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HHC Leadership

Senior Executive Staff

Ramanathan Raju

Ramanathan Raju, MD, MBA, FACS, FACHE
President & Chief Executive Officer

Ramanathan (Ram) Raju, MD, MBA, FACS, FACHE is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC), the largest municipal healthcare system in the nation. Dr. Raju was appointed by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio in January 2014 to lead the 37,000 employees of this $6.7 billion corporation, which includes 11 acute care hospitals, five nursing homes, six large diagnostic and treatment centers, more than 70 community-based health centers, a large home care agency, and one of the New York area's largest providers of government-sponsored health insurance, MetroPlus Health Plan, the plan of choice for nearly half a million New Yorkers. Last year, HHC facilities served 1.4 million New Yorkers -- including more than 475,000 uninsured.

Prior to accepting the role of President and CEO at HHC, Dr. Raju was the Chief Executive Officer for the Cook County Health & Hospitals System (CCHHS) in Chicago, Illinois, and the third largest public health system in the country. During his tenure there, Dr. Raju turned the financial status of the system around, improving the cash flow by over 100 million dollars. His proposed healthcare delivery model fetched the much coveted 1115 Waiver to the Social Security Act, enabling the creation of CountyCare, an Illinois Medicaid program to provide coverage for low-income adults in Cook County, and leading to health coverage for more than 82,000 Cook County residents.

Under his leadership, CCHHS received meaningful use designation for advancement in information technology, specifically the electronic medical record; and improvements in the supply chain management which is expected to yield millions of dollars in savings for taxpayers in the years to come.

A positive patient experience, which was a major focus of Dr. Raju’s leadership at CCHHS, was reflected by the improved Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers (HCAHPs) scores, and in the reduction of wait times in the Emergency Department to less than two hours. The clinical improvements at CCHHS include The Joint Commission accreditation for both Cook County public hospitals as well as its ambulatory clinic network. Dr. Raju's further recognition that patients are more likely to use care they can access near their home resulted in the development of a network of more than 130 primary care access points through partnerships with FQHCs, safety-net and community hospitals, academic medical centers and private doctors.

Dr. Raju began his medical career at Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn and went on to serve as the COO and Medical Director at HHC's Coney Island Hospital. Then in 2006, he became the HHC Chief Medical Officer, Corporate Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President. While he served there, HHC continued to climb and reach great heights in quality, patient safety and healthcare data transparency.

Dr. Raju attended Madras Medical College to earn his medical diploma and his Master of Surgery degree. He underwent further training in England and was elected as a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons. Dr. Raju is also a physician executive, having obtained an MBA from the University of Tennessee and CPE from the American College of Physician Executives.

Dr. Raju is the recipient of numerous national recognitions. In 2013, he was named Business Leader of Color by Chicago United. Modern Healthcare Magazine named him one of the top 25 Minority Executives in Healthcare two times in a row, and one of the 50 most influential Physician Executives in Healthcare in 2013. Also in 2013, Becker's Hospital Review designated him as one of 20 Hospital and Health System Leaders to Follow on Twitter.

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Follow Dr. Raju on Twitter @RamRajuMD

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Antonio D. Martin

Antonio D. Martin
Executive Vice President
and Corporate Chief Operating Officer

Antonio D. Martin is Executive Vice President (“EVP”), Corporate Chief Operating Officer (“COO”), and a Corporate Officer at HHC. Mr. Martin is charged with leading HHC’s restructuring efforts as well as overseeing broad operational areas such as information technology, operations, professional services and affiliations, contract administration and control, corporate support services, internal audits, materials management, and organizational innovation and effectiveness. In addition to these functions and responsibilities, he directly oversees the activities of the Senior Vice Presidents at HHC’s six (6) healthcare networks. Also, as EVP, Mr. Martin assumes all the duties of the President as requested by President or if the President is unable to act because of absence or disability.

