UPMC Names First President of New Hospital Soon to Open in China

PITTSBURGH – As it prepares for the 2023 opening of the first UPMC-managed hospital in China, UPMC announced today that Randy Jernejcic, M.D., a veteran health care leader with experience in China, will start as chief executive officer of this new Chengdu-based facility on Feb. 1, 2022. 

Wanda Group, one of China’s leading conglomerates, is the owner of the 500-bed Chengdu Wanda UPMC International Hospital, which will be the first hospital in China to be modeled after and managed by a leading American academic medical center. The Chengdu hospital will encompass patient-focused Centers of Excellence for cancer care, orthopaedics and sports medicine, neurology and neurosurgery, heart and vascular treatments, ophthalmology and digestive disorders, which will be integrated into UPMC’s global network. 

Since 2017, Jernejcic has been an executive at University Hospitals of Cleveland, most recently as vice president of ambulatory quality and clinical transformation. In that role, he leads quality, safety, patient experience and provider engagement across 600 physician offices and other ambulatory sites. He also is a founder of Clinical Quality Consultants, a consulting group focused on helping international health care organizations drive safe, high-quality care with a focus on exceptional service and value for underserved populations. 

From 2010-2012, Jernejcic served as chief medical officer of United Family Hospital in Beijing, part of a privately owned health care system with hospitals in six major cities in China. There, he was responsible for quality, safety, risk management, accreditation and various medical staff functions. 

“As someone with long experience in driving the development of high-quality, high-value health care both nationally and internationally, Dr. Jernejcic is the right person to lead our trail-blazing hospital in China,” said Chuck Bogosta, president of UPMC International and executive vice president of UPMC. “As the model for our future hospitals to be developed with Wanda, the Chengdu facility is a vitally important part of our efforts to extend UPMC’s clinical excellence to patients in China. Randy understands our mission as a leading academic medical center and the complexities of operating internationally. He is the perfect leader to ensure our success in Chengdu and beyond.” 

Jernejcic earned his medical degree from The Ohio State University and his Master of Medical Management from Carnegie Mellon University. After an initial orientation period in Pittsburgh, he is expected to move to Chengdu to assume his new position.

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