7/28/2021
• Davis brings 30 years of health care experience, including leadership as executive vice president of UPMC and president of the Health Services Division, to her new leadership position as chief executive officer of UPMC
• During his 48-year tenure at UPMC, Romoff has led the organization since 1992 as it became one of the world’s leading integrated health care delivery and finance systems, known for world-class patient care and breakthrough medical and scientific research
PITTSBURGH– UPMC today announced that its Board of Directors has unanimously selected Leslie C. Davis to succeed Jeffrey A. Romoff as president and chief executive officer, effective Aug. 1, 2021.
“Under Jeff’s leadership, UPMC has provided excellent and unmatched health care across our tri-state service territory and internationally. He has led UPMC in developing new models of care and supported advanced research that has benefitted our patients,” said G. Nicholas Beckwith III, chair, UPMC Board of Directors. “Jeff’s contributions are numerous in helping to build UPMC into the global health care leader that it is today. The full Board of Directors joins me in recognizing Jeff’s accomplishments, including the establishment of a strong foundation for the advancement of patient care, research breakthroughs and developing the overall vision for UPMC’s growth.”
Romoff will be named president emeritus, reflecting the transfer of responsibilities and his continuing role as a resource to Davis and UPMC until Oct. 1, 2021.
Beckwith continued, “We are thrilled to announce Leslie as UPMC’s next leader. She brings a stellar track record built over three decades of leadership in health care with the background and expertise to help propel UPMC into the next phase of growth. In her 17 years at UPMC, she has demonstrated a strong commitment to clinical excellence and very strong relationships with our patient families, physicians, employees, leaders and communities. Leslie has also been an important part of UPMC’s long-time commitment to serving the disadvantaged. We look forward to working with Leslie and are confident in her ability to lead UPMC to future success and growth at such a critical time for the health care and insurance industries.”
“I am proud to have led UPMC during a time of exceptional growth,” Romoff said. “We are now in a well-earned period of stability and success, having overcome challenges and grown into a fully integrated health care system. We now have a clear path to continue UPMC’s extraordinary and unique trajectory with new leadership. It has been clear to me for quite some time that Leslie has the right skillset to lead the organization forward. I am confident that she will continue UPMC’s track record of success as CEO.”
Davis has more than 30 years of health care experience, having most recently served as president of the Health Services Division at UPMC. In these roles, she has been responsible for leading UPMC’s 40-hospital system with operations across Pennsylvania, Maryland and New York. She has played a large role in positioning UPMC as a national health care innovator and directed the organization’s efforts to improve the patient experience, provide superb patient care and enhance employee and physician engagement.
Davis served as president of UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital from 2004 to 2018, prior to serving as chief operating officer of the Health Services Division for three years. Before joining UPMC, Davis was president of Graduate Hospital in Philadelphia, part of Tenet Healthcare Corp. She began her career at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York City and subsequently spent 13 years with Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia in positions of increasing responsibility, including vice president of clinical affiliations and ambulatory programs. She also served as chief operating officer of Presbyterian Medical Center and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, as well as the chief marketing and planning officer for the University of Pennsylvania Health System.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to lead UPMC and work with the board, our talented physicians and nurses and all the employees associated with our provider, insurance, international and enterprises businesses as we seek to offer residents of the communities we serve the very best health care services,” Davis said. “I look forward to continuing to ensure that health care is accessible and affordable to our communities while driving innovation, employee engagement, academic excellence and research across all of our hospitals and practices. I am confident in our organization’s future and look forward to continuing to serve our patients, our members, our employees and our communities as UPMC soars to even greater heights in the future.”
“For almost 50 years, Jeff’s entrepreneurial outlook has created growth and success for the UPMC-University of Pittsburgh partnership in ways that have fueled cutting-edge medical innovations while transforming health care in our region,” said Patrick Gallagher, chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh. “UPMC has selected the right leader to follow in Jeff’s footsteps, and I am excited for all of the collaborations and innovations to occur as Leslie leads UPMC forward.”
Under Romoff’s leadership, UPMC has evolved from a preeminent academic medical center to a fully integrated $23 billion global integrated health care delivery system. Romoff has guided UPMC to become the largest non-governmental employer in Pennsylvania and has overseen its transformation of health care by integrating academic, community and specialty hospitals, physicians, doctors’ offices and outpatient sites, as well as a health insurance services division that is the largest medical insurer in western Pennsylvania. Romoff also spearheaded UPMC’s international expansion, and UPMC now has global programs spanning four continents with focused efforts in China, Italy, Ireland and Kazakhstan.
PHOTO INFO: (click images for high-res versions)
CREDIT BOTH: UPMC
Top: Jeffrey A. Romoff
Bottom: Leslie C. Davis