Mr. Martin has been a presence in the HHC community for over twenty-five (25) years, holding numerous senior administrative positions at several HHC facilities. Before being appointed to his current post as COO, Mr. Martin was Senior Vice President of HHC’s Central Brooklyn Family Health Network (“CBFHN”) and Executive Director of Kings County Hospital Center (“Kings”). In his role as the principal administrative officer of the CBFHN, Mr. Martin was charged with the operational and fiscal oversight of Kings, East New York Diagnostic and Treatment Center ("D & TC”), and Dr. Susan Smith McKinney Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. Prior to his executive role at CBFHN, Mr. Martin was the Executive Director of Queens Hospital Center for over seven (7) years. Mr. Martin also served as Executive Director of East New York D & TC, and Deputy Executive Director for Central Brooklyn Health Network’s Behavioral Health Services.

Mr. Martin received undergraduate and graduate degrees from the New School for Social Research, earning a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Science degree, respectively.

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Antonio D. Martin

Randall Mark
Chief of Staff

Randall L. Mark, formerly a lifelong Chicagoan, joined HHC in May, 2014, as Chief of Staff to the President & CEO, Dr. Ram Raju. Having admired the New York City Health & Hospitals Corporation from afar for many years, he felt privileged to be invited by Dr. Raju to join that iconic public hospital system in the spring of 2014.

Mr. Mark spent more than 24 years working at Cook County Hospital and the Cook County Health & Hospitals System in various capacities including Policy, Planning, and Intergovernmental Affairs. Among his proudest accomplishments there were the planning and oversight of the "new" Cook County Hospital that in 2002 replaced the 90 year old existing structure, the legislative and regulatory approvals for a new $150 million per year Disproportionate Share funding stream in 2008, and the approval by federal and state authorities of a Section 1115 Medicaid Demonstration Waiver in 2012 that permitted early enrollment of "new" Medicaid eligibles under the provisions of the Affordable Care Act.

Having retired from the Cook County Health & Hospitals System in 2013, he continued to consult to the Cook County health system and to the Office of the President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners and advised other clients, including two national firms, on public hospital finance, Medicaid eligibility, and the implications and implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

A graduate of Knox College, Mr. Mark pursued graduate study at the University of Chicago Department of Economics and the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, where he later worked under the auspices of the National Bureau of Economic Research.

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Wayne McNulty

Wayne McNulty
Senior Assistant Vice President
and Chief Corporate Compliance Officer

Wayne A. McNulty is Senior Assistant Vice President and Chief Corporate Compliance Officer (“CCO”) within the Office of Corporate Compliance (“OCC”) at the NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation. In this role, Mr. McNulty is charged with the day-to-day operation of HHC’s Corporate Compliance and Ethics Program, which includes compliance oversight of the Corporation’s HIPAA Privacy/Security and Records Management Programs, as well as enterprise-wide risk identification, assessment, and prioritization activities. To carry out these corporate-wide compliance initiatives, Mr. McNulty directs and oversees the activities of 20 compliance officers within the OCC.

Some of his key responsibilities include developing compliance training and education for all HHC personnel; creating and implementing a system designed to detect risks and vulnerabilities; promoting and enforcing a corporate policy that prohibits retaliation against whistleblowers; and reviewing and implementing HHC’s annual Corporate Compliance Work Plan. Additionally, McNulty ensures that HHC adopts and implements effective programs designed to detect and deter fraud, waste and abuse and criminal conduct, and he promotes ethical standards of conduct and compliance with all applicable laws, rules and regulations.

Mr. McNulty has worked at HHC for more than 25 years. He formerly was Executive Associate Counsel within HHC’s Office of Legal Affairs, where he provided counsel on corporate compliance; represented HHC before federal courts and state appellate and lower courts; served as lead attorney on all legal issues concerning human subjects research, clinical trials and research compliance; and provided counsel on legal matters regarding privacy, data security and records management.

