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The basics:

• Hirsch named 2026 NJBIZ Health Care Heroes Lifetime Achievement Award recipient
• Saint Peter’s CEO boasts 45+ years in healthcare leadership
• Led hospitals through Hurricane Katrina, COVID-19
• NJBIZ Health Care Heroes event set for June 23 in Somerset

NJBIZ has named Saint Peter’s Healthcare System President and CEO Leslie Hirsch as the recipient of the 2026 Health Care Heroes Lifetime Achievement Award. 

Hirsch is a more than 45-year healthcare industry veteran. He joined Saint Peter’s in New Brunswick as president in 2015 and took the helm in 2017. 

“It is truly an honor to receive the Healthcare Heroes Lifetime Achievement Award from NJBIZ,” Hirsch shared with NJBIZ. “Throughout my career, I have had the privilege of working alongside extraordinary colleagues, physicians, nurses, employees and community partners who are committed to improving the lives of patients and creating healthier communities. Leadership in health care is a profound responsibility and great honor. Working in Catholic health care for many years has not only been a wonderful career experience, it has also been a great gift in my life. 

“This award is not just about individual achievement; it’s a reflection of the guidance, support, and dedication of the many colleagues and mentors who have shaped my journey and strengthened my commitment to this work over nearly five decades,” Hirsch added. 

Lifetime of leadership 

Before joining Saint Peter’s, Hirsch held leadership positions at Saint Clare’s Health System in Denville, Touro Infirmary in New Orleans, Exempla-Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver and what’s now Cooper University Health Care in South Jersey.

Hirsch has led his teams during and through numerous challenges. He took the helm at Touro Infirmary just a week before Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, according to Saint Peter’s. 

Locally, Hirsch guided Saint Peter’s through COVID-19, which the World Health Organization officially declared a pandemic in March 2020.  

But there were also numerous highs. In 2024 alone, Saint Peter’s: 

• Opened the newly expanded and modernized $12 million Family Health Center 
• Launched the state’s first tuition-free education benefit available for healthcare employees 
• Kicked off the $25 million to $30 million overhaul of its Intensive Care Unit, which Hirsch told NJBIZ at the time was “probably the most substantial project that we’ve done in many, many years.” 

Continued service 

Hirsch’s dedication extends beyond the walls of Saint Peter’s, as well. He is currently serving a three-year term on the American Hospital Association Board of Trustees. Hirsch has served several terms on AHA’s Regional Policy Board 2 for New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, including his current three-year term as RPB 2 chair. 

Hirsch is also a longstanding member of the New Jersey Hospital Association Board of Trustees, which he previously chaired. He currently serves in the same capacity for the NJHA HealthPAC Board of Directors. 

He also serves on the boards of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, Hope Through Education Foundation and the Middlesex County Crime Stoppers. 

In addition to this most recent honor, Hirsch is the recipient of numerous other awards and recognition, including several NJBIZ Healthcare and Power 100 lists.

This award is not just about individual achievement; it’s a reflection of the guidance, support, and dedication of the many colleagues and mentors who have shaped my journey and strengthened my commitment to this work over nearly five decades.
– Leslie Hirsch, president and CEO, Saint Peter’s Healthcare System

He has been a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives for over 30 years. The ACHE-New Jersey chapter also honored Hirsch with the Distinguished Service and Lifetime Achievement Awards. 

He received the NJHA’s Distinguished Service Award in 2022, as well as the Hope Through Education Foundation’s Person of the Year. Additionally, he is a recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from his alma mater William Paterson University. 

Hirsch earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from William Paterson and a master’s from Fairleigh Dickinson University.