DOVER— Today, Delaware Governor Matt Meyer announced the appointment of Dr. Neil Hockstein as the chair of the Delaware Health Care Commission and Dr. John Powell and Cheri Clarke Doyle as commission members. These appointments reinforce Governor Meyer’s commitment to strengthening healthcare access, affordability, and quality at a time when healthcare challenges are more pressing than ever.

“The work of the Health Care Commission is more critical than ever as we confront rising healthcare costs, disparities in access, and the evolving needs of our communities,” said Governor Matt Meyer. “With Neil’s clinical experience, John’s operations and field expertise, and Cheri’s knowledge of healthcare planning, we are well-positioned to expand access, improve affordability, and modernize healthcare delivery. Their leadership will help shape a system that truly serves all Delawareans, building a system that works for everyone across each county.”

The Delaware Health Care Commission promotes high-quality, cost-effective, and accessible healthcare for all residents. The Commission works with healthcare providers, policymakers, and community stakeholders to improve health outcomes and address disparities in care.

Dr. Hockstein, Dr. Powell, and Ms. Clarke Doyle bring the experience, insight, and strategic focus needed to ensure Delaware’s healthcare system adapts, expands, and meets the needs of communities statewide. With his decades of expertise in clinical care, healthcare leadership, and advocacy, Dr. Hockstein’s ability to navigate complex healthcare challenges and advocate for provider understanding and patient-centered reforms will be instrumental in shaping policy.

Given Ms. Clark Doyle’s extensive background in healthcare finance, facility planning, and care delivery optimization, her appointment will bring a much-needed perspective on how to improve efficiency while maintaining high-quality care.

Finally, Dr. Powell’s familiarity with healthcare access and operations in Sussex County, and across the state, will bring a critical perspective to the commission. Together, Dr. Hockstein, Dr. Powell, and Ms. Clark Doyle will offer steady leadership and a forward-thinking approach to improving healthcare across Delaware.

Biographies

Dr. Neil Hockstein, Appointee, Chair, Delaware Health Care Commission

Neil Hockstein, MD, a Delaware native, is a board-certified Otolaryngologist and Head and Neck Surgeon. He has earned Top Doctor recognition for 16 consecutive years from Delaware Today Magazine and seven consecutive years from Philadelphia Magazine. He has also been recognized nationally as a Castle Connolly Top Doctor for the last 10 years and has published over 40 articles in peer-reviewed medical journals.

Dr. Hockstein is one of the founders and practice leaders of ENT & Allergy of Delaware. He is the Chief Medical Officer and a member of the Board of Directors for Parallel ENT & Allergy, a national practice management organization for ENT and allergy practices. Dr. Hockstein is the Medical Director of Surgical Subspecialty Care for the ChristianaCare Health System in Newark, Delaware. He is also the Director of Head and Neck Multidisciplinary Care for the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center at ChristianaCare. He is Clinical Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology at Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, and holds an adjunct faculty appointment at the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia, PA.

Recently he served as a panelist before the U.S. Surgeon General regarding physician burnout. He also served as a panelist before the Delaware Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights on The Covid-19 Impact on People of Color in Delaware and he chaired the Eradicate the Virus task force for New Castle County, DE. He is also a founding board member of the Delaware State University Global Institute for Equity, Inclusion, and Civil Rights and received the Faith Partner Award from DSU in 2021.

Dr. Hockstein received his undergraduate degree from Johns Hopkins University and graduated with honors from Jefferson Medical College. He completed his residency at the University of Pennsylvania, where he served as chief resident.

Cheri Clarke Doyle, Appointee, Delaware Health Care Commission

With over 20 years of experience, Cheri Clarke Doyle has consulted on over 3 million square feet of Healthcare and Senior Housing space. Doyle’s areas of expertise include health system finance, reimbursement, ambulatory network planning, capital structuring, healthcare real estate development and master facility planning. As Managing Director of Healthcare Advisory for Transwestern’s national team she works with health systems on providing a better footprint for care delivery to improve efficiency, outcomes and the patient experience.

She holds a Master’s Degree in Health Services Administration from The George Washington University and a Bachelor of Arts from Colgate University. She is a member of American College of Healthcare Executives and the Urban Land Institute Healthcare Council in Philadelphia.

Cheri and her family live in Hockessin. She has two daughters, Elyse and Madeleine both of whom are students at Cab Calloway School of the Arts in Wilmington.

Dr. John Powell, Appointee, Delaware Health Care Commission

John Powell, MD, MHCDS, FACEP, is the Physician in Chief for Beebe Healthcare in Sussex County. He is board-certified in Emergency Medicine and has more than 20 years of dedicated experience in healthcare. Most recently, Dr. Powell established the Emergency Services Service Line at ChristianaCare. He served as the co-physician leader for the Acute Medicine Service Line for hospitalists, emergency, and critical care services. His experience includes being the Chair of Emergency Medicine and Physician Executive in the ChristianaCare Medical Group.

Dr. Powell has extensive experience in healthcare operations, clinical care design, value-based care partnerships, change management and performance improvement. He is a member of the American College of Emergency Physicians and the Medical Society of Delaware, and just completed three terms on the ChristianaCare HomeHealth Board while recently joining the Westside Health Board of Directors, a federally qualified health center.

Dr. Powell attended Sussex Central High School. He graduated from the University of Delaware and then worked at the Washington, D.C.-based The Advisory Board Company prior to completing medical school at Jefferson Medical College. He finished a general surgery internship at the Naval Medical Center Portsmouth and then served active duty as a United States Navy Diver and Undersea Medical Officer. He returned to Delaware and completed his residency and fellowship in Emergency Medicine and Emergency Point-of-Care Ultrasound at ChristianaCare. He holds a master’s degree in Health Care Delivery Science from Dartmouth College and the Tuck School of Business.

Outside of work, Dr. Powell enjoys spending time with his wife, Jennifer, and their daughter and son. He likes to renovate homes and landscaping, while also enjoying outdoor activities such as running, rucking, hunting, fishing, and is a self-described fledgling surfer.

About Delaware Governor Matt Meyer

Governor Matt Meyer is a former public school math teacher and small business owner who served as New Castle County Executive from 2017 through January 2025. As the leader of Delaware’s largest local government, Matt proved that government can still work for the people– delivering real results for real people and making real progress for Delaware’s working families. Governor Meyer is bringing that same result-driven leadership to the state by creating an effective government that reflects our values and priorities.

From Wilmington to Kenya and Iraq: Growing up in Delaware, Matt attended schools in the Brandywine School District, followed by Wilmington Friends School, and then studied Computer Science & Political Science at Brown University. He then moved to Nairobi, Kenya, where he learned Swahili and created Ecosandals, a recycled footwear company that sold environmentally friendly footwear to customers in 17 countries on five continents. Matt subsequently spent 12 months in Mosul, Iraq, as a diplomat embedded with the United States Army during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn.

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