Previously, he worked in the North Bronx Healthcare Network (NBHN) for more than 12 years, serving as the NBHN Director of Business Affairs and, before that, the NBHN Deputy Director of Planning. He also worked at Jacobi Medical Center as a Supervisor of Respiratory Care Services.

Mr. McNulty is a graduate of Fordham University School of Law, where he earned a Juris Doctor degree. He is admitted to practice law before the courts of New York State, New Jersey, Connecticut, the Supreme Court of the United States, the United States District Court for the Eastern, Southern and Northern Districts of New York, and the U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey.

Before entering law school, he received a Master of Science degree in Health Services Administration with honors from Iona College and a Bachelor of Science degree in Allied Health Studies from the State University of New York, Empire State College. Mr. McNulty is certified in Health Care Compliance by the Compliance Certification Board. He is also certified in Information Privacy by the International Association of Privacy Professionals.

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Joe Schick

Joe Schick
Senior Advisor to the President
Executive Director, The Fund for HHC

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LaRay Brown

LaRay Brown
Senior Vice President
Corporate Planning, Community Health
and Intergovernmental Relations

LaRay Brown is Senior Vice President for Corporate Planning, Community Health and Intergovernmental Relations, and a Corporate Officer at HHC. In this capacity, Ms. Brown directs strategic-planning efforts for HHC, as well as the formulation and execution of legislative initiatives and advocacy strategies. Recently, she spearheaded the corporate-wide implementation of LEAN. Ms. Brown also served as a member of New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo’s health care transition team and Medicaid Redesign Team and serves on the board of the New York State Health Foundation.

Prior to her current role at HHC, Ms. Brown held various leadership positions in the New Jersey Division of Mental Health and Hospitals.

Ms. Brown graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania and received her graduate training at the University of Pennsylvania Fels Center for Government Policy. She is also the recipient of numerous awards including the Marshall C. England Memorial Public Health Award in 2010 and the CHCANYS Rosemarie Forstner Award, 2011.

Ms. Brown is acknowledged by Modern Healthcare as one of the Top 25 Women in Healthcare.

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Caroline M. Jacobs

Caroline M. Jacobs
Senior Vice President
Safety and Human Development

Ms. Jacobs’ professional background in health care spans nearly three (3) decades, of which she has dedicated twenty-five (25) years at HHC serving in numerous management capacities covering patient safety, quality management, healthcare planning and analysis, and other related areas. Her vast experience in health services administration includes, in addition to the above, performance improvement, organizational development, program development for long-term care, home health and AIDS services contract management, and budget planning/management. Ms. Jacobs has also served as Interim Executive Director of the HHC Home Health Agency. Ms. Jacobs is Secretary and Chair-elect of the Essential Hospitals Institute of America's Essential Hospitals.

Ms. Jacobs received her Master’s in Public Health in Health Administration degree from the Columbia University School of Public Health. She was also awarded a Master’s degree in Counselor Education and Personnel Services from Fordham University. She earned her undergraduate degree from Beaver College, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.

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Ana Marengo

Ana Marengo
Senior Vice President
Corporate Communications and Marketing

Ana E. Marengo is Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications and Marketing and a Corporate Officer at HHC. In this role, Ms. Marengo serves as a senior advisor to HHC’s President and corporate leadership staff, directing internal and external communications efforts including news media relations; marketing and advertising; website management; social media platforms; and employee communications. Ms. Marengo’s functions include the development and execution of communications strategies to promote HHC’s leadership role in local and national media. Additionally, she serves as spokesperson and crisis communications director for HHC’s corporate office and individual hospital facilities. Ms. Marengo’s accomplishments at HHC include, without limitation, the orchestration of HHC’s webpage redesign; the creation of a monthly electronic newsletter; and the execution of high-impact, low-cost, multi-language advertising campaigns.

