MED MOVES: Care New England names new CEO, and more

Michael Wagner has been named Care New England’s next president and CEO.

Michael Wagner

He will succeed James Fanale, who announced earlier this year that he is retiring. Wagner will take the post December 1, 2022.

He most recently served as chief physician executive for Tufts Medicine. Wagner led the company’s physician enterprise. He is also currently president and CEO of the Tufts Medicine Professional Group and Tufts Medical Center Physicians Organization.

During 2019, Dr. Wagner was interim CEO for Tufts Medicine, then known as Wellforce.

He previously served as president and CEO of Tufts Medical Center, the academic medical center of Tufts Medicine and the principal teaching hospital for Tufts University School of Medicine.

Fanale has served as CEO for nearly five years.

“Working alongside the leadership team at Care New England to improve the quality of healthcare in Rhode Island, while making it more readily accessible and affordable, has been among the highlights of my career,” Fanale said in a statement.

“It is truly bittersweet to retire while there is still so much work to be done, however, the time has come for me to pass the torch to someone well-equipped to handle the challenges of operating a healthcare system of this magnitude,” he said.

Care New England, which has had financial difficulties, weighed merger options in July but said it’s going to remain independent. Care New England and Lifespan had initially planned to merge but abandoned the deal earlier this year due to regulatory opposition.

Mandy Richards

Intermountain Healthcare hires chief nursing executive

Mandy Richards has been hired as the chief nursing executive for Intermountain Healthcare.

She will join Intermountain on Jan. 2, 2023. She will serve as a member of Intermountain’s Enterprise Leadership Team.

Richards joins Intermountain from Hartford HealthCare in Hartford, Conn., where she served as the executive vice president and chief nursing officer over the past two years.

She previously spent 15 years with Allina Health in Minneapolis, Minnesota where she held several leadership posts before eventually becoming the chief nursing officer for the health system.

She is currently pursuing a doctor of nursing practice from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.

“This is a pivotal leadership position for Intermountain,” JP Valin, MD, chief clinical officer at Intermountain Healthcare, said in a statement. “Mandy’s expertise will support our continued focus on providing the best possible experience for our nurses. We’re thrilled to have her on board.”

Claudia Lucchinetti

University of Texas at Austin announces new medical school dean

Dr. Claudia F. Lucchinetti has been named senior vice president for medical affairs at The University of Texas at Austin and dean of Dell Medical School.

Lucchinetti will join the university Dec. 1, and she will hold the Frank and Charmaine Denius Distinguished Dean’s Chair in Medical Leadership.

She currently serves as dean of clinical and translational science and chair of the neurology department at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Lucchinetti has earned recognition for her research in multiple sclerosis, neuromyelitis optica and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, shedding more light on the mechanisms of tissue injury in patients with early stages of MS and other central nervous system disorders.

“It’s an honor and an incredible opportunity to join the team at Dell Med and UT Austin,” Lucchinetti said in a statement. “With this mission-focused team, in collaboration with partners, and considering the unique relationship the medical school has with the Austin and Travis County communities, there are unparalleled opportunities to build an integrated academic health system that innovates and transforms health and health care for the benefit of all.”

UT Austin President Jay Hartzell called Luchinetti “an example of the world-class talent we are attracting to our university.”

“We are excited to have her join UT in this pivotal role, as we expand our efforts in health care delivery, education and research, and seek to establish Central Texas as the next major hub for health care and life science innovation,” Hartzell said in a statement.

Leena Munjal

St. Jude Children’s names chief strategy officer, 3 VPs

Leena Munjal has been named the chief strategy officer of ALSAC, the fundraising organization for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Munjal most recently served as co-CEO of Sears Holding Corporation. During her years with Sears, she served in several other roles, including chief digital officer and senior vice president, customer experience and integrated retail. Munjal is a long-time member of ALSAC’s Professional Advisory Board

Richard C. Shadyac Jr., president and CEO of ALSAC, called Munjal “a bold, strategic leader who has demonstrated excellence in identifying transformational opportunities for our organization as she worked with various teams in a consulting capacity over the past several months.”

“In her new role she will oversee development of ALSAC’s strategic plan to ensure we are positioned for the future and able to support St. Jude as it advances its six-year $12.9 billion strategic plan that increases global investments to impact more of the 400,000 children around the world with cancer each year,” Shadyac said in a news release.

St. Jude also announced three new vice presidents.

• Dave Lew has been named senior vice president, strategic marketing. He joins ALSAC from Vitamix, where he served as vice president of marketing and strategy.
• Albert Crews will serve as vice president, new ventures. He brings more than 25 years of leadership experience with companies such as Microsoft, Honeywell and AT&T.
• Jennifer Hart has been named vice president of direct marketing. Hart spent 15 years at AAA Life, where she most recently served as vice president of direct, digital, data and analytics.

Sharon Morrow

Bon Secours names CEO of Dublin hospital

Sharon Morrow has been named the new chief executive officer of the Bon Secours Hospital in Dublin, Ireland.

Morrow has held leadership roles in the public, private and voluntary sector. Most recently she was director of the All-Island Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) Network, which manages a cross-border service delivery model for congenital heart disease in children.

“I am delighted to be joining Bon Secours Health System at a time of great expansion and am excited to work with, and contribute to, the experienced team in Glasnevin to help them continue the exceptional care for which they are known,” Morrow said in a statement.

She originally trained as a nurse in the Adelaide Hospital in Dublin and later a project manager at Tallaght University Hospital. She later worked as a deputy CEO and chief operations officer at Tallaght University Hospital. She also served as CEO of the Laura Lynn Children’s Hospice, before joining the All-Island CHD Network.

She joins the Bon Secours Hospital Dublin as work is underway on a surgical and oncology day ward that is slated to open next June.

The Bon Secours Group in Ireland is part of the Bon Secours Mercy Health Group based in Ohio. The Irish arm operates a number of private hospitals and clinics around the country and employs about 3,700 people. One of the largest Catholic health systems in the U.S., Bon Secours operates 50 hospitals.

Sara Ratner

Nomi Health hires president of government programs

Sara Ratner has been appointed the president of government programs at Nomi Health, a direct healthcare company based in Utah.

Ratner, who has over two decades of experience in health policy, will oversee the company’s government business across the country. During the pandemic, Nomi Health has partnered with states and counties to deliver COVID-19 to 15 million people.

She’ll report to Mark Newman, founder and CEO of Nomi Health.

“As we expand our partnerships at the local and federal levels, Sara’s health care leadership is critical to our ability to continue making real dents in care access and costs nationwide,” Newman said in a news release.

Ratner previously served on the executive team of health care company Icario. She also  held executive positions at RedBrick Health and Prime Therapeutics. Earlier in her career, Ratner served as general counsel and vice president of strategic partnerships and human resources at CVS CareMark.

“Nomi Health is turning the traditional health care system on its head to create meaningful change that positively impacts people and communities from national to regional to hyperlocal,” Ratner said in a statement. “I look forward to being part of a team with both the expertise and the boldness required to redefine the norms of care access and costs.”