The Cooper Health System Board of Trustees has named Adrienne Kirby, PhD, FACHE, as President and Chief Executive Officer of Cooper University Health Care.
Dr. Kirby joined Cooper in January 2012 as Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. In her new role as President and CEO of Cooper University Health Care, she will manage all hospital and ambulatory operations, and oversee the physician group and the institute structure at Cooper. Dr. Kirby will take the lead on the advancement of strategic healthcare partnerships and the implementation of new models of care delivery to improve quality and service and decrease cost.
John P. Sheridan, Jr. remains President and CEO of the Cooper Health System. Mr. Sheridan was appointed President and CEO of the Health System in 2008. Dr. Kirby will continue to report to Mr. Sheridan.
Since joining Cooper, Dr. Kirby has spearheaded initiatives to improve access and customer service while enhancing operational efficiency through the use of Lean Six Sigma. She has also led an organizational realignment, developing patient-centered institutes and service lines to better meet the healthcare needs of patients and their families.
“Dr. Kirby is providing Cooper with a strategic direction and a clear focus on service excellence,” noted George E. Norcross, III, Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Cooper. “We are confident that her strong, visionary leadership will enable our organization to continue its growth, and help improve access and quality of care for patients throughout South Jersey.”
Dr. Kirby has more than 30 years of healthcare management experience, much of it at hospitals in the Delaware Valley. Prior to joining Cooper she served as President of Medstar Franklin Square Medical Center in Baltimore, a 380-bed community teaching hospital and the third-largest hospital in Maryland. Dr. Kirby also spent more than 10 years at Virtua Health, serving in various leadership positions, including Chief Operating Officer of Ambulatory Services and Programs of Excellence and Chief Operating Officer of Virtua Hospital Voorhees.
Dr. Kirby has served as the chairman of numerous physician-health system joint venture boards. She has also served on many community boards in Southern New Jersey. In 2010 and 2013, she led the Southern New Jersey American Heart Association’s “Go Red for Women” events.
Dr. Kirby earned her bachelor of science in nursing degree from Rutgers University and her master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. She has been a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives since 2003 and a certified healthcare executive since 1998. Kirby was born at Cooper and raised in South Jersey.