Ms. Marengo has more than twenty (20) years experience in media relations, public affairs and government relations, advertising and marketing, crisis management and communications, and corporate communications. Before joining HHC in 2006, Ms. Marengo was Vice President of Media Relations at the American Cancer Society, Eastern Division, for a period of approximately seven (7) years. She has also served as Deputy Press Secretary for the Office of the New York City Public Advocate, and before that, Assistant Press Secretary in the Office of the Mayor, David N. Dinkins, City of New York.

Ms. Marengo attended Rutgers University, where she was awarded a Bachelor of Arts in Communications degree.

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Salvatore J. Russo

Salvatore J. Russo
Senior Vice President and General Counsel

Salvatore J. Russo, Esq., is Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Secretary to the Board of Directors, and a Corporate Officer at HHC. In this position, Mr. Russo serves as HHC’s principal legal officer and advises the Board of Directors, President, Executive Vice President, Senior Vice Presidents, and Executive Directors of all HHC facilities on all legal matters affecting policy and operations, including contractual agreements; labor law; municipal and State law affecting capital and expense budget administration; personnel administration; medical and hospital law; and Federal, State and City legislative matters. Mr. Russo’s responsibilities include overseeing the day-to-day activities within the Office of Legal Affairs, as well as serving as Secretary to the Board of Directors. In addition to these responsibilities, Mr. Russo is the chief officer in charge of the Office of Labor Relations and the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action, leading HHC’s activities with regard to unionized personnel and their unions and spearheading the administration of the equal employment policies of HHC, respectively.

Mr. Russo has over thirty (30) years of experience as a lawyer - - serving twenty-seven (27) of those years in various attorney titles at HHC. In addition to his legal experience at HHC, he previously worked as the In-house Counsel for Maimonides Medical Center of Brooklyn, Director of Legal Affairs for the Greater New York Hospital Association, and Counsel to the Metropolitan Health Administrators’ Association.

Mr. Russo received his Juris Doctor degree from Hofstra University School of Law. He is admitted to practice law before the courts of the State of New York and the United States District Court for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. Mr. Russo is also a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of New York University College of Arts and Science, where he was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and Political Science.

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Ross Wilson Ross Wilson, MD, FRACP, FCICM

Ross Wilson, MD, FRACP, FCICM
Senior Vice President
Quality Corporate Chief Medical Officer

Ross McL. Wilson, M.D., is Senior Vice President of Quality, Corporate Chief Medical Officer, and a Corporate Officer at HHC. In this capacity, Dr. Wilson oversees the Division of Medical & Professional Affairs, which addresses the quality of health services and provides the clinical leadership for the corporation. In addition, Dr. Wilson is the CEO of HHC’s Accountable Care Organization (ACO). Dr. Wilson joined HHC in January 2008 as Deputy Chief Medical Officer and Senior Assistant Vice President for Quality.

Prior to joining HHC, he was the Director of the Northern Center for Healthcare Improvement at NSW Health (Australia) and the Chair of the Strategic Advisory Board of the International Forum for Safety and Quality in Health Care.

Dr. Wilson had more than 25 years of clinical experience in Critical Care Medicine and 20 years of experience in clinical leadership positions. He is a graduate of the University of Sydney School Of Medicine and a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, and the College of Intensive Care Medicine of Australia and New Zealand.

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Patricia Yang, DrPH

Patricia Yang, DrPH
Senior Vice President
Correctional Health Services

Patricia (“Patsy”) Yang, Dr.P.H., is Senior Vice President for Correctional Health Services, a division that provides physical, dental, and behavioral health services to inmates in New York City Department of Correction (DOC) facilities. Dr. Yang has served as Director of Health Policy in the Office of the Mayor since May 2014, advising on health policy and operations, and serving as liaison to HHC, DOHMH, and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner; and the Mayor’s Office for Criminal Justice as advisor on behavioral and physical health services to the justice-involved population.

