Alliance Health SVP Wins Health Care Leadership Award

Ann Oshel, Senior Vice-President, Community Innovation and Impact at Alliance Health, is the recipient of a 2026 Health Care Leadership Award from the Triangle Business Journal. Other winners include doctors, nurses, volunteers and administrators from a number of health care settings, including major hospital systems, small physician groups, life sciences organizations and nonprofit health charities.

The award recognizes Oshel’s three-decade commitment to bridging the gap between clinical care and community stability. As a pioneer of Durham’s nationally recognized System of Care, she operates on the foundational principle that a community is defined by how it cares for its most vulnerable citizens. She has successfully translated this philosophy into a vast network of programs covering housing, jail diversion, and member engagement.

As a preeminent advocate for healthcare access, particularly for those with severe mental illness who have historically been marginalized or institutionalized, her work is rooted in a commitment to moving beyond simple “placement” to true community integration. By building a first-of-its-kind dedicated housing team within a managed care organization, she has fundamentally changed how the North Carolina healthcare community views the relationship between a stable home and clinical recovery.

Since 2017 Oshel has overseen the strategic investment of nearly $8 million to build a permanent housing inventory, including Alliance’s $1,000,000 investment in King’s Ridge, Wake County’s first trauma-informed supportive housing development, and the development of a transitional housing model that assists individuals that have experienced long-term psychiatric hospitalization to reintegrate into the community with needed supports.

She led Alliance’s partnerships leading to the successful launch and expansion of “street medicine” initiatives in Wake, Orange, and Mecklenburg counties that bring a full suite of services, including primary healthcare, mental health support, housing navigation, and nutrition directly to those in need. By meeting individuals where they are and on their own terms, she has helped dismantle the physical and psychological barriers that frequently prevent the unsheltered population from seeking or maintaining care.

By integrating housing and street medicine into the healthcare delivery model, Oshel’s initiatives decrease the reliance on high-cost emergency departments and inpatient crisis facilities. Her work has proven that providing stable housing and mobile care is not only more humane but also more fiscally responsible for the health care system.

The honorees of this year’s Health Care Leadership Awards are making a significant impact on the quality of health care across the Triangle region,” said Sougata Mukherjee, TBJ president and publisher. “They are true examples of why this area is a highly respected place for all types of care.”