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Ernest Baptiste, the CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County, boasts more than 25 years of administrative experience in medicine from Durham, N.C., to NYC and in between.
And now he’s bringing all that knowledge to Stony Brook Medicine as CEO, it was announced on Friday.
He starts next month in the position, which opened up after the CEO and Vice President for Health Systems at Stony Brook job was split in two.
Dr. Reuven Pasternak held that title and will remain on as vice president.
The president of Stony Brook University, Samuel Stanley Jr., and other university officials describe Baptiste’s career as being “punctuated by progressive leadership experiences in executive level management and hospital operations,” reads the announcement.
“Mr. Baptiste has worked successfully with physicians, administrators and department heads to improve departmental operations, achieve organizational goals and ensure the delivery of high quality, safe, efficient and cost-effective care,” Stanley said in a statement.
For his part, Baptiste touted Stony Brook Medicine’s long history and great legacy.
“I am very excited about joining the team of dedicated physicians, nurses, staff and volunteers who are committed to excellence, high quality and compassionate care for Suffolk County communities and beyond,” he stated. “While there are many challenges ahead for all hospitals and health systems in a post-healthcare reform environment, I believe Stony Brook Medicine is well positioned as a world class academic medical center.”
MORE ABOUT BAPTISTE
Baptiste received his BS in Health Care Administration from St. John’s University, his Masters in Public Administration in Healthcare Administration from CW Post College, and his Masters of Science in Health Financial Management from NYU, the latter two degrees while working as an Ambulatory Care Supervisor at Mount Sinai in New York City and an Associate Administrator for Clinical Services at North General Hospital in New York City respectively.
He was then promoted and served for seven years as Vice President of Operations at North General, before moving to St. Mary’s Hospital in Brooklyn as Executive Director and Vice President. Baptiste then moved to the Duke University Health System, where he served as Chief Operating Officer at Durham Regional Hospital. From there he became Executive Vice President and COO of St. Francis Hospital in Wilmington, DE, before moving back to New York City in 2012 to become CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County, a 627-bed facility in Brooklyn that serves as the main academic clinical campus for SUNY Downstate Medical Center.
Baptiste describes his management style as highly visible and “hands on” in order to foster a culture of collaboration and enthusiasm. He has successfully utilized Lean/Six Sigma strategies to achieve operational effectiveness across the entire spectrum of services he has lead, he embraces the notion of system collaboration, to achieve both hospital and system goals, and he works collaboratively with senior leaders and staff to create a culture that encourages the highest quality, safety and patient satisfaction in all care and service areas. Among his core beliefs are that communication, transparency and accountability are the keys to driving change within an organization.
photo by yusunkwon/Flickr