Prior to working in the Mayor’s Office, she was Executive Deputy Commissioner of Health and Chief Operating Officer for DOHMH, where she oversaw administration, operations, human resources, finance, budget, audit, planning and program analysis, informatics and technology, capital programs and emergency preparedness. She also served as First Deputy Commissioner of Health and Acting Commissioner of Health for Westchester County, NY. At HHC, Dr. Yang served in the 1980s as Associate Executive Director at HHC Bellevue Hospital Center and at HHC Metropolitan Hospital Center, and in other positions involving planning and analysis.

Dr. Yang is a native New Yorker and holds a Bachelor of Arts from Brown University, and a Master and Doctor of Public Health with Distinction from Columbia University.

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Marlene Zurack

Marlene Zurack
Senior Vice President
Finance Chief Financial Officer

Marlene Zurack is Senior Vice President of Finance and Managed Care, Corporate Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”), and a Corporate Officer at HHC. As CFO, Ms. Zurack has charge and custody of and responsibility for all HHC funds and securities. Specifically, she has oversight of all treasury, financial planning and analysis, accounting, debt financing, investor relations, revenue cycle management operations, and budgeting functions. In addition, Ms. Zurack is responsible for managed care contracting and operations.

Prior to her current role at HHC, Ms. Zurack was the Deputy Budget Director of Health, Social Services, and Intergovernmental Relations at the New York City Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”) for a period greater than seven (7) years. Before working at OMB, she worked at the New York City Office of Business Development as the Director of Program Development.

Ms. Zurack received her undergraduate education at Cornell University, School of Industrial and Labor Relations, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree. She subsequently pursued her graduate education at Columbia University, Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, where she was awarded a Master of Science in Urban Planning degree.

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George Proctor

George Proctor
Senior Vice President
North and Central Brooklyn Healthcare Network
Executive Director
Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center

George M. Proctor is the Senior Vice President of the North and Central Brooklyn Health Networks (“N & CBHNs”), Executive Director of Woodhull Medical & Mental Health Center (“Woodhull”), and a Corporate Officer at HHC. In his role as chief administrative officer at the N & CBHNs, he is responsible for developing and implementing the strategic plan for continuous quality improvement and integration of services for Kings, Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center, Dr. Susan Smith McKinney Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Cumberland Diagnostic and Treatment Center (“D & TC”), East New York D & TC, and numerous satellite clinics. He also formulates fiscal objectives with cost containment and revenue initiatives and optimal allocation of resources throughout both Networks. And Mr. Proctor ensures that all facilities in both Networks operate in compliance with regulatory requirements.

Mr. Proctor has worked in the HHC system for over twenty-nine (29) years, providing leadership in several key senior administrative positions. Prior to his current post, Mr. Proctor was the Senior Vice President of the North Brooklyn Health Network. He has also served as the Executive Director of Queens Hospital Center, as well as the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of the Central Brooklyn Health Network.

Mr. Proctor received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and Financial Management degree from Pace University.

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Denise C. Soares, RN, MA

Denise C. Soares, RN, MA
Senior Vice President
Generations Plus Northern Manhattan Health Network
Executive Director
Harlem Hospital Center

Denise C. Soares, R.N., M.A. is the Senior Vice President of the Generations+/Northern Manhattan Health Network, Executive Director of Harlem Hospital Center and the Renaissance Health Care Network, and an HHC Corporate Officer. In her role as chief administrative officer of the Generations+/Northern Manhattan Health Network, Ms. Soares is charged with the operational and fiscal oversight of Harlem Hospital Center, Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center, The Renaissance Health Care Network, Segundo Ruiz Belvis Diagnostic and Treatment Center, Morrisania Diagnostic and Treatment Center, and nearly twenty community and school based health centers in Northern Manhattan and the South Bronx. Ms. Soares provides leadership to a workforce of 7,790 and manages an annual operating budget of $1 billion. She has championed significant developments in patient outcomes, clinical efficiencies, waste reduction and substantial revenue enhancement. Her priorities include maintaining compliance with federal, state, and local regulatory and accreditation agencies, as well as, The Joint Commission. Equally important is her interest in helping to further instill patient-centered principles into every aspect of the Network’s operations. Ms. Soares is driven by her motto, “The Patient’s Perception Is Our Reality” which inspires her commitment to patient satisfaction.

