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.
Duke University
A. Eugene Washington, M.D., chancellor for health affairs at Duke University and president and chief executive officer of Duke University Health System, announced that he will relinquish his duties June 30, 2023.
Washington joined Duke in 2015 after serving as CEO at UCLA Health System and dean and vice chancellor of health sciences for the University of California, Los Angeles' School of Medicine for five years. Prior to his work at UCLA, he held the positions of executive vice chancellor and provost at the UC San Francisco. In this position, he also co-founded UCSF's Medical Effectiveness Research Center for Diverse Populations and was chair of the department of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences.
During his tenure, Duke University School of Medicine rose from 13th to third in the country for National Institutes of Health funding. Since 2015, Duke also formed the Population Health Management Office within Duke University Health System, the Department of Population Health Sciences in the School of Medicine and the Center for Nursing Research in the School of Nursing. Washington’s exit will coincide with the establishment of a provider-led organization within the health system, Duke Health Integrated Practice.
“For those of you who are wondering why now, my decision is principally driven by my desire to devote more attention to my personal life. Last month, I turned 72 years of age. Young! Earlier this month, Marie and I celebrated 40 years of marriage, and we are thrilled about spending more time together. And as some of you know, we have a new granddaughter. I imagine that this personal renewal will be invigorating,” Washington wrote in an email to colleagues. “At the same time, I also believe that institutional renewal is good. In fact, in dynamic industries and organizations such as ours with rapid, dramatic change afoot, renewal is a constant imperative.”
The Durham, North Carolina-based university shared in a press release that it will announce the search for a replacement at a later date.
UC Health
Cory Shaw has been tapped as the president and chief executive officer of UC Health.
Shaw most recently worked with Nebraska Medicine as executive vice president and chief operating officer where he oversaw three clinical campuses, over 60 ambulatory clinic locations and over 800 additional member medical groups.
During his time in Nebraska, Shaw grew the organization to its current status as one of the country’s top academic health systems. He aided the Omaha-based health system in achieving a Vizient 5-star healthcare quality and safety rating, a standard UC Health has pledged to achieve by 2027.
Until Shaw steps into the role Jan. 9, 2023, Rick Hinds, UC Health executive vice president and chief financial officer, will continue as interim president and CEO.
Hinds has held the interim position since President and CEO Rick Lofgren left the Cincinnati health system in February of this year. Lofgren was the health system’s second-ever president and helped the system grow its revenue by $1 billion. He left UC Health for the same position at OU Health, a merger of the University of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Health Authority and Trust.
Tufts University School of Medicine
Helen Boucher, M.D., will fill the appointment of permanent dean of the Tufts University School of Medicine along with the role of chief academic officer of Burlington, Massachusetts-based Tufts Medicine.
Boucher is an expert in infectious disease and antimicrobial resistance and has served as a clinician, professor, administrator and researcher at Tufts for 20 years. Since July 2021, she has taken the seat as dean ad interim for TUSM and CAO for Tufts Medicine. In her dual role, Boucher will continue reporting to both Tufts President Anthony Monaco and Tufts Medicine President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Dandorph.
She is the first woman ever to be appointed as the dean of TUSM in its 129-year history.
Boucher said that in confirmation of the permanent role, she hopes to focus her tenure on the pursuit of health justice and helping the School of Medicine become an anti-racist organization. She highlighted the Tufts Center for Black Maternal Health and Reproductive Justice and Tufts Medicine's Mother Infant Research Institute, the only one of its kind in the country.
HCA Healthcare
Jon Foster, president of HCA's American Group, has been tapped for the role of executive vice president and chief operating officer, and Mike Marks, vice president of financial operations support, is being promoted to senior vice president of finance. Both moves are a part of a larger operations reorganization announced Wednesday by HCA Healthcare.
The changes, effective Jan. 1, 2023, will also include the creation of a third operating group, each group is comprised of five domestic divisions. The group presidents will report to Sam Hazen, the health system’s chief executive officer.
Erol Akdamar will be promoted to president and Ronnie Midgett to chief financial officer of the American Group which will include the Gulf Coast, San Antonio, North Texas, Central West Texas and Continental divisions.
Tim McManus has been tapped for the role of president and Russ Young to CFO of the National Group following the retirement of Chuck Hall, which was announced in August. The National Group will oversee the District of Columbia, North Carolina, TriStar, Mountain and Far West divisions.
Richard Hammett will be promoted to the role of president and Ricardo Pavon will be CFO of the Atlantic Group. He will oversee the newly created hospital group, including West Florida, East Florida, North Florida, South Atlantic and Mid America divisions.
The announcement also included a list of division leadership changes.
> Kalderos, a healthcare technology company, announced Rhiannon Naslund as the company's first chief marketing officer.
> Teladoc Health, a virtual care company, has named Laizer Kornwasser as president, enterprise growth and global markets.
> Kettering Health confirmed that Wally Sackett and Terry Burns stepped down from their respective roles as president and chief administrative officer.
> Community Memorial Health System announced Mick Zdeblick's acceptance of the position of president and chief executive officer of the health system.
> Altus Industries Inc. has appointed Jeremy Spinney as the new chief executive officer of the manufacturer of medical workstations.
> University of Utah Health Hospitals and Clinics welcomed Gina Hawley as chief operations officer.
> Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina appointed Latisha Hamilton-Williams as its next chief people officer of the insurance company.
> Corewell Health Beaumont Grosse Pointe Hospital has hired Timothy Lyons as president.
> InteliChart, a patient engagement platform provider, announced the appointment of Anthony Carter as chief operating officer.
> Sharp HealthCare unveiled the reorganization of its executive leadership for its seven hospitals. Grossmont, Chula Vista and Coronado hospital campuses will be under Scott Evans's oversight as chief executive officer. Sharp Memorial Hospital, Mary Birch Hospital for Women & Newborns, Sharp Mesa Vista and the Sharp McDonal Center will now function under the umbrella of the Sharp Metro Campus led by Chief Executive Officer Trisha Khaleghi. The system will also inaugurate the position of chief nursing executive which will be held by Susan Stone, Ph.D. Amy Adome, M.D. has been tapped for the new role of chief clinical and transformation officer.
> Nimbus Therapeutics, a drug discovery company, today announced the appointment of Nathalie Franchimont, M.D., Ph.D., as chief medical officer.
> Spring Health named Robin Lloyd as the new chief operations officer.
> Delta Dental Insurance Company has promoted Kurt Schroeder to chief marketing and communications officer.
> Graphite Health welcomed Josh Mandel, Microsoft’s chief architect for healthcare, to the health tech startup's advisory board.
> Actinium Pharmaceuticals today highlighted the appointments of Jenny Hsieh to chief strategy officer, Sunitha Lakshminarayanan to senior vice president, head of CMC and product development, and Stephen Dressel as vice president, strategic finance and analysis.
> Lifespan Health System named Christin Zollicoffer as chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer.
> Seattle Children’s named Jamie Phillips as senior vice president and chief operating officer.
> Clarius Mobile Health celebrated Tony Titus as head of global sales for the ultrasound device manufacturer.