Welcome to this week's Chutes & Ladders, our roundup of hirings, firings and retirings throughout the industry. Please submit the good news—or the bad—from your shop, and we will feature it here at the end of each week.
University Hospitals
Thomas F. Zenty III, who has been CEO of Cleveland-based University Hospitals for 18 years, plans to retire in January 2021. During his tenure, UH experienced significant growth, including the construction of the UH Seidman Cancer Center and the UH Ahuja Medical Center.
Earlier this year, UH announced plans for a $200 million Ahuja campus expansion. UH also increased from three hospitals to 18 hospitals, launched the first proton therapy center in Ohio and opened the UH Rainbow Center for Women & Children, a 40,000 square foot facility in Cleveland’s MidTown neighborhood.
Officials said they expect to announce the selection of the next UH CEO before the end of the year after conducting an "extensive and deliberate succession planning process" over the past year.
Virginia Commonwealth University Health System
Marsha Rappley, M.D., is retiring on Jan. 2, 2020 from her role as CEO of Virginia Commonwealth University Health System and senior vice president for health sciences at VCU.
Rappley has led the health system, which includes the VCU Health System hospitals and outpatient clinics, the physician practice plan, the Virginia Premier Health Plan, the VCU College of Health Professions and schools of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy and Dentistry, and the Massey Cancer Center, since 2015. Under her leadership, VCU Medical Center has been ranked the No. 1 hospital in the region. She is also credited with serving as a driving force behind the design and construction of a new inpatient children’s hospital, expected to open at the end of 2022.
Peter Buckley, M.D., will assume the role of interim vice president for VCU Health Sciences and CEO of VCU Health System. Ralph R. “Ron” Clark, M.D., chief medical officer of VCU Health System, has been named interim CEO of VCU Hospitals and Clinics.
> UNC Health Care announced Steve Eblin was appointed to the role of Interim Chief Executive Officer for UNC Rockingham Health Care in Eden, NC.
> Kidney care innovation company Dialyze Direct announced that former Fresenius Chairman Robert Ehrlich has joined their Strategic Advisory Board.
> Kimberly A. Ross was appointed to Cigna's Board of Directors starting June 1, 2020. She served as CFO of Baker Hughes from 2014 to 2017 and is a director of Nestlé S.A.
> The American Telehealth Association (ATA) named four new board members including Joseph DeVivo, CEO of InTouch Health, Michael Baird, American Well's president of customer solutions, Andrea Gelzer, M.D., senior vice president of medical affairs at AmeriHealth Caritas and Yasmine Winkler, the former CEO of UnitedHealthcare community & state’s Central region.