Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital names new COO

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Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) on Oct. 14 announced Alan Lee as chief operating officer.

Lee will draw on his experience at nationally distinguished academic medical centers and at internationally renowned hospitality brands to advance care at New Jersey’s largest academic medical center. In his new role, he is responsible for aligning hospital operations with the RWJUH mission of delivering world-class patient care at the highest standards of clinical quality, performance and patient experience.

As COO, Lee is charged with fostering new collaborations among Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School faculty physicians, RWJBarnabas Health Medical Group physicians and community physicians that contribute to clinical innovation and that promote groundbreaking research.

“We’re excited to welcome Mr. Lee to our team at RWJUH,” said Bill Arnold, president and chief executive officer of RWJUH. “As we work to strengthen RWJUH’s position as a premier academic medical center in our state and region, Mr. Lee brings a wealth of experience and knowledge as an administrative leader. He has a proven track record of leading teams known for exceptional quality, outcomes, patient experience and research programs. We are confident that his expertise will prove invaluable to RWJUH as we enter this phase of expansion and transformation.”

Lee joins RWJUH from New York-Presbyterian (NYP), where he served in multiple senior leadership roles since 2009. He was vice president of support services and patient experience at NYP/Weill Cornell, then vice president of operations at NYP/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, before assuming the role of chief operating officer at NYP Brooklyn Methodist Hospital. During his time there, Lee led strategic initiatives focused on patient experience, operations and capital expansion, environmental services, patient throughput and length of stay management.

RWJUH Board of Directors Chair Jack Morris added, “Throughout his career, Mr. Lee has demonstrated a strong bottom-up management style, empowering frontline healthcare providers to identify challenges and develop strategies for improvement. His diverse body of professional experience and outstanding collaborative skills align perfectly with our vision for what we want to achieve with our academic partners.”