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The basics:

• Guillem named medical director for research
• Will oversee Valley Health research, clinical trials
• Byrne appointed chief strategy officer, VP of marketing
• Valley Medical Group CMO also promoted to VP for Valley

This month, Valley Health System welcomed two new leaders: its first medical director for research and a chief strategy officer and vice president of marketing. The network also elevated the chief medical officer for Valley Medical Group to an expanded role.

Medical director for research, The Valley Hospital

Dr. José Guillem most recently served as associate director of surgical research at the Penn State Cancer Institute and chief of colon and rectal surgery at Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Pennsylvania.

Guillem has also held positions at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York and at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

In his new position with Valley Health, Guillem will oversee all research initiatives offered through the network. He will also be a practicing surgeon at Valley’s Center for Digestive Health, specializing in the treatment of colon and rectal cancer.

A network representative shared with NJBIZ that the medical director for research is a new position for Valley Health.

Research hub

“What excites me most about this opportunity is the ability to help cultivate innovation, mentorship, and interdisciplinary collaboration in a way that meaningfully benefits both the institution and the community it serves,” Guillem said in a June 3 hiring announcement.

Guillem received his medical degree and his master’s degree in public health with a concentration in epidemiology from Yale University School of Medicine. He also received his master’s degree in business administration from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management of Brandeis University.

The Okonite Research Center in Paramus serves as Valley’s home for research and clinical trials. Research and clinical trials are also conducted at The Valley Hospital and The Audrey and Robert Luckow Pavilion, home to Valley-Mount Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Care.

Chief strategy officer and vice president of marketing

Valley Health announced June 15 that Deirdre Byrne will succeed Megan Fraser in the position, effective July 6.

Fraser will retire from Valley Health after a more than 30-year career with the network.

Byrne joins Valley from Hackensack Meridian Health, where she served as vice president of network strategy. She also held leadership roles at Montefiore Health System, Children’s Health Fund and the National Conference of State Legislatures.

In her new role, Byrne will oversee Valley Health System‘s strategic planning and development, government relations, marketing and communications, and community health and community benefit initiatives. She will also serve as the strategic planning advisor to the board of trustees.

In a LinkedIn post, Byrne said she is “incredibly grateful for my time with the Hackensack Meridian Health Strategy team. … While I will miss my HMH team, I look forward to this next chapter.”

Welcome to Valley

“We are delighted to welcome Deirdre to Valley,” said Dr. Robert Brenner, president and CEO of Valley Health System. “Under her leadership, we look forward to the expansion of our medical programs and services; continued communication with our patients, community, and employees; and ongoing health education initiatives for the community.”

Brenner also thanked Fraser for her “outstanding leadership and longstanding dedication to all those we care for …”

Byrne, who said she looked forward “to contributing to Valley’s future,” earned a master’s in public administration in health policy and management from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and a bachelor’s international political economics from Fordham University.

CMO promotion

On June 23, Valley Health announced the promotion of Dr. Puneeta Sharma to vice president for Valley Health System and chief medical officer for Valley Medical Group.

Sharma joined Valley Health in 2017 as director of palliative care. She was later named chair of medical specialties for Valley Medical Group, and in 2022 was appointed chief medical officer for Valley Medical Group.

In her expanded role, Sharma will oversee the operations, physicians and staff of all of Valley Medical Group’s specialties. She will also oversee Valley’s Office of Academic Affairs.

Brenner noted Sharma’s elevation “reflects the growing scope of her contributions across the health system and her addition to Valley’s executive leadership team.”

Sharma earned a master’s degree in healthcare management at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She earned her medical degree from Karnataka Medical College.