In a first, Hospital for Special Surgery names surgeon as CEO, and more | MED MOVES

Bryan T. Kelly has been named the next president and chief executive officer of Hospital for Special Surgery.

Bryan Kelly

He will succeed Louis A. Shapiro, the current president and CEO, in a phased transition over the course of 2023, the organization said. He assumes the role of president, effective immediately. Shapiro will remain as CEO during the transition period, and then Kelly will become CEO.

Kelly will be the first surgeon to lead Hospital for Special Surgery in the 160-year history of the academic medical system focused on musculoskeletal health. He served as surgeon-in-chief and medical director since 2019.

"It is hard to imagine anyone better suited than Lou to lead the evolution of HSS to become an outsized influence, not only on musculoskeletal care, but also on how better-quality healthcare can be achieved at large scale," Kelly said in a statement.

"Our next chapter will build on this by advancing and widening our core strength in clinical care, scientific research, education, innovation, and making superior care and outcomes more accessible to more people in more places."

Kelly has played a key role in the evolution of the field of hip preservation, the organization said. In 2010, Kelly started the Hip Preservation Service at HSS. In 2014, he was appointed chief of the HSS Sports Medicine Institute.

Catherine Corbin

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital hires 1st business innovation officer

Catherine Corbin has been named the first chief business innovation officer at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

St. Jude said Corbin will partner with James R. Downing, St. Jude president and CEO, and other leaders on the $12.9 billion, six-year strategic plan for the organization. It’s is the largest investment in St. Jude’s history to study and develop treatment of pediatric cancer and other serious illnesses.

“Catherine’s creativity and vision will help bring our bold plan to life,” Downing said in a statement. “This new team’s efforts will help build the foundation for future generations of doctors, nurses, scientists and others who will advance our mission of finding cures and saving children.”

Corbin’s group will work with employees across St. Jude to craft and execute the strategic plan, including how to use nearly $3 billion for construction projects.

“I’ve long admired and respected the mission of St. Jude and am excited to take on this new challenge,” Corbin said in a statement. “This position is the perfect nexus of my career experience in design, health care and business.”

Before joining St. Jude, Corbin spent four years at IDEO, most recently as a partner and managing director of the Chicago studio.

Carlos del Rio

Emory University School of Medicine names interim dean

Carlos del Rio has been named the interim dean for the Emory University School of Medicine.

A well-known epidemiologist, del Rio will also serve as interim chief academic officer for Emory Healthcare. He will begin his new roles on March 1, when Vikas Sukhatme, steps down as dean to return to the Emory faculty. Emory University made the announcement Jan. 27.

“Dr. Carlos del Rio is an eminent global leader in medicine and public health, and I look forward to his contributions at this time of transition for the Emory School of Medicine,” Emory University President Gregory L. Fenves said in a statement. “He understands the role of our School of Medicine, and will build on the accomplishments of Dean Sukhatme who set this school on a course for continued success in its tripartite mission of education, research and clinical care.”

He currently serves as president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. In 2022, del Rio was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He was also elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2013.

“I am honored and humbled to serve as interim dean of Emory School of Medicine and want to thank Dr. Sukhatme for his leadership as dean since 2017,” del Rio said in a statement. “As a physician who first came to Emory as a visiting medical student in 1982 and joined the faculty in 1996, I am committed to the institution and to our students, trainees, faculty and staff.

Nejat Zeyneloglu

Women & Infants Hospital announces chief medical officer

Nejat Zeyneloglu has been named the new chief medical officer at Women & Infants Hospital in Providence, R.I.

Zeyneloglu will join the hospital during the first week of March.

He most recently served as chief medical officer at the University of Vermont Health Network - Central Vermont Medical Center.

Prior to Central Vermont Medical Center, Zeyneloglu held various senior leadership positions, including as department chair of medicine and chief medical/quality officer at hospitals in New York.

He currently serves as a mentor in the Columbia Business School Healthcare Management Alumni Mentor Program.

Hank Milius

Meridian Health Services CEO announces retirement plans

Hank Milius, president and CEO of Meridian Health Services, says he is retiring.

Milius says he will retire at the end of 2023. The organization says it will conduct a national search for his successor.

“I always said Meridian cannot do it alone; we could not be all things to all people,” Milius said in a statement. “We are at our best when the communities we serve were in our corner, helping us create healthier communities.”

Milius joined Meridian in May 2002, and he became CEO when the organization was known as Comprehensive Mental Health Services. At the time, the organization operated 3 clinics and had 200 employees.

Today, Meridian employs 1,100 workers, including over 60 medical providers, and serves 40,000 patients across more than 50 facilities.

Brent Webster, chairman of Meridian Health Services’ board of directors, praised Milius’ leadership.

“Meridian Health has become the ‘whole-person’ health home that our communities and patients know today,” Webster said in a statement. “This is due in large part to Hank’s commitment of making health care easily accessible for all people and treating the whole person at the forefront of medical practice.”

Stephanie Cox-Batson

Unity Health Care names new chief medical officer

Stephanie Cox-Batson has been hired as the new chief medical officer of Unity Health Care in Washington, D.C.

Cox-Batson joins Unity Health Care from Chicago’s Near North Health, a Federally Qualified Health Center, where she also served as chief medical officer.

“I am excited and humbled to have been chosen as Unity Health's next Chief Medical Officer,” Cox-Batson said in a statement.

“My life's work has been defined by helping under-served and disenfranchised individuals achieve optimal health. Unity has a long history of working to create a more equitable health care system and I am already inspired by the dedication of the Unity Health team,” she said.

Cox-Batson served as an attending physician at Northwestern Prentice Hospital’s Obstetric Triage Unit and as an associate at Northwestern Specialists for Women, where she provided obstetrics and gynecology services and supported OBGYN residents.