Meet Our 2026 ESPRIT Award Winner: Stephania Casimir
As a Service Operations Supervisor on the Health Plan’s Medicare Advantage Care Management team, Stephania Casimir believes in the power of providing personal attention, both to the health plan members her team serves and to the Care Navigators she supervises.
“I make a difference by being supportive and available for my team and for the plan members who need me,” she says. “I try to create an environment where people feel comfortable asking questions.”
Stephania also provides answers—getting members the medical supplies they need, for example, or securing them an appointment with the right provider. “I always make decisions with the member in mind,” she says. “Being able to give our members that individual support, answer their questions, and connect them to services—that removes a lot of stress from their lives.”
For Stephania’s own team, that same support goes a long way as they navigate complicated workflows, adapt to a fast-changing industry, and balance high volume and tight deadlines. In nominating her for an ESPRIT award, one colleague praised her for “reminding us that every documented attempt represents a real person’s care.”
“I like to give my team members one-on-one time and show them the steps, rather than just telling them,” Stephania says. “I enjoy watching them get through that obstacle and see that they can do it.”
Stephania has worked in health care for more than 20 years, the last six at VNS Health. For her, the work of care management is personal: When her late mother was diagnosed with cancer, the family turned to a long-term care program for help. “Having that extra support helps a lot,” she says. “It takes the stress off to know there’s a place you can connect to that can make life a little easier.”
Outside of work, Stephania is a competitive powerlifter who can deadlift over 400 pounds. Strength training has taught her discipline and how to push through hard days—lessons she carries into her leadership at work. “You might not always see results immediately,” she says. “But if you stay consistent, keep learning, and keep showing up, eventually you’ll see progress.”
