surrounding counties. The integrated healthcare system includes Aultman Hospital, Aultman Orrville Hospital, Aultman Alliance Community Hospital, the locally managed health insurance provider AultCare, The Aultman Foundation and Aultman College. With 1,032 beds, over 1,000 active providers and a team of more than 7,000 employees, Aultman is Stark County's largest provider of healthcare services. For more information, visit www.aultman.org.