Prior to joining the Generations+/Northern Manhattan Health Network, Ms. Soares served for more than twelve years at the North Bronx Healthcare Network as the Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of North Central Bronx Hospital and as the Deputy Executive Director and Chief Nurse Executive at Jacobi Medical Center and North Central Bronx Hospital.

Ms. Soares earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Hunter College – Bellevue School of Nursing and her Master of Arts degree from Teachers College, Columbia University.

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Christopher Constantino

Christopher Constantino
Senior Vice President
Queens Healthcare Network
Executive Director
Elmhurst Hospital Center

Christopher David Contantino is executive director of Elmhurst Hospital Center (EHC), where he has kept EHC in the forefront of improving patient care and outcomes by working to bring cardiac angioplasty (emergent and elective) to the hospital, as well as making Elmhurst a Stroke Center and one of the first city hospitals to use hypothermia therapy to treat heart attack patients.

NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation President Alan Aviles appointed Mr. Constantino in February 2005, culminating Mr. Constantino’s 24 years of hospital management experience. Months after his appointment to executive director, EHC received the MAGNET Designation by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Considered the gold standard for patient care, only three other hospitals in NYC had this distinction, and fewer than three percent of hospitals nationwide do.

Before being appointed executive director, Mr. Constantino was chief operating officer of Elmhurst from 1994, and prior to that, in 1991, deputy executive director in charge of ancillary, support, and professional services. In this important role, he developed and implemented new monitoring programs to identify, report, and correct patient adverse events.  

Mr. Constantino began his hospital career as associate director of support services/materiel management at Queens Hospital Center in 1981. In 1984, he was appointed associate director of budget at Elmhurst Hospital Center.

A native of Astoria, Queens who is fluent in Greek, Mr. Constantino earned a B.A. degree in anthropology/sociology at City College of New York and a Master’s of Public Administration in Hospital Administration at New York University in 1982. By then, Chris already had served as executive director of the Mayor’s Council on Intergroup Relations, and as assistant agency Director of HANAC, Inc. a social service agency serving much of New York City that was originally founded as Hellenic American Action Committee.

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Arthur Wagner

Arthur Wagner
Senior Vice President
Southern Brooklyn and Staten Island Healthcare Network
Executive Director
Coney Island Hospital

Arthur A. Wagner is the Senior Vice President of the Southern Brooklyn/Staten Island Heath Network (“SBSIHN”), Executive Director of Coney Island Hospital (“CIH”), and a HHC Corporate Officer. In his role as chief administrative officer of the SBSIHN, Mr. Wagner is charged with the operational and fiscal oversight of CIH and Sea View Hospital Rehabilitation Center and Home, as well as several ambulatory clinics. Mr. Wagner’s responsibilities include: the restructuring of hospital operations, including physician services, to improve and expand clinical services for the community in a cost efficient manner; and the development and implementation of strategic goals designed to improve patient outcomes and ensure an appropriate continuum of care services for the Southern Brooklyn and Staten Island communities. Additionally, Mr. Wagner oversees the integration of services between SBSIHN facilities and the development of long range initiatives to provide coordinated health services with sister institutions within HHC.

Mr. Wagner has worked in numerous capacities at HHC for a period totaling more than thirty (30) years. Before being appointed to the Senior Vice President position at the SBSIHN, Mr. Wagner was Executive Director of North Central Bronx Hospital (“NCB”) for over six (6) years. He also served as the North Bronx Healthcare Network’s (“NBHN”) Chief Operating Officer for a period of nine (9) years, where he was responsible for the daily operations of Jacobi Medical Center, NCB, and four (4) health centers.

Mr. Wagner is a graduate of St. John’s University, College of Pharmacy, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree.

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